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Rubbing alcohol for ear ache

I am living proof that putting 1 to 2 drops of rubbing alcohol with a cottonball inside the ear will cure an earache almost instantly.

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Burning a little Comments By: ANON I put rubbing alcohol in my ear for my ear ache and it dislogged it but it has a lasting burning sensation. It still feels like the alcohol is in my ear but that could be because it is still draining or something. Not sure.. How long is instant?   I seems like it may not be working for you Comments By: TipKing I am not sure what you are trying to dislodge? I have not personally tried this tip so I am unable to comment on how long it takes to work or whether or not it will work.   Use isoproply alcohol/vinegar to avoid earaches Comments By: Anon My ENT told me to use a 50:50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and clear distilled vinegar to kill fungus and avoid earaches. Store it in a brown eyedropper bottle (avail at drugstores). He said NOT to use rubbing alcohol. The alcohol binds with water in the ear and the acidic vinegar kills any spores. After showering/swimming an eyedropper squeezeful of the mixture in your ear; use a kleenex and let it drain immediately. It only needs a few seconds to work!   Alcohol???? NO Comments By: §nook§ I tried this 3 times and it does not work. I can't even tell that I have tried it, so my advise don't waste your time.   OUCH Comments By: Karl Verhaeghe OUCH. OUCH. OUCH, OUCH. BAD IDEA. DID I MENTION THAT THIS IS A PAINFUL BAD IDEA? Kind of in line with the logic of banging your foot with a hammer to cure a headache.   alcohol and water ? Comments By: leanne the cure part seems to have worked.but it hurts. not a pain relieving remedy. straight alcohol was just too painful. but i believe it works. I still prefer peroxide.   PLEASE SPARE YOURSELF!! No Alcohol in Ear!!!! Comments By: Anon DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT put rubbing alcohol in your ear. I did this about a week ago, and still have no feeling (other than burning from my ear). I now am going to have to go back to the doctor and make sure i have no internal damage inside my ear (not to mention once again this is very very painful)   Thank you!!!! Comments By: elley My husband said it would work and after reading your comments I said, "NO WAY!"   No Way Comments By: Nollid No way i am trying to put alchohol in my ear,you would have to be crazy to try it after all those bad comments   wtf?! Comments By: soflachick This doesn't work. Putting Vicks Vaporub on a cotton ball and putting that in your ears was the only thing that worked for me after I tried everything else   it works Comments By: anon I put alcohol in my ear and about an hour later the pain was gone. It works.   It works for me Comments By: anon I always put alcohol on a cotton ball then put it on the ear, I don't put the alcohol inside the ear directly.   It's numb Comments By: Olivia well Its 12:58 a.m. and I've tried olive oil wich did nothing but sooth it for a minute or so... than I tried garlic wich burned so bad I was almost in tears and than I just tried isopropyle rubbing alcohol and it seems to have numbed it so out of all of them I would have to say this one is the best one...   Why didn't I look this up first!!! Comments By: Desirea I put rubbing alcohol in my ear last night, since then I can barely hear out of it, I'm going to the doctor today to see if I have done any serious damage. When I put the alcohol in, it was very VERY painful and now I feel as if I am deaf in one ear, this is NOT a good thing to try. I would deeply advise against it.   Alcohol isn't causing the pain. Comments By: B If you put any liquid in your ear and you feel pain, you may have a perforated eardrum. Rubbing alcohol alone will not cause pain. If you put alcohol in your ear and it hurts, you need to go to the doctor and make sure your eardrum is intact.   it works Comments By: Candi to keep it from burning, place it in the freezer for a couple of minutes. then pour in the ear. it really works, i use it everytime and the ear that hurts feels better than the other ear.   One drop of rubbing alcohol Comments By: Sunshine I had an earache last night at 8pm. I laid down and tried to sleep, but it was impossible. I actually started crying because I didn't know how to make it stop. I wouldn't go to the doctor until the morning. By nine o'clock I couldn't bare it any longer. I took a Q-tip and dipped it into a bottle of rubbing alcohol. I tilted my head and let one drop into my ear. I kept my head tilted for maybe 20 seconds and tipped it back the other way to let it drip back out. I used the dry end of the Q-tip to soak any that came back out. Within the hour my earache was gone and I was asleep. My ear then started draining out excess water that was probabaly causing the pain.   I tried this and the pain went away. Comments By: Anon I tried this and it helped relieve the pain and did not burn.   Not working... Comments By: Cortney I have had the earache (with a throbbing feeling and I can't hear) for over an hour now and its 3:58 am. I have tried peroxide, alcohol, vineger, everything just about. Nothing really works. It works for like not even a minute! Thanks. God Bless   It does work.. Comments By: Michael Epps I've used it for years.. You have to use just a little. Dip a q-tip in Alcohol just enough were a little will go into the ear.. Just a drop do not make the q-tip super wet. Only do it once a day, twice at the most. When you feel the ear starting to itch a little don't mess with it again with a q-tip. The ear is starting to heal and if you put a q-tip back in you will inflame the area and the pain will come back. When applying don't move the q-tip around to much you will inflame the infected tissue and may make it worst.   I do it all the time Comments By: Danielle I have safely, pain free and effectively used rubbing alcohol after swimming. My sisters also use it and we use it on our kids as well- maybe it is specific to a certain "ear type"?!   I tried this and it hurt...a lot. Comments By: Manuel I tried this after swimming, because my ear was plugged up. It BURNED...and hurt. Never again.   Try it! Comments By: LaFAwnda I felt no pain whatsoever. Don't use plain alchol use it with vinegar and it relieves pain and has a lasting effect! Just smells bad   Best Used to Prevent Swimmer's Ear Comments By: Kat When I was little and used to practically live in the pool during the summer, my mom always put vinegar and rubbing alcohol (half and half) into my ears, made me lay on my side for a minute or so, then let it drain out. It dries out the ear canal so that no irritation developes (swimmer's ear is not an infection of the inner ear, but an inflammation/irritation of the outer ear). It shouldn't burn though, just feel funny, so if it really hurts you should see a doctor to make sure nothing is wrong with your ears.   I'm a believer Comments By: Ms. Dejohnette I raed everyones comments and i was skeptical but I couldnt deal with this pain so I gave it a try and I swear my earache went away instantly!!!!!!!   What if there's no pain...Just clogged up? Comments By: ManwithaProblem I only feel pain if I push in on my ear but other then that it feels good. I haven't tried the alcohol method yet because I don't know if it goes for me too since I have no pain. Can anyone help or do I just have to try it and find out?   A little research... Comments By: Ear Pain Sucks I came across this tip because, thinking to myself, if I have an ear canal infection peroxide should definately help, and alchohol kils most bugs, so why not irrigate with both? Oh dear god the pain. Here is a little gem from a pediatric journal, under the heading "Common Mistakes. "Rubbing alcohol is helpful for preventing swimmer's ear but not for treating it because it stings an infected ear too much." Thanks doc.   I have tried lots of these rememdies Comments By: E Patrick Zwahlen I have tried the olive oil and alcohol and nothing but I did sleep after I tried these, and although it isn't healed, it has lightened up. I keep poping it just to make sure it stays poped.   try it it does work it is not bad Comments By: Bec i put proxide first for s few seconds then drain it some then do the alcohol do it for a few seconds maybe a tad bit longer cause that dryes out the peroxide then go t bed when u wake up in the morning your fne   it relieves the pain and does not hurt when putting it in Comments By: anon i have been putting straight rubbing alcohol in my ear for two days after snorkeling/13 hor flight resulted in pain that is intermittent but bad. it relieves the pain instantly for 8 hours or more and doesn't hurt going in (feels like cold water). i think my ear is just irritated and/or the eustacian tubes have some liquid in them. if it was infected i could see where it would burn.   Diaharrea Comments By: Chaz I put a drop of rubbing alcohol in my left ear and instantly got diaharrea, so I proceeded to put a drop in my right ear after that poop attack and all of a sudden felt better and did not get diaharrea from the right ear drop, just the left one, thought that was kind of odd.   IT WORKS!!! Comments By: Ally Try the vapor rub thing. Take VICKS vapor rub and put it on anything cotton, a pad, ball, or anything like that. Take the vapor rub and put it on the cotton and then simply just put inside your ear. Just let it sit there and lay on the side that hurts with the VR inside your ear still. Just sit there and you'll feel it working. Also for congestion try getting a VICKS vaporizer and filling it up with water. Then put a blanket over your head and over the vaporizer after you turn it on...it feels GREAT! :)   Tea Tree Oil! Comments By: Aradia Try Tea Tree oil! It is not painful like alcohol, but will kill off the bacteria!   WELL IT STINGS A LITTLE... Comments By: ADAM AT FIRST, I FELT A COLD SENSATION IN MY EAR. AFTER I TILTED MY HEAD TO DRAIN IT OUT, IT HAD A STINGY FEELING. AFTER A FEW MINUTES MY EAR FELT BETTER. SOME MAY FEEL WORSE PAIN IF THEY HAVE A REALLY BAD INFECTION   well i dont know Comments By: skaterbro i tried it and it doesnt hurt to put it in but it doesnt work really fast   alchohol in ear Comments By: Tasha Miller BIG MISTAKE!!!!! I put alchohol in my ear for pain and i think i did some damage, because i can't hear, so don't do it.   Problem Solved Comments By: Jack Merridew Tried it, besides the slight tingling/hot sensation from the rubbing alcohol, I am cured! Thanks.   THIS BURNS AND MESSES UP YOUR EAR!! Comments By: MONIQUE OK I GAVE THIS A TRY I FIGURED I WOULD TRY ANYTHING TO GET RID OF AN EARACHE BUT OMG THIS STUFF BURNS LIKE FIRE IN YOUR EAR AND YOU LOOSE YOUR HEARING!!! """DONT DO IT"""!!!!   Right tool for the right job. Comments By: Rembrant Ultimately it depends entirely on the root cause of the ear pain. Growing up on the coast means constantly swimming means constant "ear ache" symptoms. Family and friends all used rubbing alcohol, peroxide, and combinations of the two. Never had any burning but only a mild warming sensation. If it burns something else is wrong and you should NOT do it again. Patient - "Doctor it hurts when I do this." Doctor - "Then don't do that!"   i dont know if its helping Comments By: mattie D i went swimming and when i got home my ear hurt so i put alchol in it and it burned so later because my ear was throbbbing and burning and painful so i tried it again but it hurt worse and burned can any one help me ? i dont know if i have swimmerss ear or not   Nope Comments By: S.R.Criswell It didn't really do well ANYTHING. All it did was made my ear burn for a day, and made ringing in my ear. Even I know a doctor who said it would help, but it doesn't.   too funny Comments By: daniel cl-ear i put the rubbing alcohol in my ear while reading your comments. too funny! lol we are risking our ear health and despite all the negative comments we are trying this crazy thing. i think the hydrogen peroxide actually made my ears feel cleared out. it felt like i was listening from deep within my ears for the first time in a long time. the alcohol rub just gave it a burning sensation. but i'm guessing both are killing bacteria.   Earache Comments By: Vera Dawn Rubbing alcohol makes it worse. You should try Oreganol (Extract of Oregano) and apple cider vinegar to reduce infection. Put it around the ear also. To get rid of pain get salt (preferably sea salt) and put in a cloth container like a cloth tea bag. The salt should be warmed in the microwave. If you touch it to your ear the pain goes away. It's a temporary solution but it works. I am also using damp washcloth heated up in the microwave as a heating pad.   Salt! Comments By: izzy I've been having trouble for a few days now over my swimmer's ear. Someone told me to put salt in a sock and heat it up in the microwave. Well... I got to thinking... Salt extracts moisture from the ear. Hence the reason of swimmers ear. So I licked the end of a q-tip and dabbed a bit of salt on the end and sprinkled a bit of salt in my ear then rubbed the qtip around in my ear. It helps alot. It started itching, which means its fighting the infection. Also.. Salt is used at an infection fighter. When you have a sore throat, your told to gargle salt water, Because, as I said, Salt fights infections. Reply to me and tell me what you think. naitsirhc_rocker_2010@yahoo.com   dont do it Comments By: anon i tried it, and the pain was so bad that i had to look it up, and thats where i read yalls input. dont listen to the people that are saying its ok because its not, all it did was intensify the pain times 10.   CAUTION! Both sides are right... Comments By: Cetkat Alcohol outside of your eardrum is fine - it may burn or not depending on how infected or raw your ear is (think skin vs cut on skin). If water is the cause of the discomfort, it will instantly dry it out and you'll feel better. If it's an infection, it will kill the bacteria and help, but you will still be in pain unless the resulting heat makes you feel better for the moment. However, if you have a hole in your ear drum and the alcohol gets into the inner ear - that's VERY bad. That's why people are having severe pain & losing their hearing. If you're at all uncertain as to which applies to you - DON'T USE IT! Otherwise, it's safe.   it goes work Comments By: Anon all you have to do is just poor a little on a q-tip and then lay on your side for about a minutes and the water just drips right out   does not work!! Comments By: in pain i put rubbing alcohol in my ear an hour ago and its killing me! i think my ear hurts even worst after doing that! it does not work!   Hanna says Comments By: jayrome I asked Hanna if she wasn't going to make a comment, she replied, "mi ahgo mek ah comment inna my bed"...seriously...Cetkat (fourth up from mine) it totally correct. Infection..pain...water..no pain   are you nuts? Comments By: Lenard Its like putting alcohol in your penises opening. This part of the ear is ultra sensitive. I asked Lenard why he still did it. He just said he wanted to feel the pain either way. Doesn't matter if it does not add logically. Well Lenard thinks his comment is waaaay better than Hanna though.