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Can You Take A Decongestant With An Antibiotic

What Are The Reviews Of Clindamycin For Sinus

Expectorants, Mucolytics, Decongestants & Antihistamines – Pharm – Respiratory |@Level Up RN

Clindamycin has an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from a total of 26 ratings for the treatment of Sinusitis. 58% of users who reviewed this medication reported a positive effect, while 31% reported a negative effect. Developed acute sinus infection couple days after wisdom teeth extraction. Was switched to this antibiotic.

Are there any side effects to taking clindamycin?

A person taking clindamycin for a sinus infection may notice any of the common side effects of the medication. These side effects may be in addition to typical symptoms of a sinus infection, including cough, runny nose, or stuffy nose. Both sinus infections and clindamycin may also cause headaches.

Using The Right Water During Saline Rinses

When using saline nasal rinses, tap water should always be boiled and then allowed to cool to ensure cleanliness distilled water or premixed solutions could also be used instead of regular tap water.

Other home remedies for sinus infections include:

  • Drinking fluids: Drinking lots of fluids helps loosen and thin mucus. Avoid beverages that are caffeinated and alcoholic beverages that can dehydrate the body, which could thicken mucus.
  • Breathing steam: Warm water is best . You can breathe in steam from either a bowl or shower.
  • Humidifying the air: Use a cool air vaporizer or humidifier,particularly at night while sleeping.
  • Avoiding environmental substances: Avoid tobacco smoke and chlorinated water that can dry up the mucus membranes and exacerbate symptoms.
  • Implementing treatment measures: At the first sign of infection, use antihistamines and employ regular nasal rinses.

Who Should Get An Annual Flu Shot

The Centers for Disease Control recommends the following groups receive an annual flu vaccine shot between November and February :

  • All people aged six months and older.

It is especially important for certain individuals at high risk of flu complications and those who come in contact with people at high risk of complications to receive the flu vaccine. These people at high risk include:

  • Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
  • People who have chronic medical conditions such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes, kidney and liver disorders and chronic lung diseases.
  • People with a weakened immune system, for example, people with cancer, HIV/AIDS, or chronic steroid users.
  • Household members and caregivers of patients at risk of complications from the flu.
  • Women who are or will be pregnant during the flu season .
  • Healthcare workers who come into close contact with patients in hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and other healthcare facilities.
  • Infants and children ages six months through 18 years who are taking long-term aspirin therapy. This puts these individuals at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after flu infection.
  • American Indians/Alaska natives.
  • People who have close contact with children under five years of age for example, people who live with children, nannies and providers of daycare services.
  • People with Class III obesity .

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Antibiotics And Sinus Infections

When a sinus infection hits, it seems worse than what you remembered from the last time you had one. This may give you the idea that you need antibiotics, but most clear up without them. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses and aren’t recommended within the first week of developing a cold. About 70% of sinus infections go away within two weeks without antibiotics.

Consider these other forms of treatments instead of antibiotics:

  • These medications are available for over-the-counter purchase. Be careful to only take these medications for a few days at most, as they can cause the return of more severe congestions.
  • Over-the-counter pain relievers Aspirins, acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help relieve temporary pain.
  • Saline nasal spray This is used to spray into your nose several times a day to rinse your nasal passages. It can help to prevent and treat inflammation.

Antibiotics only will be needed if the infection is severe, recurrent or persistent.

The likelihood of bacterial infection increases when:

  • Symptoms last seven days or more, particularly when symptoms initially improve and then worsen.
  • Mucus is thick and yellow or green in color.
  • There is facial or sinus tenderness, particularly if it’s worse on one side of the face.
  • Pain is present in the upper teeth and is worse on one side of the face.

If the infection becomes severe, recurrent or persistent, contact your provider.

Narrow Angles And Angle

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What is Angle-Closure Glaucoma?

Angle-closure glaucoma, the second most common type, is a largely inherited disorder caused by a too-narrow angle in the passageway where aqueous fluid would normally drain. This type of glaucoma may occur in two ways:

  • The chronic type progresses slowly and, like open-angle glaucoma, can result in optic nerve damage. There are no symptoms until there is an apparent loss off peripheral vision. Treatment includes medication and laser therapy.

  • The acute type begins suddenly when the normal flow of aqueous humor between the iris and lens is blocked. The symptoms include, severe eye pain, nausea and vomiting, sudden onset of visual disturbance, often in low light. blurred vision, halos around lights, and reddening of the eye. This condition is a medical emergency and must be treated immediately. The initial treatment steps are to break the attack, which is accomplished using a combination of eye pressure lowering medications and laser iridotomy. Without treatment, blindness can result in one or two days.

Therefore, if you have a known history of narrow angles or the condition known as angle-closure glaucoma, you should definitely call your ophthalmologist prior to using any medication that has a glaucoma warning.

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Take Antibiotics Exactly As Prescribed If You Need Them

Dispose of Unused Medicines

If your doctor decides an antibiotic is the best treatment when youre sick:

  • Take them exactly as your doctor tells you.
  • Do not share your antibiotics with others.
  • Do not save them for later. Talk to your pharmacist about safely discarding leftover medicines.
  • Do not take antibiotics prescribed for someone else. This may delay the best treatment for you, make you even sicker, or cause side effects.

Talk with your doctor and pharmacist if you have any questions about your antibiotics.

Ask Your Doctor Or Pharmacist About Ways To Feel Better If An Antibiotic Isnt Needed

For more information on common illnesses and how to feel better, visit Common Illnesses.

Antibiotics arent always the answer when youre sick. Sometimes, the best treatment when youre sick may be over-the-counter medication. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for tips on how to feel better while your body fights off an infection.

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Talk With Your Doctor If You Develop Any Side Effects Or Allergic Reactions While Taking An Antibiotic

In children, reactions from antibiotics are the most common cause of medication-related emergency department visits.

Common side effects range from minor to very severe health problems and can include:

More serious side effects can include:

  • C. diff infection, which causes diarrhea that can lead to severe colon damage and death
  • Severe and life-threatening allergic reactions
  • Antibiotic-resistant infections

If you need antibiotics, the benefits usually outweigh the risks of side effects and antibiotic resistance.

What Drugs And Food Should I Avoid While Taking Pseudoephedrine

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Avoid taking this medication if you also take diet pills, caffeine pills, or other stimulants . Taking a stimulant together with a decongestant can increase your risk of unpleasant side effects.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any other cough or cold medicine. Many combination medicines contain pseudoephedrine or another decongestant. Taking certain products together can cause you to get too much of this type of medicine.

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Medications To Discuss With Your Doctor If You Have Angle

Anticholinergics

Medications that have anticholinergic properties can adversely affect patients with narrow angles. Anticholinergic means that these drugs block the action of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that transmits signals from one nerve cell to another nerve cell, muscle cell, or gland cell, for example.

Medications that have anticholinergic properties are used to treat the following medical conditions:

  • Asthma and COPD

    Asthma and COPD medications include drugs such as Atrovent or Spiriva , and may be associated with angle-closure glaucoma attacks.

  • Incontinence and Overactive Bladder Medications

    This class of medications includes Detrol and Ditropan

  • Gastrointestinal Issues
  • Some medications used to treat nausea have anticholinergic effects, such as Phenergan .

  • Anxiety

    One example is Vistaril , a medication that reduces anxiety, and can have strong anticholinergic effects, increasing the risk for angle closure.

  • Ephidrine-Containing Drugs

    Ephedrine can result in acute angle-closure glaucoma attacks in patients with preexisting narrow angles. Some cold medications contain ephedrine for managing congestion.

    Sulfonamide-Containing Drugs

    There are certain drugs that can cause angle closure in some people, often in both eyes. This is because patients are likely to experience an allergic reaction to the sulfa drug. Examples of sulfonamide-containing drugs, include Topamax , Diamox , Qualaquin , Sumycin , and Bactrim .

    Oral Steroids

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    I’m on antibiotics for a bladder infection but I also came down with a really bad cold/possible sinus infection right as it developed.

    I don’t know exactly what the prescription is, but is it safe to take sudafed with antibiotics?

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    Medications To Discuss With Your Doctor If You Have Open

    Oral Steroids

    As mentioned above, oral steroids can help to reduce inflammation and to reduce the activity of the immune system. This class of medication is used for many conditions, including:

  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Inflammatory bowel diseases
  • Joint and muscle diseases
  • Allergies and asthma
  • Short courses and lower doses of oral steroids decrease the risk of increased eye pressure. Other side effects in the eye, beyond increased pressure, include cataracts.

    Not every person develops elevated eye pressures when taking oral steroids. Your risk is higher, however, if you have open-angle glaucoma, so if you are undergoing treatment for glaucoma and have recently been diagnosed with a condition that requires more chronic use of oral steroids, you should discuss this with your ophthalmologist. He or she may want to monitor you more closely while you are on steroid treatment. And, of course, topical steroid eye drops can increase eye pressure, but if you are using these medications, you should already be under the care of an eye care provider.

    Avoid Prednisone With Nsaids

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    NSAIDs are a commonly used class of medication for the treatment of mild/moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. Over-the-counter NSAIDs include:

    Use of NSAIDs with prednisone is generally recommended to be avoided unless prescribed or recommended by your doctor. There are several reasons for this:

    • Concomitant use of corticosteroids, like prednisone and NSAIDs, increases the risk of adverse GI effects including bleeding, ulceration, and perforation.
    • Both prednisone and NSAIDs can alter sodium, potassium, and fluid balance.
    • NSAIDs may mask fever, pain, swelling, and other signs and symptoms of an infection. As prednisone has immunosuppressant actions, it increases your risk of infection.

    The prescribing information for prednisone states the following regarding use with NSAIDs:

    “Concomitant use of aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids increases the risk of gastrointestinal side effects. Aspirin should be used cautiously in conjunction with corticosteroids in hypoprothrombinemia. The clearance of salicylates may be increased with concurrent use of corticosteroids this could lead to decreased salicylate serum levels or increase the risk of salicylate toxicity when corticosteroid is withdrawn.” Prednisone Prescribing Information

    The Beers criteria, which lists inappropriate medications and medication combinations in the elderly, recommends to avoid the combination or at the very least, provide gastrointestinal protection.

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    Can I Take Nasal Decongestant With Doxycycline

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    Side Effects Of Steroids And Antibiotics

    Every drug carries a risk of side effects, and steroids and antibiotics are no different. But in the case of these two drugs, the gastrointestinal side effects can be worse when combined. Most side effects are related to GI toxicity, says Madison. For example, common side effects of antibiotics are nausea, diarrhea, and upset stomach. , as they irritate the stomach lining. So in short, combining antibiotics and steroids may increase the risk of stomach issues.

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    Will My Sinus Infection Clear Up On Its Own

    Topics in this Post

    The first few weeks of the common cold aren’ fun, but the acute sinusitis that can develop afterwards doesn’t help either. Unfortunately, sinus congestion and the common cold go hand in hand. Acute sinusitis frequently is caused by the common cold, but also can be caused by allergies and bacterial and fungal infections.

    How Is Sinus Infection Diagnosed

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    Diagnosis depends on symptoms and requires an examination of the throat, nose and sinuses. Your allergist will look for:

    • Discolored nasal discharge

    If your sinus infection lasts longer than eight weeks, or if standard antibiotic treatment is not working, a sinus CT scan may help your allergist diagnose the problem. Your allergist may examine your nose or sinus openings. The exam uses a long, thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera and a light at one end that is inserted through the nose. It is not painful. Your allergist may give you a light anesthetic nasal spray to make you more comfortable.

    Mucus cultures: If your sinus infection is chronic or has not improved after several rounds of antibiotics, a mucus culture may help to determine what is causing the infection. Most mucus samples are taken from the nose. However, it is sometimes necessary to get mucus directly from the sinuses.

    Knowing what kind of bacteria is causing the infection can lead to more effective antibiotic therapy. A fungus could also cause your sinus infection. Confirming the presence of fungus is important. Fungal sinus infection needs to be treated with antifungal agents, rather than antibiotics. In addition, some forms of fungal sinus infection allergic fungal sinus infection, for example do not respond to antifungal agents and often require the use of oral steroids.

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    Pain And Fever Medicine: Paracetamol Ibuprofen And Aspirin

    ParacetamolYou can give paracetamol to children from birth.

    You can use it to treat:

    Paracetamol comes in different strengths and varieties, so choose the right type for your childs age and size. Follow the dosage instructions carefully.

    Panadol, Dymadon and Tylenol are examples of paracetamol.

    IbuprofenYou can give ibuprofen to children aged 3 months and older.

    You can use ibuprofen to treat:

    • pain for example, headache, stomach ache, earache, sore throat or fractures
    • fever thats making your child feel uncomfortable or unwell.

    Ibuprofen comes in different strengths and varieties, so choose the right type for your childs age and size. Follow the dosage instructions carefully.

    Avoid giving your child ibuprofen if they have severe asthma.

    Nurofen, Advil and Herron Blue are examples of ibuprofen.

    AspirinDo not give aspirin to children under 12 years unless its prescribed by a doctor.

    Aspirin can make your child susceptible to Reyes syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal illness. If youre giving your child any over-the-counter medicines, check with your pharmacist or doctor to make sure they dont have aspirin.

    Why Doctors Prescribe Steroids With Antibiotics

    When youre sick, your doctor may prescribe both an oral steroid and an antibiotic. This is meant to speed up your healing. The steroid lessens the swelling and inflammation from an infectionfor example, swelling in the sinus area in the case of a sinus infectionso the healing will be faster, says Aaeedy.

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    Antibiotics And Cold Medicines

    All of the commonly used antibiotics as well as both prescription and over-the-counter cold remedies are safe to take while breastfeeding. Even codeine-containing cough syrups are safe to take before bed, if necessary, for a few nights, unless your baby is a newborn. if you are unable to sleep.)

    Rather than once-a-day, long-acting medications, use short-acting medicines that are taken 3-4 times a day and try to take them just after breastfeeding. Try single-ingredient medications before trying combinations.

    Finally, dont forget non-drug cold remedies: a steam clean and a nose hose. Twenty minutes of inhaling steam from a facial steamer loosens secretions in clogged breathing passages. Add one drop of eucalyptus oil for a better effect. Spritz your stuffy nose several times a day with over-the-counter saline nasal spray. These two safe and simple remedies keep the secretions that accumulate during colds and allergies from collecting in sinuses and breathing passages and serving as a medium for bacteria growth, and thus may prevent a cold from progressing to sinusitis or bronchitis.

    Do Steroids Increase Antibiotic Effectiveness

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    Some research has suggested that the two medications work better together than either one alone in treating certain infections. For example, a recent review found that corticosteroids and antibiotics were more effective together in treating bacterial meningitis. Research on mice has also shown that taking steroids and antibiotics together improved recovery time for those with pneumonia. To be clear: Researchers dont believe steroids make the antibiotics more effective, but by reducing the inflammation, the infection can resolve faster.

    To sum up, its safe to take most antibiotics with steroidsand the combination may even help you recover from infection faster.

    Steroids, Antibiotics, and Meningitis:Plos One. Comparative Efficacy of Antibiotic Alone or in Combination of Corticosteroids in Adults with Acute Bacterial Meningitis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

    Prednisone Uses and Interactions: MedlinePlus. Prednisone.

    Tendon Rupture, Antibiotics, and Steroids:The American Journal of Medicine. Impact of Age, Sex, Obesity, and Steroid Use on Quinolone-Associated Tendon Disorders.

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