What is a sinus infection (sinusitis)?
A sinus infection, or sinusitis, is inflammation of the lining of the sinuses — the air-filled spaces behind the cheeks, eyes, and forehead. It usually follows a cold and causes nasal congestion, thick or discolored discharge, facial pain or pressure, and a reduced sense of smell. The large majority of acute sinus infections are caused by viruses and resolve on their own within about ten days. A smaller share are bacterial (acute bacterial rhinosinusitis), and those are the ones that may benefit from antibiotics.
How online sinus infection prescriptions work
You complete a secure online assessment describing your symptoms, how long they have lasted, allergies, medications, and pharmacy preference. A licensed physician reviews the information and may follow up if more detail is needed. If your symptoms fit a likely bacterial sinus infection and there are no safety concerns, the clinician can send an electronic prescription to your selected pharmacy for same-day pickup in most cases.
Vyta.co does not automatically prescribe antibiotics. If your symptoms look viral, or your answers suggest a red flag, pregnancy, a weakened immune system, or long-standing or frequently recurring sinus problems, the clinician may recommend supportive care, watchful waiting, or in-person evaluation instead.
Pharmacy pickup
Clinician-reviewed
No charge if not prescribed
When is a sinus infection bacterial?
Clinicians consider a sinus infection likely bacterial when symptoms last 10 or more days without improvement, when they start severely with a high fever and facial pain or thick discharge for three or more days, or when they improve and then clearly worsen again (so-called double-sickening).
If you are within the first several days and steady or improving, antibiotics usually are not needed — rest, fluids, saline rinses, and over-the-counter relief are the right first step.
When to see a doctor in person
Online care is not right for every sinus symptom. Seek in-person or emergency care if any of the following apply.
- Vision changes, double vision, or swelling or redness around an eye
- Severe or worsening headache, neck stiffness, confusion, or a high fever (103°F or higher)
- Pregnancy, a weakened immune system, symptoms lasting 12+ weeks, or 4 or more sinus infections in a year
First-line therapies for a bacterial sinus infection
When antibiotics are appropriate for acute bacterial rhinosinusitis, clinicians commonly start with amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin), typically 875/125 mg twice daily for five to seven days. For patients with a penicillin allergy, doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for five to seven days is a common alternative. Supportive care — saline nasal rinses, intranasal steroids, and over-the-counter pain or fever relief — helps symptoms whether or not an antibiotic is prescribed.
Common side effects of amoxicillin-clavulanate include stomach upset and diarrhea; doxycycline should be taken with water and can increase sun sensitivity. Your clinician chooses the medication and duration based on your symptoms, allergies, and history.
What causes sinus infections?
Most sinus infections begin with a viral cold that inflames and blocks the sinuses. Allergies (allergic rhinitis), nasal polyps or a deviated septum, and smoking or exposure to irritants can make infections more likely or harder to clear. Because the early, viral phase looks the same as a bacterial infection, timing and the pattern of symptoms — not just their presence — are what guide whether antibiotics are needed.
What if it keeps coming back or won't clear?
Symptoms that do not improve after treatment, or four or more sinus infections in a year, or any sinus problem lasting 12 or more weeks, deserve a fuller evaluation — often imaging or an ENT referral — that is beyond an online visit. Vyta.co can help with appropriate acute episodes, but chronic or frequently recurring sinusitis is better handled by an in-person primary care clinician or ENT.
