Sometimes, there's a greenish-yellow discharge of pus from the ear opening. It can be hard to hear in the affected ear if pus or swelling of the canal begins to block passage of sound into the ear. Prescription ear drops usually cure swimmer's ear in 7—10 days. The pain should ease within a few days of starting treatment. External otitis is not contagious, so you don't have to limit your contact with friends as long as you're feeling well enough to socialize. How doctors treat swimmer's ear depends on how severe the pain and infection are.
For most outer ear infections, they prescribe ear drops containing antibiotics possibly mixed with medicine to help ease swelling. These will fight the infection and help with pain. Ear drops typically are used several times a day for 7—10 days. If swelling narrows the opening into the ear, the doctor may clean the ear and insert a sponge called a wick into the ear canal.
It will carry ear drops into the ear more effectively. If you have a severe infection, you might also get antibiotic liquid or pills to swallow. Your doctor may send some of the fluid draining from your ear to a lab to find out which germ is causing the infection. At home, follow your doctor's directions for using ear drops and take all doses of antibiotic medicine as prescribed.
Keep taking these for all days of treatment, even if you start to feel better. For mild cases of middle ear infection, your doctor might recommend watchful waiting or delayed antibiotic prescribing. Be careful about giving over-the-counter medicines to children. Not all over-the-counter medicines are recommended for children of certain ages. You can help prevent ear infections by doing your best to stay healthy and keep others healthy, including:.
Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Antibiotic Prescribing and Use. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Ear Infection. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. What is an ear infection? Close A healthy ear and an infected ear, including outer, middle, and inner ear, showing inflammation and fluid in the ear. Treatment A doctor will determine what type of illness your child has by asking about symptoms and doing a physical examination.
This gives the immune system time to fight off the infection. Your doctor will use a suction device or ear curette to clean away discharge, clumps of earwax, flaky skin and other debris. For most cases of swimmer's ear, your doctor will prescribe eardrops that have some combination of the following ingredients, depending on the type and seriousness of your infection:. Ask your doctor about the best method for taking your eardrops.
Some ideas that may help you use eardrops include the following:. If your ear canal is completely blocked by swelling, inflammation or excess discharge, your doctor might insert a wick made of cotton or gauze to promote drainage and help draw medication into your ear canal. If your infection is more advanced or doesn't respond to treatment with eardrops, your doctor might prescribe oral antibiotics.
Your doctor might recommend easing the discomfort of swimmer's ear with over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen Advil, Motrin IB, others , naproxen sodium Aleve or acetaminophen Tylenol, others. If your pain is severe or your swimmer's ear is more advanced, your doctor might prescribe a stronger medication for pain relief.
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