5kidsforME Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 My son has swimmers ear, we went to get his prescription and they said it would be $147!!!! Please tell me there are home remedies for this?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 My oldest ds had this over the summer. You can use a half and half solution of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol. I think that is mostly a preventative though. Garlic oil works for my oldest dd. The best thing would be to talk to the pharmacist or doctor. My ds needed the antibiotics since the home remedies didn't work. The doctor prescribed antibiotic eye drops. It is the same medicine but for some reason it costs WAY less. I think I paid around $10. Ask if the prescription can be changed to eye drops instead of ear drops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 If it's truly infected, I think you need the drops. I'd call your doctor and say you can't afford it. Maybe they'll give you a sample for free, or maybe they can recommend something cheaper. Sometimes they can just write a prescription for another brand that's cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jana Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 There are two kinds of drops for swimmer's ear. An older antibiotic, that doesn't work as fast, but is thoroughly effective. Or an newer RX that works faster, and is equally effective. My doctor recommends them equally. We always choose the older antibiotic, because there is a generic equivalent and it is waaaaay cheaper (even with insurance). My son has had several bouts of swimmer's ear. Home remedies are good prophylactics, but they are no cure. And swimmer's ear can get very painful, very quickly. I'd call your doctor back and see about an alternative treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 If the infection is just starting, our ped recommends a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and vinegar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Isn't he in a lot of pain? I haven't had swimmer's ear in a long time but I remember lying awake crying in the night. I believe the drops we used to use were cortisporin, although that was many years ago. I remember it took a few days before I saw improvement and today's antibiotics probably work a lot faster. If doc can't prescribe something generic, I guess you have to pay... But if it's an ailment he gets once in a while, you can look at the link below to see if they carry it. This is where we get our routine medications (inhalers, antibiotics, UTI medication, allergy pills, etc.) Most things are MUCH cheaper than here in the US, don't require a prescription so you can get some in advance to keep in the fridge for next time. Flat $25 shipping charge, no matter how many items you order. They carry most items that aren't controlled substances. http://www.alldaychemist.com Good luck, and I hope your son feels better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I love to swim and get swimmer's ear at least once a year. I teach swimming year round. My home remedy stuff is more for prevention. Using a peroxide and warm water mix to flush ear and clear wax regularly, because infections start when water (pool or shower) gets trapped in the ear behind wax, a warm dark place for bacteria to grow. Once I get an ear infection I use and herbal treatment : http://www.amazon.com/Nutribiotic-Ear-Drops-liquid/dp/B00014DROG Nutribiotic ear drops with grapefruit seed extract and tea tree oil. These drops work just as well as any prescription I have ever had. I keep a bottle in my medicine cabinet and I well never make an appointment to get a doctor's prescription again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Here is what happened: my husband ended up taking him to a Medpoint express because he was working with him today. The Dr. prescribed the medicine that was $147. My other son had swimmers ear this summer and I know that we didn't even pay 1/4 for his drops. I am going to call our Dr. tomorrow and see if they will prescribe the cheaper meds. It is really bothering him but motrin has been helping a lot. Thanks for all the help! We do have leftover drops from pink eye but I can not find anything online that says these would work for swimmers ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 There are two kinds of drops for swimmer's ear. An older antibiotic, that doesn't work as fast, but is thoroughly effective. Or an newer RX that works faster, and is equally effective. My doctor recommends them equally. We always choose the older antibiotic, because there is a generic equivalent and it is waaaaay cheaper (even with insurance). Dh had swimmers ear in September and was originally prescribed the expensive medicine. We called back and the doctor changed the prescription after realizing how expensive it was. The cheaper mess worked just fine. Eta I think the cheaper option was the same med in eye drop form. If I remember correctly dr said it was okay to use the eye drops in your ear but not the other way around and to just ignore the directions on the bottle that said to put drops in your eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I love to swim and get swimmer's ear at least once a year. I teach swimming year round. My home remedy stuff is more for prevention. Using a peroxide and warm water mix to flush ear and clear wax regularly, because infections start when water (pool or shower) gets trapped in the ear behind wax, a warm dark place for bacteria to grow. Once I get an ear infection I use and herbal treatment : http://www.amazon.com/Nutribiotic-Ear-Drops-liquid/dp/B00014DROG Nutribiotic ear drops with grapefruit seed extract and tea tree oil. These drops work just as well as any prescription I have ever had. I keep a bottle in my medicine cabinet and I well never make an appointment to get a doctor's prescription again. This would be my inclination, though I use Herbs for Kids garlic and willow drops (willow addresses the pain, garlic is antimicrobial). If there is an aspirin allergy, Herb Pharm is garlic and mullein (which will also help with pain). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 I love to swim and get swimmer's ear at least once a year. I teach swimming year round. My home remedy stuff is more for prevention. Using a peroxide and warm water mix to flush ear and clear wax regularly, because infections start when water (pool or shower) gets trapped in the ear behind wax, a warm dark place for bacteria to grow. Once I get an ear infection I use and herbal treatment : http://www.amazon.com/Nutribiotic-Ear-Drops-liquid/dp/B00014DROG Nutribiotic ear drops with grapefruit seed extract and tea tree oil. These drops work just as well as any prescription I have ever had. I keep a bottle in my medicine cabinet and I well never make an appointment to get a doctor's prescription again. Thanks! I have these in my cart now to purchase. This is the first time my older son has gotten swimmers ear but my younger son has gotten it twice now. This looks like it should work for any old ear infection too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Here is what happened: my husband ended up taking him to a Medpoint express because he was working with him today. The Dr. prescribed the medicine that was $147. My other son had swimmers ear this summer and I know that we didn't even pay 1/4 for his drops. I am going to call our Dr. tomorrow and see if they will prescribe the cheaper meds. It is really bothering him but motrin has been helping a lot. Thanks for all the help! We do have leftover drops from pink eye but I can not find anything online that says these would work for swimmers ear. In the meantime, if you have some sort of dropper, you can go ahead and start with the 50/50 alcohol and vinegar drops. Those can start working on it while you are waiting to get hold of your own doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 My son has swimmers ear, we went to get his prescription and they said it would be $147!!!! Please tell me there are home remedies for this?? What in the world? My dd had swimmer's ear this summer and her drops were not that expensive. Can you ask your doc for something cheaper? I grabbed the box from the cupboard. It's Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates and Hydrocorisone Otic. We do have insurance. But I can't believe it's that expensive. I could be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 What in the world? My dd had swimmer's ear this summer and her drops were not that expensive. Can you ask your doc for something cheaper? I grabbed the box from the cupboard. It's Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates and Hydrocorisone Otic. We do have insurance. But I can't believe it's that expensive. I could be wrong. I am calling our Dr. tomorrow. We do not have insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabelneri Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Another direction to try might be to switch pharmacies. I had a prescription once (not for swimmers ear) that cost me almost $100 at Walgreens, but then when I got the exact same prescription filled at Target it was under $10. Same medication, same dosage, same brand, etc. I was in shock. But I agree with other folks... call for the cheaper prescription. I know my swimmer's ear treatment didn't cost that much. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.