Can Eye Drop Medications be Used in the Ear?

Can EYE drop medications be used in the EAR for ear problems like ear infections?

For the most part, absolutely.

For pretty much any EAR drop preparation, there is an equivalent EYE drop preparation which can be used safely in the ear.

Why does this matter?

It's because it may be cheaper for the patient if the EYE drop medication is prescribed rather than the EAR drop medication. Often, it is not unusual for a brand name ear drop medication to be available in generic eye drop form.

NOW... EAR drop medications should NOT be used in the EYE because preservatives used in eye drop preparations are much gentler than those used in ear drops due to the eyeball being much more sensitive compared to the ear. As such, it may burn if ear drops are used in the eye... but not vice-versa.

• Floxin (Ear) equivalent to Ocuflox (Eye)
• Ciprodex (Ear) equivalent to Ciloxan (Eye) without the steroid dexamethasone
• Cipro HC (Ear) equivalent to Ciloxan (Eye) without the steroid hydrocortisone
• Cortisporin (neomycin-polymyxin-hydrocortisone) is available in both eye and ear preparations
• Tobradex (Eye) can be used in the ear and is imprecisely similar to Cortisporin (Eye/Ear).

What Exactly Does a Generic Drug Mean (Opposed to Brand Name)?

Some patients are very confused by what the difference between a generic drug versus brand name drug is.

From the patient perspective, they are thinking, how in the world can the same drug be called different things?

Doctors answer by talking about active ingredients, patents, and copays which sometimes confuses patients even more. Well, here's to set the record straight using an analogy.

So let's talk about orange juice.

I consider Tropicana Orange Juice a brand name "drug".

The "active ingredient" in Tropicana Orange Juice is the fruit "orange".

A generic drug equivalent to Tropicana Orange Juice is Target (or other supermarket name) Orange Juice.

They both contain the same active ingredient of oranges, but the name is different.

The generic orange juice is also always cheaper.

Now, some people do not feel there is any difference between the brand name Tropicana and the supermarket branded generic orange juice, but some people insist that Tropicana tastes better and is healthier as it is not made from concentrate.

Others say that in the end, it really is the same because the active ingredient of oranges is the same.

Same controversy and arguments for orange juices also apply to drugs.

Hopefully, people understand the difference between brand name and generic equivalent drugs a little better now.

Personally, I feel if generic drugs work for you, save your money and stick with it rather than a brand name drug.

Generic Singulair Expected in August 2012

Why August 2012? That's when the patent for singulair, an allergy and asthma medication, goes off-patent. Generic versions of singulair should be expected soon after the patent expires.

For those who don't know... generic versions of medications are much cheaper than brand name medications, but contain the same active ingredient. Here's a list of a few brand name medications relevant in the ENT world with generic names in parentheses.

Flonase (fluticasone)
Prilosec (omeprazole)
Prevacid (lansoprazole)
Claritin (loratidine)
Zyrtec (cetirizine)
Benadryl (diphenhydramine)