— Vanessa, New York The quick answer to your question is yes, ear drops are safe as long as your daughter’s ear drum is intact and not ruptured. However, there are several things you should think about before using the ear drops. First, why is your daughter having ear pain? Do you think she has an ear infection? There are different types of ear infection. An infection in the middle ear is an infection behind the ear drum. This is the classic type of ear infection that produces pain and often fever. The other type of ear infection is an infection in the canal of the ear. This often occurs after a person has been swimming. Occasionally children stick something in their ear — like a piece of paper, or a bead — and it remains there, which can cause pain. Rarely, ear wax can build up enough to cause discomfort. There are also other less common causes of ear pain related to skin issues or infections that are not actually in the ear. The second thing to think about is the type of ear drop you’re using, as there are many different varieties. Some ear drops are actual antibiotics and treat infections in the ear canal. Antibiotic ear drops require a prescription from a doctor. There are ear drops that just help relieve ear pain topically. Such ear drops may be helpful, although scientific studies have not proven that such drops are very effective. Pain medications that are taken by mouth, like ibuprofen or Tylenol, work just as well if not better. Although ear wax is usually not a problem (unless a doctor is having difficulty seeing the ear drum) there are also ear drops that help dissolve ear wax. In general, do not try to clean out your child’s ear wax with a cotton swab! The ear canal is small and you could accidentally rupture your child’s ear drum. There are several different “ear wax dissolving drops” that you can try instead; a mixture of hydrogen peroxide with water is also a fine method for removing ear wax. Overall, I would recommend that even before you try the ear drops you take your daughter to her pediatrician. Usually, a doctor can quickly look inside the ear to determine the cause of pain. Q2. My child is only 1 year old and has had an ear infection for over a month. She has been on antibiotics for that length of time but it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Should I follow her doctor’s advice and continue this course of treatment, or should I take her to a specialist? It is very unusual for an acute ear infection to last as long as a month. Most often a 10 day course of antibiotics will clear up a bacterial ear infection. Occasionally the bacteria are resistant to an antibiotic and a second course of a different antibiotic is needed. A month, however, is a very long time to be on antibiotics for an acute ear infection. Fluid behind the ear drum, which is commonly seen after acute ear infections, can frequently take at least one month to resolve. This fluid may affect hearing, but does not need antibiotics. If the fluid does not resolve, often a child is sent to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor because not hearing well during a critical time of language development can be a problem. I would certainly recommend that you take your daughter to an ENT specialist. Although ear infections are one of the most common illnesses pediatricians treat, the course of your daughter’s infection is unusual. Learn more in the Everyday Health Kids’ Health Center.
