Tag: antibiotics

Triggers and Causes of Panic Attacks

Here are the common triggers and causes of panic attacks:

Phobia People who are exposed to certain situation or objects they are afraid of will often experience a panic attack.

Passiveness Many think that excessive politeness, shyness, and respectfulness are a positive thing and it is normal for someone to possess these characteristics. Be that as it may, a growing number of evidence supports the idea that passiveness as a result of fear (sometimes unexplained), low self-esteem and self-confidence is consistent with a person experiencing episodes of panic attack.

Hyperventilation syndrome Mouth breathing and over-breathing or exhaling more carbon dioxide with respect to the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream can result to symptoms including dizziness, lightheadedness, and rapid heartbeat. These symptoms, in turn trigger panic attacks.

Benzodiazepines Drugs such as benzodiazepines are prescribed to treat the symptoms of panic attacks. These drugs have a very quick to take effect. Usually, the patient finds relief within 30 minutes. However, benzodiazepines are highly addictive and rebound effect is common (a panic attack triggered by withdrawing from the drug).

Medications There are certain drugs such as fluoroquinolone type antibiotics and Ritalin (methylphenidate) with panic attacks listed as a side effect. Attacks may be temporary, usually occurring when a patient begins medication but may continue occurring even if the patient is already accustomed to the drug. When this happens, change of dosage or type of drug is usually warranted. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs boost the level of serotonin in the brain which regulates and normalizes emotions. However, intake of SSRIs can increase anxiety at the beginning of use. Panic attacks may even be more frequent to patients who wean on and off the medications

Biological causes post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, Wilson’s disease, pheochromocytoma, hypoglycemia, mitral valve prolapse and labyrinthitis (inner ear disturbances) can manifest through panic attack. Vitamin B deficiency from periodic depletion because of parasitic infection from tapeworm or due to inadequate diet can trigger panic attacks.

Heredity Children, whose parents have been found to suffer from panic disorder, are likely to experience or have panic attacks as well. In other words, inheritance plays an important role in determining who gets it. However, people with no family history can still develop panic disorder.

Environment factors and upbringing People who grew up overly cautious about their life and actions, and those who live in a very stressful environment, plus different traumatic experiences from the past are likely to have panic attacks.

Short-term triggering causes Significant life changes, emotional trauma from a failed relationship, life transition, stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine, psilocybin, marijuana, and drugs can trigger panic attacks.

Take note that these triggers and causes may have different effects to different people. One may only need one trigger to have an episode of panic attacks. Others may require several triggers in order to break down. Also, by simply being exposed to any of these triggers do not automatically result to panic attacks because some are emotionally stronger than others.

It is also important to note that some symptoms of panic attacks may also be a sign of other medical condition. Hence, it is important to precisely pinpoint the cause of the symptoms in order know what type of treatment is necessary.

What Is Acute Sinus Infection?

Acute sinus infection occurs when your nasal passages become inflamed making it difficult for the normal drainage of the mucus. As a result, you have difficulty breathing and may also experience a headache, fever or cough.

The common cause of acute sinus infection is the cold. Other causes include bacteria, allergies, nasal polyps, deviated nasal septum and certain medical conditions. When the doctor is able to determine the exact cause, only then will treatment be given.

But most of the time, acute sinus infection is either bacterial or viral. Since it is hard to pinpoint what is the exact cause doctors speculate that if the problem persists longer than 14 days, then it is more likely that the cause is bacterial.

You will know if you have acute sinus infection if you have any of these symptoms. These include bad breath, cough, dental pain, erythema, fatigue, fever, nasal congestion, nausea or a sore throat. You may experience one or a few of these at the same time and you should treat it immediately to prevent this from becoming a chronic sinus infection even worse cause complications.

This means that the sinus infection could last longer than 8 weeks or you could develop acute asthma, aneurysms, meningitis or vision problems.

If the symptoms of acute sinus infection are mild, you can try self-care like drinking lots of fluids and bed rest. However if the ever exceeds 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 39 degrees Celsius, then you have to seek medical advice.

When you to the doctor, he or she will be asking you a few questions to gather information about your medical history, conduct a physical examination and in some cases call for a CT scan to pinpoint which areas are inflamed.

If the test results show that the cause is bacterial, then you may be prescribed some antibiotics like amoxicillin or the combination drug trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. If there are no changes, then a different antibiotic will be recommended.

Should this be caused by an allergic reaction, the doctor will likely recommend an antihistamine.

Other possible treatments for acute sinus infection include the use of prescription decongestants, nasal corticosteroid spray, oral corticosteroid pills to relieve stuffiness, over the counter decongestants or pain relievers and spraying a saline solution inside your nose several times a day.

But do you always have to wait for acute sinus infection to strike before taking any action? The answer is no because this can be prevented. Some simple things you can do includes practicing proper hygiene, getting flu shots annually, staying away from people who have colds, keeping yourself hydrated, limiting alcohol use, investing in a humidifier, avoid going to polluted areas and hanging out with people who smoke.

If you already have acute sinus infection, steam your sinus cavities by mixing Vicks Vaporub with warm water or with a few essential oils then inhale it for about 10 minutes. You can also take a hot a shower and breathe the warm air. Dont forget to also take some decongestants and drink lots of fluids as this will all reduce congestion and promote drainage.

An acute sinus infection doesnt last that long but when its there, you will really have a bad day. It can happen to anyone and at anytime so you have to take good care of yourself.

What Are Sinus Infections?

Sinus infections are also known as sinusitis. In fact, there are two types namely acute and chronic.

An acute sinus infection is caused by harmless bacteria that most healthy people have in their upper respiratory tracts. This happens to approximately 2 percent of adults and 20 percent of children who are suffering from a cold. It usually lasts for two to four weeks and those affected respond very well to medical therapy.

Among the two types, chronic sinus infections are very common. It is estimated that at least 37 million Americans are affected by this every year and this usually lasts for 3 months or more and it may keep on coming back.

The symptoms for acute and chronic are very similar. These include bad breath, cough, dental pain, difficulty breathing through your nose, erythema, facial pain, fatigue, fever, nasal congestion, nausea, pain or tenderness in the eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead and sore throat.

If you have acute or chronic sinus infection, you are advised to see a doctor because if left undiagnosed and untreated, complications could occur which may lead to severe medical problems and at times death. Just to give you an idea, here are some of the complications that could happen.

We know that fevers and headaches are common with a sinus infection. But did you know that this together with soft tissue swelling over the frontal sinus may indicate an infection of the frontal bone better known as Potts Puffy Tumor or Ostemyelitis?

The persons eye socket may also get infected due to ethmoid sinusitis and if it swells or becomes droopy, this may result in the inability to see and even permanent blindness. What is even worse is when it causes a blood clot forms around the front and top of the face. The persons pupils will become fixed and dilated and this will happen on both eyes.

A sinus infection could also make someone experience mild personality changes or altered consciousness. If this happens, it is possible that the infection can spread to the brain and result in a coma or death.

Given that anything can happen if you have a sinus infection, you are advised to see a doctor as soon as possible. This will the professional time to diagnose what is wrong and then recommend the proper medical treatment.

Some of the tests could be as simple as touching your face lightly to check for tenderness in the skin to CT scans, MRIs and X-rays.

The treatment that doctors initially recommend to a patient who has a sinus infection is usually an over the counter drug like Tylenol. If there is no improvement after a week, then he or she can assume that it is a bacterial infection and treat it with a proper antibiotic.

The length of the time that the patient will be under the medication depends on the person. Usually, the person will use antibiotics for 2 weeks but this can be extended for another 7 days should the infection be chronic.

Sinus infections can be treated so before you take any medicine out of the cabinet, have yourself checked by the doctor first to determine what is causing it. For all you know, your sinus infection is not caused by bacteria but rather an allergy.

Sinus Infection And Antibiotics

Most doctors recommend antibiotics for patients suffering from sinus infections. Are the effective? Not always which is why you should tell your doctor if it is doing well or not so something else can be given.

There are two types of antibiotics that are used for sinus infections. The first are known as narrow spectrum antibiotics. This means that it is designed to only fight a certain type of bacteria. The second are broad spectrum antibiotics that attack a wide range of bacteria.

Studies have shown that the second type is more effective but are more likely to promote antibiotic resistance. This is why most doctors will recommend the first type first then resort to the second when there is no other option. Here are a few of the antibiotics in the market.

The first are Aminoglycosides and these are classified as narrow spectrum antibiotics. This can be administered through irrigation or inhaling through the nose. Given that it is very strong, this should only be administered in the presence of a doctor because it has serious side effects that include damage to hearing, sense of balance and may cause damage to the kidneys.

You also have Macrolides are another form of narrow spectrum antibiotics as it is designed to fight the cocci bacteria. This can be taken orally and tests have shown that it is very effective in slowing or blocking protein formation in the bacteria.

There are also Cephalosporins which are broad spectrum antibiotics. This can be taken orally or through the ear and often used for patients who are resistant to penicillin. The side effects associated with this antibiotic are diarrhea and rashes.

Penicillin is not only used to treat people with kidney problems. They can also be used to fight bacterial that causes sinus infection by slowing metabolic functions vital to bacterial cell wall formation and by stimulating production of enzymes that eventually destroy cell walls. Thus, making it another example of broad spectrum antibiotics that will only attack actively multiplying bacteria and the two commonly used are amoxycillin and amoxycillin-clavulanate.

Among the antibiotics mentioned, Quinolones and Fluoroquinolones are rarely prescribed to patients. These two are broad spectrum antibiotics and although it is effective in treating legionella and mycoplasma, it can interfere with a patients DNA activity.

People should keep in mind that a sinus infection is different from a cold. The sinus infection can be caused by the cold and the only time that the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic is when this lasts longer than 7 days.

In order for the doctor to recommend the best antibiotic around, he or she must first identify the kind of bacteria that is present. To do this, the doctor will remove a swab of nasal discharge and let it grow into a bacterial culture in the laboratory.

If properly identified, the doctor will be able to prescribe the correct antibiotic and you will see an improvement within a day or two after starting the treatment. However, if you only feel better on the tenth day, your condition improved not because of the antibiotic but because your body was somehow able to fight the bacteria on its own.

Antibiotics can only be used if bacteria caused your sinus infection. Otherwise, something else will be recommended to fix the problem.