As with all antibiotics, it is important that the medicine be used in the way that it is prescribed. A small percentage of ear infections will not respond to Amoxicillin. It is not unusual for the antibiotic to take a few days to work, but if your child is not much improved after two to three days it is probably time to speak again with the doctor. If you feel that your child is not all better after treatment, you should bring him or her back for a re-check. In certain situations, such as when a child has had many ear infections or has not responded well to an antibiotic in the past, your doctor will recommend a follow-up visit.
Some children get lots of ear infections.
These children may be candidates for some type of intervention aimed at preventing more infections. One reason for trying to reduce the number of ear infections in these children is that children with an ear infection have a temporary decrease in their hearing. Children who get many ear infections spend a lot of time with decreased hearing during a crucial time in their development of speech and language. There is some evidence that reducing the number of ear infections in these children will make them less likely to have long-term problems with speech and language. In addition, reducing the pain, inconvenience and expense of recurrent ear infections are also important goals.