Anyone With Sinusitis?

[JJReyes]

So far, I have received two email requests from friends to bring to Manila strong over-the-counter antihistamine and allergy medication for Sinusitis. In the United States the condition should clear in about a week because one major cause is pollen in the air. The Metro Manila version might be bacterial from poor sanitation or pollution related.  Anyone else suffering from chronic Sinusitis?

[Old55]

More or less every other visit to Cebu I would get the sore throat and congested sinus, it would become sinusitis.

Amoxicillin 875mg once a day ten days.

I've missed some great dives due to that darn stuff.

[Medic Mike]

So far, I have received two email requests from friends to bring to Manila strong over-the-counter antihistamine and allergy medication for Sinusitis. In the United States the condition should clear in about a week because one major cause is pollen in the air. The Metro Manila version might be bacterial from poor sanitation or pollution related.  Anyone else suffering from chronic Sinusitis?

If your friends are having problems with sinusitis in relation to their allergies, they might want to go easy on the antihistamines. Antihistamines in a lot of cases will dry the mucus in the sinus too much, as a result making the condition worse, especially if they are prone to sinus infections, be it viral or bacterial.

 

The sinuses are lined with cells that help prevent infection by producing mucus to trap particles of dirt and other pollutants that are breathed in, if they get too dry, they can't do their job anymore.

 

[Medic Mike]

More or less every other visit to Cebu I would get the sore throat and congested sinus, it would become sinusitis.

Amoxicillin 875mg once a day ten days.

I've missed some great dives due to that darn stuff.

If you are having chronic problems, I would try using a betadine gargle on a regular basis prophylactically on your visits.

[JJReyes]

One of the friends is reluctant to see a doctor for his sinus condition. He is living on a budget and has no medical insurance. The concern is doctors don't post their prices and being a patient who is a foreigner, may decide to charge more. I read the BIR Commissioner wants medical clinics and hospitals to post their prices in the waiting room. The doctors are fighting hard against this new requirement.

[Medic Mike]

One of the friends is reluctant to see a doctor for his sinus condition. He is living on a budget and has no medical insurance. The concern is doctors don't post their prices and being a patient who is a foreigner, may decide to charge more. I read the BIR Commissioner wants medical clinics and hospitals to post their prices in the waiting room. The doctors are fighting hard against this new requirement.

I have heard the same thing. I think the doctors should post estimate prices, it would be much fairer on patients.

[robert k]

I found the generic for Benadril (diphenhydramine) in 60mg caplets while I was there, reasonable cost for a bottle. My fiancee woke up with clogged sinuses and I recommended that she break one and only take half but she took the whole thing and went back to bed for about 3 hours, cleared her sinuses though. :)

[MikeB]

They use Tuseran Forte here for just about everything associated with sinus, cough, congestion. 3 active ingredients, seems to work pretty well.

[jpbago]

The doctors usually charge 300p per visit. I get an upper respiratory tract infection every time within 2 weeks of my arrival. After a few doctors recommendations, I take Zithromax (Azithromycin) for 5 days.

The family here uses Allertan (same as Claritin) for allergy symptoms and it works good. Both Zithromax and Allertan are not expensive.

[Americano]

Most of the foreigners I have talked to on Cebu have the same problem as I often have. My nose is either stopped up or running and I have a cough due to the congestion. The problem is caused by breathing the excessive smoke from cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles and from breathing the smoke and poisonous fumes from burning rubber and plastics. When I was in elementary school I was taught that burning plastic or rubber produces poison gases but even adults don't know this in the Philippines. They burn plastic in most neighborhoods every day.

 

The only question I have is, how many years does the air pollution in the Philippines shorten people's lives?

Edited January 1, 2014 by Americano