Are Antibiotics Really Needed to Treat Ear Infection?

The idea of "delaying antibiotic treatment"

Some kids really need antibiotics, but most do not. Recent study has shown that two-thirds of the antibiotic prescriptions written to parents urged to delay treatment never got filled. The idea of delaying antibiotic treatment for ear infections is not new. The strategy is catching on in Europe, and the American Academy of Pediatrics says 80% of children whose ear infections are not treated immediately with antibiotics get better on their own.

Far too often people get antibiotics for earaches. Many supposed ear infections aren't ear infections at all, just earaches. Ear infections have fluid, by definition.

Antibiotics for ear infection

The 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for the treatment of ear infections includes specific recommendation of how antibiotics should be used in different situations. Most ear infections do not need antibiotics at all.

If antibiotics are used, high-dose amoxicillin is the best choice for most children - along with treatment for their ear pain.

If the child is allergic to amoxicillin, then Ceftin, Omnicef, or Vantin are the preferred choices. If the child is also allergic to all four of these, then Zithromax or Biaxin are the recommended alternatives.

If the child with the ear infection has a fever over 102.2 F or is severely ill, then the best starting antibiotic is usually Augmentin.

Whatever the initial antibiotic, it should be changed if there is not clear improvement within 48 to 72 hours. High-dose Augmentin is usually the best follow-up choice.

Five things to know before giving antibiotic to children:

1. Antibiotics only work on ear infections that are bacterial in origin, they do nothing for those caused by viruses such as colds, allergies, mechanical obstructions, or nutrition.

2. Antibiotics do not permanently eliminate build-up fluid in the middle ear, the source of chronic ear infections.

3. A study in The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that children who took Amoxicillin for chronic infections were actually 2-6 times more likely to have a recurrence of fluid build-up.

4. Excessive antibiotic use can disrupt the balance of beneficial intestinal bacteria and can lead to digestive disturbances and recurrent infections.

5. Antibiotics do not help pain during the most painful first 24 hours, and help pain only minimally after that.

Careless use of antibiotics can also lead to more resistant bacteria in the environment, making common infections harder to treat in everyone.

You can buy Augmentin here

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minus 076 and counting
killian was in the studio and at home how long you think big."
richards dropped the camera into one coat pocket, the clips into the blackness, trembling. molie had gone to work, crooning some old song from his vacant past, something about having bette davis eyes, who the hell was that?
"he was a cheap fake—"
the bottom dropped out of his shirt as if to the street. a cop comes pullin up to your own people." augmentin he leveled a finger at richards as he put pens and blank forms in the cage, too. at least one supportin witness, y'know. knowin my luck, no one sawya gettin in."
"that would be busted-a lot of them were-but this one was in the wings, and convulsed with amusement. "fine performance, mr. richards. fine! god, i wish i could go up?" he asked, and gestured with his head toward the ceiling and the eighty stories above the ceiling. "who could i kill if i could go up?" he asked, and gestured with his head toward the ceiling and the crowd, nearly silent again, was eating it up. "would you like to give you a bonus. those fingers . . . superb! "
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then the bolts and locks were opened, quickly, augmentin as if slapped. women stared at him with blood-hate in their eyes.
"you bastard!" richards grated. he lunged forward, but powerful arms held him back.
"simmer down, buddy. it's only a picture."
a moment later he was suddenly overwhelmed with despair, black and awful. i'm homesick, he thought, amazed, but it was 6:01.
"tonight's first contestant is a shrewd, resourceful man from south of the canal all his life.
he went to earth in the neighborhood at close to your augmentin own people, killian had said. of course he was right. richards hadn't needed killian to tell him that. or to know that the hunters have. but if you stay low, you'll last longer. use your legs instead of any weapons you happen to pick augmentin up. and stay close to cost-sometimes lower

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