Ear Infection

Dear Lisa

My 15 month old daughter had a stuffy nose and was waking at night. I brought her to the Pediatrician's office and he told me that she had an ear infection. I gave the Amoxicillin that was prescribed. I'm worried because she's been on the antibiotic for four days, and now she started to wake at night again. Today she's very cranky, her nose is more stuffy than before and now she has a fever of 101. I have to go to work tomorrow and I'm not sure if I should take off work and take her back to the doctor. She's already on an antibiotic, so what else is he going to do?

Don't know what to do- N. J.

Dear "Don't Know what to do",

Since your daughter seems to be getting worse I would bring her back to the doctor's office. Viruses are very common in young children and are not responsive to antibiotics which treat bacterial infections. It is possible that she developed a virus even though she is on an antibiotic. Sometimes children develop an additional infection when their body is under stress. For example, a urinary tract infection may develop along with an ear infection. Urinary tract infections are hard to diagnose in young children because they do not present with the classic symptoms. Another possibility is that your child's ear infection may not be responsive to Amoxicillin. Some children, especially those in daycare settings, develop resistant organisms that cause ear infections which may not be responsive to Amoxicillin. Your daughter's situation deserves an evaluation by your Pediatrician and I'm sure that your day off work will be well spent.

Lisa Kelly, R.N., P.N.P., C.
Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

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