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Freediving & Antihistamines
- Thread starterefattah
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
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Hello,
If I can remember right Finnish navy made some studies for divers few years ago regarding those substances. Try to find that summary from web. These studies was made in chamber. Man behind those studies was Seppo Sipinen (http://www.laakariliitto.fi/koulutus/erityispatevyydet/sukellus.html) in the end of the page is his contact info.
cheers,
- kimmo
If I can remember right Finnish navy made some studies for divers few years ago regarding those substances. Try to find that summary from web. These studies was made in chamber. Man behind those studies was Seppo Sipinen (http://www.laakariliitto.fi/koulutus/erityispatevyydet/sukellus.html) in the end of the page is his contact info.
cheers,
- kimmo
Antihistamines as a general rule make me very drowsy, I don't think i'd like to be diving under those conditions.
I suffered from what I suspect was very bad hayfever in the recent Nice comp and I found that a good nasal rinse (or 2) did the world of difference. I would rinse at the end of the day before bed, then again around an hour before diving. By lunch I was coughing and sniffing and back to square one, however it (mostly) got me through the morning dives.
The nasal rinse I use is by a company called NeilMed. You can buy the bottle with 50 sachets of solution mix. The mix is pretty much salt and bicarb soda, though to look at it or taste it, there is not much bicarb, mostly salt. The ratio is approx 1 teaspoon to 250ml sanitised (pre-boiled) water.
Cheers,
Ben
I suffered from what I suspect was very bad hayfever in the recent Nice comp and I found that a good nasal rinse (or 2) did the world of difference. I would rinse at the end of the day before bed, then again around an hour before diving. By lunch I was coughing and sniffing and back to square one, however it (mostly) got me through the morning dives.
The nasal rinse I use is by a company called NeilMed. You can buy the bottle with 50 sachets of solution mix. The mix is pretty much salt and bicarb soda, though to look at it or taste it, there is not much bicarb, mostly salt. The ratio is approx 1 teaspoon to 250ml sanitised (pre-boiled) water.
Cheers,
Ben
I do not know if someone has figured this out before but while my O2 saturation drops low enough all my nasal tubes opens immediately. Just try with empty lungs. It feels funny 
More seriously, this phenomenon seems to be working in other freedivers as well but I have not seen it documented anywhere. It might be something to do with apnea reflexes, maybe adrenalin?
- kimmo
ps. these tubes remains open for a while when they opens = works like a antihistamin to me
More seriously, this phenomenon seems to be working in other freedivers as well but I have not seen it documented anywhere. It might be something to do with apnea reflexes, maybe adrenalin?
- kimmo
ps. these tubes remains open for a while when they opens = works like a antihistamin to me
I think Samdive posted something about nasal congestion which she cured at the time with a solution of salt & bicarb mix. There was a thread about that anyway, but not the antihistamine part which was the subject of the thread. All i've heard on that was something from a doctor who told me that diving on antihistamines would get you very narked. Surely there must a 'softer' cure for hayfever suffering than antihistamines...? Some people swear by eating lots of local honey, which apparently gets your body prepared.
COuld just be an excuse to eat lots of honey though (nothing wrong with that)
fred
COuld just be an excuse to eat lots of honey though (nothing wrong with that)
fred
I can't correlate freediving with antihistimines since I've just started the former.
As for antihistimines I have a great deal of experience due to 30 years of hayfever. Over-the-counter types such as benadryl are horrid. They work well as antihistimine, sleep aid and anti-nausea, but the side effects leave me in a thick fog.
Zyrtec is a prescription 24 hour "non-sedating" antihistimine and I found it to be much better. Very slightly sedative (so I always took at bedtime). It didn't seem to interfere with cycling or hiking. I did a 200 mile ride with it and many, many hundred mile days. The odd thing that I haven't seen written up is that after taking Zyrtec pretty much daily for two or three years I ran out and forgot to refill the perscription right away. It's been two years and finally this spring I'm getting some very mild allergy symptoms, but still nothing like I had before.
Claritin is the only non-sedating 24 hour antihistimine available over the counter that I'm aware of. To me it is a very mild stimulant but it doesn't seem as effective as Zyrtec. When I tried Claritin I had to take it in the morning because if I took it at night like I do Zyrtec it caused some sleep disturbances. So for freediving when you want the drug to be out of your system as much as possible during the day I suggest Zyrtec taken in the evening.
Both of these (Claritin and Zyrtec) take about a week of use to be fully effective, and their effectiveness seems to slowly wear off as well. If you dive every weekend, you could try taking Zyrtec Sunday through Thursday and then skipping Friday and Saturday to be under much reduced influence.
Back when I was using Benadryl and the like I got fairly good results only taking it at night. It seemed to have some carry-over to the next day and the foggy brain was mostly gone after a morning cuppa.
Jim
PS- Zyrtec didn't pay me, I'm not a doctor, these are just my totally unscientific personal experiences, your experience may vary, etc.
As for antihistimines I have a great deal of experience due to 30 years of hayfever. Over-the-counter types such as benadryl are horrid. They work well as antihistimine, sleep aid and anti-nausea, but the side effects leave me in a thick fog.
Zyrtec is a prescription 24 hour "non-sedating" antihistimine and I found it to be much better. Very slightly sedative (so I always took at bedtime). It didn't seem to interfere with cycling or hiking. I did a 200 mile ride with it and many, many hundred mile days. The odd thing that I haven't seen written up is that after taking Zyrtec pretty much daily for two or three years I ran out and forgot to refill the perscription right away. It's been two years and finally this spring I'm getting some very mild allergy symptoms, but still nothing like I had before.
Claritin is the only non-sedating 24 hour antihistimine available over the counter that I'm aware of. To me it is a very mild stimulant but it doesn't seem as effective as Zyrtec. When I tried Claritin I had to take it in the morning because if I took it at night like I do Zyrtec it caused some sleep disturbances. So for freediving when you want the drug to be out of your system as much as possible during the day I suggest Zyrtec taken in the evening.
Both of these (Claritin and Zyrtec) take about a week of use to be fully effective, and their effectiveness seems to slowly wear off as well. If you dive every weekend, you could try taking Zyrtec Sunday through Thursday and then skipping Friday and Saturday to be under much reduced influence.
Back when I was using Benadryl and the like I got fairly good results only taking it at night. It seemed to have some carry-over to the next day and the foggy brain was mostly gone after a morning cuppa.
Jim
PS- Zyrtec didn't pay me, I'm not a doctor, these are just my totally unscientific personal experiences, your experience may vary, etc.
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Hallo,
I have used over the last 10 years, Zirtek, Xosal and Clarityne D combined with Dexa Rhina Spray, Pulmicort and Flixotide in all possible combinations! Those that work for me are Zirtek daily b4 sleep and 2-3 shots of Dexa Rhina Spray. If i take Zirtek right b4 the dive I get very sleepy and so i always avoid it! You can skip Zirtek one day b4 diving.The doc says that different people react differently to medicines so i guess one must try all possible combinations of medicines. I also am trying to rinse my nose with Sodium Chloride 0,9% intravenous solution 2-3 times daily and it is working great! Although my allergy is quite serious i manage to keep my nose and ears in great condition. This year I even started to use the Frenzel movement which was impossible b4 this routine!
Regards
Panos
I have used over the last 10 years, Zirtek, Xosal and Clarityne D combined with Dexa Rhina Spray, Pulmicort and Flixotide in all possible combinations! Those that work for me are Zirtek daily b4 sleep and 2-3 shots of Dexa Rhina Spray. If i take Zirtek right b4 the dive I get very sleepy and so i always avoid it! You can skip Zirtek one day b4 diving.The doc says that different people react differently to medicines so i guess one must try all possible combinations of medicines. I also am trying to rinse my nose with Sodium Chloride 0,9% intravenous solution 2-3 times daily and it is working great! Although my allergy is quite serious i manage to keep my nose and ears in great condition. This year I even started to use the Frenzel movement which was impossible b4 this routine!
Regards
Panos
The serverity of my allergies have decreased dramatically over the years so I barely had the chance to dive under the influence of antihistamines.
I remember only one session that was limited to 18m~ (bottom) in which I used Loratadine (=Claritn?) and I didn't notice any difference, but I was fairly new to freediving then.
I scuba dove with lorathadine once or twice to 20m-30m with no noticable effects as well.
Most other antihistamines I tried messed with my head (allergies do this to me as well), but there are probably quite a few new things on the market that I never had a chance to try.
There are some OTC drugs that are sold as antihistamines but also contain psuedoephedrine or steroids, I advise not diving deep with them or using them regularly.
I know there are some long-term treatments against allergies that cure people completely. They check to what you are allergic for and expose you gradually during 2 years or so to these agents (via shots) till you are supposedly cured. I have heard of a few people it worked for them but this requires commitment and it isn't very cheap usually.
Another thing I noticed is that even if I didn't take anything, when I got out to the sea (few hundred meters-km's away from land) and submerged in salt water my allergies usually subsided. Probably because in our place the wind comes from the sea and not from the land so I wasn't exposed to allergens.
EDIT: Another thing I noticed is that the earlier I take antihistamines the better they work. Which is reasonable considering they are supposed to counter histamines which are released after contact with the allergen.
I remember only one session that was limited to 18m~ (bottom) in which I used Loratadine (=Claritn?) and I didn't notice any difference, but I was fairly new to freediving then.
I scuba dove with lorathadine once or twice to 20m-30m with no noticable effects as well.
Most other antihistamines I tried messed with my head (allergies do this to me as well), but there are probably quite a few new things on the market that I never had a chance to try.
There are some OTC drugs that are sold as antihistamines but also contain psuedoephedrine or steroids, I advise not diving deep with them or using them regularly.
I know there are some long-term treatments against allergies that cure people completely. They check to what you are allergic for and expose you gradually during 2 years or so to these agents (via shots) till you are supposedly cured. I have heard of a few people it worked for them but this requires commitment and it isn't very cheap usually.
Another thing I noticed is that even if I didn't take anything, when I got out to the sea (few hundred meters-km's away from land) and submerged in salt water my allergies usually subsided. Probably because in our place the wind comes from the sea and not from the land so I wasn't exposed to allergens.
EDIT: Another thing I noticed is that the earlier I take antihistamines the better they work. Which is reasonable considering they are supposed to counter histamines which are released after contact with the allergen.
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I had terrible allergies as a kid, and I went through weekly desensitization shots for at least 4 years. My allergies improved dramatically from the shots, until they were almost gone, but once I stopped the shots (in 1990), gradually they have returned, and May/June is still the worst for me.
I use Kimmo's technique in the morning before dives or before pranayama. Jal Neti and other nasal rinses only make my nose more congested, but by doing a short sharp breathold (no breathe-up, no inhale) you can bring on a nice vasoconstriction that reduces any inflammation, opening out sinuses and nasal passages so that all mucous can be expelled with a forceful exhale through one nostril at a time.
I have used the NeilMed nasal rinse and it works well for nasal congestion. Doesn't have the punch of pharmaceuticals but obviously gentler on the body.
A very mild but effective antihistamine I have used in the past is Polaramine.
I had pretty bad hayfever in my home country of australia, but don't experience it since moving to Japan - how sweet is that?
A very mild but effective antihistamine I have used in the past is Polaramine.
I had pretty bad hayfever in my home country of australia, but don't experience it since moving to Japan - how sweet is that?
The same happens to me.Kimmo said:I do not know if someone has figured this out before but while my O2 saturation drops low enough all my nasal tubes opens immediately. Just try with empty lungs. It feels funny
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?p=541684#post541684"]Apnea and sinus congestion[/ame]
Very useful!
Honey works for me. Last year I got a local source of honey that was not boiled (pastuerized), apparently both of these are important. I ate one honey and peanut butter sandwhich pretty much every day. This spring I haven't noticed my allergies at all while all my friends are complaining. The honey theory is that the local honey is made from the pollen of the local plants which is exactly what you get allergys from so your body is trained to think the pollen is normal and doesn't react. Cheers Wes