Headaches During Dives...

[JoyfulNoise]

Someone posted a question about headaches in Basics and it was recommended that the question might best be posted here.

My husband gets headaches (top of bridge of his nose and right over his eyes) during diving and the headaches can last for hours afterwards.

He does have some allergies and feels it might be his sinus. He also tends to breath shallow when diving although I try to remind him to breath deeply in and out during our dives.

Any suggestions? He often has to not do a second dive due to the headaches.

He does take Dramine (sp? sorry) for seasickness before he dives.

I'd appreciate any help.

 

[Noboundaries]

First, I'm not giving medical advice or making a recommendation. Diving with medications is not to be taken lightly.

Second, I too have hay fever allergies. Additionally I've have always had trouble clearing my ears and often got sinus blocks, intense pain above my eyes and nose. In my previous life as a pilot those conditions were an issue. A flight surgeon recommended I take the non-drowsy Sudafed to open everything up so air could flow more freely. I did. Problems went away.

When we started diving I started having the same familiar problems. I went to the drug store and behind the counter you can buy the 12 hour Sudafed in both labeled and generic forms. When I went diving with is the problems went away.

My wife was having problems clearing her ears, took the Sudafed and the problems went away. She was also getting massive headaches following a dive that would diminish in an hour or so. We figured out it was her breathing. When she started breathing slowly and deeply the headaches went away. She concentrates on her breathing early in the dive, sets up a pattern, then forgets about it.

That's our experience, but you need to be aware Sudafed doesn't work for everyone. We have a friend who also has sinus issues, tried Sudafed, and got massive headaches. I know for a fact that he skip breathes to extend his hunting time so there may be more at work here than just the Sudafed. He uses Afrin instead. I can't use Afrin because after one or two doses I get the rebound effect and everything closes up instead of opening.

Those are our experiences and everyone is different. Here's one article that warns of some of the problems associated with diving with Sudafed. The DAN site also has content. In fact, this link is a DAN article.

Sudafet and EANx

Here's a line in the article: Note: The decongestant pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is a commonly used drug by scuba divers, with mixed - though generally positive - reviews from sport divers, technical divers and diving professionals alike.

Our experience has been positive, but not everyone's is.

 

[ronbeau]

Someone posted a question about headaches in Basics and it was recommended that the question might best be posted here.

My husband gets headaches (top of bridge of his nose and right over his eyes) during diving and the headaches can last for hours afterward.

He does have some allergies and feels it might be his sinus. He also tends to breath shallow when diving although I try to remind him to breath deeply in and out during our dives.

Any suggestions? He often has to not do a second dive due to the headaches.

He does take Dramine (sp? sorry) for seasickness before he dives.

I'd appreciate any help.

First off, I am not a doctor and don't even work in the medical field. However, I have read numerous articles that indicated that people who have irregular breathing patterns while diving can build up an excess amount of CO₂ in turn causes headaches.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Could anyone explain what "skip breathing" is... I've never heard of this, but have seen it mentioned many times. I know my husband isn't trying to extend his time underwater since as his buddy I use anywhere from 300-500 more psi than he does on any given dive. When we go up, it's because I need or feel I need to go up to make a calm safety stop.

 

[adurso]

Skip breathing means to inhale, exhale, hold, then inhale again, literally skipping a breath; it leads to CO2 buildup as does the other method, it can also mean to breathe in shallowly, then breathe in again a few seconds later, then exhale.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hi JoyfulNoise:

Sounds as though the problems are related to sinus pressure around the eyes and CO2 retention for the headaches.

 

[TSandM]

CO2 headaches are common. You can get them from excessive exertion, using your breath too much for buoyancy, poor breathing regs, or skip breathing. I get them from time to time from using my breath too much for buoyancy control.

Sinus congestion can give you significant head pain, but it's generally on descent or ascent, and it's sharp and severe.

 

[DocVikingo]

He does take Dramine (sp? sorry) for seasickness before he dives.

Hi JoyfulNoise,

Nothing really critical to the present inquiry, but as a point of information when using the brand name "Dramamine" it needs to be further specified as there are two very distinct formulations.

The active ingredient in DRAMAMINE®Original (and Chewables) is dimenhydrinate, while the active ingredient in DRAMAMINE®Less Drowsy is meclizine. These two formulations seem to be about on par in preventing motion sickness, but meclizine results in less sedation.

In is worth noting that an article published in Pharmacotherapy (Volume 20, Number 9, 2000) (http://www.atypon-link.com/PPI/doi/pdf/10.1592/phco.20.13.1051.35028?cookieSet=1) expressed reservations and cautions about diving while taking dimenhydrinate.

Regards,

DocVikingo

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.