Reply to How many times have your kids had antibiotics?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yeah, I think overprescribing is generally a thing of the past - our childhoods, moreso than our kids'. If my kid is getting prescribed an antibiotic, it's really only for something that needs an antibiotic (like strep) to avoid progressing to something worse. [/quote]

Not true. Doctors offer them for most ear infections still. The research does not support it but it is done anyway.[/quote]

Most ear infections are bacterial. Less than 10% are mild viral with no other symptoms.  They might start at viral, congestion in the ear from a viral cold.  It’s at risk to become bacterial infection.   High fevers come with viral illnesses and bacterial illnesses.  Bacterial ear infections are usually more painful.    I’m not going to take a risk that my child’s is the viral one.   [/quote]

Yes but most healthy , immunocompetent children over age 2 without a high fever, and a unilateral ear infection, will clear it on its own in about the same amount of time.  Prior to the introduction of antibiotics, kids didn't routinely die of ear infections or have ear infections that never went away. Most of them did, eventually.  Occasionally they didn't, and led to complications.  But even today, when a kid comes in with an ear infection and the ear has been hurting for less than a day, and their fever is around 100, and it's just on the left side- the recommendation is to watch and wait, and only start antibiotics if the fever goes up over 102, the pain becomes severe and not responding well to motrin/tylenol, or the pain persists for another couple of days.  I always educate to watch and wait when I prescribe an antibiotic for an ear infection.  I'm very clear, and it's in my written discharge papers too.  If parents don't listen and start it that same day, that's on them. [/quote]

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