Ofloxacin Ear Drops – Uses, Side Effects, Dosage and Precautions

Ofloxacin is an antibiotic that is used to treat bacterial infections of the skin, lungs, prostate, urinary tract, pelvic inflammatory disease, Chlamydia, or gonorrhea. This drug works by fighting off bacteria in the body. 

The otic solution can be used on a long term basis for an infection in the ear that has resulted in a perforated eardrum or other complications. 

Uses of Ofloxacin ear drops

The Ofloxacin ear drops belong to a class of drugs known as quinolone antibiotics. Only used to treat bacterial infections, these work by inhibiting bacterial growth. These ear drops are prescribed by doctors to treat ear infections of all types-

• Swimmer’s ear

Also known as otitis externa, this is an infection that develops inside the ear canal. This is an infection that runs from the ear canal to the external part of the ear. Moreover, this develops when water gets trapped inside the ear canal providing a damp environment for bacterial growth. This infection is very common in children. Some of the common symptoms people experience are pain in the ear, difficulty in hearing, pus drainage from the ear or itchiness.

• Middle ear infections

Also called otitis media, these infections develop when the virus or bacteria causes inflammation behind the eardrum. A common occurrence in children, there are two types of middle ear infections- acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion.

Some of the common symptoms include ear pain, irritability, fever, pulling the ears, fever, loss of balance, bloody discharge from the ears, or difficulty in hearing. 

Also Read: How to stop an earache?

Price of Ofloxacin Ear Drops

The price of Cipla Oflox Ear 5ml drops in India is Rs. 33.55.

Composition of Ofloxacin ear drops

Ofloxacin ear drops or otic solution is an aqueous solution that is sterile and anti-infection in nature. The solution is solely a chemical solution. The following chemicals are used to prepare the solution for treating ear infections.  

Working of Ofloxacin ear drops

The otic solution- Ofloxacin ear drops- can fight against a wide range of gram-negative and gram-positive microorganisms. The solution inhibits bacterial growth by curbing the production of an enzyme called DNA gyrase- necessary for replication. 

The ear drops can work against various harmful microorganisms responsible for various infections including ear infections. Some of the microorganisms that can be curbed with this ear drops are-

• Staphylococcus aureus
• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Escherichia coli
• Haemophilus influenzae
• Moraxella catarrhalis
• Proteus mirabilis
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa 

How to Use Ofloxacin Ear Drops

You should follow the directions mentioned in the label of the solution. Before each use, shake the bottle. Using cold ear drops can cause dizziness, hence warm the medicine by holding the bottle in the hand for a couple of minutes.

Instill the ear drops as follow-

• Lie down with the affected ear facing upwards. 
• Pull the ear back gently to open the ear canal. For children, pull the earlobe downwards.
• Hold the dropper over the ear and put the prescribed number of drops inside the ear.
• Stay in the lying position or tilted head for at least 5 minutes.
• Put a small piece of cotton to plug the ear to prevent the medicine from draining.

Dosage of Ofloxacin Ear Drops

The dosage of Ofloxacin ear drops is different in adults and children. The same has been explained in detail below-

Dose for Acute Otitis Externa in Adults

Doctors generally prescribe instilling 10 drops of Ofloxacin ear drops once a day for adults suffering acute otitis externa, also known as swimmer’s ear. The duration of therapy generally lasts for a week. 

Dose for Otitis Media in Adults

For treating Otitis Media or middle ear infections in adults, the prescribed dosage is putting 10 drops into the affected ear twice a day. The ENT doctors prescribe putting the ear solution for 14 days.

Dose for Acute Otitis Externa in Children

The usual dose for children belonging to the age group 6 months to 13 years is 5 drops once a day for 7 days. While children over 13 years can put 10 drops into the affected ear for 7 days. 

Dose for Otitis Media in Children 

Doctors generally prescribe instilling 5 drops of Ofloxacin ear drops once a day for children from 1 -12 years of age group suffering from otitis media. For curing the same condition, the dose is putting 10 drops twice a day for 14 days for children over 12 years of age. The duration of therapy generally lasts for a week. 

Skipping a dose of Ofloxacin ear drops

If you have missed a dose of Ofloxacin ear drops and there’s enough gap between skipped and next dose, then take the medicine. Otherwise, if the next dose is near, skip the missed dose and continue with the regular schedule.

Side effects of Ofloxacin ear drops

Although Ofloxacin otic solution has many benefits, there can be some side effects that require medical attention. Get in touch with the doctor immediately if you experience any of the following side effects-

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Insomnia
• Confusion
• Agitation
• Diarrhea 
• Burning
• Itching
• Redness
• Skin rash
• Swelling
• Other signs of irritation
• Dizziness 
• Bleeding from the ear
• Fever
• Elevated heart rate
• Headache
• Ringing in the ears
• Stuffy nose (Know here: How to get relief from the stuffy nose?)
• Runny nose (Know here: Home remedies to treat runny nose)
• Sore throat 
• Depression
• Seizures
• Serum sickness
• Hypoglycemia 
• Anaphylaxis 

Interaction of Ofloxacin ear drops

The Ofloxacin ear drops are known to interact with the following medicines-

• Acetylsalicylic acid
• Amoxicillin
• Augmentin
• Benadryl
• Azithromycin
• Cipro
• Doxycycline
• Ibuprofen
• Metformin
• Paracetamol
• Tylenol
• Various vitamins- B, B1, B12, B6, C, D3, K
• Zinc 

Precautions of Ofloxacin Ear Drops

To reiterate a generally precautionary measure, no medicine should be taken without consulting a doctor. 

It is important that you let the doctor know if you are-

• Allergic to Ofloxacin or to another quinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin 
• Suffering from allergies
• Dizzy when you take the medicine
• Using any prescribed or non-prescribed or herbal products
• In the habit of smoking and drinking alcohol 
• Pregnant or lactating

Read More:

• Ear drops for Ear pain
• Can surgery help in ear infections or a punctured eardrum?
• How to get rid of fungal infection in the ear?