Any Good Home Remedies for Sinusitis?

[Christine]

Hi everyone! After the ear pain thread, which had some pretty good tips, I thought I'd start my own thread hoping for some great ideas on sinusitis.

I am in my 3rd week post COVID infection. I think I'm about 95% recovered. My infection came with a LOT of watery congestion, horrible sore throat, and lots of sinus drainage. Right now, I'm just left with a feeling that my sinus passages are narrow (not necessarily my nose) and that my eustachian tubes, mainly left side, aren't open as they should be. I have no pain, everything is clear, but I just feel muffled and a bit like my head is wrapped in cotton. Some days I wake up and think "oh it's going away" and other days, like this morning, it seems worse. Probably based on how I sleep and get stuck in one position.

Anyway, here's everything I've done/doing:
Sudafed (the good kind) every day but it's been making me feel jittery.
Nasacort nose spray
Ibuprofen (in hopes to reduce the inflammation)
Neti Pot

I know a lot of people would probably go to the doctor and want an antibiotic. While I'm not against antibiotics, I don't like to rush into them and they cause me their own set of problems. That said, my doctor is very strict on them and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get one at this point anyway. I do have a history of colds like this taking me 3 weeks or more to fully get over. Must have faulty sinuses!

So, besides the above, am I missing something that may have worked great for you?

 

[easyas123]

Perhaps a humidifier in your bedroom?

Steam - either a long hot shower or sitting in the hot tub for a while helps me as well. Sometimes I lay down at night with a hot compress over my face and that seems to help (me) as well.

Good luck, hope you are feeling better soon!

 

[fhtpdw20]

My go to for colds/sore throats are warm salt water gargle, let teaspoon of honey run slowly (don't gulp it) to coat your throat, steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup, hot tea, and tilt head to one side, spritz peroxide in ear and wait for bubbling to stop, then tilt head the other way to drain, and repeat to other ear.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

Hi everyone! After the ear pain thread, which had some pretty good tips, I thought I'd start my own thread hoping for some great ideas on sinusitis.

I am in my 3rd week post COVID infection. I think I'm about 95% recovered. My infection came with a LOT of watery congestion, horrible sore throat, and lots of sinus drainage. Right now, I'm just left with a feeling that my sinus passages are narrow (not necessarily my nose) and that my eustachian tubes, mainly left side, aren't open as they should be. I have no pain, everything is clear, but I just feel muffled and a bit like my head is wrapped in cotton. Some days I wake up and think "oh it's going away" and other days, like this morning, it seems worse. Probably based on how I sleep and get stuck in one position.

Anyway, here's everything I've done/doing:
Sudafed (the good kind) every day but it's been making me feel jittery.
Nasacort nose spray
Ibuprofen (in hopes to reduce the inflammation)
Neti Pot

I know a lot of people would probably go to the doctor and want an antibiotic. While I'm not against antibiotics, I don't like to rush into them and they cause me their own set of problems. That said, my doctor is very strict on them and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get one at this point anyway. I do have a history of colds like this taking me 3 weeks or more to fully get over. Must have faulty sinuses!

So, besides the above, am I missing something that may have worked great for you?

If you can tolerate Aleve, swap to that and take it with the Sudafed and skip the ibuprofen. This is the combo in the Sudafed sinus headache formulation and I find it works really well.

See if your doctor can prescribe some budesonide packets (the kind used for a nebulizer for asthma treatment). You can put this in the neti pot with the saline when you do the nasal rinse and it will also help with inflammation.

And my best tip for drainage: accupressure. If you can do it with your hands, go for it. I like to use quartz skincare globes. These have changed the game for my sinus problems.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My DD swore by Tylenol Sinus when she had a bad sinus infection recently. (And we’re not big Tylenol people.)

DH always used a Neti Pot but there was some literature recently that advised caution when using them. You can use saline wash spray instead (if you’re worried about it).

Agree with humidification.

Covid can do funny things and cause funny sensations. One of the reasons people lose their sense of taste and smell is because it can affect nerves in the head, but for most people those types of things subside after a month or so. Just saying that could be part of the sensations you’re having, especially if no fever or anything like that that often comes with a sinus infection. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Christine]

My DD swore by Tylenol Sinus when she had a bad sinus infection recently. (And we’re not big Tylenol people.)

DH always used a Neti Pot but there was some literature recently that advised caution when using them. You can use saline wash spray instead (if you’re worried about it).

Agree with humidification.

Covid can do funny things and cause funny sensations. One of the reasons people lose their sense of taste and smell is because it can affect nerves in the head, but for most people those types of things subside after a month or so. Just saying that could be part of the sensations you’re having, especially if no fever or anything like that that often comes with a sinus infection. I hope you feel better soon.

Thanks! Hopefully it's nothing "weird." It's all just typical for me. I don't get sick often, but when I do, it's always a doozy. I think the last real cold I had was back in 2015 after attending a conference. I get colds so rarely that I remember them. Same thing--after the acute phase, I'm left with this nagging sinus stuff that takes forever to resolve. It does, eventually, and it's never a true infection, but I just get tired of it.

I had about 8 days of acute COVID symptoms (fever, tons of congestion, and so on), but once those retreated I was again left with this lingering crap that is just starting to get on my nerves. If I could just get things to open up (get inflammation down), I think it would just resolve. Some days I think it's happening and then I have a setback day like today. I really envy those folks that can have a cold start to finish in about 5 days.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thanks! Hopefully it's nothing "weird." It's all just typical for me. I don't get sick often, but when I do, it's always a doozy. I think the last real cold I had was back in 2015 after attending a conference. I get colds so rarely that I remember them. Same thing--after the acute phase, I'm left with this nagging sinus stuff that takes forever to resolve. It does, eventually, and it's never a true infection, but I just get tired of it.

I had about 8 days of acute COVID symptoms (fever, tons of congestion, and so on), but once those retreated I was again left with this lingering crap that is just starting to get on my nerves. If I could just get things to open up (get inflammation down), I think it would just resolve. Some days I think it's happening and then I have a setback day like today. I really envy those folks that can have a cold start to finish in about 5 days.

I know they hit you hard.

 

[Moliphino]

Hot tea with honey was the best at clearing out my sinuses first thing in the morning with Covid. Alka seltzer cold/flu (the fizzy tablets) has been the best thing at night before bed.

 

[DLgal]

Boil water in a medium sized pot, then sit over it and breathe while under a towel. Do this for AT LEAST 20 minutes, or until the water no longer produces vapors. Do this three times a day.

Aleve, not Ibuprofen. 2 every 12 hours.

SINEX Severe Nasal Spray, 12 hour formula. This will open up your nasal and ear passages amazingly. Don't use any nose spray for more than 3 days. 10 minutes after the nose spray, do the steam thing.

Throw out the neti pot and buy a Neilmed Sinus Rinse bottle. Use 2 of the included packets. You need PRESSURE to force the stuff out of your sinuses, which a neti pot cannot deliver. Trust me on this one.

You should feel better within 2 days with the above protocol.

If you have pain above your eyes or in your face, or you start seeing green gunk come out of your eyes or nose, and your breath smells bad, you need antibiotics. However, I'm with you that I don't like going there until I'm beyond the 14 day point, as most sinus infections WILL clear without antibiotics within that time frame.

 

[Christine]

Boil water in a medium sized pot, then sit over it and breathe while under a towel. Do this for AT LEAST 20 minutes, or until the water no longer produces vapors. Do this three times a day.

Aleve, not Ibuprofen. 2 every 12 hours.

SINEX Severe Nasal Spray, 12 hour formula. This will open up your nasal and ear passages amazingly. Don't use any nose spray for more than 3 days. 10 minutes after the nose spray, do the steam thing.

Throw out the neti pot and buy a Neilmed Sinus Rinse bottle. Use 2 of the included packets. You need PRESSURE to force the stuff out of your sinuses, which a neti pot cannot deliver. Trust me on this one.

You should feel better within 2 days with the above protocol.

If you have pain above your eyes or in your face, or you start seeing green gunk come out of your eyes or nose, and your breath smells bad, you need antibiotics. However, I'm with you that I don't like going there until I'm beyond the 14 day point, as most sinus infections WILL clear without antibiotics within that time frame.

Thanks for your tips. I'll try some of these. I actually cannot take Aleve--just have had issues with it before. I also used Afrin (same ingredient as SINEX) a few times last week so not sure that I can go back to that, but it has been a week so maybe I'll give it another try. You're definitely right on the Neti Pot--no pressure there and I think I need that.

I also don't really have any nasal discharge. I am clearing my throat due to post nasal drip but it's not even like my nose itself is clogged. It's up much higher and then over to the ears.

 

[BrianL]

Perhaps a humidifier in your bedroom?

Steam - either a long hot shower or sitting in the hot tub for a while helps me as well. Sometimes I lay down at night with a hot compress over my face and that seems to help (me) as well.

Good luck, hope you are feeling better soon!

I like the steam and also those Vicks shower tablets that saturate the steam with the Vaporub type stuff. It can be very refreshing and clear out your sinuses too.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I like the steam and also those Vicks shower tablets that saturate the steam with the Vaporub type stuff. It can be very refreshing and clear out your sinuses too.

Yes! They seem like a gimmick but they really work.

 

[BrianL]

Yes! They seem like a gimmick but they really work.

They're nice! I liek shower fizzies or bath bombs anyway - - but I found the effect be very soothing.

 

[Nora03]

I second the recommendation of Neilmed Sinus rinse. I had a sinus infection last summer that lasted over two months. The worst was the sinus headache. The summer replacement doctor wouldn’t give me antibiotics. She insisted I take Advil. It did nothing for me, but my doctor recommended Tylenol and that helped a bit, but it may have been winding down by then. my DH swears by Neilmed so I finally tried that and it helped, I’m continuing to use it as a preventative. I also have a vaporizer in the bedroom every night. Good luck.

 

[Suzabella]

We were very thankful for Mucinex when we had Covid. Our symptoms were similar; stuffy head and some serious fatigue but no sore throat. The stuffy head hung around a bit - kinda like after a bad cold so 2 weeks or so. Didn't need it every day after first few days of Covid but did take it occasionally for 2 weeks or so afterwards.

Celestial Seasons also makes a throat soother tea that helped with the scratchy throat from drainage. I swear by that one!

Nettie pot is always a good option to try also.

 

[Her Dotness]

Be sure to use distilled water with a Neti pot or other nasal rinse device. You can launch some nasty microbes into your head with tapwater. Your stomach acid can handle tapwater but not your nose.

I find using a far milder salt solution in my Nasopure or Neti pot than recommended works best for me. If it burns at all, use somewhat less salt.

I do the sinus "carwash" 3 or 4 times a day when I've a lot of sinus congestion. Clears it up fast.

Oh, and try Mucinex instead of any of the decongestants. It thins out mucus to help flush it out more easily and doesn't dry out membranes like decongestants can.

A Mucinex twice daily and the "carwash" do the job readily for me.

 

[Christine]

Thanks everyone, you've given some really great advice and can't wait to try a few of these things.

 

[PollyannaMom]

So, besides the above, am I missing something that may have worked great for you?

I can be prone to sinus issues from a cold or allergies, and sometimes apple cider vinegar will stave it off. I just mix a little in some warm water and drink it quickly, but there are capsules if you can't tolerate the taste.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'd combine your pseudoephedrine with guaifenesin; that thins the gunk to help it run out. (Behind-the-counter Mucinex D has both of these in a combo w/ no extra analgesic. Walgreens and CVS sell generics.)

I would also try switching to fluticasone spray instead of Nasacort; I find it works much better for me (Flonase or the generic. Nasacort is triamcinolone, which I find useless for this.) If that doesn't work, I second grading up to budesonide, which normally requires a scrip.

Personally, I find that nasal rinses seem to make sinus inflammation worse. They are great at getting out hardened gunk (especially dust after working outside), but if swelling is the problem I find them counterproductive.

Lastly, order in some good spicy Chinese food if your tummy can take it. It's delicious and opens sinuses up instantly.

 

[Nora03]

Definitely follow the sinus rinse instructions carefully. Use distilled water, and we always clean everything with boiled water. I forgot that the doctor also gave me a nasal spray. I’m not sure if it helped or not. I didn’t have Covid, just a sinus infection.