I Have A Headache That Will Not Subside And My

Brief Answer:
We can not prescribe medications (terms and conditions). Further information is needed to evaluate your headache

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service,

I carefully read your query and understand your concern with persistent headaches that do not subside.

Antibiotics are generally helpful for acute bacterial sinus infection which should fulfill some criteria: severe headache for more than 10 days and in the terrain of nasal congestion or purulent nasal secretions. High fever for more than 3-4 days while on sinus pain is another indication for antibiotics.
If you do not have the above criteria you will not benefit from the use of antibiotics.

Prescribing or dispensing medicines is against the policies of the website, thus this is not a service we can offer but we can assist you with some guidance on what might be going on and how to proceed further. I would appreciate it if you would provide me with some more information so I can better evaluate the possible cause of the headache. I kindly ask you to provide the following information:
- for how long is the headache and what is its pattern (when do you feel it mostly, evening, morning, night)?
- from 1-10 (10 is maximum) how severe do you think your headache is?
- where exactly do you feel it?
- anything that makes it worse or better?
- have you tried any medication and how is their effect?
- do you have neurologic signs (weakness or numbness in certain limbs or problem with vision or talking, etc)?
- do you have nasal congestion or runny nose?
- any fever (for how long), weight loss or any other complaint?
- what are the names of the nasal spray and decongestant you have been using?
- have you had any trauma, falls or something you can relate to the headaches?
- have you had any general check recently and blood tests and how were the results

Hoping to hear back from you soon.

Kind regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj, General and Family Physician

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Brief Answer:
Detailed answer below

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome back.

I am sorry that you are not happy with the service. I am not sure you were prescribed antibiotics previously as this is not allowed on our website (you may confirm this with our management team or by reading the terms and conditions on our website) but probably you were told which antibiotic is helpful in case of acute bacterial sinusitis.

If you would like to know which antibiotics are generally used in treating sinusitis, this is information I can make available to you.
Augmentin is the first line of treatment and is generally used in the following dose: 1000 mg twice a day or 625 mg every 8 hours for 7 days.
If you are allergic to penicillin you can not use augmentin. In this case, doxycycline 100 mg twice a day for 7 days can be used.

I would recommend you to make sure the symptoms you have are due to acute bacterial sinusitis and if you really need antibiotics. I would gladly further assist you with guidance on the possible cause of your headache if you are willing to provide some more information. This is all for better and proper medical care for you.

I hope this answers your query and is helpful to you. I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.

Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj, General and Family Physician

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Brief Answer:
Further explanations below

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome back,

Thank you for the information provided. If you have pain when you touch your face a sinus infection is possible but it does not distinguish between a viral infection and a bacterial infection. If your symptoms are for more than a week or you have a high fever with the headache, this increases the chance that it may be due to a bacterial infection and in this case, antibiotics (augmentin or doxycycline as explained above, depending on your allergies) can be of help.
Ibuprofen should be used regularly for the pain to be helpful (as long as you do not have stomach upset with it). Generally, you need to take Ibuprofen 600 mg every 6 hours after food and may combine it with paracetamol 500 mg every 6 hours for a better cover of pain.

On the other hand, dental pain may cause face pain as well. If the pain is worse when you eat or when you press on your teeth (especially the teeth of the upper jaw) then dental pain needs to be considered as well and in this case, a check with the dentist would be needed.

I hope this answers your query and is helpful to you. I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.

Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj, General and Family Physician

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