Can someone tell me What Causes that dreadful itch inbetween your ear and your throat? You know, where you try to either shove your finger in your ear (or a q-tip) or make that funny sound with your tongue by trying to scratch the back of your throat to alleviate the itch, but the itch just seems to persists until it is ready to stop… Does anyone know what this is or why it happens or if there’s a better way to remedy it?
Just Curious…
Thanks.
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board, Beastie Girl!
I spent the whole day today running around a medical school where I was surrounded by literally hundreds of doctors, but I had not yet read your question, so I didn’t ask them, so I have no idea what the answer is.
But welcome, anyway.
Hi.
There have been several threads in the MPSIMS forum recently about these strange ear sensations. You could search for threads in that forum, maybe looking for the keyword “eargasm”, which many people use to describe the sensation when they think it feels good.
As to your question on a remedy - try Sudafed to decongest your sinuses and hopefully allow the Eustachian tube to drain. Also, you could see the doc and get a topical steroid to apply to you ear canal (I recently had to do this due to itching)
My doctor, David Shapiro, MD, says the ear and the throat are served by the same pain nerve, so if you have a sore throat, you often have have an earache. I saw the Eargasm thread, and I usually have the opposite sensation. If I roist around in my ear with a Q-tip, I usually have to cough. Q-uite unpleasant.
When my allergies are kicking up, sometimes I get that sort of ear itch, too. I take some Benadryl, and that helps immensely. If you have allergies or congestion, you might try this too. And be sure to mention it to the doc next time you go.
Thank you all for your help. I don’t get this sensation very often, but when I do, I find it quite annoying…and it always seems to only itch on the left side of my throat/left ear. (I’m left handed…I have no idea if that has anything to do with it or not…but I usually favor my left, so maybe.)
Thanks again for the remedies…I will be certain to try them out next time it happens!
The nerve that runs from the ear and down by the throat is the Vegas nerve. If the Vegas nerve is irritated it can cause hiccoughs.
So if my Vegas nerve is “itching,” does that mean I’m about to win at Roulette? 
Just to clear things up, it’s “vagus”.