Instilling Ear Drops

Ear drops are a popular medication for a number of problems related to the ears. Ear drops are mainly used to cure bacterial ear infections, as the alcohol solution in the ear drops makes it difficult for the microbes to survive. Ear drops are also very commonly used to treat the build-up of ear wax. Ear wax can be easily dislodged from the ears by instilling ear drops. These two main functions of ear drops make it a fairly popular medication for ear problems.

A very important thing to keep in mind, before instilling ear drops is to check the ingredients. Many ear drop-making companies use substances like peanut oil etc, which a lot of people are allergic to. If you are allergic to peanut oil, then the ear drops will cause an allergic reaction, rather than fixing the ear infection. It is always better that you talk to a pharmacist or a doctor about your specific ear condition, and make sure that the correct ear drop mixture is administered to you.

How to Instill Ear Drops

There are some things that you have to keep in mind, before you instill ear drops. Make sure that you always keep the medication in a cool dry place. Also ensure that the color of the medication has not changed, since the last time you saw it. Change in color is a sign that the medication may have expired. Also ensure that there is nothing floating in the medication, as it indicates that the medicine may no longer be appropriate and a new bottle of ear drops must be purchased. Once you have made sure that the ear drops are just fine, follow these steps for instilling ear drops.

• Make sure that you warm up the bottle, before use. Rub it between your palms or keep it in warm water for 5 minutes. This will make sure that the drops are warm, when they enter your ears.
• Wash your hands carefully and wipe them, so that no infection or germs are passed into the ears.
• Give the bottle a good shake. Then take some of the medicine in the dropper, which is given with the bottle.
• Ideally, it is better that you have someone else to administer the medicine to you, especially, when in case of instilling ear drops in children. When you administer the medicine to yourself, you may not be able to see and may end up not doing it the right way.
• Lie down and tilt your head to one side, so that the drops will enter the ears properly and do not fall out from the ear.
• Ensure that the person dropping the ear drops, keeps the dropper pressed to ensure that all the drops enter the ear. Make sure that the dropper does not touch the walls of the ears, as some germs may come on it.
• Once you are done putting in the drops, make sure that you put the dropper in and shut the bottle right away.
• Keep your head tilted for 2-5 more minutes. Press the ear flap shut and hold for some time, till you feel confident that the ear drops will not fall out, after leaving the ear flap or straightening your head.
• Once you are done, make sure that you wash your hand with a disinfectant or an anti-bacterial soap.

After instilling ear drops, if you feel a stinging pain, dizziness, itching or ringing, call your doctor to report the symptoms. These symptoms may be a sign of allergic reaction and may need to be fixed immediately. Read more on: how to cure an ear infection.

So, this write-up has provided you some insight about instilling ear drops the right way. Ear drops are clearly one of the best cures for ear infection. It is essential that you pay attention to the way you are instilling ear drops because if they fall out, or are not administered correctly, they may not have the required effect.