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What Is the Choice of Antibiotics for an Inner Ear Infection?

In years past, antibiotics were commonly prescribed for the treatment of every ear infection, especially in children. Recently, however, doctors have limited the use of antibiotics to children under 2 years of age who exhibit fever, are acting sick or who are not showing improvement over a period of 24 to 48 hours. All children under 6 months old will receive treatment with antibiotics. There are four families of antibiotics that are commonly used to treat ear infections.

  1. Penicillins

    • The two most common types of antibiotics prescribed for ear infections, within the penicillin family, are amoxicillin and augmentin. Amoxicillin is the generic form of penicillin favored by doctors because it causes less diarrhea, is well absorbed and has to be taken only three times a day.

      Augmentin is essentially amoxicillin, but with certain additives that allow it to fight off bacteria that may be resistant to regular amoxicillin. It is used when other antibiotics have proven ineffective.

    Sulfonamides

    • Bactrim and Septra are two brand name sulfonamides that are combined with trimethoprim. These drugs can be prescribed for children who have an allergy to penicillin.

      Gantrisin is another sulfonamide used in the treatment of ear infections. In its liquid form, it can be used as a preventative measure in children who frequently develop ear infections.

    Cephalosporins

    • The brand name drug for this group of antibiotics is Ceclor. Generally, these drugs cause few side effects, but can be expensive. If a child is allergic to penicillin, there is a 5 percent to 10 percent chance she will also be allergic to drugs in the cephalosporin family.

    Macrolides

    • Erythromycin is the leading drug within the macrolide family of antibiotics. It can be taken as either a tablet, capsule, liquid or a pediatric drop. It is usually taken every six to eight hours for 7 to 21 days. One drawback to erythromycin is that it may be extremely irritating to the stomach and is not recommended for those with liver dysfunction.

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