Study: Antibiotics Don’t Help Most Sinusitis

Antibiotics don’t help people feel better faster with a short-term sinus infection, a new study finds. The study included 166 adults with acute sinusitis. Everyone’s symptoms had lasted less than 4 weeks. Everyone got treatment for symptoms. But people also took pills labeled amoxicillin, an antibiotic. Half of the people got the real thing. The others got placebo (fake) pills. People were interviewed by phone several times to ask about symptoms. Those in both groups reported about the same level of symptoms after 3 days and 10 days. After 10 days, about 8 out of 10 people said their symptoms were much better or gone. Researchers also called back on day 28. People who got the fake pills were also no more likely than the antibiotic group to report a return of symptoms. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study.