Taking medication pills while underwater

[frndrfoe]

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.

We are talking about taking pills during a dive, why should I be practical?

 

[DocVikingo]

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.

As kelemvor has indicated, this is not a reasonable or safe action when timed-release/extended-release medications are involved. In fact, it is a rather dangerous one. Such pills/tablets should never be cut, chewed, crushed, dissolved or otherwise altered. Tampering with them can damage the mechanism by which the medication is released and could end up in an overdose.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[frndrfoe]

The shortest dosage time for sudafed is every four hours so I don't know what kind of dives your guys do that are longer than that.

 

[FlutterTubes]

I’m sorry for refloating this dead post, but I feel that the question hasn’t been answered.
I have the same question, particularly when it comes to heartburn.
I very rarely get heartburn, but I have tried it once a few years ago where I actually ended up passing out after an approximate hour of extreme pain. It’s also the one and only time in my life that I have passed out.
I have since tried different over the counters, and found a chewable that completely solves the issue.
This is not something that happens often, maybe once every 2 years, but i wouldn’t want it to happen underwater. I always carry a couple of these pills just in case, and figured that I really should do the same underwater.

I would therefore like to bring a couple of chewable pills when diving, just in case, but I can’t find any info on it.
The closest thing i could find was from this site: Preventing Heartburn when Diving

I personally like to take individually wrapped antacid tablets with me underwater, so if I start to feel acid making its way up my throat I have time to respond.

The article however doesn’t say how the tablets are wrapped up.
Any suggestions anyone?

 

[Zef]

I’m sorry for refloating this dead post, but I feel that the question hasn’t been answered.
I have the same question, particularly when it comes to heartburn.
I very rarely get heartburn, but I have tried it once a few years ago where I actually ended up passing out after an approximate hour of extreme pain. It’s also the one and only time in my life that I have passed out.
I have since tried different over the counters, and found a chewable that completely solves the issue.
This is not something that happens often, maybe once every 2 years, but i wouldn’t want it to happen underwater. I always carry a couple of these pills just in case, and figured that I really should do the same underwater.

I would therefore like to bring a couple of chewable pills when diving, just in case, but I can’t find any info on it.
The closest thing i could find was from this site: Preventing Heartburn when Diving


The article however doesn’t say how the tablets are wrapped up.
Any suggestions anyone?

I suspect that a medical history of Syncope in any form is a contra-indication for SCUBA diving unless the person has been asymptomatic and cleared by a physician. Syncope caused by indigestion is particularly concerning because the horizontal and sometimes head down position can exacerbate conditions such as GERD.

As important is ensuring your dive buddy is aware of your medical condition and need to take medication prior to or during a dive. The decision for a buddy pair to enter the water should be a conscious and informed choice, if you withhold medical information from the person you are entering the water with then you are negating there ability to make an informed educated choice/decision and may be putting their life at risk without them knowing it.

If you need/want to take medication during a dive, you should be pondering less about how to do it and more about whether you are really fit to dive.

-Z

 

[Steve_C]

I’m sorry for refloating this dead post, but I feel that the question hasn’t been answered.
I have the same question, particularly when it comes to heartburn.
I very rarely get heartburn, but I have tried it once a few years ago where I actually ended up passing out after an approximate hour of extreme pain. It’s also the one and only time in my life that I have passed out.
I have since tried different over the counters, and found a chewable that completely solves the issue.
This is not something that happens often, maybe once every 2 years, but i wouldn’t want it to happen underwater. I always carry a couple of these pills just in case, and figured that I really should do the same underwater.

I would therefore like to bring a couple of chewable pills when diving, just in case, but I can’t find any info on it.
The closest thing i could find was from this site: Preventing Heartburn when Diving


The article however doesn’t say how the tablets are wrapped up.
Any suggestions anyone?

Take the pill just before diving.

 

[FlutterTubes]

I suspect that a medical history of Syncope in any form is a contra-indication for SCUBA diving unless the person has been asymptomatic and cleared by a physician. Syncope caused by indigestion is particularly concerning because the horizontal and sometimes head down position can exacerbate conditions such as GERD.
(...)
If you need/want to take medication during a dive, you should be pondering less about how to do it and more about whether you are really fit to dive.

-Z

Thanks for your concern. I am asymptomatic and have been for years, and I have been cleared to dive.
I don't need to bring pills and I have never had problems diving.

I just feel that it would be an extra security, should the need arise.

 

[FlutterTubes]

Take the pill just before diving.

That just really seems like overkill to me. If I needed to take the pill before every dive, I would definitely lean more towards what Zef said, and whether I am fit to dive.

 

[Doctorfish]

If we are talking antacids here, they are pretty much harmless. If talking proton pump inhibitor, they take a few hours to start to work.

 

[Zef]

I can tell you that, for me, if I saw my dive partner taking medication while below the surface of the water, I would immediately call/abort the dive, especially if I was not informed of the issue the medication was being taken for prior to entering the water. If I was informed that medication was being carried, to be taken while in the water, I would politely excuse myself and find another partner or just not dive that day.

Being asymptomatic is not the same as taking medication to suppress the signs/symptoms of an ailment. Being asymptomatic refers to not having any issues related to the ailment for a referenced period of time.

-Z