Ear Pain...Worse At Night

S

scorpion71166

New member
For the past few weeks I have had a bad earache. I went to the doctor who noticed a lot of fluid buildup, probably caused by a sinus infection. She prescribed me antibiotics.

Well, the antibiotics didn't work. I still have the earache, though not as bad. Before going to the doctor it would throb all the time, but now it only throbs some of the time. When it does, the entire right side of my face throbs from my head to my mouth.

I have noticed that over the past few days that the pain is worse at night, especially when I am laying down. It sometimes make it hard to sleep. I was taking ibruprofen every night, but I dont' feel comfortable doing that every night so some nights I just deal with it.

I know I should make a trip back to the doctor, but I don't have insurance right now. I should have gone after the antibiotic didn't work after the first week, but I thought my insurance was going to be around longer.

I know what I can do to make the pain go away, but if anyone has any other suggestions besides ibruprofen I would appreciate it.

The main reason for this post was to ask why does the ear hurt worse at night.

Thanks
KDD
 
Hi, KDD . . . it has been my personal experience that sinus problems, congestion in the chest and ear pressure get worse at night because of the change in barometric pressure from day to night. I got onto this line of reasoning after having a particularly bad asthma attack years ago and the emergency room physician (a grandfatherly type) told me to avoid "the night air" because it would make it worse.

In doing some research on my own, that is what I have pieced together and it seems to hold true, for me at least.

If you are worried about Ibuprofen, you might want to take an Acetominophen (not so many side effects and up to 2,000 milligrams spread out over a day is not toxic according to my doctors).

Feel better soon!

Lindaru :)
 
KDD26

You might try just calling your doctor and telling him your problem.

My doctor you can call and if he has seen you for that problem he will prescribe you other medicine if needed,without making you have to go in for another visit.(He calls your pharmacy to order any medicine you might need.)

Hope this helps and that you feel better soon!
 
Have you tried taking an anahistamine/deconjestant?

This is allergy season and may be contributing to your problem.

Usually things hurt more at night when you are still and not distracted like you are during the day. The barometric pressure also plays a part.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies.

I just started taking a decongestant at the advice of my pharmacist who also happens to be my boss. Hope that it works.

KDD
 
It sounds like a classic sinus infection. It gets worse at night because the sinus fluids pool in your ear when you're lying down. It could also be due to a very common dust allergy, which affects most people at night, because dust mites like to live in bedding.

I recommend Sudafed during the day, and Benadryl at night (if you think you have allergies, or have trouble sleeping).

To treat the symptoms, decongestants are the most important. Sudafed (the one you have to get behind the counter) works the best for me. However if your problem is due to allergies, you should also take antihistamines whenever you think you will be exposed.

Note: Do not take decongestants and antihistamines at the same time because they counteract one another in some ways. (Decongestants work to get the stuff out of your body, and antihistamines work to dry it up.) Also, many decongestants can interfere with your sleep. So I take Sudafed during the day to get rid of any congestion. And I take a Benadryl at night to prevent more nasal inflammation and dry up congestion.
 
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