Sudafed

[DocVikingo]

Hi wasserman,

I occasionally use Sudafed & have never had the slightest problem. None of my dive buddies who use it have reported any problems, either.

It is, of course, preferable not to be on any medications when on scuba, and the plan not to dive with a cold is a wise one.

Any medication one does decide to use should be taken only as directed and given a trial run on land so that possible adverse reactions can be assessed.

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.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[rstone]

Divers Alert Network has approved the use of Sudafed, I thought id just make that clear.

 

[Tavi]

Welcome to the boards.

Tavi

 

[BillP]

Hi rstone:

Welcome to the board! You're right, DAN has signed off on the use of pseudoephedrine and diving, but with some caveats. I've copied their recommendations (from an earlier thread on the subject) below:

DAN published an article in their Nov/Dec '99 Alert Diver addressing this question. (The question in the thread was on Nitrox and Sudafed.) Their conclusion was that occasional use of pseudoephedrine while diving air is unlikely to cause a problem. They also seemed to have no significant problem with mixing occasional pseudephedrine with oxygen partial pressures of 1.4ATA or less like you might see when diving nitrox conservatively. They did recommend against daily use of pseudoephedrine when diving air or nitrox, or any use of pseudoephedrine with PO2's greater than 1.4ATA.

If they've altered these recommendations since the '99 article, I missed it. You might be able to bring us up to date.

Hope this helps,

Bill

 

[luvdiving]

Hi Wasserman and everyone -

Whew..., I thought I was the only one that got a stuffy head when diving. I'm glad to hear that I'm not. I have always taken an OTC decongestant with me on liveaboards or to resorts when I knew that I would spend a lot of time in the water.
Thanks for the info on Sudafed, I try it and compare.

Ken