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Care at Home
  1. Pain Medication: For pain relief, take acetaminophen every 4-6 hours (e.g., Tylenol; adult dosage 650 mg) OR ibuprofen every 6-8 hours (e.g., Advil, Motrin; adult dosage 400 mg).
    • Do not take ibuprofen if you have stomach problems, kidney disease, are pregnant, or have been told by your doctor to avoid this type of anti-inflammatory drug.
    • Do not take ibuprofen for more than 7 days without consulting your doctor.
    • Do not take acetaminophen if you have liver disease.
    • Read the package instructions thoroughly on all medications that you take.
  2. Local Cold for Pain: Apply a cold pack or a cold wet washcloth to the outer ear for 20 minutes to reduce pain while the pain medicine takes effect. (NOTE: Some individuals prefer local heat instead of cold for 20 minutes)
  3. Avoid Earplugs: If pus or cloudy fluid is draining from the ear canal, wipe the pus away as it appears. Avoid plugging with cotton. Reason: retained pus causes irritation or infection of the ear canal.
  4. Contagiousness: Ear infections are not contagious.
  5. Earache during Air Travel: Ear pain and stuffiness can occur during air travel. This results from too rapid changes in air pressure.
  6. Treatment - Earache During Air Travel: There are a number of different maneuvers that you can use to reduce the pressure and pain, including yawning, chewing gum, or swallowing. You can also try to exhale while pinching your nose and keeping your lips closed.
  7. Prevention of Earache During Air Travel: Using an over-the-counter decongestant approximately one hour before take-off can sometimes help. Decongestants shrink the swollen nasal passages and open up the tube connecting the nose and the ear (eustacian) to help normalize ear pressure. They can be taken as pills by mouth or used as a nasal spray.
    • Pseudophedrine (Sudafed): is available in pill form. Typical adult dosage is two 30 mg tablets every 6 hours. Read package instructions.
    • Phenylephrine nasal drops (Neo-Synephrine): are available over the counter. Clean out the nose before using. Spray each nostril once, wait one minute for absorption, and then spray a second time. Read package instructions.
    • Do not take these medications if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or prostate enlargement. Do not use these medications for more than 3 days. (Reason: excessive use can cause rebound nasal congestion.)
    • Read the package instructions thoroughly on all medications that you take.
  8. IF your symptoms become worse: Review Should I Call? recommendations.
  1. Symptom Description
  2. Should I Call?

Adult Housecalls. Copyright © 2001-2008. David Thompson, M.D.
Reviewed/Modified: Jan. 2008 by Intermountain Healthcare, Inc.


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