Having some congestion in one ear only. Can get down slowly but ear is sore if I equalize to hard after repetitive diving. Usually by the end of a week trip the ear can be quite uncomfortable. Will sudafed help this? And what specific type of sudafed over or behind counter. I have 1000 dives and this condition is somewhat common for me and it seems to be getting more prevelant.
Ear clogs
- Thread starter fishski
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Hi, fishski, thanks for writing!
Some people swear by Sudafed to help with improving equalization when having trouble, especially after a cold. On the other hand, there isn't much actually research to suggest that this works, and in children with ear fluid, the standard recommendation is to avoid it, as it has not been shown to work at all. Of course, an adult with a temporary problem with Eustachian tube (ET) function is different than a child with chronic ear disease.
The other concern is that Sudafed will help with a marginally functional ET allowing a diver to push through a problem on descent, setting them up for a reverse block on ascent (which you know is much more of a problem!).
The standard advice applies. If you can't equalize, you are risking your hearing by pushing the envelope. And if you are diving in a more challenging environment, you may be risking more than that (e.g. vertigo in a cave, etc...).
I assume that you have already seen this video....
Best,
Mike
Darcey
Contributor
I've had this problem with one ear too and take Sudafed quite often before diving as I am prone to sinus and equalization problems. I have however, never had a problem with reverse block on ascent, but I guess I'm just lucky in that matter. *knock on wood*
I personally prefer the behind the counter type. I've also found that the generic type from Walgreens called Wal-phed is not only cheaper, but it works better than the brand name and doesn't have any side effects (for me anyway) unlike regular Sudafed.
gert7to3
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Check the dosage of your various brands of Sudaphed. Regular Sudaphed has 30 mg in the 4-6 hour product. The store brand has twice as much for some varieties.
The Sudaphed available from the pharmacist is the original formulation. It was restricted a couple of years ago to keep it from being used to make meth-amphetamine.
Be careful about dosage. There are 12 hour and 4-6 hour preparations.
From Bonaire with my iPod touch.
The Sudaphed available from the pharmacist is the original formulation. It was restricted a couple of years ago to keep it from being used to make meth-amphetamine.
Be careful about dosage. There are 12 hour and 4-6 hour preparations.
From Bonaire with my iPod touch.
Thanks for the info! I should know all this stuff after more then 1000 dives, but really it has not been that big an issue. Seems to be getting more common, maybe getting older. Just returned from Bonaire yesterday after two weeks, got some ear drops at the botiquica in town. they worked well. Had a great time. I love it there. Six weeks in total last year.
Have fun!
Have fun!
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