I did a search on this subject and found nothing so here goes. Does anyone here ever get clogged Eustachian tubes from doing snuff? Mine are clogged at the moment. Last time this happened (a couple weeks ago) I used Sudafed, the real stuff you have to get behind the pharmacy counter now, and it worked. I tried the Sudafed this time and it doesn’t seem to be working. Any advise? I’ve been doing all kinds of snuff from scotches to more medium grind. I have some schmaltzer in the mail to me. Maybe I need to be snuffing a moister snuff?
Salt water gargles.
Sometimes a rinsing with a neti pot will cause some water to leak from my ears. Not sure if its good or bad but it seems like it cleans things out pretty well. Doesn’t feel too great, though.
Sudafed has some form of methadone in it weird eh it works by shrinking the tubes mint snuff does the same thing !!!
Sudafed contains Pseudoephedrine, which is a kind of stimulant. I think it works by opening sinus passages, right?
Pseudoephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine—that is, its principal mechanism of action relies on its indirect action on the adrenergic receptor system. While it may have weak agonist activity at α- and β-adrenergic receptors, the principal mechanism is to cause the release of endogenous norepinephrine (noradrenaline) from storage vesicles in presynaptic neurons. The displaced noradrenaline is released into the neuronal synapse where it is free to activate the aforementioned postsynaptic adrenergic receptors. These adrenergic receptors are located on the muscles lining the walls of blood vessels. When activated by pseudoephedrine, the muscles contract, causing the blood vessels to constrict (vasoconstriction). These constricted blood vessels now allow less fluid to leave the blood vessels and enter the nose, throat and sinus linings, which results in decreased inflammation of nasal membranes as well as decreased mucus production. Thus, by constriction of blood vessels, mainly those located in the nasal passages, pseudoephedrine causes a decrease in the symptoms of nasal congestion. The vasoconstriction that pseudoephedrine produces is believed to be principally an α-adrenergic receptor response. While all sympathomimetic amines, to some extent, have decongestant action, pseudoephedrine shows greater selectivity for the nasal mucosa and a lower affinity for central nervous system (CNS) adrenergic-receptors than other sympathomimetic amines. Vasoconstriction in the nasal mucosa shrinks swollen nasal mucous membranes, reduces tissue hyperemia, edema, and nasal congestion. Other beneficial effects may include increasing the drainage of sinus secretions, and opening of obstructed Eustachian tubes. The same vasoconstriction action can also result in hypertension, which is a noted side effect of pseudoephedrine.
Guess he told you! Regardless, my recommendation would be to head to your nearest airport, book a cheap flight to somewhere. Pop some sudafed -d, you know, the stuff behind the counter that you have to sign for. When you start to get bad pressure on your ears on the climb, that is when you whip out a tin of Hedges L260 and pack about a half gram into each nostril. Should do the trick, as that’s what I did this morning and it worked nicely. PS: Greetings from Tacoma!
See it shrinks th tubes lol
LOL Looks like BluntmasterJ went to WebMD.com and copied it word for word! I guess I’ll try the neti pot or gargle with salt water, blech! Whatever the outcome, it’s good to know I’m not the only one who gets “side effects” from snuff. I’m not about to quit anytime soon so I’ll just find a way to deal with it. I love snuff too much!!
Could it be an infection ? Have you been around damp places or dusty places ? Does it hurt more when bending over ? Is it an intence pressure ? Does it make u feel sick ? The above are signs of an infection not blockage I had the same prob and sudafed stopped working for me I tried neti pot and it didn’t work . Your body will fight it buddy
My right ear completely closes up from early Autumn, practically through to the following Summer. Snuff hasn’t had an impact, positive or negative, on me in that regard. My sinuses usually get infected along with the ears, but it seems like snuffing actually helps with that bit.
Davec32, I haven’t been around damp or dusty places, and it doesn’t hurt when bending over, I don’t feel sick Basically, it feels clogged up and I can “hear” myself breathing, my voice sounds louder to me, etc. It’s definitely a clogged Eustachian tube, only on my left side. As a coincidence, my left side usually is more sensitive to snuff in that the burn is always stronger in my left side than my right. I’m almost tempted to blow my ear open by plugging my nostrils and blowing, but I’ve heard that can do more damage than good. Anyone know the truth behind this?
Ear siringe sorry I can’t spell very well but maybe that would help u may have a wax build up in ur ears who knows its all linked ent … just a thought anyway look into it
If you check a diagram, the Eustachian tubes open into the throat. The location changes from close to horizontal in babies toward vertical in adults. The point of salt water gargles is osmotically shrinking the mucosa at the openings, the usually cause of the blockage. People with residual scarring from previous ear infections for example may have a predilection for problems with a certain side. Nasal vasoconstriction induced by sympathomimetics may have a secondary effect, but doesn’t get to the root of this particular problem. [If allergies are a factor antihistamines are a consideration, and nasalcrom, over the counter, or nasal steroids by prescription are better long-term solutions than local vasoconstrictors that, aside from risk of aggravating hypertension, usually cause more trouble than they help when the rebound kicks in.] The salt water is cleansing and if there is an infectious element, the salt water can be thought of as washing away the infectious load and allowing the natural defenses to prevail. Consider reducing exposure to sources of throat irritation. Are you hot-boxing (smoking cigarettes back to back) for example? Focusing on the throat rather than the nose may not be immediately intuitive, but a view of the diagram or illustration of the Eustachian tubes will often clarify the issue.
@Herzl, I had a lot of ear infections as a child until I had my tonsils and adenoids removed. So I guess I have predilection for problems. I don’t smoke now. I haven’t smoked in years, but always missed the nicotine, so I started using snuff about 6 months ago. I sing in a rock band and sometimes singing will irritate my throat, and I was around a smoker the same day we had our last rehearsal. BTW, I just used the Valsalva maneuver and at first my ear plugged up even worse, but after 5 minutes it popped and feels almost back to normal now! I’m going to try the salt water gargle when I get home tonight…I’m still at work. Thanks everyone for your input!
I get clogged up in the eu. tubes sometimes. It means I have to take a break. Sometimes I get this funny creak in my ear. It sounds kind of like a cricket gently rubbing it’s legs together. Weird.