Drug & supplement interaction

Ear Candling + Citalopram

Citalopram brand name: Celexa.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Ear Candling and Citalopram in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first.

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Interaction report

Ear Candling and Citalopram

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Citalopram and Ear Candling in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — research on Ear Candling alongside specific medications may be limited.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Ear Candling at all — not against Citalopram, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

Ear Candling is a treatment rather than something you take. Tell whoever provides it which medicines you use, and ask your prescriber whether it is appropriate for your health and treatment. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Ear Candling safety at a glance

Ear Candling overall Avoid Health authorities warn ear candling is ineffective and can cause burns and ear injury.
Pregnancy Avoid There is no proven benefit and a real risk of burns, so it should be avoided.
Breastfeeding Avoid No benefit is established and the burn and injury risks remain.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Citalopram and Ear Candling? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Ear Candling Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Citalopram. It is the side-effect record for Ear Candling on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Ear Candling, this list is the first place to look. One entry is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Hearing loss Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Ear candling has been linked to several adverse effects in case reports and in a survey of otolaryngologists. The most frequently reported adverse effect is burns from the lighted candle or hot wax. Other reported adverse effects include blockage of the ear canal with candle wax, temporary hearing loss, otitis externa, hair fire, and tympanic membrane perforation.”

    Ear Candling · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in burns.

    4 sources cited
    1. 16005. Rafferty J, Tsikoudas A, Davis BC. Ear candling: should general practitioners recommend it? Can Fam Physician 2007;53:2121-2.
    2. 16006. Selly DR, Quigley SM, Langman AW. Ear candles - efficacy and safety. Laryngoscope 1996;106:1226-9. PubMed
    3. 97511. Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction). Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017;156(1_suppl):S1-S29. PubMed
    4. 97512. Zackaria M, Aymat A. Ear candling: a case report. Eur J Gen Pract. 2009;15(3):168-9. PubMed

    “Ear candling has been linked to several adverse effects in case reports and in a survey of otolaryngologists. Reported adverse effects include blockage of the ear canal with candle wax, temporary conductive hearing loss, otitis externa, and tympanic membrane perforation.”

    Ear Candling · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in hearing loss.

    4 sources cited
    1. 16005. Rafferty J, Tsikoudas A, Davis BC. Ear candling: should general practitioners recommend it? Can Fam Physician 2007;53:2121-2.
    2. 16006. Selly DR, Quigley SM, Langman AW. Ear candles - efficacy and safety. Laryngoscope 1996;106:1226-9. PubMed
    3. 97511. Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction). Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017;156(1_suppl):S1-S29. PubMed
    4. 97512. Zackaria M, Aymat A. Ear candling: a case report. Eur J Gen Pract. 2009;15(3):168-9. PubMed

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Ear Candling — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Citalopram’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Citalopram column appears here.

From our Q&A

Questions About Ear Candling or Citalopram

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Ear Candling or Citalopram, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Citalopram

This page covers Ear Candling only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Citalopram page lists 191 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lithium (major), St. John's Wort (major) and 5-htp (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 144 moderate · 43 minor.

Open the Citalopram interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Ear Candling and Citalopram Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Ear Candling
Steady interest

#837 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Citalopram
Top 5%

#51 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Ear Candling reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Ear Candling and Citalopram records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Treatment approach

About Ear Candling

What is Ear Candling?

  • Removing earwax
  • Ear cleaning
  • Relieving sinus pressure
  • Reducing ear pain or 'pressure'
  • General relaxation or 'detox' rituals

Ear candling is a practice where a hollow, cone-shaped candle is placed in the ear and lit, based on the claim that it draws out earwax or 'toxins.' There is no good scientific evidence that it works, and health authorities like the FDA warn it can cause serious harm such as burns, ear canal blockage, and eardrum injury. It is not recommended — safer, proven options for earwax exist.

Hollow cloth or paper cone coated in wax (not a plant or supplement) · Hollow tapered candles (also called ear cones), often made of cotton or linen soaked in beeswax or paraffin

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Ear Candling is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Ear Candling record says about it on its own.

Ear Candling: dosing

There is no safe or recommended 'dose' for ear candling because the practice itself is not supported by evidence and can cause harm. Avoid putting cotton swabs or candles into your ear canal.

From our Ear Candling monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Ear Candling monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Citalopram

What Is Citalopram Used For?

Brand name: Celexa

Citalopram — available as tablets (including brand Celexa), oral solution, and capsules — is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. This includes depression that causes persistent low mood, loss of interest in everyday activities, changes in sleep or appetite, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.

Citalopram capsules are specifically indicated for adults with MDD but are not intended for starting or stopping treatment — another citalopram product must be used for dose titration. All forms are indicated for adults only; citalopram tablets are not approved for use in children.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Citalopram

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (106,559 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 6,992 reports
Nausea 6,019 reports
Headache 5,146 reports
Toxicity to various agents 5,100 reports
Diarrhea 4,832 reports
See full Citalopram drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ear Candling

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Ear Candling — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Ear Candling against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Ear Candling list.

See the full Ear Candling interactions page
See every supplement checked against Citalopram, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Ear Candling References

The 5 references that drive our Ear Candling monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Rafferty J, Tsikoudas A, Davis BC. Ear candling: should general practitioners recommend it? Can Fam Physician 2007;53:2121-2.
  2. Selly DR, Quigley SM, Langman AW. Ear candles - efficacy and safety. Laryngoscope 1996;106:1226-9. PubMed
  3. Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction) Executive Summary. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017;156(1):14-29. PubMed
  4. Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction). Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017;156(1_suppl):S1-S29. PubMed
  5. Zackaria M, Aymat A. Ear candling: a case report. Eur J Gen Pract. 2009;15(3):168-9. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Having Ear Candling While Taking Citalopram: Common Questions

Is it safe to have Ear Candling while taking Citalopram?
We do not list a known interaction between Ear Candling and Citalopram. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Does Citalopram interact with any supplements?
Yes. Citalopram has documented interactions with 191 supplements in our database — Ear Candling is not one of them. The Citalopram interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Ear Candling monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Citalopram drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Citalopram supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Citalopram, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 5 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Citalopram and Ear Candling?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.