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Suffering From Blocked Ear, Sore Throat, Headache And Fever. Taking Benadryl. Effective Solution?

Posted on Wed, 13 Mar 2013

Question: From past 10 days Im suffering from blocked ear(left).Initial 3 days it was like cold(but cold never developed) with left side blocked nose,dry cough(nights),painful sore throat ,swollen tonsils and headache with very lite fever.I had taken sinarest tab (morning & night) for intial 3 days and it gave me relief from blocked nose,fever and headache.From past 2 days Im taking Tab Erythrocin 250 , Tab Vetopain 100 (Morning & Night ) and 2 tablespoon Benadryl cough syrup in nights.But still im suffering from sore throat ,dry cough and blocked ear.I tried taking vapours but the flum never came out.Im really irritated with blocked ear and dry cough .Please suggest solution for the above problem.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (1 hour later)

Hi

Thanks for the query

After going through your description I do feel you are suffering from acute sinusitis with otitis media (inflammation) of the left ear and pharyngitis.

During nose and Eustachian tube (the tube connecting nose and the ear), because of which there will be blockage of the sinus opening leading to stagnation of the secretions in the sinus and increased viscosity. Similarly, there will be blockage of the Eustachian tube opening leading to fullness in the ear.

Stagnation of the secretions thus gives rise to headache, facial pain, earache, fullness in the ear and nasal infection. When the infected secretions trickle down into the throat it can cause irritation of the throat, followed by cough and difficulty in swallowing.

When the infection is acute there will be associated fever, headache, cough, earache, throat pain, difficulty in breathing, etc.

You need to stop taking Benadryl, as it is not going to benefit you and in fact, it will worsen your problems.

You can try the following:
1. Drink plenty of warm water – this helps in improving the blood circulation, keeping the mucosa moist and relief from pain
2. Try taking antibiotic such as a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid or cefuroxime
3. An anti-inflammatory medicines such as diclofenac or ibuprofen is beneficial for the relief of pain.
4. Use saline nasal spray followed by steam inhalation 3-4 times a day - this helps in removing the thick secretions from the sinuses and thus reduces the nasal block and ear block.
5. A mucolytic such as bromhexine or ambroxol is beneficial in reducing the consistency of secretions, thus relieving the block and headache.
6. Also, avoid smoking/chilled food & beverages/alcohol/coffee till you recover.

Hope I have answered your queries; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (23 hours later)

Thanks for replying.
Can I take DRYDEX-T cough syrup instead of Benadryl?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (1 hour later)

Hi

Thanks for writing back

Please do not take any cough syrup. It is not going to benefit you. Try the medicines suggested in the previous discussion, you will be definitely alright. Cough is a protective reflex, do not try to suppress it with cough medicines. We need to treat the cause, but not the symptoms.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (2 days later)

Hi Dr

Thanks for reply.
As per the first discussion suggestions Im taking Tab amoxicillin clavulanate 625mg one per day and to get relief from pain and swelling one Diclofenac -10mg in night.

As of now I dont have sore throat ,cold and no fever.Only concern is ear block with slight pain in left ear .

For how many days I should continue taking
Tab Amoxicillin clavulanate 625mg and tab diclofenac 10mg?

In left ear still blockage is there with little pain.I able to hear very little through my left ear.This is the only improvement i have observed in past 5 days.

I can feel some fluid in my ear as if its draining out but when I used cotton swab nothing was found.

Finding bit difficulty in sleeping during night due to fullyness in ear and not able to sleep on left side.Can I apply hot moist cloth around my ear before sleep to reduce XXXXXXX swelling or pain?

Please suggest solution.
Im staying in a place where there is no proper medical facility and I dont want to travel with this problem unless required.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (5 hours later)

Hi

Welcome back

Tab Amoxycillin and clavulanic acid 625 mg should be taken 3 times a day for at least 7 days. Once a day dosage is useless and it will lead to resistance for the organism. Please continue with rest of the measures.

You can do hot fomentation for the ear. But, steam inhalation is the best.

Wish you good luck.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar