Taking medication pills while underwater

[Javik]

Part of the whole big scary warning against using ear-clearing / mucous-reducing vasoconstrictors and antihistamines while diving, is that short-acting drugs can wear off, and leave you plugged up with a painful and dangerous inner ear or sinus reverse block at the end of a dive.


I have to ask, what exactly is the problem with ingesting a pill-based medication while in the middle of a long dive?

There should be no problem at all taking pills with you, pulling it out of a container in open water, sticking it into your mouth, and swallowing it. Probably the only people facing a huge issue with this are going to be helmet users, and they're a pretty small category compared to everyone else.

There could be a problem with keeping the pill(s) dry until needed, and a hard watertight container will probably crush at depth or be extremely difficult to open, plus you would soak the entire batch of pills opening the container underwater.

Solution: Use an airtight resealable plastic storage bag, such as a ZipLoc brand bag, and put only the specific number of pills needed for each dosing, in separate small sealed bags, and tucked into a BC pocket. If you lose them in the water or can't find them at the required dosing time, terminate the dive before the drug effects have time to wear off.

Pills do not instantly dissolve on contact with moisture or you'd normally never be able to even swallow it once you get it into your mouth. Brief exposure to open water should have minimal effect on a pill, other than making it a little slippery to hold, and dissolving perhaps 0.01% of the surface layer in the few seconds between opening the dry storage bag and getting it into your mouth..

Possibly dexterity might be an issue if you're wearing thick gloves. While wearing 10mm ice diving mittens, it will be a challenge opening the bag itself, retrieving a tiny pill, and sticking it into your mouth, but for most recreational divers this shouldn't be too much of a crisis.

Oh, and some people need to drink something to help them swallow a pill. I wonder how you might find a solution to that in the middle of a dive.


I don't see a problem here, unless it's a liquid, spray, inhaled or swabbed form of treatment.

 

[Rhone Man]

Main problem is that it takes time for the medication to take effect. If you take it 30 minutes into a 60 minute dive, you'll be starting to feel the effects during your safety stop.

And you really need the anti mucus stuff more on the way down than on the way up...

 

[DocVikingo]

Oh, and some people need to drink something to help them swallow a pill. I wonder how you might find a solution to that in the middle of a dive.

Flexible plastic bottles: Use the type that have sports tops.
Plastic baggies: Knot them closed, bite into the bags.
Tubes: E.g., a cleaned-out toothpaste tube.
Syringes without needles: E.g., the type of syringe used to administer medicine orally to dogs.


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Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[bergersau]

To a degree the issue is like "Don't hold your breath whilst breathing compressed gas underwater." as taught during Open Water. New divers are given simple clear rules whilst learning. That is the safest way for beginners.
Later on and with more experience you find that yes, you can stop breathing for short periods when you need to provided you don't ascend or close your airways and are aware of Co2 retention issues. That is a lot more complex to teach.

With more experience and learning some of those rules you learning in open water can be bent or may not apply in all situations.

Yes, you could in theory take some oral medications underwater - the next question is should you?
You provide yourself a choking hazard trying to swallow pills underwater. There are also questions of how long a medication will take to have effect and what are the side effects of that medication such as drowsiness or impaired judgement.

 

[frndrfoe]

Dissolve the pill in the water in your toothpaste tube or bottle or whatever you use to carry your chaser. No choking hazard and quicker acting.

 

[pinshootr]

or just take a 12hr. dose!!!!!

 

[Altamira]

or just take a 12hr. dose!!!!!

+1 for the 12 hour dose if you feel you really need to dive while dealing with sinus/ear congestion. In my experience, that dose should cover you for a 2-3 tank dive, but like any medication, the actual effective time period could vary from day-to-day depending on a lot of other factors that are going on in your body and diving environment. Regardless of the dosage level, you will likely always be at risk of a reverse block on ascent. It is a risk you need to assess for yourself, and always listen to that little voice in your head that says "Uh, let's rethink this. Is this risk worth the reward?"

 

[kelemvor]

Dissolve the pill in the water in your toothpaste tube or bottle or whatever you use to carry your chaser. No choking hazard and quicker acting.

That can be dangerous with some extended release medicines. It can result in you getting the full 12 or 24 hours worth all at the same time.

Unless you're a tech diver doing insane deco stops you wouldn't need to take an ER underwater. I recently heard about this and was surprised. Maybe others will be too.

 

[Bratface]

Some how this just doesn't seem like a good idea. Take the extended dose of the medication.

 

[tursiops]

This thread seems predicated on the problem of "short-acting" drugs.
Given that 3-4h is the usual short-acting time, why is this a problem?

Next, someone will be asking if they can take a nitroglycerine pill underwater should they feel a heart attack coming on.
Jeez, get a grip! Don't dive! That is a much better solution if there is a real problem, and a terrific solution if it is a made-up problem.