Pre dive ear prep

[Chris Carico]

Hey friends,
Going to Turks and Caicos in 3 weeks and have clogged ears. I have seasonal allergies and have been taking meds. Went free diving in the local lake the last couple of weekends and had a hard time clearing ears. Any suggestions?

 

[John Cohn]

I had similar problem....doctor said Flonase twice a day, Allegra, and a decongestant like sudefed. Cleared me up in about a week....but you should consult your doctor to be safe.

 

[Chris Carico]

Thank you,
Was thinking about the flonase. Will call my doc tomorrow.

 

[fmerkel]

First-free diving with clogged ears was not the best decision. You took a bad diving problem and likely made it worse.

First....what meds?

Addendum - Flonase is OTC now, no physician necessary.

 

[Chris Carico]

First-free diving with clogged ears was not the best decision. You took a bad diving problem and likely made it worse.

First....what meds?

Addendum - Flonase is OTC now, no physician necessary.

First-free diving with clogged ears was not the best decision. You took a bad diving problem and likely made it worse.

First....what meds?

Addendum - Flonase is OTC now, no physician necessary.[/QUOTE1

First-free diving with clogged ears was not the best decision. You took a bad diving problem and likely made it worse.

First....what meds?

Addendum - Flonase is OTC now, no physician necessary.

Loratadine 10mg

 

[fmerkel]

Probably stay on that if you have known seasonal allergies. If you can tolerate it Benadryl is a better antihistamine....BUT; you should not take both at the same time AND Benadryl has a serious sedative side effect. Only go that route if you are desperate.

Flonase will likely help, maybe a lot. It is NOT Afrin and will not help immediately. Expect 1-2 weeks for benefits to kick in.

Sudafed in addition will help. There are 2 forms, the small red 30mg, and these 'so called' 120mg all day time release. The standard does for the 30mg is 2 pills. I take 1. Some people like the 120mg. I find them as comfortable as 8 cups of coffee....awful. If you don't have experience with Sudafed you will want to experiment BEFORE you get in the water. The drug is very caffeine like and has a tendency to make some folks feel more apprehensive underwater.

Afrin can be very useful for 1-2 day dive trips. It is not a good idea for longer than that as it has some nasty rebound effects you won't like and you really would hate underwater at the end of a dive if the stuff wears off.

 

[Chris Carico]

Loratadine 10mg. Any suggestions?

 

[Chris Carico]

Thanks

 

[fmerkel]

The non-sedating antihistamines were developed specifically because they don't (much) cross the blood-brain barrier and sedate you like Benadryl. There are several of them now available. Like any medication people vary in how well they work and what kind of side effects they have. To me Loratadine is like taking nothing. My wife hates the stuff. So, get a small bottle of several and try them for about a week.
NOTE-most of them have up to 24 hour effects. Do not take them at the same time and try not to overlap.
You can take non-sedating antihistamine at the same time you take Flonase, and Sudafed (pseudoephedrine). They are all different, work different, may help one another, and do not have cross side effects.

You should research ALL these drugs BEFORE you take them.

Pseudoephedrine Uses, Dosage & Side Effects - Drugs.com

 

[Spack9]

Flonase has worked wonders for me. Doctor with dive experience told me the following: Flonase every day when dealing with allergies, takes about 5 days to build up in your system. Sudaphed a hour before the dive and Afrin 10 mins before the plunge. Just the Flonase has made be symptom free.