The typical amoxicillin dosage for a sinus infection is 500 mg every 8 hours, or 875 mg every 12 hours, taken for 5 to 10 days. This may vary based on the severity of your infection.
For adults, 5 to 7 days is enough
The IDSA guidelines still recommend children receive antibiotic treatment for 10 days to two weeks. Whether a sinus infection is bacterial or viral, decongestants and antihistamines are not helpful and may make symptoms worse, the guidelines say.
Multiple rigorous studies have shown that, for example, a five-day course is very effective in treating community-acquired pneumonia, a three-day regimen is adequate for simple bladder infections, five to seven days for kidney infections and four days for standard inter-abdominal infections such as appendicitis.
If you have a lingering sinus infection after antibiotics, an ENT doctor often elects to be more aggressive in treatment than a primary care physician. They may prescribe longer courses of antibiotics, stronger medications, or recommend a procedure to open the sinuses.
Conclusions. We recommend the three day course of amoxicillin for treating community acquired non-severe pneumonia in children, as this is equally as effective as a five day course but is cheaper with increased adherence and possibly decreased emergence of antimicrobial resistance.
By mouth. 125 mg 3 times a day for 5 days; increased if necessary up to 30 mg/kg 3 times a day. 250 mg 3 times a day for 5 days; increased if necessary up to 30 mg/kg 3 times a day. 500 mg 3 times a day for 5 days; increased if necessary up to 30 mg/kg 3 times a day (max.
A duration of 5–7 days of antibiotics is recommended in adults.
How well do antibiotics work for sinusitis? Antibiotics work in most cases of acute sinusitis that are caused by bacteria. Most people start feeling better 3 to 4 days after they start taking the medicine. Antibiotics won't work for infections caused by a virus.
Most sinus infections are caused by viruses, which don't respond to antibiotics. But even bacterial sinus infections rarely require antibiotic treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Duration — Patients who are improving on initial antibiotic therapy should be treated for a course of five to seven days [5,6]. This shorter course is reasonable as the available evidence suggests that response rates are similar and associated with fewer adverse events than longer courses [5,6].
In most cases, you'll take amoxicillin for 5 to 10 days at a time. This can be longer or shorter depending on your situation. However, always make sure to finish all of your prescribed doses, even if you start to feel better. This helps make sure that the infection is fully cleared from your body.
Shorter courses of antibiotics (amoxicillin) are as effective as longer courses for treating pneumonia in children. In a new study, 3 days of antibiotic were as good as 7 days; and a lower dose as good as a higher dose.
"If we don't complete the course of therapy, there is concern that the bacteria that are left over may be more likely to develop resistance to the antibiotic," Hicks says. "That turns out to be much less of a problem than was originally believed."
The recommended choices are amoxicillin or amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate (Augmentin) for 5 to 10 days. Doxycycline is a good alternative for people with penicillin allergy, followed by levofloxacin or moxifloxacin.
Do you really need to take those antibiotics for 10-14 days or will five days do? Some providers are changing the way they prescribe antibiotics, based on evidence-based national research, and are recommending a shorter duration of three to seven days in place of the standard duration of seven to 14 days.
Instead, your doctor looks largely at symptom duration to determine the source of your infection. A viral sinus infection will usually start to improve after five to seven days. A bacterial sinus infection will often persist for seven to 10 days or longer, and may actually worsen after seven days.
Amoxicillin remains the drug of choice for acute, uncomplicated bacterial sinusitis. Amoxicillin is most effective when given frequently enough to sustain adequate levels in the infected tissue. While often prescribed twice daily, it is even more effective if taken in 3 or 4 divided doses.
You can possibly be contagious for a few days even before or after showing symptoms. Those suffering from a sinus infection should stay cautious around others for at least three days after the last symptoms have subsided.
Infections that are not severe may be treated in as little as 3 days, but the typical course of treatment is 5-10 days. Your prescription label insert will tell you how long you should take your amoxicillin. If you forget to take a dose, do not panic.
Treatment should be continued for a minimum of 48 to 72 hours beyond the time the patient becomes asymptomatic or evidence of bacterial eradication occurs. At least 10 days of treatment for any infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes is recommended to prevent the occurrence of acute rheumatic fever.
Dosage. The usual dose of amoxicillin capsules is 250mg to 500mg, taken 3 times a day. The dose may be lower for children.