diagnosis. Common antibiotic ear drops for treating otitis externa include: Polymyxin B, neomycin and hydrocortisone; apply 3-4 drops to the affected ear 4 times daily Ofloxacin; apply 5 drops to the affected ear twice daily Ciprofloxacin with hydrocortisone; apply 3 drops to the affected ear twice daily Antibiotics to treat bacterial infections Bacterial ear infections are treated with antibiotics; local administration is preferred over systemic delivery due to increased antibiotic concentration and lack of systemic side effects. Antibiotic ear drops are much faster at killing the bacteria. Ear drops work faster since the medication directly goes to the site of infection whereas oral antibiotics enter the bloodstream first. Some commonly used antibiotics include: Ciprodex ear drops containing ciprofloxacin and dexamethasone Ciproxin HC ear drops containing ciprofloxacin and hydrocortisone Kenacomb ear drops, containing triamcinolone acetonide, neomycin and gramicidin (antibiotics) and nystatin (antifungal) Sofradex ear drops containing neomycin and gramicidin (antibiotics) plus dexamethasone (a steroid) Antibiotics for ear infections are prescribed for infections that are recurrent or difficult for the body to clear. Antibiotic ear drops should be used as prescribed. Do not stop the use of medication even if the infection appears cleared because remaining bacteria can cause the infection to return. Analgesic and anesthetics to help relieve ear pain Otic analgestic-anesthetic are drops that can help alleviate swelling, pain and congestion caused by middle ear inflammation. However, these ear drops do not treat the infections because they do not contain any antibiotic properties. A common over-the-counter product sold as Auralgan contained antipyrine (analgesic) and benzocaine (anesthetic). It was prescribed alone or with an antibiotic ear drop to help manage an ear infection. However, Auralgran was reformulated without meeting the FDA requirements to be reapproved and was removed from the market in July 2, 2015. There is some literature to suggest that anesthetic ear drops helped with acute pain. This study was conducted in Australia in 2008 in a hospital emergency room. It included 63 children who were between the ages of 3 and 17 who presented to the emergency department reporting of ear pain. Children were randomized such that 32 received placebo and 31 children received topical lignocaine prior to being offered an oral pain medication. The study showed that a topical pain medication was helpful while waiting for the an oral pain medication to be effective. There is another small study conducted in England and Wales that reported that