How long do antibiotics take to work for ear infection in adults

When you need them—and when you don’t

Antibiotics are strong medicines that can kill bacteria. For ear infections, doctors often prescribe oral antibiotics that you swallow in pill or liquid form.

Table of Contents Show

When you need them—and when you don’t
Oral antibiotics have risks.
Oral antibiotics have more side effects.
Who should use antibiotic eardrops?
What about over-the-counter eardrops?
Antibiotics can lead to more costs.
Who should take oral antibiotics for ear infections?
Oral antibiotics help treat Swimmer’s Ear when:
What is an ear infection?
Ear infection symptoms
You can tell if children have an ear infection if they start showing any of these symptoms:
Home remedies for ear infections
How to treat ear infections
It's recommended to use the wait-and-see approach for:
Reduce ear infection risk
Before an ear infection occurs, you can reduce the risk of ear infection with these tips:

However, eardrops can sometimes be safer and more effective than oral medicines. Here’s why:

Oral antibiotics have risks.

Oral antibiotics are more likely to cause resistant bacteria outside the ear. When that happens, these medicines will not work as well in the future. Illnesses will be harder to cure and more costly to treat.

Antibiotic eardrops kill the bacteria faster and more completely than oral antibiotics. Drops don’t go into the bloodstream, so more medicine reaches the infection.

Oral antibiotics have more side effects.

Oral antibiotics can cause more side effects than antibiotic eardrops. Side effects include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, rash, headache, and dangerous allergic reactions.

Who should use antibiotic eardrops?

Antibiotic eardrops can be more effective and safer for:

People with Swimmer’s Ear, an infection caused by water in the ear.
Children who have tubes in their ears. The tubes prevent most infections behind the eardrum—an area known as the middle ear. If there is an infection, antibiotic eardrops can be given right through the tube.

What about over-the-counter eardrops?

Over-the-counter eardrops can often be effective for Swimmer’s Ear.

People who have a hole or tube in the eardrum should check with their doctor before using any kind of eardrops. The drops may cause pain, infection, or even damage hearing. For bacterial infections, the only eardrops they should use are the antibiotics ofloxacin (Floxin Otic and generic) or the more pricey combination drug ciprofloxacin-dexamethasone (Ciprodex).

Antibiotics can lead to more costs.

Most oral antibiotics don’t cost much. But if they don’t work well, you may need extra doctor visits, a hospital stay, and costly drugs. You may also miss work. Treatment of a severe infection that is antibiotic-resistant can cost more than $25,000.

Who should take oral antibiotics for ear infections?

Children without ear tubes should take oral antibiotics for middle-ear infections, especially when they have severe ear pain or high fever.
Children with ear tubes should take oral antibiotics if:
- They are very ill.
- They have another reason to be on an antibiotic.
- The infection doesn’t go away with eardrops.

Oral antibiotics help treat Swimmer’s Ear when:

Infection spreads beyond the ear.
The person has other conditions, such as diabetes, that increase the risk of complications.

This report is for you to use when talking with your healthcare provider. It is not a substitute for medical advice and treatment. Use of this report is at your own risk.

10/2013

Many parents bring their children to a health care professional with ear infections and request antibiotics, but antibiotics sometimes aren't the right choice. Most ear infections cure themselves without the help of antibiotics.

What is an ear infection?

Let's first discuss what an ear infection is and alternative treatments to antibiotics. An ear infection is a bacterial or viral infection that affects the ear. It becomes painful when buildups of fluid and inflammation occur in the air-filled space behind the eardrum. Signs and symptoms of infection will quickly show. Children are more likely than adults to get ear infections.

Ear infection symptoms

You can tell if children have an ear infection if they start showing any of these symptoms:

Pain in the ear, especially while lying down
Pulling or tugging the ear
Difficulty sleeping
Difficulty hearing or responding to sounds
Fever or headache

Home remedies for ear infections

Home remedies can help manage children's pain. Try placing a warm, damp washcloth over the affected ear.

Most health care professionals recommend over-the-counter medication to relieve pain, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Use these medications as directed on the label.

How to treat ear infections

Generally, an ear infection will improve within the first couple days and clear up within one to two weeks without any treatment.

It's recommended to use the wait-and-see approach for:

Children age 6 to 23 months with mild inner ear pain in one ear for less than 48 hours and a temperature less than 102.2 F
Children age 2 and older with mild inner ear pain in one or both ears for less than 48 hours and a temperature less than 102.2 F

Your health care professional can suggest the best treatment for your children. Antibiotics may be beneficial for certain children with ear infections. A health care professional can explain the potential side effects and concerns about antibiotics creating strains of resistant disease.

If antibiotics are prescribed, be sure to use the entire antibiotic as directed. Failing to do so can result in recurring infection and resistance of bacteria to antibiotic medication.

Reduce ear infection risk

Before an ear infection occurs, you can reduce the risk of ear infection with these tips:

Teach children to wash their hands properly and frequently. Encourage children to cough or sneeze into their elbow.
Avoid secondhand smoke by staying in smoke-free environments.
Consider breastfeeding your baby for a minimum of 6 months. Breast milk contains antibodies that may protect from ear infections.
When bottle-feeding, hold your baby upright and avoid propping the bottle while your baby is lying down.
Talk to your children's primary care provider about vaccines, including the seasonal flu shot for children 6 months and older.

Timothy Slama, D.O., is a Family Medicine physician in Fairmont, Minnesota.

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