Sudafed and diving

[DandyDon]

Athletes have been barred and banned before in this manner for similar and lesser. It has occurred to me that they must only be able to use home remedies like mustard plasters and sweat lodges.

He knew that Zyrtec-D helped, and his doc told him to just take one a day so his tests should pass. Maybe he was dehydrated when he tested? He could have played it safe with just the Zyrtec, but the doc should have called that. Still, just stupid that a legal dosage of PSE could be called performance enhancing, other than it helped him breathe.

 

[gert7to3]

I started using a Neil Med sinus irrigator instead of Sudafed. It flushes and irrigates your sinuses. I had a DM in Coz who snort seawater. You wanted to be sure you were away from the boat's exhaust pipe. If I am congested I would probably not dive, though Sudafed does work to eliminate congestion. It can increase your blood pressure and interfere with sleep.

I also carry Afrin along, but mostly for emergency use after a dive. I have noticed rebound effects with nasal sprays when using them for non-diving issues.

In my experience cortico steroids, such as Flonase, work, but only if you have gone on it a day or two before you start diving. Be careful with this sort of med if you have glaucoma. It can spike your intra ocular pressure.

 

[lostcajun]

I use 12 hour Sudafed. I friend who is a doctor and avid diver said it helped him, and it may help me. He asked if I had taken Sudafed before and asked if I an any symptoms (racing heart etc.). Yes, I've taken Sudafed and no side effects to my knowledge. I take Sudafed each morning before dives and I have had no problems. I don't have the expertise or wisdom to recommend it to anyone, but it does seem to eliminate the crackle in my ears especially in liveaboard experiences where there are many dives in a day.

 

[TSandM]

Sudafed doesn't have a rebound effect, nor is it addictive.

Oxymetazoline, the active ingredient in Afrin, DOES have a rebound effect, and it can be considerable. The drug works by causing intense vasoconstriction in the nasal mucosa (the lining of the nose) which makes the tissue shrink. When the drug wears off, the tissue has been starved for blood supply, and elaborates substances that cause vasodilation, making the swelling worse. The user then feels more congested, and is tempted to use the drug before the 12 hour period that is recommended, or in higher doses. This causes a nasty spiral of worsening congestion and accelerating drug use, so common that it has its own name: rhinitis medicamentosa. Withdrawal of the drug is uncomfortable and may require steroids. Afrin should be used in the smallest doses possible, at the longest intervals, and for the shortest time. It does not, however, usually produce the same tremulousness, tachycardia, or anxiety that the systemic decongestants like pseudoephedrine can.

 

[Terapin]

I also frequently have trouble equalizing and use sudafed to help with that process. Recently I read an article that recommended to equalize before the dive to start the process and it worked wonderfully. I just returned from two weeks of diving in Mexico and had no troubles equalizing when doing it before.

Just a thought.


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