Adult Dosing
Acute otitis externa
- 4 drops in infected ear(s) bid x 7 days
- Note: Indicated for Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections
Pediatric Dosing
Acute otitis media (child
6 months)
- 4 drops in infected ear(s) bid x 7 days through tympanostomy tubes
Acute otitis externa (child
6 months)
- 4 drops in infected ear(s) bid x 7 days
[Outline]
See Supplemental Patient Information
- For otic use only; not for ophthalmic use
- Suspend therapy at the first appearance of a skin rash or any other sign of hypersensitivity. Institute immediate emergency treatment if serious acute hypersensitivity reactions occur
- It may result in overgrowth of nonsusceptible organisms, including yeast and fungi
- If no therapeutic response observed in a week of treatment, obtain cultures to guide further treatment
- After full course of therapy if otorrhea persists or if within six months there are two or more otorrhea episodes, evaluate to exclude an underlying condition such as cholesteatoma, foreign body, or a tumor
Supplemental Patient Information
- Use the ear drops for the period prescribed by the doctor, even if the symptoms improve
Pregnancy Category:C
Breastfeeding: Safety unknown; topical dexamethasone has not been studied during breastfeeding. Short-term application would pose a risk to the breastfed infant by passage into breastmilk. This information is based upon LactMed database (available at http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT last accessed 15 December 2010). Ciprofloxacin is compatible with breastfeeding; no observable change was seen in the nursing infant while the mother was ingesting ciprofloxacin. This information is based upon data from AAP Policy Guidelines (available at http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/3/776/T6 last accessed 15 December 2010 ). According to the manufacturer data, it is not known whether topical otic administration could result in sufficient systemic absorption to produce detectable quantities in human milk. Due to the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, manufacturer recommends discontinuation of nursing or discontinuation of drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.

US Trade Name(s)
US Availability
Ciprodex (ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone)

Canadian Trade Name(s)
Canadian Availability
Ciprodex (ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone)

UK Trade Name(s)
UK Availability

Australian Trade Name(s)
Australian Availability
[Outline]



