Anti-anxiety meds

[Searcaigh]

I'm going to disagree with you there. I tried calling DAN for advice about scopalomine and diving. Their answer was "we can't help you with that as it has not been studied. You should call your doctor"

Given the litigation risks in the USA, nobody will provide any medical advice on drugs if clinical trials have not been run.

One of the key drugs used for primary immune deficiency (intravenous immunoglobulin) is used extensively off label and it works in the majority of cases, but nobody will promote these off-label uses.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

In my short time diving I (sometimes) (rarely) find myself a bit anxious. This passes quickly and I've never (ever) felt as though I would panic and do something stupid.

I take a common anti-anxiety medicine in very small doses in everyday life but haven't done so while diving yet.

Question: does anyone take anti anxiety meds when diving?

Before people get upset. I am not a risk taker, I always dive with a group and I rarely find myself below 40ft in depth.

I'm just thinking my (prescribed) meds might help me relax and enjoy the dive more.

Jim, great question. Like @drrich2 , the first thing I think of when someone says "anti-anxiety medicine" is a benzodiazepine like clonazepam (Klonopin) or lorazepam (Ativan). Benzos are sedatives with side effects similar to alcohol in that they can slow reaction times, cloud thinking and impair judgement. They may act synergistically with nitrogen narcosis, so you could see an increase in side effects with increased depth, though this is unlikely shallower than 40 feet. The general advice is to avoid taking them when diving, especially if you only use them on an as-needed basis.

I don't think you'll find a diver out there who has never experienced anxiety while diving at some point. If you can work through it adaptively, you're probably better off without the meds, and you may find yourself developing and practicing some stress management tools that you can apply on dry land as well. Box breathing is one technique that has gotten some attention lately. If you have a hospital near you that has an integrative medicine department, you might be able to find a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) class.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[ScuberDuber]

Anxiety meds totally messed me up! I am so glad I weaned myself completely off of them 8 years ago but I still suffer from the damage they did to me. Mindfulness and meditation have helped me to become a much more calm individual no matter what my inner experience happens to be like at any given moment. It also could just be that I am mellowing with age.