Over-the-Counter Medications for Sinus Headache: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Sinus headache is a common complaint that can be due to chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) or non-rhinogenic facial pain/pressure (NRFP). The purpose of this study is to characterize over-the-counter (OTC) medications used for sinus headache.

Cross-sectional study.

Tertiary care academic center.

Patients presenting with midfacial pain or pressure to a rhinology clinic were surveyed on how often they utilized common OTC medications, with choices ranging from "always" to "never." Patients were categorized into CRS or NRFP groups based on endoscopy and imaging.

The study included 251 patients, with 69.3% female and a mean (standard deviation) age of 49.9 (15.7) years. Patients with CRS (n = 114) reported symptom relief "sometimes" to "always" when using pain relievers (38.6%), intranasal steroids (37.7%), and oral antihistamines (36%). Patients with NRFP (n = 137) responded "sometimes" to "always" with the use of intranasal steroids (49.6%), decongestants (48.9%), and pain relievers (45.3%). A greater proportion of NRFP patients responded "sometimes" to "always" for decongestants to relieve symptoms compared to CRS patients (P = .011). There was no significant difference in other OTC medications between groups.

Patients with midfacial pain or pressure reported using a variety of OTC medications for symptomatic relief. Decongestants were more frequently associated with symptom improvement in patients with NRFP. This finding indicates that symptomatic relief with decongestants may suggest a diagnosis of NRFP.