YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

DAN medical information specialists and researchers answer your dive medicine questions

Q: I’m taking multiple medications. What do I need to be aware of when taking medications while diving?

Medications treat a variety of conditions. Some medicines treat an acute ailment such as an infection, and others are for daily maintenance of a chronic condition such as high blood pressure. So not only are the medications of concern, but also important are the conditions for which your doctor has prescribed them. Medications are probably metabolised in the water the same way they are on land. There is a concern, however, for potentiation in a hyperbaric environment or one with elevated partial pressures. Of special concern are psychoactive medications. For a DAN medic to be able to assess your fitness to dive, please provide a complete list of your medications when you call.

While medications are classified to determine their suitability to take during pregnancy or to determine the likelihood of developing an addiction, there is no classification of their safety for divers. Medications are dispensed with warnings about operating machinery or driving a vehicle while taking them, and such precautions may be as important while diving.

If you are taking a new medication, plan to wait a month before diving to understand how the medication affects you and your condition.

If you experience drowsiness, delayed response or any other inability to function normally, it is best not to dive until you have finished the medication.

If it is for a chronic condition, talk with your doctor about finding a suitable substitute that will allow you to be fully functional while diving in case a problem occurs. Be aware of side effects and other

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limitations. When taking a betablocker to control high blood pressure, for example, there are often exercise limitations imposed that could present an issue if you are climbing a ladder while wearing your full kit or if you are swimming against a current.

The next time you get a prescription filled or refilled, take a moment to read the insert that comes with the medication. Speak with the pharmacist about the most common side effects and then discuss these with your physician. Some side effects may mimic the signs and symptoms of decompression sickness (DCS) and could make a DCS diagnosis difficult.

I need a filling and a crown. What do I need to discuss with my dentist to address the possibility of tooth squeeze (barodontalgia) from air pockets? Are there other dental issues with scuba diving about which my dentist should know?

As a diver descends in the water, the ambient pressure increases and subsequently decreases upon ascent. This pressure change is easy to equalise in air spaces that have a

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natural opening to the outside, such as lungs and ears. When a tooth is damaged or decayed, air may enter but have no way of being equalised. The diver may experience tooth pain (barodontalgia) during descent as

TOP: Your dental health should be included in your overall plan to maintain your dive fitness ABOVE: Be sure to allow enough time to fully recuperate following any dental procedures before leaving on a dive trip