Gravol and scuba diving

[Sepandee]

Earlier I posted up here about vomiting at the end of the dive during safety stops or after I surface (see http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=188761). We concluded that it's probably because of motion sickness, and I was recommended to take some medication for it before I dive.

However, when I told the pharmacist I need some gravol for SD, she recommended against it because of its side effects, e.g. drowsiness.

What do you think? Personally, I don't like to sleep at the bottom of the ocean

 

[Hemlon]

I have taken it while diving many times without any problems.

For me, a better solution has been to use a Trans-Scop patch. Have you considered that?

 

[SteveAD]

Having recieved medical advice from a medical professional you now come to a bunch of strangers on a website for medical advice?

My advice is ask your pharmacist, or better yet, your doctor for advice, the nausea might be a symptom of something else.

 

[Sepandee]

Having recieved medical advice from a medical professional you now come to a bunch of strangers on a website for medical advice?

Yes because while the pharmacist was a professional, she wasn't a diver I've heard divers taking it, but it went against what the pharmacist told me.

a better solution has been to use a Trans-Scop patch

What is that?

 

[Hemlon]

It's a scopolamine patch that's typically worn behind the ear. It delivers scopolamine, an anti-cholinergic medication that decreases nausea triggered by motion.

It does have side-effects that bother some people, such as mouth dryness and drowsiness. I have not experienced any of the reported side effects.

In the US, it is only available by RX. Your milage may vary.

 

[MacGyverDiver]

I've not yet had a chance to try it out... but last time I was in the pharmacy, I noticed a new Gravol-branded pill that contains only ginger extract. (I see you're from Canada: it was a Shoppers Drug Mart that was carrying it.) Ginger works better for some people than others... but, if it works for you, I'd think it would have the least chance of side-effects: you might want to check with the pharmacist on that?

 

[jonesbf]

I don't think I'd do anything that made me more drowsy during a dive.

Have you ever experienced motion sickness doing anyting besides diving?

 

[1Scubagirl]

While @ our LDS a friend of mine brought up the subject of sea-sickness and asked what they recommended. My friend explained, "It's the stangest thing, I don't get sick on the boat ride out to the dive site, only after my SIT and after the second dive." Our LDS asked him if he "clentched" his reg. mouthpiece or fiddled w/ it a lot. Sure enough my friend did. The LDS thought what might be going on was not sea-sickness at all, but a bad fitting mouthpiece, and that he might be constantly swallowing small amounts of sea water during his dive. Thus making him sick.

Well... my friend took his advice and bought a new better-fitting mouthpiece. Sure enough the LDS was right, we just returned from a week of boat dives and he never got sick once.

Just a thought........

 

[DiveMaven]

In Canada you can buy the patch over the counter. It's called Transderm V and comes in a yellow box. If you've never used the patch, I'd strongly advise that you try it on land first to see if you have any side effects before you take it diving.

It's rather expensive to use for a single day of diving, so you might check out Bonine or non-drowsy Dramamine instead. Take one the night before you dive and one the morning of your dive and you should be good for a morning of diving.

 

[mph005]

I have no experience with taking these meds, but if I was you, I would refer to DAN. You can call and talk to a medical professional specifically about diving, or even send an email. www.diversalertnetwork.org