Please help...ear Infection

Updated on March 31, 2008
M.S. asks from Cleveland, TX
59 answers

I took my son to thedoctor on tues cause he seemed to be in pain,I thought it was his tummy turns out both ears were infected n he was started on amoxicillin. He has never been on antibiotics before so I thought this would knock the bacteria right out of his system n he would feel better. He is still in pain now, is not sleeping, n is tugging on his ear which he was not doing before. I am exausted from no sleep and I would like for him to feel better. I am giving him motrin. Has any one experienced this? What worked? I am at a loss since this is his 1st ear infection. I called the doctors office but of course I am still waiting for a call back.
-Now its friday night we had a wondeful night last night, after we went to the after hrs
clinic he got a shot, some new antibiotics(had a dose last night and today) and some ear drops. He had a great morning and good most of the day until a few hours ago he started tugging on his ear even the other ear that he wasn't tugging on before. Can someone tell me what could be happening here. Could he be regressing? I know I sound very concerned I am just new to this and don't want to find out in a week something else I could do that might be a big help. Thanks ya'll have been great.

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So What Happened?

Thank you everyone for responding. I finally called the doctor's office back but she had gone home sick. I made an appt. for noon the next day, but I just felt so bad for my baby he was obviously in pain and had a fever. I also didn't want to go through another sleepless night. I took him to the after hours clinic and he got a shot, a new antibiotic, and some ear drops. He slept through the night for the first time since saturday night. I hope this will do the trick. I will try some of the preventative measures some of you suggested too.

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T.P.

answers from Austin on

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE:
My daughter has had a ruptured ear drum a middle ear infection, SERIOUSE wax clogged up, oh and she has had a purple bead shoved in her ear. I have had more problems with this girls ears. I have taken her to Dr. after Dr. I was even told that she will, not could, but will be deaf and for a long time she was partially deaf in her right ear.
But then I was suggested to try Hydrogen peroxide and IT WORKS!!!
Pour peroxide into the cap of the bottle. Choose which ear to start with. Lay down or lay person down on their side. Put tissue around and under ear.For a child its best to wrap them in a towel with there arms snugged in so they dont try to stick there finger in the peroxide. Pour peroxide into ear
until ear is full. NOT too full just so you can see the peroxide.Watch to see if there is any fizzing or bubbling. You may need to pull up on ear lobe to help peroxide go down a little deeper. The person experiencing this will be hearing a weird noise and it will feel really odd but it DOES NOT HURT. Let it sit for about 20 to 30 seconds. Then use the tissue to place over the ear and roll head over to drain ear. If there is no bubbling no need to repeat in that ear at this time. Repeat this in the oposite ear. If there is any bubbling or fizzing repeat in the ear. You may even see ear wax.

Also you can google ear aches/ home remedies for other temp. or permenant relief of all sorts. Oh and to help the pain you can put a warm rag on it. Steam helps break up any ear wax causing pressure on the eardrum.
Good luck.

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N.B.

answers from Houston on

My sons are 4 and almost 6...we've NEVER had an ear infection! We are so blessed. Here are the things I do to prevent them: The first day of any type of runny nose, I spray their throats one time w/ colloidal silver before they lay down for bed at night. It acts as a natural antibiotic and won't allow any kind of infection to develop w/ all the drainage...throat or ears. Next, if their ears get REALLY wet, like swimming or going under water in the bath, I put a couple drops of peroxide in their ears...it'll kill any bacteria. After I let it run out into a papertowel, I follow it w/ a drop or two of straight rubbing alcohol...to dry them out. I also take preventative measures and cover their ears w/ hats if it's windy outside...obvious stuff like that! Make sure you get some acidophilus for your child after those antibiotics...it'll replace the friendly bacteria that the ab kills. NOTE: The peroxide won't hurt...the alcohol will if their is a perferated eardrum or your child's finger is always in his ear to scratch!! Good luck!

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E.S.

answers from Houston on

It is my experience that Amoxicillin does not work well, but is the first drug that is offered. It took me awhile to figure out what worked for my kids (I have 6, ages 9-22). It may take awhile for this RX to work. By that time, you may be exhausted. Insist on a different RX if you don't see this drug making progress for your child. I have a little system that I use if one of my children has an ear ache after hours, in the night, or on a weekend when I can't get them in to see a doctor. This really helped me to ease their pain. Let the child lay down on the floor with their head on a pillow in your lap. Plug in a blow dryer and put it on low heat. Point the dryer in the direction of the infected ear, keeping it about 4-5 inches away from the actual ear (you don't want to burn them!) Now count to 3 and point it away from the ear for 3 counts, now back toward the ear for 3. The warm air will be pushed down into the ear canal and will warm the ear drum and ease the pain. After 5 minutes, my kids would fall asleep on their pallet near my bed and sleep soundly (and so would I!) It was the only thing that would help us until the antibiotic would kick in. A heating pad only heats the outside of the ear, which doesn't help at all. None of my kids had tubes so check with your doctor about using this tip if you have a tube situation. I hope this helps.

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D.C.

answers from Houston on

Dear Maria,
I had an experience years ago with my oldest daughter. She had a terrible ear infection. I had taken her to the doctor for the THIRD visit and he said if this doesn't work he was going to send her to a specialist. I asked him to go ahead and sent her on to one then. The specialist vacuumed her ears out and then he told me to use a solution of 1/2 alcohol and 1/2 vinegar in her ears from then on after shampooing her hair or after swimming (anytime there was a chance of her having water caught in her ears). He said the alcohol would dry out the water and the vinegar acts as a natural antibiotic. I have done that ever since and it has really cut down on the ear infections. Just use a dropper and put the solution in each ear for several minutes and then tilt the head to drain it out. Also for the pain, you can use a few drops of warmed (not hot) olive oil in the ears. I hope this helps. D.

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S.P.

answers from Longview on

Hyland's homeopathic earache drops!!!!
I went through the same symptoms w/ my 11 month old last week. Alternate Tylenol and Motrin every 4 hours (opposite each other) and these drops can be used as needed. It offered relief for my daughter with in minutes! Also, if he will let you, a warm moist wash cloth held on the ear will help too. Hope it works for you as well as it worked for us!! S.

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M.W.

answers from Austin on

My son has had a few ear infections, and is actually on augmentin right now (amox-clav). He has always had a reduction in symptoms after being on the antibiotic for 24 hours, even for his very bad ones. I would suspect that the bacteria in your son's ears is resistent to the plain old amoxicillin and needs a boost.

Personally, I wouldn't wait for a call back from the doctor's office. I've done that before and waited for hours and hours... and then they call back right when I'm changing a diaper, putting him down for a nap, or I'm in the bathroom and can't get to the phone in time. Then I start all over again with calling them, having to leave my number, etc. I now call back every 30 minutes, asking to speak with my pediatric nurse or the on-call nurse. You might also try just making a new appointment - for this afternoon or for the after-hours clinic this evening.

Doctor typically prescribe the less-powerful antibiotics first, since you want to use the one that is effective but not overly-so, and move up from there until you find the one that is just effective enough to work. Omnicef is a typical prescription for the second try. My boy is allergic to that one, so we go right for Augmentin (amox-clav) which has an added component - Clavulanic Acid - that boosts the effectiveness of the amoxicillin on resistent bacterial strains.

It's so hard to see your little one with ear pain. I alternate motrin with tylenol, so that I can be giving him a pain reliever every 3 hours or so, and that seems to help a lot. You may find that a warm washcloth may help his ear pain diminish. If it's acute, there are ear drops that have a mild topical anesthesic. Hope he's feeling better soon!

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A.S.

answers from Houston on

This is for any moms new to ear infections! I had severe ear infections myself as a child & so did my oldest daughter. While waiting for the doctor, try this: Heat a dry rag in the microwave (about 20 seconds) until it is very warm, but NOT so hot that it will hurt the baby. Then lay the warm rag on your shoulder & hold the baby's head down on your shoulder with the hurting ear pressing against the rag. THE HEAT RELIEVES THE PRESSURE they are feeling, which in turn relieves the pain. I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE! This really helps!

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V.H.

answers from Austin on

Marie,
My children had ear infections as did myself. I always found that putting sweet oil in their ears and then using cotton helped mine feel better. There is an oil called auralgan ?? that is perscription, it has a pain killer in sweet oil. Heat the oil in a spoon over a match, then be careful to test it to make sure it is not tooo hot for the baby. I put it on the inside of my wrisk. Use an eye dropper. One or two drops in the ear and cover with cotton.
This does not work to clear the infection so keep him on antibiotics. It does help the pain.
V.

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L.C.

answers from San Antonio on

You might ask your doctor to prescribe ear numbing drops...also, to expedite the situation, have your pharmacy number ready and have them call it in. Then, you can drive through and pick them up if your pharmacy offers that service.
Good luck!

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T.C.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi Maria,
We have battled with a few ear infections and actually have an appointment with an ENT doctor now. Amoxicillin never worked for my baby, even on his first try. We had to do augmentin or omnicef. If he is still crying you need to call your doctor back and tell them. My son's ear drums actually ruptured when he was 10 months old because he has a high pain tolerance and by the time I knew he was in pain his ears were really bad. This is what I do now when I first notice he is pulling his ears and in pain and it works every time. I put numbing drops in his ears called A/B otic drops and give him motrin and call the doctor! The drops can be put in every two hours and take about 15 min to work. You can get a prescription from your doctor. If it has been more than 3-4 days and your not seeing any improvement, he probably needs a different antibiotic.
Good luck!

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K.O.

answers from Austin on

I understand your frustration. What most people don't realize is that an ear infection is not bacterial. Therefore antibiotics really do not take care of the problem. The last few ear infections my kids have had, I have taken them to our Chiropractor. He basically tugs on the ear and pops it. What happens is it opens the tube to let the pressure out. That is what tends to cause them. So with that I haven't had to do anything else. Hope that helps, it sure was good news for me to hear, since I do not like giving my kids meds.

Have a beautiful day!

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R.R.

answers from Houston on

This may be mentioned in all your responses, but the grocery stores carry a homeopathic drop solution that is perfectly safe to take with all medicines. It is a pain reliever for ear infections. I have a 13, 12 & 9 yr old, have used it for years just to deal with the pain.

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J.A.

answers from Houston on

Ask for ear drops with pain meds in them. In the mean time get a wash rag wet with the hottest water he can stand and put it on his ear. Make sure that when he is trying to sleep you keep him slightly proped up, laying flat makes the pain worse. If the amoxicillin doesn't work ask for a Zpack. (Zitromax)

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A.L.

answers from Beaumont on

I'm surprised they didn't give him ear drops for the pain. If they don't call you back on the same day, you may want to find a more prompt doctor.

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V.L.

answers from McAllen on

My son had ear infections from the time he entered daycare at 6 months to the time he was 1 1/2 years old every other 3 weeks. They finally put tubes in his ears. But for your answer for your question, He wouldn't start feelin better till about 4 days after he started taking antibiotics. For the fever, I would alternate mortin and tylenol. For example, tylenol first, then two hours later motrin then two hours after that start over. This is what my doctor in Houston advised and it always worked for him to be comfortable when I knew he was in pain and crying all the time. I only did it when I knew that he really needed it. And a word of advice, when he sleeps, you sleep. Even though it means waking up off and on, at least you do incorporate some kind of sleep. Good luck!

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J.C.

answers from Austin on

I am going through the same situation with my 16 month old son. We went to the Doctor on Monday and he was prescribed amoxicillin. It did not seem to be working so at our follow up visit on Friday the Doctor prescribed him Omnicef. It seems to be working, BUT I also put a little bit of warm olive oil in his ears which is not harmful, it coats the ear and helps relieve the pain.

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J.P.

answers from Waco on

You should continue try to get ahold of the Dr. If they are not good responders, I'd get a recommendation on a new Dr. from friends and neighbors.

Ear infections: Some need antibiotics and some don't. Depends on if it is inner ear or outter ear. This has just been decided recently by the medical field. You didn't say how long he had been on the anti-biotic. If your dr. is one that hands out antibiotice for everything, maybe this is what's happened and it's the infection that just has to run it's course. But as I said, let the dr. make the call because you don't want an ear infection going untreated if it is the kind that needs anti-biotics.

About me: I am married and have a 9 year old boy who had a few ear infections.

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K.K.

answers from Houston on

Being a mom of a little girl who has had numerous ear infections I feel your pain! In fact we recently had one that instead of getting better with the medication seemed to be getting worse, after taking her back to the doctor I realized that the meds they gave her did not work and we needeed to try another antibiotic.

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K.K.

answers from Corpus Christi on

My son had cronic ear infections when he was little and ended up getting tubes in his ears when he was 18 mo. Keep in close touch w/ the Dr. but sometimes the antibiotics take a few days to start working. Go back & forth between Motrin & Tylenol every 4 hours for pain & fever and also try a heating pad on low w/ the sore ear on the pad. Someone once told me to try a blow dryer blowing past the ear but my son never liked that. Also a natural pain killer is to warm some olive oil - just a drop or two and drop in sore ear and rub around. All are temporary fixes. Our Dr. once gave us some eye drops that numbed (eye drops aren't as strong). Just keep telling the dr. and don't be afraid to insist! :) You're in our prayers because I know it's tough!

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J.K.

answers from Austin on

There's a great product line called Nutribiotics that has an eardrop that naturally opens up the ear passages and kills the germs and bacteria that build up in the ear canal that causes all the pain. We get it at Whole Foods, Central Market, or People's Pharmacy here in Austin, Tx. It has worked every time - my youngest has never had to even be on Amoxicillin yet! (She's 4 now, and past the age where their little ear canals can't drain very well, thank goodness!) Trust me, this works! They might protest when you first put the drops in because you are massaging where the pain is, but they will feel better soon! Don't worry about doing this while he's on the antibiotics; there's nothing in the drops that would interact negatively. Hope this helps! Good luck, and hope he feels better soon! Jen K.

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M.S.

answers from Honolulu on

Dear Maria,
I'm not sure if I will be of any help to you, but I have been there. My son, now 2 1/2, had a double ear infection from birth to 3 months. They ended up having to put tubes in his ears and we havn't had a problem since. I know this is only you son's 1st. I can't say that any one thing really made him feel better. He pretty much slept on my husbands chest evry night. I think the warmth on his ears felt good. Also, if you roll up a towel and put it under one end of the crib mattress is will elevate his head when he sleeps and takes some of the pressure off his ears. It usually takes about a week to clear up completely.In the end you really just have to wait it out and give him lots of TLC. Good luck!

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P.B.

answers from El Paso on

Hi Maria,

It could be possible your son still has and ear infection. My son, who's 14 yrs old now, suffered from chronic ear infections as a baby. I constantly had him on antibiotics every other month, fortunatly for me, I found a peds dr that noticed this and recommend seeing a specialist who decided to put in tubes. Did wonders for my son. Since this is the first infection, he may have fluid trying to drain out and that's what is bothering him. If he's still taking a bottle don't let him lie down with it, when you bathe him try not to get water into his ears. You can put a little vasaline on a small piece of cotton, put it in his ear (when you are ready to bathe him), with the vasaline side in his ear and this will prevent water from going in and causing more problems. Also continue to call your dr because it may be a while before they even call you back or the office staff may have not gotten the message.

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K.S.

answers from Odessa on

My son is 9 1/2 months old and has had a few ear infections in the past few months. For the pain, my doctor recommended Infant Motrin. She said Tylenol is great for fever, but the Motrin is much better for pain. It seemed to work for us.

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S.C.

answers from Beaumont on

Call your Dr., a round of stronger antibiotics may be needed. This is common, just watch closely for any kind of reaction, and call your Dr. or the pharmacy. A double ear infection is painful. I'm not sure, he may be too young. There is a ear drop pain killer perhaps ask when you call.

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K.B.

answers from Houston on

Maria, We suffered with our daughter as well with ear infections. Others have given you good advice so I won't repeat. However, I would offer help on the sleep side. When my daughter's ear infections were bad and the medicine was not working, my husband and I would take turns sleeping with the baby in an upright position in a recliner. I guess since her head was upright this helped relieve some of the pain/pressure in her ears. We usually only had to do this one or two nights and then we would be in to see the doctor or the new antibiotics had kicked in. Also, you can give motrin then 2 hrs later give tylenol to help with the pain.

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A.E.

answers from San Antonio on

Consider yourself very lucky if this is the first ear infection that you have had to deal with. My son got them regularly starting at about 4 months and continued for the next year until they put tubes in at 15 months. He is now three and just had his first one back in December since tubes. (They have come out now- which they are supposed to). All I want to tell you is that ear infections are tough because you feel so helpful. I also want to encourage you in the fact that if you don't think that things are right, calling the doctor. But you did what I would do and give him motrin and keep him as comfortable as possilbe and wait for the doc to call back. I have heard some different natural oils and such but they never really did much for my son. The one thing that did work for him was ear drops. They essentially numb the ear and at least make him a little more comfortable. You can get them most anywhere there is a pharmacy. I will be praying for you and your little man and I hope that he is feeling better soon... I know how you are feeling.

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F.S.

answers from Victoria on

Try trimox my daughter's ear infection was caused by the smoke on her dad's clothes. He wouldn't smoke around her but just the smoke that stayed in his clothes was enough for an ear infection. The doctor suggested he quit completly or showered before he got close to her. Within 3 days she was better.

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T.P.

answers from Houston on

Maria, Have you ever tried Ionic Silver? I came across this product b/c my body was not responding to antibiotics and I've had strep throat several times since the beginning of the year. I did some research, came across this product and found there are lots of things ionic silver is used for. Ear infections happened to be one of them. I got mine at the local health food store and love it! Just a suggestion, check out research on Ionic Silver and decide for yourself if it may help your family.
Best of luck!

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K.F.

answers from San Antonio on

My son had his first ear infection when he was a year old and they did not stop till the doctor finally put tubes in right after he turned 2. He had to be put on stronger meds because that is the only thing that would help. I have an idea that helped us with his pain. I have heard it called "mickey mouse ears". You take a wash cloth and soak it with hot water (as hot as you can stand). Ring out most of the water and place the cloth in a tall glass. Then put the glass over the ear that hurts. The steam and heat seemed to relax him and ease the pain. I usually had him lay on my lap and I put the glass between my legs so that the water did not get in his ear. This would usually help him to fall asleep. The other thing that the doctor gave us that would help the pain immediately was ear drops. I cannot remember the name, but they were specifically for pain. Hope this helps a little.

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L.R.

answers from McAllen on

Try to make an appointment with an ear/noes/throat speacilist as soon as you can. They specialize in this area and they may help you pin point the problem and correct it.

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V.R.

answers from McAllen on

hi maria, my name is V. and my son suffered alot of ear infections when he was an infant sometimes the medication takes time to work and what i found was soothing to my son was lying him down with his head slightly elevated and then he would fall asleep. i am suprised the doctor didn't give him anything for pain usually they give them some ear drops with the antibiotic. when you lie your son down also try putting cotton in his ears so the noise doesn't bother him. well i hope that what i did with my son helps with your son, let me know how it goes Good Luck!!!

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R.S.

answers from Houston on

Both my children had ear infecections all the time. Our doctor would give some numbing drops for the pain. It worked GREAT. You give them every 4 hrs and we would do it every 3.5 instead of waiting until he was crying in pain. I believe they have something that is OTC if your dr. doesn't respond. Check at walmart.

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A.D.

answers from Victoria on

I have a 4 year old son who has had nothing but problems with his ear and I know what you mean. It is scary and not fun for you and the child. He has tubes put in his ears at the age of 18 months and he does alot better. Good lock and od bless

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A.M.

answers from Houston on

He might be lactose-intolerant or, at least, lactose-sensitive. As a child, I suffered from ear infections repeatedly. Only as an adult did I learn diary products were the culprit. Go to the health food store and check out alternatives. They worked for me and switching to soymilk. God bless.

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B.B.

answers from Austin on

Go to your local health food store, and get mullen ear drops. They smell horrible and warm the bottle in a cup of hot water first cause it can feel quite cold. This will help the pain and in minor cases take care of the budding infections. Mullen is a natural antihistimine like product.

As far as amoxicillin goes, its the generic cure all. Insist on another stronger antibiotic. My son had one ear infection for 1 1/2 years becuase i was a new mom and didnt know how to insist things from the doctors. There are alot of people naturally ammune to this drug from the start. If the ear infections continue , make sure you go to an ear nose a throat specialist, becaue that long term ear infection was followed by many more, and my son ended up with tubes in his ears, and did not learn to talk until after the age of 3 due to hearing problems that tied to this whole ordeal......
..... hope you can benifit from my experience

< hippie mom

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S.R.

answers from Brownsville on

You need the tell the doctor or nurse that he has not gotten any better so that they can change him to another antibiotic. Sometimes certain antibiotics don't work on for all children. To avoid ear infections, try not putting to bed with a bottle and if he absolutely needs one to fall asleep give him water in it not milk.

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S.K.

answers from Victoria on

Hi Maria.
Sorry to hear about your baby boys ear ifection, it is ruff when you feel so helpless when they are in pain. I am a mom of 3 and warm moist washrags always helped sooth my babies, along with switching out motrin, and baby tylenol every 4 hours. Hope this helps. God Bless....S.

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S.B.

answers from Austin on

My kids are older now, but I did experience ear infections with them. Sometimes they may need to be on antibiotics longer or they may need a different antibiotic, so contact your doctor. There are drops that can be prescribed for pain also.

S. B.

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D.H.

answers from College Station on

You can alternate the motrin with tylenol. someotimes it takes that extra to help with the pain. i had to do that this week to keep my daughters fever down. the motrin and tylenol can be given together at the same time, but I try to work it, for example, so that they get a dose every 2 hours, if they are four hour meds, etc.

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J.L.

answers from Austin on

My son had chronic ear infections when he was young. He is on his 10th set of tubes now at almost 14 years old. Whenever he is between new tubes however, he gets an infection right away! He also gets chronic sinus infections because he is on immunoglobulin infusions every week for immune deficiency. I treat his infections with Melaleuca oil, or tea tree oil. It kills it all overnight for him and saves me the cost of a doctor's visit and Rx. I love the stuff. I use it on everyone in the family. Anytime anyone even feels like coming down with a cold, we start the Melaleuca oil in the nose.

You have to be careful though in where you get tea tree oil. There are certain grades of it and some of them don't have the medicinal value to it. I get mine from Melaleuca, Inc. The Wellness Company at www.melaleuca.com. This company provides only the highest quality and it's not expensive. One little bottle lasts us for months because you only need a little bit on the end of a Q-tip. There is even a great book called, The Melaleuca Wellness Guide, that tells you how to use it (and all the other products this company makes).

Ear infections are no fun.
J.
____@____.com

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C.H.

answers from Houston on

Warm oil (extra-virgin olive oil or caster) twice a day for 3 hours a day then flush using using warm water in a syringe or bulb thing that you use to clean thier noses when they are little, over a towel with the ear down, flushing up into the ear, so that uit can drain. If you use warm sweet oil, you don't have to flush it. Maybe use that in between flushings. Also alternating every two hrs between motrin and tylenol for children will help with the pain in the meantime. It worked on my ear infection that didn't go away after antibiotics. Good luck!

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T.K.

answers from Longview on

Go to Wal-Mart. They have some drops that you can use with any antibiotic for ear pain. They are GREAT!! I even use them on myself when I get one. The price is $8 but it is sooo worth it.
The name of the product is Similasan. They have other products you can get for a few other things, such as Pink Eye Relief, etc.

T.

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J.S.

answers from Austin on

equal parts of water and white vinager will clear an ear infection. just mix it in a glass, put a couple of drops in each ear with cotton balls, do this for about a week or a few days after he stops complanining about the pain. tummy ache is probably from sinus drainage. crackers and bread are helpful for this.

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G.B.

answers from Corpus Christi on

I have found with my two sons that antibiotics usually kick in by the time the kids have had about 3 doses. If this was my child, I'd ask our pediatrician if it was time to try another antibiotic. I definitely would want to see more improvement before the weekend starts. Good luck!

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P.C.

answers from Houston on

sorry to hear that...my daughter suffered from ear infections we tried ALLLLLLLL the med...some would even cause yeast infection (that's what the dr considered it) the solution was tubes....every since then she hasnt had any...i recommend them.......hope this helps..........!!!!! its a small surgery but its much better than having them on meds......!

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R.U.

answers from San Antonio on

Amoxicillin is the lowest penacillin on the list. It never worked for my oldest boys infections and he nearly lost his hearing due to infections. You need to make another appointment with the doctor to have them checked again. Sometimes amox is just not strong enough.

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M.H.

answers from Sherman on

My son went through a similar experience with ear infections. It turns out that amox. was not strong enough to kick it. We had to go back several times to try a different antibiotic before it finally went away. Omnicef worked great and relieved my son pain almost imediatly. He continued to poke his fingers in his ears for a few days afterwards but he wasn't acting like they were hurting him anymore. There is still residual fluid left in the ear drum after an infection that could take a few days to go away. That might be the reason he is poking his ears. My advice is if you can tell he is still hurting then take him back to the doctor. Let them know that you want to try a different antibiotic because amox. did not work effectively last time. If he still tugging at his ears and acting like they hurt then he still has an ear infection. Our doctor also told me that when they are teething it can cause ear pain as well. Motrin is a god send..... Hope he starts feeling well soon.

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H.M.

answers from Houston on

How long has he been on the antibiotic? It takes about 48 hours for it to start working. If he has finished the antibiotic or is almost done, I would take him back to the doctor. Sometimes they have to put them on the antibiotic for a longer period of time. It is ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry. Good luck and hope that precious thing starts to feel better.

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M.N.

answers from Killeen on

I have had two of my five children suffer from ear infections and Motrin and antibiotics would not ease them alone-ask for some eardrops-it will still take patience on your part because it will take a couple of applications till it will start to ease it real well. But you will notice the difference with the first. Ask for the drops to ease pain -you do not want the antibiotic ear drops unless his oral is not working-he is old enough for them to. Good Luck!

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D.B.

answers from Killeen on

Ear infections are extremely common. The 2 major causes I know of are allergies/cold drainage, and milk drainage. If you let your baby sleep with a bottle or even lean back too far while drinking a bottle,it can drain into the ears and cause infection in children that are more sensitive. Until the meds kick in and you get the drainage to stop, all you can do it wait it out. If a cold or allergies is the cause, try using a strong air filter at home and maybe a humidifier. MY son had those problems and making those changes helped him. Good luck!

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H.J.

answers from Houston on

IF he does not have a ruptured eardrum (and the continued presence of pain SUGGESTS he does not...usually once the eardrum ruptures, the pain goes away) you can use homeopathic ear pain relief drops. Auro has worked the best for us, but there's also Similisan. We really like the Auro, and they work almost instantly to help the pain go away.

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J.L.

answers from Austin on

Dear Maria -

Since antibiotics do not touch the root of the problem with ear infections, these will continue to reoccur as part of the antibiotic vicious cycle. Overall immunity will also be lowered as a result of the antibiotic trade-off.

On average this pattern results in no less than 6 courses of antibiotics before the age of 4 years old, so obviously it is not a solution. Know that what you are experiencing now with your son is just the beginning if you chose to continue on this road of standardized western medical treatment for a preventable problem.

You, and other well-meaning mothers need to know that there are better ways to handle this to completely resolve the problem and to prevent these painful occurrences.

J. Lee OMD
www.artofmedicne.org

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V.R.

answers from Houston on

If your child is still taking the bottle do NOT let him lay down while sucking bottle. This is a major cause of ear infections in children. No matter the age, the child must be sitting almost upright while on the bottle.

I would recommend a ENT (ear,nose,throat)specialist.

Mom to many
V.R.

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M.W.

answers from Houston on

evidently the infection didn't clear up completely. It happens. A baby's ear drum opening is shaped differently than an adult so drainage is done while laying down (as they grow it turns vertical because of less sleeping.) A warm, wet cloth sometimes relieves it, but if it's not clearing up and becomes cronic, your doctor may suggest putting tubes in. this helps the natural drainage that's supposed to be happening. Lot's of my friends children had to do this, mine just had it mildly. and it usually was because of water getting in the ears while bathing.

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M.K.

answers from Houston on

Hi Maria,

He may also be teething in addition to the infection. My second baby had the double whammy ear infection and was teething at the same time he always tugged on his ears. Try teething tablets they are homeopathic and have stuff in them for fever and pain. You can use them in addition to tylenol and motrin if needed. Teething tablets were the only thing that seemed to soothe. (you can usuall find them by the vitamins in walmart)
I hope your little one feels better soon.
M. K

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A.S.

answers from Houston on

Keep giving him the medicine. If the infection is really bad it will take the entire 10 days! Also, if your doctor does call you back ask him for some ear drops. My older daugher (now 5) had many ear infections until she got tubes. Also try to use some saline solution in his nose to get rid of anything he might have in there. That will help open the eustation tube, which is why he has an infection. Hope you get some sleep soon.

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H.F.

answers from San Angelo on

I know you got a lot of responses and varied solutions, but try children's tylenol. Motrin is typically for fever and muscle pain as it is an anti-inflamatory. My kids responded differently to the two medications. My little girl also had chronic ear infections. If it gets to that, you will have a lot of sleepless nights like I did. We waited a year to get the tubes put in (boy were we dumb!) and after that she was a different child. If you get to the three infections stage, don't wait like we did, just get the tubes. It is a very easy, quick and painless to the child - proceedure. You will sleep MUCH better!

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B.E.

answers from Austin on

i have been through this soooo many times!! my daughter is 13 months and has had ear infections since she was 7 and a half months. she was put on sooo many antibiotics but she never got well.... on feb 8 we had tubes put in and she is all better, but as for your little one since this is the first, ask the doctors for ear drops that mild the pain. I didn't know about this solution until after the fact that we had the tubes put in but there are drops that the doctor can give to you to help the pain. good luck!!

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D.L.

answers from Odessa on

When my son was that age he suffered through cronic ear infections. Helped through the peditrician but she finally referred us to an ENT. More antibiotics. Aralgan (I think that is the name of the drug) that are drops that I put in his ears and it helped. But we finally had the tubes put into his ears, if I remember it correctly we had it done around his first birthday and after that everything went great. It is a heart pull when they are in pain and you are trying to get it straightened out. Blessings.

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