Glue ear - what does trimethoprim actually do?

[WhiteWineAndJaffaCakes]

20 month dd has glue ear - she has dwarfism so very common but it may just be due to infection though we've not noticed any. ENT doctor has prescribed 'preventative' dose (2.5ml per day) of trimethoprim for 3 months when she'll be reassessed to see whether she needs grommets. Usually we have very good doctors but this one was rubbish at explaining stuff and I have no idea what the trimpethoprim does (antibiotic?) or why she's on a preventative dose. Can anybody shed any light for me please? Thanks.

It's an antibiotic, and is given as a prophylactic to prevent infection (I think). We were prescribed it when ds was first diagnosed with glue ear as he also had recurrent ear infections. The idea, I think, was to keep a lid on the infections and give his ears a chance to drain. It worked, in so far as he was healthy for the duration of the antibiotics (though I think ours was only a 6 week dose) and for quite some time after. The glue ear came back - he had grommets a few weeks ago, and it's made a big difference.

ooh hello WWAJC

my dd has trimetheprim as a prophylaxis (not for ears though)

its an antibiotic. It is given at a regular, low level so that infections are unlikely to occur (unlike when you have an infection and then take ab at a much higher dose)

Thus doesn't tend to have the same side effects (eg the squits)

Can see the logic in giving yr dd's ears chance to clear up on their own whilst ensuring she is at little risk of further infection

Ah ok, thanks for the info - that makes sense.