antihistamines

[Spencermm]

Antihistamines- okay to take before a dive if you are just ever so slightly stuffy?

 

[Paco II]

Those will often make you drowsy. If you are just stuffy, a Sudafed will likely be what you need. btw, I recommend that 'real' stuff that they now keep behind the counter.

That being said, my problem is allergy related, so I use perscription Allegra-D, which does not cause drowsiness, at least not for me. It does not negatively affect my diving in any way.

 

[Rick Inman]

...and even Sudafed has been linked by some to Ox-tox under high PPO2's.

I find that if my issue is allergies, a few breaths of that nice pure scuba air (or gas) clears me right up (sometimes, right into my mask - yuck!).

 

[Flatliner]

I would second the "behind the counter" recommendation BUT check with the pharmacist to get 1.) the onset of action (ie how long before my dive should I take it and 2.) the duration (ie when will it wear off). If it were to wear off during your dive, a reverse block REALLY REALLY sucks. I never had one diving but in the late 80s I got one on a flight back from europe and I was miserable for a week.

Flatliner
aka Robert

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

When I researched it a couple of years ago, DAN seemed to say that pseudoephedrine (plain Sudafed, not the stuff with an antihistamine) was OK IF you used it as part of a regular maintenance routine, but not for a little stuffyness.

The problem comes from the fact that pseudoephedrine affects different people in different ways.

For instance, I use pseudoephedrine all the time, diving or not, and I haven't seen any ill effects. My wife, on the other hand, gets anxious when she takes pseudoephedrine. Someone like her might be more susceptible to panic if she used it while diving.

You can search the DAN site for yourself, but I’d recommend waiting it out.

 

[njd3rph]

As a pharmacist I have the following recommendations...

1) antihistamines are used for allergies, and to treat a "runny nose" not a stuffy nose, for that you need a decongestant

2) if you use a decongestant use either an oral tablet, and in that case I recommend a 12 extended release pseudoephedrine tablet available from a pharmacist (over the counter decongestant tabs have a different, shorter acting active ingredient), or use a 12 hour nasal spray such as Afrin, the recommendation for the 12 hour formulation is to insure the decongestant does not wear off during a dive for obvious reasons

3) be aware that decongestants (especially oral) can raise blood pressure and have other interactions with prescription meds, please consult your pharmacist if you use other meds

 

[markfm]

I believe there was a recent DAN writeup on decongestants, in Alert Diver, considered old Sudafed, the new Sudafed PE, and Afrin.

(I'm no MD, don't even play one on TV.)

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

As a pharmacist I have the following recommendations...

1) antihistamines are used for allergies, and to treat a "runny nose" not a stuffy nose, for that you need a decongestant

2) if you use a decongestant use either an oral tablet, and in that case I recommend a 12 extended release pseudoephedrine tablet available from a pharmacist (over the counter decongestant tabs have a different, shorter acting active ingredient), or use a 12 hour nasal spray such as Afrin, the recommendation for the 12 hour formulation is to insure the decongestant does not wear off during a dive for obvious reasons

3) be aware that decongestants (especially oral) can raise blood pressure and have other interactions with prescription meds, please consult your pharmacist if you use other meds

That’s good advice in general, but for diving I really think it’s important to know how your body reacts. In addition to what DAN mentioned (that it can make some people anxious) I know that for me the 12- or 24-hour (extended release) variety does nothing to clear my ears. The 4-hour variety (30 mg) does have an effect, and lasts well through a dive.

But that’s just me.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

As a pharmacist I have the following recommendations...

1) antihistamines are used for allergies, and to treat a "runny nose" not a stuffy nose, for that you need a decongestant

2) if you use a decongestant use either an oral tablet, and in that case I recommend a 12 extended release pseudoephedrine tablet available from a pharmacist (over the counter decongestant tabs have a different, shorter acting active ingredient), or use a 12 hour nasal spray such as Afrin, the recommendation for the 12 hour formulation is to insure the decongestant does not wear off during a dive for obvious reasons

3) be aware that decongestants (especially oral) can raise blood pressure and have other interactions with prescription meds, please consult your pharmacist if you use other meds

That’s good advice in general, but for diving I really think it’s important to know how your body reacts. In addition to what DAN mentioned (that it can make some people anxious) I know that for me the 12- or 24-hour (extended release) variety does nothing to clear my ears. The 4-hour variety (30 mg) does have an effect, and lasts well through a dive.

But that’s just me.

 

[SharkLover]

Antihistamines- okay to take before a dive if you are just ever so slightly stuffy?

What works for me is Afrin taken in the morning, 1 hour before I dive.