Diving with Multiple Medications

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 metabolized 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 limitations.

When taking a beta-blocker 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. AD
— Robert Soncini, EMT-P, DMT