How Adult Ear Infections Are Treated (2024)

Ear infection treatment for adults includes medications that help clear up the infection or ease symptoms such as pain, dizziness, and nausea.

Depending on the cause and location of the ear infection, treatment options include:

• Pain relievers like Motrin (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen)
• Allergy medications, such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine)
• Antibiotics
• Antivirals
• Steroids
• Antinausea medications

Some are available in oral form, ear drops, or both.

This article will go over ear infection treatment in adults, including when you should see a healthcare provider for your symptoms instead of trying to manage them at home.

How Do Adults Get Ear Infections?

Ear infections in adults happen for the same reasons that kids get them. It’s usually because there is fluid buildup in the ear that is causing blockages and inflammation.

The ear is divided into the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. An ear infection can occur in any of these areas; however, bacterial infections of the inner ear are very rare. Bacteria, viruses, and fungi can cause infections in the ear and are often brought on by an illness, such as a cold or allergies.

Most ear infections do not require treatment and will clear up within a week or two.When treatment (or a combination of treatments) is needed for an adult ear infection, the type that’s chosen will depend on the type of infection someone has.

Outer Ear Infections

Outer ear infections are sometimes calledswimmer's ear, orotitis externa.This type of ear infection is in the ear canal, the portion of the ear that leads from the outside and stops at the eardrum. The opening of this part of the ear is external and visible.

The reason outer ear infections are called swimmer's ear is that they can be caused by swimming or bathing in contaminated water.

However, these activities are not the only ways to get otitis externa. Bacteria, viruses, or fungi can get into the ear in other ways, such as through broken skin. An infection happens because when they get into a moist environment, they grow better.

The symptoms of otitis externa in adults can include:

• Pain in the ear
• Redness and irritation inside the ear canal
• Itchy ear canal
• Flaky or peeling skin

More severe outer ear infections can lead to swelling of the ear canal, which can cause muffled hearing, a fever, orear drainagethat looks like there is pus in it.

Your provider can diagnose otitis externa by looking at your ear canal with a special tool with a light on the end that makes it easy to see inside the ear (otoscope).

Outer Ear Infection OTC Treatments

Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications, including Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen) and Tylenol (acetaminophen), can be used toease the painfrom an outer ear infection. You can also use a warm compress.

Outer Ear Infection Prescription Medications

Antibiotic ear drops are often prescribed totreat outer ear infections.Commonly prescribed ear drops like Ciprodex(ciprofloxacinanddexamethasone), combine an antibiotic and a steroid medication to help with inflammation.

These ear drops should be used exactly as prescribed by your provider and for as long as they tell you to use them.

Oral antibiotics are not usually needed for outer ear infections.If you are prescribed oral antibiotics, follow your provider's instructions. Do not stop taking the medication even if you start feeling better. You need to finish all the medication to make sure the infection is treated.

Possible Complications of Outer Ear Infections

Complications of outer ear infections in adults are rare, but some people are at a higher risk for problems. For example, people with an impaired immune system, diabetes, or cancer treatments that make it hard for the body to fight off an infection might be more likely to have ear infection complications.

If they're not treated, outer ear infections can lead to a condition calledmalignant otitis externa. If this happens, the infection spreads to nearby tissues and bones and causes serious damage.

Middle Ear Infections

Adults can also get middle ear infections. The middle ear is inside the ear. It starts behind the eardrum and goes to the oval window (the area between the middle ear and inner ear). It has three tiny bones in it, called theossicles, that are necessary for hearing.

The auditory tube (Eustachiantube) runs from the middle ear to the throat. It ventilates and equalizes the pressure in the middle ear. Fluid from the middle ear space drains into the throat and is usually swallowed.

Middle ear infections often come on after a cold virus orupper respiratory infection. They are also more common in people who haveallergiesor enlarged adenoids (tissue in the throat and nasal cavity), which can get in the way of the auditory tube doing its job.

Bacteria, viruses, or fungi often get in through the auditory tube, which gets swollen and blocked with mucus. This prevents drainage and ventilation of the middle ear.

The main symptoms of middle ear infections in adults include:

• Ear pain (which can be worse in the morning or cause trouble sleeping)
• Ear drainage
• Trouble hearing
• Fever

A healthcare provider can diagnose a middle ear infection based on your symptoms and an exam.

Middle Ear Infection OTC Treatments

Middle ear infections usually resolve themselves, so treatment is more for symptoms and pain relief.

You can take OTC pain relievers, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, to ease the pain of a middle ear infection. These medications also help if you have a fever.

Sometimes, using a warm compress and keeping your upper body elevated can help the auditory tube drain and alleviate the pain of a middle ear infection.

Middle Ear Infection Prescription Medications

Antibiotics are only effective for treating a middle ear infection that is caused by bacteria. However, it's not always possible to identify the cause—whether bacterial or viral—of a middle ear infection.

Your healthcare provider may try prescribing you an antibiotic to see if it helps or just wait to see if the infection gets better on its own.

Possible Complications of Middle Ear Infections

Some people get chronic or recurring middle ear infections.

While rare, several complications from persistent or untreated middle ear infections include:

• Mastoiditis: A condition in which the infection spreads to the mastoid bone behind the ear
• Cholesteatoma: A rare condition associated with middle ear infections that causes the skin cells in the middle ear to grow abnormally
• Inner ear infections: Labyrinthitisand vestibular neuritis, which sometimes occur from untreated middle ear infections
• Meningitis: An infection of the meninges, the protective space filled with cerebral spinal fluid that cushions the brain and spinal cord
• Facial paralysis: A rare condition in which the facial nerves are compressed
  

Inner Ear Infections

An inner ear infection is another kind of ear infection adults can get. The inner ear is next to the middle ear in the temporal bone of the skull. The inner ear has thesemicircular canals in it, which your body needs for balance and equilibrium.

Inner ear infections are much more likely to be caused by a virus than a bacterial infection. They are less common than outer ear infections or middle ear infections.

The most common inner ear infections are labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis, which are slightly different conditions:

• Labyrinthitis affects a system of fluid-filled sacs that helps you hear and gives you a sense of balance (labyrinth). Labyrinthitis can cause hearing changes and dizziness (vertigo).
• Vestibular neuritis is an inner ear infection that affects the vestibular nerve. It usually causes dizziness and balance issues but no hearing changes.

There is no specific diagnostic test for an inner ear infection, so misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis is common.

Inner Ear Infection OTC Treatments

Benadryl(diphenhydramine) andAntivert (meclizine)are two OTC medications that can be used to treat the dizziness and nausea caused by an inner ear infection. While OTC medications can alleviate the symptoms of an inner ear infection, they do not treat the infection itself.

Inner Ear Infection Prescription Medications

Several prescription medications can be used to treat or manage the symptoms of an inner ear infection, such as:

• Antinausea medications to help control nausea symptoms
• Steroid medications, such asprednisone, to reduce inflammation
• Antibiotics or antiviral medications to treat the infection itself
  

Possible Complications of Inner Ear Infections

Excessive nausea and vomiting can lead to hospitalization and the need for intravenous (IV) fluids in people with inner ear infections. Permanent hearing loss or chronic issues with balance and dizziness (vestibular problems) are also possible complications of an inner ear infection.

When to See a Provider

A typical ear infection starts to improve in a couple of days and will clear up in two weeks or less. However, some ear infections won’t get better on their own and will need medical treatment.

Call your healthcare provider if you have:

• Fever of 102 degrees F or higher
• Symptoms that do not get better or get worse over two or three days
• Severe pain that resolves suddenly
• Headache or dizziness
• Fluid or blood draining from your ear
• Swelling behind your ear
• Weakness in your facial muscles

Alternative Treatments

If you think you have an ear infection, you should see your provider to get diagnosed and treated. However, if you’re waiting for an appointment or giving a prescription treatment time to work, you may be wondering about alternative treatments as well.

One example is using garlic as a treatment. While research has suggested that garlic and garlic extract might help with ear infections, the evidence is conflicting. One study found that garlic oil wasn't as effective as antibiotics or antifungals in a lab experiment with bacteria or yeast commonly found in both middle ear infections and otitis externa.

Another study found that garlic oil given as ear drops was more effective in chronic suppurative otitis media (a bacterial infection of the middle ear) than levomycetin.

Garlic contains compounds such as allicin, which has antimicrobial activity. It may help to boost your immune system when used in your diet or as a supplement.

Always ask your health provider before using garlic supplements or oil as an ear drop to ensure they're safe for you.

While some people claim that you can put a clove of garlic in your ear to treat an earache, there is not enough evidence that using garlic in this way is a safe, effective way to treat an ear infection.

You should never put anything in your ear canal unless your healthcare provider tells you to do so. That's because you could puncture your eardrum or introduce more bacteria into your ear that could cause infection.

Do You Need Surgery?

While ear tube surgery is more common in kids, it can be used to help adults who get chronic, recurrent ear infections. While ear tube placement surgery can help in some cases, it also comes with risks.

Your provider will talk to you about the risks and benefits of having ear tube surgery to treat adult ear infections and explain whether they recommend the option for you.

Summary

Having an ear infection as an adult can be painful and interfere with your ability to function.

Some ear infections will clear up on their own, but others need treatment. You should talk to your provider if you think you have an ear infection. They can figure out what kind you have and recommend the best treatment (or combination of treatments) to help cure the infection and relieve your symptoms.