What treatments work for an ear infection?

Ear infections are painful. But they usually clear up without treatment in a few days. Painkillers can help. Some children may need antibiotics, but these medicines can have side effects.

Key points about treating an ear infection

• Taking painkillers, such as ibuprofen and paracetamol, can help reduce the pain from ear infections.
• Taking antibiotics may help clear up your child's ear infection. But antibiotics have side effects.
• Your child may be less likely to get an ear infection if they take antibiotics regularly for a long time. But antibiotics can cause side effects. And taking them for a long time may mean they won't work for a more serious infection. and it would kil good bacteria in the body.
• There are things you can do that may help prevent ear infections.
• Using non invasive device for opening the eusthichian tube suche as the eardoc.

Treatments for ear infection

Which treatments work best for ear infections? We've looked carefully at the research on:

• Relieving your child's ear infection
• Stopping your child getting more ear infections.
• opening the eusthichian tube and naturally draining the fluids.

We've divided the treatments into different categories, according to how well they work.. You can find out more about each treatment by clicking on the links below.

For help in deciding which treatment is best for your child, see .

Relieving your child's ear infection

Treatments that are likely to work

• Painkillers: Paracetamol and ibuprofen are two commonly used painkillers. They work by reducing the pain caused by the ear infection. You can buy liquid paracetamol and liquid ibuprofen for young children over the counter at a pharmacy or a supermarket. 
• opening the eusthichian tube and naturally draining the fluids with the eardoc.

Treatments that work, but whose harms may outweigh benefits

• Antibiotics: These are drugs that work by killing the bacteria causing your child's ear infection.. Examples of antibiotics used to treat ear infections (and their brand names) include amoxicillin (Amoxil), co-amoxiclav (Augmentin), cefaclor (Distaclor), cefixime (Suprax), clarithromycin (Klaricid) and erythromycin (Erythroped). You need a prescription for these medicines. 

Treatments that are likely to be ineffective or harmful

• Surgery to make a hole in the eardrum: Your child's surgeon makes a small cut in their eardrum. This lets any fluid that has built up in your child's middle ear drain out. Doctors call this operation a myringotomy. More...

Stopping your child getting more ear infections

Treatments that work, but whose harms may outweigh benefits

• Taking antibiotics for a long time: This is when your child takes antibiotics for at least a few months to prevent ear infections coming back. More...

Treatments that are unlikely to work

• Pneumococcal vaccination. This vaccine helps prevent infections caused by pneumococcal bacteria. These bacteria can cause ear infections in children and also some more serious diseases. More...

Treatments that are likely to be ineffective or harmful

• Surgery to put in grommets: Putting a grommet in the ear allows the fluid in the middle ear to drain out. The theory is that the grommet prevents ear infections by allowing air into the middle ear through the eardrum. More...