Chronic sinusitis and antibiotics
There are no national guidelines for antibiotic treatment for chronic sinusitis. Specialists use guidelines similar to those for acute sinusitis. Physicians may also prescribe clindamycin (Cleocin®) and/or metronidazole (Flagyl®) to treat suspected anaerobic infections. First line treatment choices include amoxicillin/clavulanate (Augmentin®) or cefuroxime (Ceftin®) along with clindamycin (Cleocin®) or metronidazole (Flagyl®). If you are allergic to penicillin, the macrolide (Zithromax®, erythromycin, telithromycin, Biaxin®), fluoroquinolone (Tequin®, Levaquin®, Avelox® and Factive®), or ketolide (Ketek®) classes of antibiotics are used. Antibiotic treatment is prescribed for 6 weeks and often longer.
There are some antibiotic treatment options specifically used for chronic sinusitis:
Nasal and Nebulized Antibiotics
Intravenous Antibiotics
