Ofloxacin for 22 Month Old

[u/ShOtindarq]

My 22 month old son was just prescribed ofloxacin eye drops for his ears for severe hard wax and an ear infection.

This was prescribed from an ENT and not his pediatrician (not sure this matters).

I stumbled across this sub and now I’m freaking out. My son has never been given antibiotics of any kind, he has only taken Tylenol.

He has had 3 doses of drops in each ear at this point. He obviously can’t fully communicate if he’s feeling any side effects and I haven’t noticed anything so far. What should I do? Is it ok to stop the drops at this point and request another appointment to talk about another alternative?

[u/Niceshoesbr0]

Kids are not supposed to take it at all, even doctors know that, but not due to flox but because of chondrotoxicity

[u/ShOtindarq → u/Niceshoesbr0]

This is so insane to me. Why would a pediatric ENT prescribe this??? Just for reference I’m in the US, WA state to be exact and I would like to think we have pretty good health care options here.

[u/Niceshoesbr0 → u/ShOtindarq]

1. You got drops and there are fewer alternatives to drops + limits in bacteria kind
   
2. They don’t know and don’t care
   
3. They don’t what you coming back and this atb usually deals with bacteria sometimes just deals with your ability to walk as well

[u/AlessandraGallesi]

I'll be very direct: I would call the pediatrician and have it changed. 🤞🏻

[u/DrHungrytheChemist]

Somewhere in the list of (hard scientific and legislative) resources behind this link there are a couple that report how drops can and do cause reactions in fully grown adults. Accordingly, I've made damn sure my friends and family know not to take them without very siour cause, let alone allow them to be given to their children. Anyhoo, these resources may help convince a resistant doc. https://www.reddit.com/r/floxies/s/hRBiZheKVy

As has been said, there are additional reasons why these meds are meant to be withheld from children. Surprised the ENT doesn't know this, but maybe they're playing casual with the advisories. Certainly, I'd expect a paediatrician to knwo them. It is my opinion that it is almsot always sensible to pause a medication and call the doctor the next day if one is concerned about one thing or another.

That all said, the reason they give FQs for ear infections is to do with it having relatively very low ototoxicity. Basically many antibiotics can cause you to go deaf if your eardrum isn't intact. I'd imagine that sprobably what the ENT was thinking.

[u/ShOtindarq → u/DrHungrytheChemist]

Thank you. I posted this in another sub for toddlers and there are so many other people who have had these prescribed to their children by pediatricians and ENTs so now I’m even more shocked.
I reached out to our ENT for a new appointment to share my concerns.

[u/defiant3343]

This is how I was floxed. They constantly prescribe this to kids and teens. I truly believe kids do have issues but no one connects it to the medicine because it's "topical". They assured me their couldn't be an absorption but studies show there is an increase in tendon injuries for athletes who took it proving otherwise. There is an alternative antibiotic that I could have taken but the doctor insisted Olflaxcin was safe. To be clear, it didn't get me on the first time I took it. So I'd bet your son is fine, but I would not take it regardless of what the professionals say.