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What Causes Severe Left Ear Pain In A Child Post Intake Of Zyrtec?

Posted on Sat, 26 Mar 2016

Question: my 10 year old son is a swimmer. he has had nasal congestion most of the week which I have treated with zyrtec. about an hour ago he developed severe pain in his left ear--which for the last 2 nights he's been using "swimmers ear" drops for c/o feeling like there's water trapped in his ear. he is begging now to go to our local express care but they just closed. I am looking for advice .

I, the mother, am a nurse--I just used my otoscope to check my son's ear--I can
see a small amount of blood. I am concerned because of the sudden onset of severe pain and he is now holding his ear in pain. He does not have a fever.
The Tylenol I gave him this AM was for c/o headache.

Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (30 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
With no fever, add Ibuprofen for better pain control. Consult tomorrow!

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about this ear pain your son has. This blood is probably as a result of him trying to cleanse the ear over and over and not really and infection. This is further supported by the fact that he has no fever. The immediate thing to do now is to control his pain. I belief a combination of Ibuprofen and Tylenol thrice daily at dosages adapted for his weight and age would be okay. I will then suggest you follow up with a regular appointment tomorrow Monday for further evaluation.

I hope this helps. I wish you well. Feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be. Above all, thanks for using our services.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Ivo Ditah (3 hours later)

Thanks for your advice; however I decided to go to ER with him not that it was life threatening but it was life miserable. He described the pain as a hit knife in his ear and I could see that it is injected. He also said he can't hear out of the affected ear.
ER diagnosed him with a middle ear infection and gave him omnicef.
I gave him ibuprofen and i hope he can go to school tomorrow.

Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Happy to hear this!

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Am happy you did and glad they were able to pinpoint the diagnosis and treat accordingly. As long as the pain is well controlled, I am sure he'll be able to go to school today. remember to maintain a regular dose and interval of the pain medication for best results.

I wish you well. I wish your soon a speedy recovery and do keep me posted!

Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar