One of the worst aspects of long-haul commercial SLFing for me was the final descent, which on one occasion left me half-deaf for a couple of days (how nasty to have your ear canals bubbling at random when you eat, gross...).
Now I pop a couple of Piriton tabs an hour before flight and this really deals with the problem. Cheap and non-prescription.
I also use the yawn and scuba pinch'n'blow technique - and now enjoy the landings as well!
Obviously I don't use them while piloting, but 3500' is as high as I want to go anyway!
Ripline