Three studies reported 'other' adverse effects (how many studies planned to report these is unclear). The available information was limited and included occasional reports of dizziness, unpleasant smell, tinnitus and hearing loss. No significant differences between groups were reported. There were no emergencies or serious adverse effects reported in any of the 10 studies. You are not sure if your symptoms from earwax (ie. if you have symptoms of hearing loss, ear pain, ear infection) Eardrops can help by breaking down or softening the earwax. If the type of ear drop breaks down the earwax, it is called a “cerumenolytic” [3]. They can be used alone or with other types of treatment like irrigation, which can be completed by qualified health care professional to flush out the externalearcanal with sterile water or sterile saline. if you have had your ear syringed in the last 2 to 3 days – this could also make it painful to use the eardrops. Place the cotton wool pad in your ear but do not push it too far into your ear canal. This helps to keep the liquid in your ear canal.

This review supersedes the Cochrane Review Burton 2009. Our overall findings are in line with the earlier review in that oil‐based or water‐based ear drops may assist in removing cerumen, but we have not shown that active drops are any better (or worse) than water or saline. Using any type of ear drops may be better than using no treatment, but the improvement may be marginal. This is also in line with previous literature demonstrating that softeners, including water or saline, have an effect in clearing ear wax compared to using no treatment at all ( Clegg 2010; Hand 2004; Loveman 2011). These studies did not solely look at ear drops as the end treatment for ear wax clearance and also evaluated other methods including syringing to further clear the wax occlusion; nevertheless, using softeners as a precursor to irrigation was better than using none at all. High quality: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect; Tilt the head to the side so the affected ear is facing upwards. (For children it may be easier to get them to lie down on one side.) Use the dropper to put five drops of Cerumol into the ear canal. Use some cotton wool or tissue moistened with Cerumol to gently plug the ear and stop the drops running out, then leave the drops in for an hour or overnight to let the drops soak into the ear wax. For dichotomous data, we analysed treatment differences as a risk ratio (RR) calculated using the Mantel‐Haenszel methods. We analysed time‐to‐event data using the generic inverse variance method.

If you have any questions after you have bought this medication, please speak to your pharmacist. Product Specification Cerumol contains refined arachis oil which lubricates the ear wax and chlorobutanol hemihydrate, an antibacterial agent, which is used to loosen the ear wax. Warning or Restrictions

Of these 10 included studies, six studies (360 participants; 491 ears) reported our first primary outcome: proportion of patients ( or ears) with complete clearance of ear wax. These six studies reported quantitative data and were included in our meta‐analyses ( Keane 1995; Lyndon 1992; Meehan 2002; Oron 2011; Singer 2000; Whatley 2003). Comment: the test substance was concealed in a coloured syringe and administered by nurses not involved in assessment Cerumol works well to dissolve ear wax obstructions. If you must choose between a few drops, most studies have shown that none is superior to the others. One review concluded that none of these products was superior to sterile saline or saline water.The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). USAGE ADVICE Please read all the enclosed information leaflet carefully before use. It contains important information about this product. To gently soften and remove ear wax. For external use only.

Interventions: 5% dioctyl sodium sulphosuccinate in a maize oil base (Dioctyl‐medo ear drops) + syringing versus maize oil + syringing

CONCESSION PBS PRICE

Non-Oil, Non-Water Based: the way nonoil-, nonwater-based eardrops manage earwax has not been quite figured out yet Wash and dry hands before use. Tilt head sideways with the affected ear facing upwards. Avoid touching the ear with the dropper. Using the dropper, place 5 drops of oil into the ear. then gently massage around the outside of the ear. Never insert the dropper or any solid object into the ear. Allow a few minutes for the drops to reach the eardrum by keeping the head tilted then use a tissue to wipe away any surplus product that runs from the ear. Repeat in the other ear if required. Use the drops twice a day for three days. One patient developed otitis externa after using chlorobutanol, arachis oil and dichlorobenzene (Cerumol) and was withdrawn from the study if you have a history of ear problems, unless used under the close supervision of your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. This review includes 10 studies comparing the effects of ear drops for the removal of ear wax. The drops were of a variety of different types: oil‐based treatments, water‐based treatments and others, and the studies looked at both active comparators such as saline or water alone and no treatment.