Earache

When toget medical advice

It's not always necessary to see your GP if you or your child have earache. The pain will often improve in a few days and there are things you can do to help in the meantime (see below).

You should contact your GP or local out-of-hours service , or call NHS 111 if:

you or your child also has other symptoms, such asa high temperature (fever), vomiting, a severe sore throat , swelling around the ear, or discharge from the ear
there's something stuck in your or your child's ear
the earache doesn't improve withina few days

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for earache

Introduction

Find out about earache, which is a common problem in children, including when to seek medical advice, how to treat earache at home, plus the common causes.

When toget medical advice

It's not always necessary to see your GP if you or your child have earache. The pain will often improve in a few days and there are things you can do to help in the meantime (see below). You should c

What you can do at home

To treat the pain, you can use painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen , which you can buy over the counter.Children under the age of16shouldn't take aspirin. Placing a warm flannel against th

Common causes of earache

Ear infections If an ear infection is causing your earache, there may be a watery or pus-like fluid coming out of your ear. Outer ear infections (infectionsof the tube connecting the outer ear and

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