Question: My specialist put me on a long term azithromycin treatment for a chronic sinusitis issue. I have been taking this for around two months now, and I can not stand the side effects of the antibiotic. The initial course was to take 250mg once a day for 6 days and then one 250mg tablet 3 times a week. I have been doing that for two months now and can not take the side effects anymore. I feel that it gives me blurry vision and makes my mind feel foggy and lost, these are also the symptoms I am getting from the sinus issue aswell. But most of all what is bothering me is the anxiety and panic attacks I am having as a result of the medication.

Are there any alternative treatments I can look into that will bring down the inflammation, and kill any infection that may be lingering in my sinus?

I have also been taking dexamesthasone 0.11% nasal spray to bring down the inflammation in my nose.

also, after two months, shouldnt the azithromycin have cleared the infection and brought down the inflammation by now?
I have read on the internet, that long term azithromycin is not effective against sinusitis. This study however involved taking 250mg twice a week, so I am not sure wether the treatment i am receiving is effective.
the inflammation has gone down a bit over the last two months, however, it is still well and truly there and having great impact on my life.

Please help.

I have read on the internet that one of the side effects of azithromycin is anxiety, and I have noticed that I have been having pretty bad anxiety ever since taking the medication.

I have also been doing the following

* Salt water gargle 2-3 times a day
* steam inhalation around 5 times a day
* salt water nasal spray (although i find this irritates my nasal passage a bit)
* nasal irrigation using netti pot. (squeezable bottle), however i find that i get a bit of relief instantly, however afterwards the tightness in my sinuses gets worse)
* dexamethasone nasal spray 2-3 times a day
* ibuprofen tablets every 4-6 hours to help with the inflammation.
* vitamin c, zinc, garlic and horseradish vitamin tablet twice a day.

I have been doing all the above mentioned for around a month now, and have seen very little improvement. How long will this take to go away?

I have had a CT scan of my sinus, and everything looks normal according to the doctor.

This whole thing originated with an infection. I went overseas and came down with a chest infection, which I took antibiotics for. This slowly went anyway, however, while I was on antibiotics, I came down with tonsillitis. After this, I took many different types of antibiotics, including augmentin duo forte, abbocillin, erythromycin and clarithromycin, all of which did not help the infection.
The infection (and sick feeling) eventually went away, however about a month into the illness I developed all the sinus issues. Ever since then all the muscles in my face have been tight, I've had inflammation on my right tonsil, and my throat was very red.
Since taking the azithromycin, my symptoms have become a little bit better, ie my throat is not dark red anymore, and a bit of the inflammation on my tonsil has gone down, as well as the tightness in my face not being AS tight as it was before, however, it does not seem to be going anywhere.
I use to sweat a lot as well, however, that has since gone, however, comes back from time to time. It is not bad sweat, but just a little sweaty at the top of my forehead.
Also lately I have been spitting out yellow/green phlegm in the morning, and sometimes in the afternoon. From what I understand, if the phlegm is yellow/green it means I still have some sort of infection lingering in my sinus cavities?
I had a similar issue back in 2008, where I had an infection in my nasal passage, and that caused tightness all up the left side of my face. I took antibiotic nasal spray and a corticosteroid spray, and that cleared up in around 3 months. However, the symptoms I had then, are very different from the ones I have now.
Now, the inflammation is on both sides of my face, and the tightness feels very different. Back then it was a very hard/crusty type tightness, however, now, it does not feel like that at all, more like someone is clenching the muscles behind the middle of my eyes with their fist. (apologies, that is the best way I can explain it, I hope it makes sense)

Thank you for your help! It is just very difficult, and the anxiety I am having is not helping.

Also - Will drinking large amounts of alcohol disrupt the course of the treatment?
for example, if I drink excessively on a night out, would I then need to start the treatment again (250mg a day for 6 days and then 3x a week), or can I just continue with the 3x a week?
and how long should I take this antibiotic for before I should go back to my doctor? as I have been on it for 2 months now, and have seen minor improvements, but the underlying issue is still there, and still very much disrupting the course of my life.

are there any other stronger antibiotics I can request from my doctor, that will help clear the infection faster? Something like Levofloxacin?
I would like to know what all my options are, so I can request the best possible treatment for this.
Please advise.
Thanks you.

Also, sorry, is it possible to do any kinds of tests to find out exactly which bacteria is infecting my sinus?
I have done multiple mouth swabs and PCRs however, as there is no infection in my mouth, it is not coming up with anything. I have taken multiple blood tests. they originally showed that I had an infection as my white blood cell count was elevated, however, now they show a regular white blood cell count. however, if I have green phlegm, that would indicate that I still have an infection lurking around somewhere.
Are there any particular sinus swabs I can do, in order to find out exactly what this is?

Thanks