{"id":10992,"date":"2020-11-11T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T16:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=10992"},"modified":"2021-10-22T08:46:27","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T13:46:27","slug":"ear-infections-when-to-treat-at-home-and-when-to-call-a-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/ear-infections-when-to-treat-at-home-and-when-to-call-a-doctor\/","title":{"rendered":"Ear infections: When to treat at home and when to call a doctor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ear infections are extremely common \u2013 especially in children.<\/p>\n<p>But do you need an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/antibiotics-arent-always-the-answer\/\">antibiotic<\/a> if you get one? Maybe, but maybe not.<\/p>\n<p>Many ear infections <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/ear-infections-causes-symptoms-and-treatment\/\">will resolve on their own<\/a> without the use of an antibiotic, so often they can be treated with simple, easily accessible treatments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest thing we are trying to do is manage pain and discomfort,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/providers.osfhealthcare.org\/provider\/Kristine+L.+Ray\/1465754?name=Kristine%20L.%20Ray&amp;sort=relevance%2Cnetworks\">Kristine Ray, MD<\/a>, an <a href=\"https:\/\/providers.osfhealthcare.org\/search?alias_term=Pediatrician&amp;display=Pediatrics&amp;in_what=Pediatrics&amp;specialty_synonym=Pediatrics.*&amp;sort=relevance%2Cnetworks\">OSF HealthCare pediatrician<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Controlling pain and symptoms at home<\/h2>\n<p>Mild ear infection symptoms can be controlled with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A hot or cold compress<\/li>\n<li>Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other home remedies, such as numbing drops, or homeopathic remedies, such as essential oils, are not recommended for ear infections.<\/p>\n<p>Over-the-counter numbing drops don\u2019t provide long-lasting relief, Dr. Ray said. And essential oils are an unproven treatment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the most part, these are not super well-studied. If the ear infection gets so bad that the pressure on the eardrum is enough, it can actually poke a hole in the eardrum. In those cases, those substances can actually get into the middle ear,\u201d where they could cause additional harm, Dr. Ray said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn general, I am not a fan of putting anything in the ear canal to treat these ear infections.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>When to call a doctor<\/h2>\n<div class=\"alignright cta\">\n<p>Urgent care can treat minor illnesses<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfmychart.org\/osfmychart\/Scheduling\/OnMyWay\/\">Find urgent care near you<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Consider talking with a doctor about your symptoms and options for treatment if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Symptoms persist \u2013 or get worse \u2013 over two to three days.<\/li>\n<li>Infection is recurring. A child who has three or more ear infections in a six-month period (or four infections in 12 months) may be referred to a specialist for pressure equalization tubes.<\/li>\n<li>Pain is severe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ear infections can usually be treated in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/practices\/search\/?adv-practice_type=3\">urgent care<\/a> clinics, or by your child\u2019s pediatrician.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re able to get in with your primary care provider, that is going to be preferred \u2013 especially if it\u2019s a recurring issue. We know that kids get sick frequently, so pediatrician offices usually have several appointments available every day for kids who need to be seen on short notice,\u201d Dr. Ray said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The occasional ear infection often heals without antibiotics, but don&#8217;t hesitate to seek urgent care if symptoms persist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":11029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[129,116],"tags":[317,390,371,215],"coauthors":[757],"class_list":["post-10992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellaneous","category-pediatrics","tag-antiobiotics","tag-ear-infection","tag-pediatrics","tag-urgent-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - 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