1) not that young and 2) definitely not “severe throat pain.” Drip + mild sore throat that went a few too many days with discolored phlegm. Clearly bacterial infection, clearly needed antibiotics, but definitely not severe
Bacterial sinus infections are absurdly over treated [1]. It can take weeks to recover from a viral infection.
Not saying that you are a wuss, but my guess is, the doctor probably over-indexed on the throat pain, assumed you were a bit of wuss for calling the doctor for a sore throat, and decided to give you something to make you feel better quickly.
Either way unless you were 65+ a short course of oral steroids is very safe (and even then it’s only very mildly dangerous).
1.https://www.aafp.org/afp/2020/0615/p758
“Without antibiotics, rhinosinusitis resolved in 46% of patients after one week and in 64% of patients after 14 days.
Antibiotics can shorten time to resolution but in only five to 11 more people per 100 compared with placebo or no treatment.
Despite this, approximately 86% of U.S. ambulatory visits for acute rhinosinusitis result in oral antibiotic prescriptions.1 In Europe, antibiotic prescription rates for acute rhinosinusitis in primary care range from 72% to 92%”
I think we’re done here man.
I guess way to argue with yourself? That’s not what I said.
> Not saying that you are a wuss
Then I provided evidence to demonstrate that it’s more likely than not that the doctor prescribed you antibiotics unnecessarily.
So neither of the straw man statements you created were accurate.