In addition to oral decongestants, you can also try an over-the-counter nasal spray decongestant, such as Afrin. Avoid using a nasal spray decongestant for more than 3 days, however, as it could cause your symptoms to worsen once you stop using it. Before taking an oral decongestant, ask your pharmacist to make sure that it won’t interact with any other medications you take. Always take decongestants as directed on the package or by your doctor or pharmacist.
While they can help reduce allergy symptoms, antihistamines can also slow down drainage and cause your sphenoid sinus to dry out. Therefore, make sure that you talk to your doctor before using an antihistamine to treat your sphenoid sinusitis. [4] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School’s Educational Site for the Public Go to source If you tend to experience these symptoms around the same time each year, you probably suffer from seasonal allergies. Consider talking to your doctor about a daily allergy medication that you take during the peak of your allergy season to help prevent your symptoms in the first place.
Make sure that you take over-the-counter pain relievers as directed to avoid any adverse side effects, such as dizziness and stomach pain.
There’s no set amount of water that you’ll need to drink to help treat your sphenoid sinusitis. Instead, it’s important that you listen to your body and drink fluids as often as you can to help your body get rid of the infection.
If you’re over the age of 7, try adding 1-2 drops of an essential oil, such as eucalyptus oil, to help open your sinuses even more. [9] X Research source Inhale steam through your nose for about 10 to 15 minutes up to 3 or 4 times per day until your sphenoid sinusitis symptoms improve. [10] X Research source You can also inhale steam through your nose while taking a long hot shower.
If you don’t have distilled water, you can boil tap water and then let it cool until it’s lukewarm. Don’t use any water that hasn’t been boiled or filtered since it may contain bacteria and could lead to a more severe infection. Repeat this process once per day until your sphenoid sinusitis starts to clear up. Instead of a bulb syringe, you can also use a neti pot to pour the solution into your nostrils.
Your doctor may do a CT scan if you have recurring sinusitis to help confirm the diagnosis, but one is rarely used just for detecting sphenoid sinusitis. [13] X Research source
If the infection persists longer than 2 weeks and becomes chronic, your doctor will likely prescribe a longer antibiotic regimen.
By reducing nasal inflammation caused by allergies, steroid nasal sprays also help relieve sinus pressure and pain. Always use prescription steroid nasal spray exactly as directed by your doctor or pharmacist.
In addition, your doctor will likely perform endoscopic sinus surgery if you have nasal polyps that are causing or worsening your sinus blockage.
