How long should one work with oral antibiotics before considering an IV antibiotic care program?
Because penetration of antibiotics inside the sinus is poor, an extended treatment program is often necessary. Also, oral antibiotics do not penetrate well into bone and bacteria can be located inside or near bone. Typically a minimum of three weeks or more of oral antibiotic treatment is necessary, sometimes 4-6 weeks of treatment may be appropriate. Some physicians may only treat patients with oral antibiotics for a week or ten days and as a result, offer patients a temporary cure. We recommend an extended course of oral antibiotics before a patient has been judged to fail oral treatment. Intravenous antibiotics are highly successful when orals have truly failed.
