Sudafed and diving

[loanwolf]

So the consensus seems to be if you're ok clearing on descent and the meds don't wear off you'll be fine? Has anyone ever experienced a reverse block despite being able to clear fine on descent?

I have in the past 1 time many years ago Due to Sudafed, but it was only 4 hr Sudafed in those days. i know 2 people who took undeserved type 1 hits, one having taken decongestants the other cold medicine.

[Pez7378]

i know 2 people who took undeserved type 1 hits, one having taken decongestants the other cold medicine.

If they were on OTC meds, that the agencies, and DAN warn against using while diving, then is it still considered an undeserved hit?

[loanwolf]

i know 2 people who took undeserved type 1 hits, one having taken decongestants the other cold medicine.

If they were on OTC meds, that the agencies, and DAN warn against using while diving, then is it still considered an undeserved hit?

both were last year, both were on recreational dives not the usual decompression dives they do, both were within their computers and within recreational dive tables, safety stops everything done. OTC meds they warn about but it is still a undeserved hit with possible causes (don't remember the exact term DAN used). the cold medicine had not been taken in 2 days, but was taken for most of the entire week before. so they had a pharmaceutical load in their system that can take many days to get out. The other was a Navy pilot who was having head problems form going form a cold climate to a hot and humid climate and had been taking Sudafed for that. We always stuff up for the first few days after a big climate change and flying on OTC meds are common. they did not think of that and went diving and again everything was within recreational limits and had to have a chamber ride as well. no flight was involved with this one.

[fmerkel]

An undeserved hit is just that, undeserved. OTC cold medication likely had nothing to do with it.

Instead of speculating on what DAN says it's worthwhile to read what DAN says:
Pseudoephedrine & Enriched-Air Diving?
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medic ... ticleid=51

DAN Takes a Look at Over-the-Counter Medications
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medic ... ticleid=52

The amount of unresearched speculation on pseudofed and diving is nothing short of remarkable.
It's right up there with CO2 hits.

Fritz
What do I know? Respiratory Care Practitioner with bad sinuses, so I've taken a professional background and applied it to everything I could learn about the subject of clearing sinuses and ears and the medications involved, both OTC and RX.

[loanwolf]

you are quite corret. the human body is a dynamic enviroment that is never the same. so it can never be a decisive decion no mater how much it is studied just as decompression is. everyone is differnt everyones body is deffernt by the day. so no true value can be put on it to say yea or nea.

[fmerkel]

The internet is an amazing place. You really can learn an incredible amount here. OTOH it's a bit like being in a library where every other book is the 'Enquirer Magazine'. You have to have good filters. Good filters only come with a lot of experience and a lot of discretionary research. There is a tendency to just repeat one 'old men's tale' until they become fixed in concrete. Thank goodness we have some women bringing some fresh intelligence into this sport.

That's a distinct and deliberate rib at the men that make no effort to check this old BS out and just go on endlessly repeating it on the internet like they know something. If you aren't SURE, don't propagate ignorance. Look it up. Validate your source. Then validate it again. Finally, be open to the notion that your source was wrong too. Otherwise you could end up drinking hemlock. (look that up if you don't get it).

Fritz

[Mattleycrue76]

Thank you for the link Fritz

So................. What are your thoughts on DIR/UTD, Rebreathers and solo diving?

Gotta love the internet

[Nwbrewer]

Otherwise you could end up drinking hemlock. (look that up if you don't get it).

This reminds me of one of my favorite responses to people who tell me stuff is good for them, just because it's organic.

"Oh, you mean like Hemlock?"

[spatman]

This reminds me of one of my favorite responses to people who tell me stuff is good for them, just because it's organic.

my wife often tries to pull the cookies away from me when i eat too many. i tell her "they're newman-Os and all organic, honey. they're good for me!"

[loanwolf]

The internet is an amazing place. You really can learn an incredible amount here. OTOH it's a bit like being in a library where every other book is the 'Enquirer Magazine'. You have to have good filters. Good filters only come with a lot of experience and a lot of discretionary research. There is a tendency to just repeat one 'old men's tale' until they become fixed in concrete. Thank goodness we have some women bringing some fresh intelligence into this sport.

That's a distinct and deliberate rib at the men that make no effort to check this old BS out and just go on endlessly repeating it on the internet like they know something. If you aren't SURE, don't propagate ignorance. Look it up. Validate your source. Then validate it again. Finally, be open to the notion that your source was wrong too. Otherwise you could end up drinking hemlock. (look that up if you don't get it).

Fritz

A very interesting response. I have read both of those articles and several others. as the DAN articles are out of date, one is 10yrs old the other 12yrs old. Neither of those articles or the more current ones say anything conclusive, the only conclusion they come to is more studies needs to be done. No, yes it is okay to use OTC meds or it is not okay to take OTC meds. As i stated earlier the human body is a dynamic environment, changing all the time. What effects you may not effect your friend. What effects you one day may not effect you on another day. their are too many variables that cannot be tracked and cannot be placed. Thus a definitive yes or no answer has not be obtained. Nor will it probably ever be obtained. So the dive industry has adopted a stance that you should not use OTC med and dive. As a Instructor I am to teach that. If I do not and you as my student go out get bent or something else I can be liable in court if you say that I never taugh you the diving contradictions. And over the OTC meds are one of those contradictions.

As i stated earlier, I know two people who are technical divers, each with 20+ years of experience, that took undeserved type 1 hits on recreational dives and had to go to the chamber. They had both taken or been taking OTC meds. Did the OTC meds cause the problem? Who knows, the DAN doctors only said probably did not help.

Now do diving contradictions predispose you to problems? Who the hell knows no one can say definitively. That is why they are called contradictions.

So take at your own risk is all that can be said. But if you do get bent or some thing else, do not come back and bitching about it as some individuals on the technical dive board do. Your instructor, the sport diving industry, commercial diving industry, NOAA, and military all state "NO DO NOT TAKE MEDS AND DIVE". That is pretty much every agency that is involved in the dive industries.

So as I stated earlier, Take at your own risk.