Sickness prevention on liveaboard

[diveloonie66]

Help.
I am going on a once in a lifetime liveaboard trip to the Galapagos Islands in 2011 (two year wait for me).

I have never done a liveaboard before, but have been on numerous dive trips and one thing I know for sure, is I usually get some sort of cold when I travel. It happens more often than not and when I was in Fiji, if it hadn't been for a good friend with some steroid medicine called prednisone, I would have sat out for half of the diving! Thanks to said friend I didn't miss any diving! I know some people frown on the sharing of medicine, but he saved my trip so please don't post with negative comments about that aspect.

Now my question........I would like to bring some of this medicine with me on this trip for when I get sick. I would be sick if I missed out on any diving in the Galapagos due to a cold and I know people this has happened to.
Problem is of course, doctors don't like to prescribe medicine for something that hasn't happened yet.
Does anyone have any advice? I need a strong cold medicine to bring with me! Preferably this Prednisone.

 

[Skydiver1]

Prednisilone is a corticosteroid used or reducing inflammation or the body's auto immune response.
That wouldn't be suitable for treatment of a cold which is caused by a virus. It merely offers some symptomatic relief if there is alot of mucus present in the chest.

If you're concerned about getting a cold, maybe you should consider taking immune supplements like Echinacea and omega-3 fish oil daily.

 

[knotical]

Not directly answering your question, but some of the info in this thread:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/321725-airplanes-colds-medicines-diving.html

might help you improve your odds of not getting a cold in the first place.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I have never done a liveaboard before, but have been on numerous dive trips and one thing I know for sure, is I usually get some sort of cold when I travel. It happens more often than not and when I was in Fiji, if it hadn't been for a good friend with some steroid medicine called prednisone, I would have sat out for half of the diving! Thanks to said friend I didn't miss any diving! I know some people frown on the sharing of medicine, but he saved my trip so please don't post with negative comments about that aspect.

I'm going to apologize in advance in case my post sounds heavy-handed. Sharing a prescription med with someone else is reckless...particularly when you have no clue how the med works, are unaware of any possible interactions with other meds you're taking, ignorant about proper dosage, ignorant about potential side effects, etc. Please don't do this. As has already been mentioned, prednisone is a corticosteroid that inhibits inflammation. FYI, prednisone treatment will decrease your body's ability to fight off infection. In case you want to learn a little bit about prednisone, a good place to start is the Wikipedia page. I'd pay particular attention to the side effects section.

On a side note, I hope that your friend who shared his prednisone is using it appropriately under the supervision of a physician.

Now my question........I would like to bring some of this medicine with me on this trip for when I get sick. I would be sick if I missed out on any diving in the Galapagos due to a cold and I know people this has happened to.
Problem is of course, doctors don't like to prescribe medicine for something that hasn't happened yet.

It's not just any old medication that you're talking about here. With prednisone in particular, there's a very good reason not to prescribe it to a healthy person. Using the medication in the way you suggest is a bad idea.

Does anyone have any advice? I need a strong cold medicine to bring with me! Preferably this Prednisone.

I see no problem with getting a prescription for some cipro (antibiotic) that can help with traveler's diarrhea while you're on your trip. Depending on where you travel, some prescription-based prophylaxis (e.g., antimalarials) might be appropriate. Prednisone is out of the question, though.

A much better way to prevent sickness is to wash your hands frequently, watch what you eat/drink (especially in third world countries), eat a balanced diet, get adequate amounts of sleep, exercise regularly, stay well-hydrated, limit sick contacts, and reduce stress in your life.

 

[TSandM]

As already mentioned, Prednisone is a powerful medication which is not useful for, prescribed for, or effective against colds. It may have helped with inflammation or swelling of the Eustachian tubes, and made equalizing easier, but that's like saying the way to get rid of mice in your barn is to use a mortar and torch the place.

Prednisone has multiple very ugly side effects, including raising blood sugar, reducing resistance to infection, leaching calcium from bones, thinning skin, and causing mood and mental status changes. We prescribe it reluctantly and for short periods. At its worst, it can suppress the functioning of your own adrenal glands, so that when you stop taking it, you can go into shock. This is one of the worst medications in the whole pharmacy to take without medical supervision.

You cannot prevent a cold with medication. A lot of things have been studied, and nothing appears to be very effective. And nothing reliably shortens a cold, or cures it. Believe me -- every pharmaceutical company in the world is looking for the cure for the common cold, and if they found something that was even marginally effective, it would be marketed with trumpets blaring. Good hand washing, and perhaps taking some decongestants with you, is about all you can do.

Please don't take Prednisone without a doctor's guidance. It's really potentially dangerous stuff.

 

[diveloonie66]

thanks for all the advice, obviously the goal is to prevent getting sick in the first place, but if there is a germ withing ten miles of me, I'm the one to get sick. For some reason, I especially like to get sick when I travel and since I am spending so much on this upcoming trip, I don't want to miss out on any of the diving due to the common cold. My friend who gave me the prednisone, did work in the medical field, so he was knowledgeable about side affects and told me of them, however, it did clear my nasal passages so that I was able to dive and not miss out. Its not like I started taking it on a regular basis.
It is not that I specifically want this medicine, I just want something that works if I do get a cold.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

thanks for all the advice, obviously the goal is to prevent getting sick in the first place, but if there is a germ withing ten miles of me, I'm the one to get sick. For some reason, I especially like to get sick when I travel and since I am spending so much on this upcoming trip, I don't want to miss out on any of the diving due to the common cold. My friend who gave me the prednisone, did work in the medical field, so he was knowledgeable about side affects and told me of them, however, it did clear my nasal passages so that I was able to dive and not miss out. Its not like I started taking it on a regular basis.
It is not that I specifically want this medicine, I just want something that works if I do get a cold.

There are lots of illnesses that one can contract while traveling. If you are only concerned with the common cold, then you should know that it's caused by a virus. Antivirals have been investigated to shorten the duration of a cold, but such therapy has proven to be of minimal benefit. Your best bet is just to bring along some decongestants as has already been mentioned. Do what you can to prevent becoming infected. If you are particularly susceptible to getting sick, perhaps you are immunocompromised. Have you had a recent physical exam with blood work?

I like to dive as much as the next person, but I'm not going to take a drug, such as prednisone, that will undermine my body's ability to fight off an infection...just so I can do a handful of dives.

Ignoring the issue of prednisone, you should know that compelling arguments can be made to avoid diving with a respiratory infection. Some experts think that viral illnesses can predispose divers to DCS; this would be consistent with an inflammatory etiology for DCS. Moreover, it's common to have thicker mucus in the respiratory tract which can contribute to air-trapping in the smaller airways. Obviously, this is a bad thing during the ascent phase of a dive as it provides a mechanism for lung-overexpansion and arterial gas embolism.

My advice: Buy trip insurance that will enable you to recover some of your money if you miss out on diving days on account of sickness.