High Blood Pressure Medication and Diving

[taz22]

My doctor has placed me on a high blood pressure medication called 'atacand'. I have been unable to get an appointment to see him for a couple of more weeks to ask him if it is ok if I can scuba dive. Of course, the prime season in the north is just starting to happen upon us and I'd like to get wet. Anyone have any idea if scuba diving while taking this medication is safe or if you might be able point me in the right direction for information.

Thanks!

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

My doctor has placed me on a high blood pressure medication called 'atacand'. I have been unable to get an appointment to see him for a couple of more weeks to ask him if it is ok if I can scuba dive. Of course, the prime season in the north is just starting to happen upon us and I'd like to get wet. Anyone have any idea if scuba diving while taking this medication is safe or if you might be able point me in the right direction for information.

Thanks!

First of all if you have to get an appointment just to ask a question - GET A NEW DOCTOR! Call the office and have one of the nurses ask and have them call you back. I'm on TOPROL XL, for HBP. Asked my Dr. when she prescribed it - said no problem, just 25 mg, pretty low dose....but better to check and be sure. Course I was mixing mine with TripTone, too.......swear to gawd , I saw a mermaid....

 

[DocVikingo]

Atacand is candesartan cilexetil, an angiotensin II receptor blocker. TOPROL-XL is metoprolol succinate, a type of beta blocker. These are different drugs and trying to compare them as regards their implications for scuba makes little sense. Simply because an individual does or does not have problems with one means little with respect to the other.

Issues to be considered when using a beta blocker such as TOPROL-XL can be found in post #2 by Billp within the following thread----> http://www.scubaboard.com/t56458.html

With Atacand, concern over potential significant limitations on the heart's ability to respond to exercise is much less. Atacand looks to have a relatively benign adverse reaction profile. Back pain, dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat & stuffy nose have been reported, but at very low rates. An adequate topside trial of the drug should assist in assessing possible side effects.

You or your doctor may contact DAN with questions about HBP medications & diving. The number is (919) 684-2948 (Mon thru Fri, 9AM-5PM EST).

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

Best regards,

DocVikingo

 

[taz22]

To river rat....thanks for your post. The nurse in the office did not want to answer the question and said that the doctor would prefer to see me in person to answer my questions. I shoul dhave asked when he prescribed it, but it slipped my mind. I have decided that I should not dive until I have the answer. Safety first.

To DocVikingo....thanks for you post. I had not thought of calling Dan. I prefer to atleast cover all the bases before diving while taking a drug that I haven't taken before. Thanks again.

 

[DocVikingo]

In my experience, it is not unusual for a physician to desire to see & examine a patient before providing answers to questions that could have serious consequences.

For example, examining a patient at some point following the prescription of antihypertensive medication to see how he is responding & evaluate any complaints before responding to questions about clearance to dive.

As such, I am curious as to the basis for the recommendation, "First of all if you have to get an appointment just to ask a question - GET A NEW DOCTOR!"

Thank you.

DocVikingo

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

For example, examining a patient at some point following the prescription of antihypertensive medication to see how he is responding & evaluate any complaints.



DocVikingo

Exactly, so why did this DR. NOT schedule a follow up appointment a week or ten days later to do just that?.....mine did..., and I was able to bring a few questions that I didn't think about on my first visit.....I didn't have to wait until I thought of a question, then wait another couple of weeks for an appointment.....and my intent was not to have him call and ask the nurse, but to have the nurse check with the Dr. then get back with him....mine does it all the time. Now if it's something my Dr. feels I need to come in for, she certainly doesn't hesitate to ask me to come in...and I do...but at least I asked.

 

[DocVikingo]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but to my view the issue of a physician not wanting to answer certain questions over the phone is a quite different matter than his not scheduling follow up appointments to your liking.

The fact remains that taz22 did not at the time of his original appoinment ask about diving while on Atacand, but instead called back later. At that time, the doctor indicated a preference to see him in person to answer his questions. This is an entirely legitimate request on the part of the doctor and does not form any medical basis for recommending, ""First of all if you have to get an appointment just to ask a question - GET A NEW DOCTOR!"

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[garyfotodiver]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but to my view the issue of a physician not wanting to answer certain questions over the phone is a quite different matter than his not scheduling follow up appointments to your liking.

The fact remains that taz22 did not at the time of his original appoinment ask about diving while on Atacand, but instead called back later. At that time, the doctor indicated a preference to see him in person to answer his questions. This is an entirely legitimate request on the part of the doctor and does not form any medical basis for recommending, ""First of all if you have to get an appointment just to ask a question - GET A NEW DOCTOR!"

Best regards.

DocVikingo

Well, doc, what could be the medical reasons for needing a follow-up visit to answer this patient's question about diving and his anti-hypertensive meds.

I take some meds, my MD knows that I dive, and he gave me his private cell phone number to reach him at any time. I realize this is above and beyond the call of duty, and I've never had to use it.

If the thread-starter's MD thought there could be a serious consequence related to this patient's particular med and diving, and the patient might dive before the scheduled visit, then this is not a routine visit. The MD should have made time; there usually are patient cancellations during a day.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

well I've used adacand for years without issue. I do not dive when I'm taking clonadine.

 

[Pryoras]

Hello, all...I'm new to the dive scene and am about to do my part I certification this weekend. I'm about to go see a doctor to get a good checkup and to make sure it's okay for me to dive with the following concern: I get migraines every so often (no more than 3-5 times a year), and my neurologist in my hometown (NOT where I'm living now, so I got a new doc) has been giving me verapamil (a calcium channel blocker) to take once a day as preventative therapy. For the most part, it works. The nice thing is, if I forget to take a pill, it's not a big deal (unlike those taking blood pressure meds for actual blood pressure problems, right?). And I'm familiar with my migraine tendencies, in that 85% of my migraines result from dietary changes, with the other 15% resulting from stress. What are my chances for medical release rejection? What kind of effect is diving going to have on my migraines OR my blood pressure meds? Should I bother taking a pill the day I dive? Thanks, everyone.