What to do if hydrogen peroxide is stuck in the ears?

Question

Hello doctor,

I woke up five days ago with clogging in my ears. Stupidly, I went with one of the first solutions I found online and poured hydrogen peroxide in my ear. It is now stuck in my ear canal and I cannot get it out. I have tried Swim-ear drops, ear candle, wax removal kit and shaking my head violently. It is so annoying. I do not want to get an infection, that could lead to hearing loss in my left ear. I have no insurance and I am a young guy struggling to make it. I am in need of some advise. Please help me.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

How sure are you it is wax that caused the blocked ears? If you are absolutely sure, you can put the wax dissolving drops and, it will act on the wax, temporarily swell it and then dissolve it. Or, it will make the wax soft enough for easy removal by a doctor using suction or just a probing instrument. Wax removal would be an in-office procedure. If, however, you are not sure it is wax, it would be safer to get it checked by an ENT or a general practitioner, who can look into the ear using an otoscope to ascertain what is going on inside. Some other symptoms which occur alongside middle ear infection are pain, ear discharge, decreased hearing, aural fullness etc. Outer ear infection causes severe pain with movement of the pinna and also fullness and discharge. In middle ear and outer ear infections, the wax dissolving agentsirritate the mucosa causing it to get further inflamed and edematous. Hence these drops are best avoided in those situations. Do not shake your head violently or put anything inside the ear. I hope this helps you. Do not worry. It is most likely to be impacted wax.