Tinnitus and wax in the ears

[bezwat]

Hi, I have tinnitus and also have wax in my ears. I went to the Doctor who said I should put olive oil in my ears for a week and put cotton wool on my ears to stop the olive oil running out of my ears.

I am sure I heard / read ages ago that oil should not be put in the ears if a person has tinnitus. I am not sure what to do. Any help and advice welcome

[Hidden]

HI bezwat,

Your Doctor is correct to inform you that olive oil/ear drops should be put into the ears to soften the wax before it is removed. This applies to a person whether they have tinnitus or not.

I would advise you to go a step further and will briefly explain but please click on the link below and read the my post, as more information is there that will help you.

If you have read that oil - olive oil or eardrops shouldn't be put into the ear if a person has tinnitus for earwax removal, then the person that wrote this information is wrong. If anyone tells you the same they are wrong. One of the worst things that you can do, is not apply olive oil/ear drops to your ears to soften the wax before it is removed. The reason being, there is a risk of the tinnitus becoming worse.

The correct method is to apply olive oil / eardrops 3 times a day to each ear for 7 to 10 days before having the earwax removed by: ear irrigation, usually at a GP surgery. Or Microsuction at a hospital or clinic. Earwax can also be manually removed by curette. I personally do not advise manual removal.

Please click on the link below and read my post.

All the best

Michael

healthunlocked.com/bta/post...

[TotallyDeaf66 in reply to Hidden]

Yes spot on Michaelee.

[NicTinnitus]

Hello and welcome to the British Tinnitus Association forum bezwat. Do feel free to ask any questions, I hope that you find this a helpful and supportive place to help you manage your tinnitus.

Olive oil and other drops are perfectly safe to use if you have tinnitus, and are pretty much essential to soften any impacted ear wax - this makes the wax easier to remove (which should be professionally done) and less likely to cause trauma to the ear canal.

We have some resources that you might like to check out in addition to our home here:

tinnitus.org.uk

- especially the page on ear wax removal tinnitus.org.uk/ear-wax

takeontinnitus.co.uk

Helpline 0800 018 0527 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm) (outside the UK you can call [phone])

Warmest wishes

Nic (BTA Communications Manager and Forum Administrator)