What should I do if my ear hurts when I use ciprodex drops? Should I continue to use it? Is there another solution?

Question

I have frequent ear infections (4x per year) and have always put ciprodex on without pain until recently. Having had repeated ear infections as a child, my ENT decided to install a subcutaneous tube under my right eardrum. However, I still get ear infections at least 4 times a year. I see my ENT 3 times a year. Each time he gives me a prescription for ciprodex antibiotic drops to put in my ears when I have symptoms of otitis. However, recently I have started to feel pain at 4/10 when I put my drops in my ear. I feel a strong pressure that stays for at least 5-6 hours. I find this strange as before I had no problem with ciprodex. It is now more painful to put the drops than the pain of the ear infection itself. What should I do? Thank you very much for the quick response

Christophe Augé · Accepted Answer

Good evening, Even if the pain, the feeling of congestion or blockage in the ear are part of the side effects reported for Ciprodex, they are not very frequent. The first question is do you still have your tubes? If yes, I can first propose you to validate your technique, because it is particular for the tube wearers, namely: You lie on your side, and after having administered the drops, you press gently on the tragus (small external part of the ear which protects the entrance of your ear canal) 5 or 6 times to produce a pumping effect. If you do this correctly and the pain persists, I invite you to make an appointment with your ENT specialist to check this, and first of all if your tube is still there... Not that there is more pain with than without a tube when using Ciprodex, but when a tube is in place, its job is to avoid pain by releasing the internal pressure. And a tube has a variable duration from 6 months to 3 years, but it can fall out at any time... and it can also become blocked... Your ENT specialist can help you