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Original poster

Recurring Ear infections & long course antibiotics

22 replies

CADS · 30/03/2006 15:41

Just wondering if anyone has had any success using long course (6weeks) antibiotics for los with recurring ear infections.

Ds is two and has had 15-18 ear infections in 14mnths. His ENT doesn't believe long courses of antibiotics work but I have a friend whose lo was successfully treated this way.

Did you think it worked with your lo?
Which antibiotics were they on?
And for how long and what dosage?

Thanks

OP posts:

fairyjay · 30/03/2006 15:44

Go for the antibiotic eardrops rather than oral antibiotics, if you have to go this route.

ToujoursMarine · 30/03/2006 15:48

Dd had this, CADS, so sympathies. It took our ENT a while to try a long course out too and we had mixed feelings about it, but as dd was almost always on much higher dose ABs anyway...
She had 2.5mls Trimethoprim syrup daily for six weeks. No infections during that time, and whether it was a coincidence or not, since then (over a year ago now), only one further ear infection. She has no glue ear or residual hearing loss and has been discharged by the hospital.
Strictly speaking trimethoprim is an antibacterial medicine not an antibiotic as such, not sure what difference if any there is.
I would give it a try. Much better this than the prospect of grommets...
Good luck and hope your ds grows out of it like I think dd has...:)

Northerner · 30/03/2006 15:50

Didn't work for my ds. Our ENT consultant was a great beleiver it using drops rather than oral anti'b's. Much more effective.

He still had to have grommets though.

Original poster

CADS · 30/03/2006 15:50

Thanks fairyjay, we've tried eardrops once before but he won't let us put them in. Why do you suggest eardrops instead of oral? Just wondering if it is worth another try and if the distress it causes him just has to be put up with?
Take care

OP posts:

ToujoursMarine · 30/03/2006 15:52

Our ENT was reluctant to prescribe the drops :( and actually threw a minor hissy when someone from the Emergency GP service said to try them...

Original poster

CADS · 30/03/2006 15:55

It's amazing how they all have different methods and attitudes. I mean the ENTs btw

OP posts:

Northerner · 30/03/2006 15:56

I beleive the drops are not meant to be used in such young cases, but we had tried the oral route and it had absolute no effect.

Ear drops are local and therefore more effective.

Have you cut out dairy and do you protect ears when swimming and bathing?

Aimsmum · 30/03/2006 16:01

My dd's ear infections cleared up with a long term does of antibiotics after nothing else would work at all.

She had constant ear infections over the course of 2 yrs. He ear drum had burst 18 times and she was constanly really ill and run down!

We had tried everything, grommets, cutting out dairy, loads of different antibiotics, including eardrop ones.

In the end she had an 8 week low does course of coamoxyclav combined with a steriod nasal spray and she has had no problems since.

Good luck and I hope it works, because my DD's ear infection were awful.

If there's anything else I can help with, let me know

Original poster

CADS · 30/03/2006 16:02

Northern - He hasn't be on dairy for almost a year. We have only taken him swimming twice, which he loved so I feel bad he is missing out on it and he doesn't have much hair so we use a flannel so that we don't get water in his ears. I wish it was that simple, but thanks for replying.

OP posts:

Northerner · 30/03/2006 16:06

Try \link{http://www.earbandit.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=4\these} for swimming if he loves going.

Original poster

CADS · 30/03/2006 16:08

Aimsmum - Chatted to you about this last year and remember the battle you had with getting the doctors to prescribe the AB. Am thinking of trying co-amoxiclav. How much did your dd have per day? At the moment, ds is getting ear infections every 2-3 weeks and lands up on antibiotics so I can't see why we can't try the long course. If my ENT won't do it, my old GP in South Africa will sort out a prescription for me and send them over. Not sure whether ds will let me do the nasal spray though. Which one did you use and can you get it OTC?

OP posts:

Original poster

CADS · 30/03/2006 16:11

Northerner - Thanks. Haven't had a chance to read it, do they have to wear ear plugs too? Poor ds doesn't talk and has limited understanding so it's difficult to make him understand that I'm not trying to murder him when I try to put things in his ears.

OP posts:

Aimsmum · 30/03/2006 16:18

Cads, i can't remember exactly, but it was half what the normal dose was. I had so many threads on it at the time, but searching the archives is bringing up nothing which is quite odd.

i will keep trying and get back to you, as the name of the steroid spray would be there too.

I think it would be well worth a try as it really worked for my dd.

Northerner · 30/03/2006 16:20

No CADS they can just wear the headband, ear plugs are for older kids.

Poor ds. Hope you get an improvmenet soon, things get better as they get older but it's horrible for them when they are little. My ds would have 1 infection after another, and he had a constant discharge from both ears.

Original poster

CADS · 30/03/2006 16:26

Thanks Aimsmum. I'm so pxxxed off with the ENT who has seen ds 3x in 6mnths and keeps telling me nothing works and that he will grow out of it that i'm prepared to take things into my own hands. DS has missed very special occasion in the last 4mnths because he gets so ill now. He missed xmas and his 2nd birthday and has lost weight.

OP posts:

Aimsmum · 30/03/2006 17:49

I've just saw a thread saying that the archive search facility is down for a few days!

I know exactly how you feel, I was at the stage where I would have tried anything with my DD too. It is so miserable for them and my DD was constantly coming down with other things too as her immune system was so low, and like you, we missed lots and i always felt nervous planning things in advance.

My dd was a bit older than your DS too, and it was coming up to the time when she was due to start school and i was so worried about the ammount of time she would miss with her ear problems. But she has not had a single one since the klong term dose.

Good luck

Yorkiegirl · 30/03/2006 17:56

am following this as DD2 has had terrible trouble with her ears lately. She is back on cefixime once a day abs as she is awful at swallowing medicine. Her ears are chock full of cattarrh atm and there is a suggestion of glue ear.... She is on the abs for 10 days this time so we have to wait and see how she does.

spacecadet · 30/03/2006 18:00

my ds had a 3month course of trimethroprin and galpseud(however i beleive galpseud has been discontinued now) and make a full recovery, trimethroprin works by preventing the growth of bacteria rather than treating existing bacteria.

Original poster

CADS · 31/03/2006 10:28

Thanks everyone. I have decided to give it a go. My mom is sending over a 6 week course of co-amoxiclav.

The scariest thing is that dd (4mnths) has an ear infection (2nd since birth) so you can image what I'm is going through my mind.

OP posts:

grumpyfrumpy · 31/03/2006 10:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Aimsmum · 31/03/2006 18:45

Glad you have managed to get the antibiotics sorted out cads, i hope it works out well for you. The only thing i would say is try to give the medicine just after food if possible, even if it is only a few bites of something or some milk, as the few times i gave it to dd with nothing she was sick, but apart from that she had no problems at all.

And fingers crossed for your DD!

Grumpyfrumpy, i didn't realise that about long courses of antibiotics, however, i have to say the six wek course that eventually cured DD was nothing compared to what she had taken in the previous 2 years for constanly bursting eardrums, so i guess when you way it out, she took far less in the long term does, than she ever did in individual courses. If that makes sense!

HappyMumof2 · 31/03/2006 19:47

I think you are right to go with the co-amoxiclav. Dd had a miserable second winter (when she was between 12-18mths) with constant ear infections. She was repeatedly put on amoxicillan but it just didn't shift it at all, or it calmed it down but within days it would flare up again. The last ear infection she had was treated with co-amoxiclav and she has not had one since (now nearly 2.5) definately worth a go - ear infections are horrible.

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