Why is rhinitis not cured by antibiotics

Use a specially designed squeeze bottle — such as the one included in saline kits — a bulb syringe or a neti pot to irrigate your nasal passages.

This home remedy, called nasal lavage, can help keep your nose free of irritants. When used daily, this is one of the most effective treatments for nonallergic rhinitis. To prevent infection, use water that's distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or filtered using a filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller to make up the irrigation solution.

Also be sure to rinse the irrigation device after each use with similarly distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or filtered water and leave open to air-dry. Some small studies have shown that repeated applications of capsaicin — the ingredient responsible for the heat in hot peppers — to the inside of the nose can ease nasal congestion. Larger studies are needed. When you make the appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do in advance, such as not taking medicine for your congestion beforehand.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Diagnosis Your doctor will diagnose nonallergic rhinitis based on your symptoms and by ruling out other causes, especially allergies. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic.

Neti pot Open pop-up dialog box Close. Neti pot A neti pot is a container designed to rinse the nasal cavity. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Any underlying infection requires a culture examination of microorganisms grown from a sample of mucus to identify infection with bacteria or fungi and appropriate treatment. If symptoms persist, biopsy removal of a tissue sample for identification under a microscope may be necessary to rule out cancer.

Atrophic rhinitis is a form of chronic rhinitis in which the mucous membrane thins atrophies and hardens, causing the nasal passages to widen dilate and dry out. This atrophy often occurs in older people. People who have granulomatosis with polyangiitis Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Granulomatosis with polyangiitis often begins with inflammation of small- and medium-sized blood vessels and tissues in the nose, sinuses, throat, lungs, or kidneys.

The cause is unknown. The cells normally found in the mucous membrane of the nose—cells that secrete mucus and have hairlike projections to move dirt particles out—are replaced by cells like those normally found in the skin. The disorder can also develop in people who had a significant amount of intranasal structures and mucous membranes removed during sinus surgery.

A prolonged bacterial infection of the lining of the nose is also a factor. Crusts form inside the nose, and an offensive odor develops. People may have recurring severe nosebleeds and can lose their sense of smell anosmia.

Treatment is aimed at reducing the crusting, eliminating the odor, and reducing infections. Antibiotics, such as bacitracin or mupirocin ointment applied inside the nose, kill bacteria.

Estrogens sprayed into the nose or taken by mouth and vitamins A and D taken by mouth may reduce crusting by promoting mucosal secretions. Vasomotor rhinitis is a form of chronic rhinitis. Nasal stuffiness, sneezing, and a runny nose—common allergic symptoms—occur when allergies do not seem to be present.

In some people, the nose reacts strongly to irritants such as dust and pollen , perfumes, pollution, or spicy foods. The disorder comes and goes and is worsened by dry air. The swollen mucous membrane varies from bright red to purple. Sometimes, people also have slight inflammation of the sinuses. People do not have a pus-filled discharge or crusting.

Treatment of vasomotor rhinitis is by trial and error and is not always satisfactory. If inflammation of the sinus is not severe, treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms. Avoiding smoke and irritants and using a humidified central heating system or vaporizer to increase humidity may be beneficial. Nasal corticosteroid and antihistamine sprays sometimes help.

Nasal decongestant sprays should not be used. However, decongestants taken by mouth may be used for a few days at a time when symptoms are worst.

Rhinitis medicamentosa, also known as rebound congestion, is severe nasal congestion caused by the overuse over 3 or 4 days of continuous use of decongestant nasal sprays and drops not from steroidal sprays. Treatment is by discontinuing the drug that is causing the condition and using a saline nasal spray. Corticosteroid nasal spray may also be used if needed. Merck and Co.

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Common Health Topics. Amoxicillin is typically prescribed for days at a time. While it is critical to finish the entire 10 day course of antibiotics when treating strep throat, there is evidence that shorter courses of treatment may be sufficient for most cases of sinusitis. Amoxicillin is closely related to the parent compound penicillin and should not be prescribed in patients who are penicillin allergic. Azithromycin is an alternative treatment for patients who are allergic to amoxicillin.

The principal advantage of the azithromycin is convenience — the recommended treatment for acute sinusitis is mg once daily for only 3 days. Unlike amoxicillin, the effectiveness of a azithromycin is enhanced by giving a large single dose rather than spreading the doses out.

For this reason, a course of azithromycin should be completed in 3 days or less for sinusitis as in a Zithromax Tri-Pak , and should not be spread out over 5 days as in a Zithromax Z-Pak. Azithromycin induces antibiotic resistance to itself quickly if prescribed in doses that are too low to kill the bacteria. This resistance lasts at least 3 months, so Zithromax should not be prescribed twice within 3 months.

Alternatives related to azithromycin include clarithromycin Biaxin , which is commonly taken twice daily for 10 days, and the older medications erythromycin and clindamycin which require doses per day. If the patient does not improve within the first week on amoxicillin, a change to Augmentin or to a cephalosporin such as Ceftin, Cefzil, Omnicef, or Suprax is reasonable.

Although these drugs have a similar mechanism of action to penicillin, they generally can be taken in adequate doses once or twice daily. These medications should be used with extreme caution in patients with a history of penicillin allergy, as cross-reaction may occur. Cipro, Levaquin, and Avelox are generally considered third line antibiotics for uncomplicated sinusitis. These medications still have a very low rate of resistance and are often our last resort before considering surgical intervention.

Allergic reactions are infrequent, but joint pain and tendon rupture have been described with patients taking these medications. They also have increased complexity interacting with other medications.

Bactrim and tetracycline are older medications which do not routinely cover the broad-spectrum of bacteria that may grow in the sinuses.