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Is Augmentin The Right Medicine For Sinus Infection?
Question: I have been diagnose with Epstein Barr 10 days ago. I still have neck pain swollen glands & daily headaches with severe fatigue. I don't appear to be getting any better at all. I had seen 2 other docs 2 weeks prior told I had sinus infection. Been given augmenting then levaquin with steroid injection. Is this common?
Brief Answer:
Yes and no
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for using Healthcare Magic. I am not sure what you are referring to when you ask the question "Is this common?" Yes, it is common to treat sinus infections with Augmentin or Levaquin. No, I personally have never used a steroid for sinusitis, but yes, I have with infectious mononucleosis (IM) which is caused by Epstein Barr virus (EBV). Although I used oral not injectable steroids. A steroid acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and may ease some of the symptoms associated with EBV.
IM is an illness with symptoms of swollen glands, throat and neck pain, fatigue, sometimes fever and headache. It takes 1 to 2 months to clear up. Rarely, some people may get a chronic type of infection. Since it is a virus, the antibiotics you took for sinusitis would not do anything to cure it. There is no specific treatment for EBV; the body eventually heals itself. While you are ill, all you can do is rest, drink plenty of fluids, and use an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen to help the headaches and pain.
If you continue to have unchanged symptoms after another 2 weeks or so, or if the symptoms are actually getting worse, I recommend you follow up with your doctor and get checked again. Many similar infections can present the same way, so you may need to be checked for other things. Many people also may have a positive EBV test from a previous infection, so it's possible that your current symptoms are not due to this particular virus. EBV can also cause swelling in the spleen and liver so your doctor can check for that as well.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them.
Yes and no
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for using Healthcare Magic. I am not sure what you are referring to when you ask the question "Is this common?" Yes, it is common to treat sinus infections with Augmentin or Levaquin. No, I personally have never used a steroid for sinusitis, but yes, I have with infectious mononucleosis (IM) which is caused by Epstein Barr virus (EBV). Although I used oral not injectable steroids. A steroid acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and may ease some of the symptoms associated with EBV.
IM is an illness with symptoms of swollen glands, throat and neck pain, fatigue, sometimes fever and headache. It takes 1 to 2 months to clear up. Rarely, some people may get a chronic type of infection. Since it is a virus, the antibiotics you took for sinusitis would not do anything to cure it. There is no specific treatment for EBV; the body eventually heals itself. While you are ill, all you can do is rest, drink plenty of fluids, and use an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen to help the headaches and pain.
If you continue to have unchanged symptoms after another 2 weeks or so, or if the symptoms are actually getting worse, I recommend you follow up with your doctor and get checked again. Many similar infections can present the same way, so you may need to be checked for other things. Many people also may have a positive EBV test from a previous infection, so it's possible that your current symptoms are not due to this particular virus. EBV can also cause swelling in the spleen and liver so your doctor can check for that as well.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
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