Sudafed & Diving

[susanmac]

I have a trip to the Sound of Mull this weekend and I've been looking forward to it for ages.

Sod's law decided that this was the week I would get a really snotty head cold . I'm using Sudafed to control the gunge filling my head but vaguely remember reading something about Sudafed and Nitrox not being compatible.

Any advice? Apart from not diving, you have no idea how grumpy that would make me .

Thanks,
Susan.

[Woz]

Sudafed is ok. Other over the counter travel sickness remedies (like Boots own) contain Hyascine which aggravates DCI.

I vaguely remember some mutterings about nasal sprays making an O2 hit more likely but I would have thought if you are 32% it all week that won't be an issue.

And don't bother looking for scallops. We had them all last week. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm scallops.

[hebails]

Originally Posted by susanmac

I'm using Sudafed to control the gunge filling my head but vaguely remember reading something about Sudafed and Nitrox not being compatible.
Susan.

News to me Susan.
I regularly take sudafed before I drop in for a dive and use up to 80% for deco gas and have never had an issue but this makes me wonder if maybe I have been lucky?>
Does anyone have a medical opinion about this issue?
Paul

[chas49]

Isn't the general advice about using decongestants before diving: "Don't. Because if it doesn't work or wears off during the dive, you might end up with a nasty reverse block". ?

[triplefin]

It was discussed at length recently here Sudafed - Divernet Forums
As i stated in that thread from what I've read in the past nitrox and sudafed are a no no

[uwila]

DAN conclude:

What's the bottom line? In normal, healthy divers breathing air, occasional use of pseudoephedrine at the recommended dose is probably safe. This presumes that the drug has been taken during periods when no diving has occurred and that no undesirable reactions have occurred. However, one should avoid chronic (daily) use when diving, and it seems reasonable to avoid the drug entirely if diving while using oxygen-nitrogen mixes where the PO2 during a dive might exceed 1.4 ata, the current recommended "safe" open-circuit scuba limit.

The whole article is here:
DAN Divers Alert Network : Pseudoephedrine & Enriched-Air Diving?

Cheers, Chris

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by triplefin

It was discussed at length recently here Sudafed - Divernet Forums
As i stated in that thread from what I've read in the past nitrox and sudafed are a no no

is that why sudafed are in Nitrox colours Green and Yellow capsules?

[triplefin]

Originally Posted by uwila

DAN conclude:


The whole article is here:
DAN Divers Alert Network : Pseudoephedrine & Enriched-Air Diving?

Cheers, Chris

Excellent i was just going to post that one.

[hebails]

so we are safe(ish) if we stick to 1.4 ppO2 or at least not in elevated danger by taking sudafed is how I understand this article.
Maybe I've missed it but that's how I interpret it. Am I wrong?
Paul

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by hebails

so we are safe(ish) if we stick to 1.4 ppO2 or at least not in elevated danger by taking sudafed is how I understand this article.
Maybe I've missed it but that's how I interpret it.
Paul

thats how most people I dive with interpret it . i can't take sudafed anyway as it sends me heart into all sorts of funny rhythms.