Sinus infection, already deal with bad seasonal allergies

That sounds terrible, I’m sorry you are experiencing this. I get periodic sinus infections and already have an ENT to contact. If this is new to you I would go to urgent care to get an opinion. I use daily sinus rinses, twice a day morning and night or at least once a day. I periodically take prescribed medication for my bouts. Good luck!

@jdwelch2025 thank you. Does an increase post nasal drip mean it is getting better?

@zubedude I have your symptoms to a degree. Chronic stuffy sinuses. Went to an ENT. She prescribed generic Flonase. It helped somewhat, but not all the time. I decided to take a step back and started using Saline spray in each nostril, two or three times a day(one at bed time). I am now sleeping pretty much through the night without sinus problems. Only when the sinuses are really bad do I use the Flonase before bed. I like the fact that I am no longer pumping the Flonase into my nose constantly. Not sure if this will help you but it works well for me. I wish you well.

@zubedude This sounds like time to consult an ENT (otolaryngologist or Ear Nose & Throat specialist.) A few simple tests can identify the source of the problem, and not all treatments require prescription antibiotics. Many times, they are triggered by allergies or environmental irritants.

Have you consulted an ENT?

@jdwelch2025
I just purchased Neilmed sinus rinse and I really think it is helping along with prescribed fluticasone 50mg and montelukast 10mg.
I had a terrible sinus infection that has lasted over two months so I am hoping these new meds help get rid of it. The headache and terrible smell was intense.
What I think is important, which Neilmed highlighted was to always clean the nozzle after each use. Neilmed has detachable nozzles.

@dlo56 thank you for sharing your healing journey. I do the netty pot daily. It’s the post nasal drip at 3:00 am that is wrecking my sleep. The nasal sprays make it worse.

@sueinmn it was definitely triggered by seasonal allergies. We are number two in the country right now with the highest pollen count. My ENT wants me to do surgery.

@heisenberg34 thank you for sharing. How did you resolve the post nasal drip in throat?

@zubedude I sympathize, but if you truly have an infection, only a course (probably 14-21 days) is the only way to reach a bacterial infection in the sinuses. Surgery instead sounds like a drastic measure to me, unless imaging shows a serious issue with how your sinuses are functioning.

I have suffered from allergies and sinus infections since childhood, more than 60 years. 30 years ago I had a sinuplasty to fix my badly healed nose, broken as a teen, and hopefully open the path to cut down on sinus infections. It worked - sort of.
I still had the allergies, post-nasal drip, congestion (especially at night) and at least one infection a year.

Now, with modern day targeted allergy treatments, I am doing much better. What has worked for me is a long list, but effective:
Mucinex extended release (guaifenesin only, no decongestant)
Flonase nasal spray
Azelastine (brand name Astepro) antihistamine nasal spray
Oral antihistamine "as needed"
Treating my sleep apnea (with an oral appliance, not CPAP)
Keeping my asthma under control.
Nasal wash ONLY when having issues, with sterile saline and keeping the equipment sanitized daily.

I am not recommending that you "jump into" my regimen, only that with multiple issues, there may be many things you need to do to get control. As you might guess, it took us quite a while, with my pulmonologists, ENT and primary each contributing. But I now have 95% control, no sinus infection in over 5 years, and pretty good sleep (for someone who seldom slept all night in over 60 years.)

Why is the ENT offering surgery?

@zubedude I never was really bothered by pot nasal drip. The only other symptom is a loud rumbling in my ears when I swallow. Pretty weird. Not sure what causes that.