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[Katherine]

Hi ladies,

Has anyone experienced dry itchy ear canals? Fo that past few days I keep getting the urge to get my little finger right in and scratch. I wear foam earplugs for sleeping every night otherwise I would get woken up and they pull any ear wax out with them so I have no wax which is probably the reason. I’ve ordered some olive oil drops but could do with an ear canal cream   if there I such a thing.

[sheila99]

Not sure if it'll help but I use wax earplugs and my ears always seem to be well greased (perhaps I have the opposite problem? ). They're cheap from Boots if you want to try them.

[Katherine]

Not sure if it'll help but I use wax earplugs and my ears always seem to be well greased (perhaps I have the opposite problem? ). They're cheap from Boots if you want to try them.

Hi Sheila, I’ve ordered some wax ones from boots and some silicone ones that go on the outside plus the olive oil drops so I’m hoping they do the trick! 

[DottyD68]

Hi Katherine,

Have you tried Sea Buckthorn Oil? It helps with dry "orifices". I take it for dry eyes from Holland & Barratt. Not cheap but worth a look/try?

[Katherine]

Hi Katherine,

Have you tried Sea Buckthorn Oil? It helps with dry "orifices". I take it for dry eyes from Holland & Barratt. Not cheap but worth a look/try?

Hi Dotty,

No, I haven’t, I will look into that. Thank you. I know of some really good moisturising oils, like castor and jojoba but it’s just a question of whether you can put them in your ears. But if you put sea buckthorn near your eyes I guess it would be ok in the ears..

[Old Frumpy]

Katherine - I had mouth surgery in April last year - about 4 months later I started with itching in the ear side of face of the op.  It was like a feather was tickling down my ear....or ants on the march!!  Eventually advised it had nothing to do with that!!!

After drops from supermarket for itching and drops from GP I was referred to ENT.  It was diagnosed as inner ear irratation due to allergies camera down nose etc and I was given a nasal spray.....it is now available over the counter.  It really helped me quite expensive its callled Dymista.  In the past my GP gave me Beconase nasal spray for a blocked Eustachian tube (this is lower down ear than wax) and can cause itching  - seem nasal drop somehow help the ears.......don't ask me why

[Katherine]

Katherine - I had mouth surgery in April last year - about 4 months later I started with itching in the ear side of face of the op.  It was like a feather was tickling down my ear....or ants on the march!!  Eventually advised it had nothing to do with that!!!

After drops from supermarket for itching and drops from GP I was referred to ENT.  It was diagnosed as inner ear irratation due to allergies camera down nose etc and I was given a nasal spray.....it is now available over the counter.  It really helped me quite expensive its callled Dymista.  In the past my GP gave me Beconase nasal spray for a blocked Eustachian tube (this is lower down ear than wax) and can cause itching  - seem nasal drop somehow help the ears.......don't ask me why

Hi there, it’s funny you should say that as I had a camera down my nose quite recently due to throat issues and she said I had swelling in one nostril which she suggested was due to allergies and prescribed Dymista. However because I had no nasal symptoms (and because beconase and boots hay fever sprays which I tried because a doctor thought my throat symptoms were due to post nasal drip ran down my throat and irritated it) I didn’t take the Dymista. Turns out my throat symptoms are due to silent reflux. But I wouldn’t rule out allergies as the cause of my ear itching. I will try wax earplugs instead of foam and oil drops in my ear to see if it helps but if not a will try the Dymista. I had never thought of that but as the ears and throat and nose are connected it does make sense!!

[DottyD68]

Hi Katherine,

The sea buckthorn oil capsules are taken orally.

I was on prescription Dymista for a few years due to Rhinitis but after a bad bout of sinitus and several visits to GP I am now on another steroid nasal spray (without the antihistamine) as the dymista was drying out my nasal passages and causing other nose/throat issues. The new nasal spray seems better with the post nasal drip but hasn't yet cleared my eustachion tube dysfunction and I have to stop it every few days as it really dries out my nose/throat. It is just one  long circle of fix one thing cause another. I am also on a course of daily Lansoprazole to see if issues are related to silent reflux but that makes me feel full so I have started taking that every other day.

[juliaC]

Thinking differently here for a minute, could you try a white noise machine? 

I find that a white noise machine doesn't necessarily mask all noises but while it's playing it seems to tell my brain that it's ok to carry on sleeping. 

[Katherine]

Hi Katherine,

The sea buckthorn oil capsules are taken orally.

I was on prescription Dymista for a few years due to Rhinitis but after a bad bout of sinitus and several visits to GP I am now on another steroid nasal spray (without the antihistamine) as the dymista was drying out my nasal passages and causing other nose/throat issues. The new nasal spray seems better with the post nasal drip but hasn't yet cleared my eustachion tube dysfunction and I have to stop it every few days as it really dries out my nose/throat. It is just one  long circle of fix one thing cause another. I am also on a course of daily Lansoprazole to see if issues are related to silent reflux but that makes me feel full so I have started taking that every other day.

Hi Dotty,

I’m sorry to hear of the issues you’ve been having. I can totally identify with this as I nearly always get intolerable side effects from prescription drugs. As you say you start with one problem then get another. I’m glad I didn’t take Dymista now as my throat is the main problem and the last thing I need is it drying out. I have managed to get my silent reflux under control by following the acid watcher diet, not eating 4 hours before bed and taking 2 tsp gaviscon advance aniseed before bed, so I don’t need a ppi thankfully.

[Katherine]

Thinking differently here for a minute, could you try a white noise machine? 

I find that a white noise machine doesn't necessarily mask all noises but while it's playing it seems to tell my brain that it's ok to carry on sleeping.

Hi Julia, thank you for your suggestion, but I don’t think that would work for me. I live on a road where cars are passing all night and I need the window open for ventilation otherwise my throat dries out, so a white noise machine wouldn’t be enough. I need to block out as much noise as possible. Just wish I could cover my ears instead of sticking things in them. I’ve ordered some silicone ear plugs which stick on the outer ear so maybe they will work..

[sheila99]

ACS do custom made ear plugs that have great reviews but they're expensive. I haven't tried them yet as el cheapo wax ones are fine for me as long as I sleep on my back, if you're a side sleeper the others may be worth the money. Wax ones are more comfortable if you let them warm up in your ear for a couple of minutes before squishing them in.
 I need an electric cattle prod that wakes OH up every time he snores   

[Katherine]

ACS do custom made ear plugs that have great reviews but they're expensive. I haven't tried them yet as el cheapo wax ones are fine for me as long as I sleep on my back, if you're a side sleeper the others may be worth the money. Wax ones are more comfortable if you let them warm up in your ear for a couple of minutes before squishing them in.
 I need an electric cattle prod that wakes OH up every time he snores   

I got custom made earplugs from Boots about 20 years ago and they were £80 and totally useless, couldn’t believe it. I find the 3M foam ones the most effective. I sleep on my side most of the time. I had a snoring ex so I feel your pain. Why is it always men who snore?!! I’ve never heard of a snoring female partner.

[Ayesha]

I'm suffering badly with this because of the meadows that are left to grow which is now common since more and more people and councils are leaving the wildflowers to grow back, this time of year the seeds are dispersing everywhere.
I've recently harvested a lot of lavender for drying which left me with a very itchy throat and ears, all this because of the ageing process leaving me very dry inside.

[juliaC]

Thinking differently here for a minute, could you try a white noise machine? 

I find that a white noise machine doesn't necessarily mask all noises but while it's playing it seems to tell my brain that it's ok to carry on sleeping.

Hi Julia, thank you for your suggestion, but I don’t think that would work for me. I live on a road where cars are passing all night and I need the window open for ventilation otherwise my throat dries out, so a white noise machine wouldn’t be enough. I need to block out as much noise as possible. Just wish I could cover my ears instead of sticking things in them. I’ve ordered some silicone ear plugs which stick on the outer ear so maybe they will work..

Ah ok, I hope you find something that works and hopefully these silicone ones will.  I have a herd of elephants next door so you have my sympathies