by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
You would think that a medication to remove ear wax would not damage your ears, wouldn’t you? Don’t bet on it.
A new study at The Montreal Children’s Hospital revealed a shocking truth—such preparations can be very damaging to our ears. Here’s the report.
A new study, led by researchers at The Montreal Children’s Hospital, has revealed that certain over-the-counter earwax softeners containing the active ingredient triethanolamine can cause severe inflammation and damage to the eardrum and inner ear.
The results of the study, recently published in The Laryngoscope, suggest that use of these medications should be discouraged.
“Patients often complain that wax is blocking their ears and is causing discomfort and sometimes deafness,” says Dr. Sam Daniel principal investigator of the study and director of McGill Auditory Sciences Laboratory at The Children’s.
“Over-the-counter earwax softeners are used to breakup and disperse this excess wax. However, the effects of these medications on the cells of the ear had not been thoroughly analyzed.” “Because some of these products are readily available to the public without a consultation with or prescription from a physician, it is important to make sure they are safe to use.”
“Our study shows that in a well-established animal model, one such product, Cerumenex, is in fact, toxic to the cells of the ear,” says Dr. Daniel.
Dr. Daniel and his team studied the impact of Cerumenex on hearing. In addition, overall toxicity in the outer ear and changes in the nerve cells of the inner ear were analyzed.
“Harmful effects to many of the cells were observed after only ONE dose,” says Dr. Melvin Schloss co-author and MCH Director of Otolaryngology. “We observed reduced hearing, severe inflammation, and lesions to the nerve cells.”
“We believe these findings are applicable to humans,” add Dr. Daniel. Overall, our findings suggest that Cerumenex has a toxic potential and it should be used with caution.” (1)
Did you notice that? Cerumenex can cause hearing loss and a number of other ear problems! Why is this just being reported now?
Actually not all of this information is new. It has been known for a number of years. For example, if you had a copy of “Ototoxic Drugs Exposed” published back in 2002, you would have already known that Cerumenex was ototoxic—that it could cause tinnitus, ear pain, and unspecified ototoxic damage—typically hearing loss.
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(1) The Montreal Children’s Hospital, January 28, 2008. http://www.muhc.ca/media/news/?ItemID=28904
Cerumenex is no longer manufactured though there may be like compounds outside of the USA.
I lost 80% of the hearing in one ear thanks to that stuff…glad it’s no longer here.
Dear Dr. Bauman,
Is there any safe ear wax removal medication that cleans the outer ear from wax, dirt, dust, bacteria and other debris?
I have intrusive bilateral tinnitus.
Thank you for your attention.
Hi Jerry:
A lot of people just use all of oil to soften any wax that might be impacted in your ear canals. Other people use a combination of vinegar and water, others use hydrogen peroxide. None of these are ototoxic. Personally, I don’t see any reason to use chemical formulations when these household methods have been used for many years with no problems.
All I do is allow the showerhead to skirt water in my ear canals every morning when I have my shower, and then I clean my ear canals with Q-tips. My ear canal stay beautifully clean. I’ve been doing this for decades now. The only caveat is that you need to start with clean ear canals. If you use Q-tips when your ear canals are already clogged, all you do is push the wax down further against your eardrum. I went to the doctor and had my ear canals flushed out and then every day since, I just use water and a Q-tip.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil,
This is the routine I followed for years without any problems, but stopped after being warned about the dangers of using Q-tips to clean ears. I never inserted the tip too far into my ear, but the thought of a ruptured eardrum was enough for me to change my ways.
Since then, I have had to rely on regular microsuction treatments to remove the wax, and I’m considering returning to my old routine.
So, are Q-tips really that bad? Any tips on reducing the risk of ear injury?
Thanks!
Hi Scott:
Doctors like to scare you out of using Q-tips. But the truth is that you used them safely for many years without any problems. I’ve done the same for more than 3 decades. So that should tell you that it can be done safely.
You won’t believe this, but the reason I stopped going to a doctor to get ear wax removed was because the doctor was causing problems. Some are good at it and others aren’t. Same as uping Q-tips. If you do it right, no problems.
The secret is to start with clean ears as using Q-tips can push wax further down so getting impacted wax out with Q-tips can be dangerous. But if you start with clean ears and then use Q-tips daily after a shower (like I do) removes any incipient wax before it can build up and get pushed down to your eardrums.
Here’s a tip for you. Don’t do it when people are around you as they can accidentally bump into your arm and thus force the Q-tip down and rupture your eardrum. Ditto for standing near a closed door that someone can suddenly open and if it hits your arm–again troubles.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil,
I just had earwax in both of my ears removed by an audiologist using microsuction. I wanted to ensure that I could safely use earplugs and Q-tips to clean my ears moving forward.
Having read previously about people having tinnitus spike after this procedure, I was anxious to have it done and asked the audiologist whether or not there is any risk to hearing loss or tinnitis.
She told me that there wasn’t, and to reassure me, we measured the sound of the tool which came in at 65 dB, so I felt reasonably comfortable.
During the procedure, however, it was really loud and I have since read on various audiology and medical websites that the noise inside the ear can be around 120db while the wax is being removed and cause permanent hearing loss and or lead to the development of tinnitus. Some studies even found the noiy to be up to 130 or more decibels.
So, is the sound of the earwax being removed really that loud or does it just sound loud because of its proximity to the eardrum?
I’m feeling quite anxious and would appreciate some reassurance on this.
Thanks!
Hi Scott:
There are a number of factors that determine just how loud microsuctioning may be in your ear canal such as how hard or soft the wax is, using liquids in your ear canal at the same time, the size of the suctioning orifice, the skill of the person doing the microsuctioning, how close to the eardrum the tip is, etc.
One study revealed that microsuctioning can produce sounds ranging from 68 to 97 dB. Other sources cite levels up to 120 dB which is just too loud.
The study mentioned above concluded, “Smaller caliber suction sizes and nonsuctioning techniques should be utilized for in‐office aural toilet to reduce noise trauma and patient discomfort.”
How are your ears doing now 7 days later. Hopefully, everything is back to normal. As you know, anxiety can just make things worse, so remain calm.
Cordially,
Neil