Viagra for freediving?

[rxcnc2]

At first I thought it was a joke, but the news that some military are considering giving Viagra to fighter-jet pilots to withstand low oxygen levels seems true, just google with "viagra for pilots israel". Ok, I always knew that blood shift was a crucial phenomenon in freediving, but I thought it concerned other organs. And what about women freedivers?

 

[BennyB]

Wouldn't it make it harder to fly?

 

[Pastor]

I wouldn't be able to see where I was going rofl
OK I would but it would have spoiled the joke rofl

 

[James Jay]

"Caution" - Women can get stiff necks for 4 or more hours from viagra, which when left untreated can render them speechless.rofl

 

[whucash]

They will have to use specially made suits..you know where the differences would be
But i red about this idea in newspaper and before the jet pilots were even introduced to this idea, there were several experiments and it really does work
Soo if someone will try it in freediving..yes you shuold tell us what was the end but please don't show pictures
Cheerse

 

[Jon]

I just read about this in Outside magazine. People we're going to try and use it to assault Everest- no pun intended.

From what I remember reading they did some test on climbers with it but it didn't improve their performance in anyway- for climbing that is. rofl

On a side note, a friend of mine from college said that his younger brother took some at a party in which he also drank a lot of beer. The idea was that he would test it out with his girlfriend later on that night. He did, but there were some unexpected side effects- like a bladder full of beer that he couldn't release 8 hours later. He ended up in the emergency room. I think they said he need to be injected with a muscle relaxant to calm things down and allow him to pee before his bladder burst. :head

Jon

 

[Marwan]

Thats scary stuff , the image of hillary and tenzing smiling on top of everest has a totally different perspective now...roflroflrofl

 

[rslomkow]

On a slightly more serious note. I don't think this would be helpful for freediving. The increased circulation benefit really only helps if you have access to o2.

The problem with pilots is there is O2, but not enough of it. In theory if they can move the circulation faster they can absorb more out of th reduced o2 air. I would expect that stimulating effects on the circulation would consume more energy and thereby o2 in a fixed o2 environment (freediving.)

Also it would inhibit blood shift from the extremities making it harder to get into full dive reflex.

Now with that said, perhaps it would be helpful for SCUBA divers (those willing to risk their lives). If using a closed circuit re-breather you might be able to get away with a lower o2 release rate [VERY VERY Dangerous, do not do this unless you are under observation and know what you are doing]

The increased circulation is pretty useless for open circuit SCUBA, most people have access to way too much O2 already (lungs are pretty good at extracting o2 and it is not that dependent on partial pressure, basically just o2 flow rate matters). Meaning most people are exhaling lots of o2 into the water.

 

[Ale Andres]

This could give some extra energy to the Unashamed Constant Weight

 

[octopus]

It would certainly resolve some problems with wrist lanyard in CNF...well...for male competitors at least.


Not to mention the ride of your life if the safety system kicks in.

 

[EdHornby]

'Is that a snorkel or are you just pleased to see me'

'Well...'

 

[efattah]

Being an experimenter of course you can count on me to have tried everything

I have experimented with sex drugs to enhance that side of life, and I have gone diving while under the residual effects of those drugs. Diving under residual Cialis seems actually to result in pretty good dives, including a few of the better dives I've ever done. However it is not good for cold tolerance since your skin is vasodilated.

 

[Freediver81]

I just read about this in Outside magazine. People we're going to try and use it to assault Everest- no pun intended.

From what I remember reading they did some test on climbers with it but it didn't improve their performance in anyway- for climbing that is. rofl

On a side note, a friend of mine from college said that his younger brother took some at a party in which he also drank a lot of beer. The idea was that he would test it out with his girlfriend later on that night. He did, but there were some unexpected side effects- like a bladder full of beer that he couldn't release 8 hours later. He ended up in the emergency room. I think they said he need to be injected with a muscle relaxant to calm things down and allow him to pee before his bladder burst. :head

Jon

Ouch!!! That must have hurt like hell.

 

[podge]

Well I’ve heard of a pilot holding on tight to his stick but……

 

[settingsteel]

hmmm guess I can leave my speargun at home and use my "Cuban Sling":king

 

[land shark]

Being an experimenter of course you can count on me to have tried everything

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[/ame]

 

[rxcnc2]

A recent article on this
Does Viagra gives athletes an advantage? - International Herald Tribune
There is no specific reference to freediving, but there are statements about
its effects in other sports - and that it is not considered doping.
So far I have seen only the reply by Eric Fattah, showing that it might have
helped - well not Viagra but another one.
Any other experiences?

 

[apneaboy]

I can't see it working for dynamics, banging my knees on the bottom hurts enough.

I think i'll just keep that pint and a half of blood where its needed, in my big head. Too much blood to the little head will only end in trouble. rofl

 

[fpernett]

Besides the addition of a new dimension to the mammalian diving reflex, I thing it could be helpful to prevent pulmonary edema of immersion or lung squeeze. Because it helps to reduce pulmonary capilary pressure and reduce shear stress on endothelial cells.

But it could stole a lot of hemoglobin, al least in male freedivers

 

[trux]

Besides the addition of a new dimension to the mammalian diving reflex, I thing it could be helpful to prevent pulmonary edema of immersion or lung squeeze. Because it helps to reduce pulmonary capilary pressure and reduce shear stress on endothelial cells.

Hm, but because it reduces the pulmonary capilary pressure, doesn't it then also reduce the compensation of the inner lung volume due to blood shift, and hence increasing so the risk of barotrauma?