@Saxophone3784 @colonelj @teratology I honestly think the pharmacist just didn't know and said not to because she didn't know. I ended up watching like a bunch of videos on YouTube of this one doctor who does ear obstruction removal, and he seems to use sodium bicarbonate drops when he needs to soften wax: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEAzKlbUj2w

I ended getting a nurse to irrigate my ear with like a $10 squirt bottle attachment. Took like 1 minute.