Pseudoephedrine is used to relieve nasal or sinus congestion caused by the common cold, sinusitis, and hay fever and other respiratory allergies. It is also used to relieve ear congestion caused by ear inflammation or infection.
Diuretics work by restricting the overproduction of fluid in the inner ear. Diuretics are long-term medications. They help reduce the number of vertigo attacks, and in some cases, they help stabilize hearing. Commonly used diuretics are Diamox (acetazolamide) and Dyazide (triamterene/HCTZ).
A doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat ear fluid. The combination of a decongestant and an antihistamine can help reduce congestion. If this treatment is not effective, the doctor can place an ear tube through the middle ear to allow fluids to drain as usual.
Fluid from the ear may be caused by middle or outer ear infections, damage to the ear drum, a foreign body in the ear or a more serious infection or injury. See your doctor if you notice any fluid leaking from your ear, especially if you have a fever, hearing loss or dizziness or if your ear is red and swollen.
Otorrhea is drainage that comes out of your ear. Sometimes, people refer to otorrhea as “runny ears” or “watery ears.” Most commonly, otorrhea is the result of a ruptured eardrum from an ear infection. When there's a hole in your eardrum, the fluid in your middle ear drains out into your ear canal.
A myringotomy is a procedure to create a hole in the ear drum to allow fluid that is trapped in the middle ear to drain out. The fluid may be blood, pus and/or water. In many cases, a small tube is inserted into the hole in the ear drum to help maintain drainage.
Fluid often goes away on its own, so your doctor will often recommend watchful waiting for the first 3 months. Be sure to follow-up with your doctor to make sure the fiuid goes away completely .
Most fluid goes away on its own in weeks or months, especially if it was caused by a cold or an ear infection. OME is of more concern if it lasts more than 3 months or when your child has other problems that could be made worse by persistent ear fluid (e.g., delays in speech, language, learning, or development).
How long does it take for fluid in the ear to go away in adults? It can take up to three months for fluid in your ear to clear up on its own. 7 If you continue to have problems, your provider may prescribe antibiotics and look for an underlying problem that could need specific treatment.
Theoretically, antihistamines may reduce the congestion of mucous membranes and decrease obstruction of tubes lined by mucous membrane, such as the Eustachian tube. An open Eustachian tube would allow the middle ear pressure to equalize to ambient air pressure. It may also allow drainage of fluid from the middle ear.
The treatment for ETD is aimed at opening up the eustachian tube in the back of the nose. The main treatment is using a steroid nasal spray to help shrink the tissue where the ear drains. Nasal steroid (Flonase, Nasonex, Nasacort) – 2 sprays into each nostril twice daily.
Gargle salt water
A saltwater gargle can aid in reducing mucus in both the nose and the ears. It is also an easy remedy. To use a saltwater gargle, a person needs to add a little salt to some water and mix them together. Once mixed, they should gargle the salt water for a few seconds then spit it out.
The most common symptoms of ear fluid are mild discomfort, fullness in the ear, and mild hearing problems. Some children also have disturbed sleep, emotional distress, delayed speech, irritability, clumsiness, balance problems, or trouble learning in school.
This is called otitis media with effusion (OME) or serous otitis media. It means there is fluid in the middle ear. It is not the same as acute otitis media, which is often from an infection. OME can happen when you have a cold if congestion blocks the passage that drains the middle ear.
Approximately 90% of children have ear fluid before they reach school age; however, it often goes undetected. After an ear infection has cleared, many kids will have fluid that can remain for weeks at a time and can sometimes become re-infected.
Antibiotics are sometimes not needed for middle ear infections. However, severe middle ear infections or infections that last longer than 2–3 days need antibiotics right away. For mild middle ear infection, your doctor might recommend watchful waiting or delayed antibiotic prescribing.
The ear infection may start shortly after a cold. Sudden drainage of yellow or green fluid from the ear may mean the eardrum has ruptured. All acute ear infections involve fluid behind the eardrum. At home, you can use an electronic ear monitor to check for this fluid.
Colds, allergies, infected adenoids, or sinusitis, can cause congestion of the nose and eustachian tube. This congestion causes the tube to be blocked. With the tube blocked the fluid in the middle ear cannot drain.
OME most often goes away on its own over a few weeks or months. Treatment may speed up this process. Glue ear may not clear up as quickly as OME with a thinner fluid. OME is most often not life threatening.
Middle ear infections (otitis media) will usually clear up within a few days, with or without treatment. But antibiotics can speed up recovery in children under two years of age who have an infection in both ears. They may also help if the infected ears are leaking fluid.
There can be a milky white fluid in the middle ear space (“glue ear”) than can cause intense pain and even rupture the drum. Foul smelling drainage is a sign of a middle ear infection. Children's Eustachian tubes are more horizontal and do not drain easily.