Allergy suferers MUST read

Thanks. Flonase is fluticasone propionate. I'll look for OTC alternatives.

This is of interest FDA Clears OTC Flonase Nasal Spray for Allergy Relief

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved over-the-counter (OTC) fluticasone propionate 50 mcg nasal spray (Flonase Allergy Relief, GlaxoSmithKline) for treatment of hay fever or upper respiratory allergies, the company announced yesterday.
Flonase Allergy Relief is the first and only OTC nasal spray indicated for relief of all nasal and eye-related allergy symptoms including runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose, nasal congestion, and itchy and watery eyes, according to a company news release.
An estimated 50 million people in the United States suffer from nasal allergies, often leading to fatigue, sleep disturbances, learning and attention problems, and impaired function at work and school, the company notes.
Fluticasone propionate, the active ingredient in Flonase Allergy Relief, has a "well-established safety profile with 30 million accumulated patient years since it was first approved as a prescription medicine in 1994," the company states.
Flonase Allergy Relief will be available OTC in early 2015, according to GlaxoSmithKline.

Thanks redrider, that is valuable info. I know my father-in-law is allergic to everything including latex(lol) so this will help a lot.

Chase

'Priciate it. Always good to get the tips from others.

Thanks

I thought equalizing every couple feet was normal, that's the way I've been doing it for years and years.

I don't get to dive very often but when I do - I often am very limited by sinus congestion (plus too many birthdays) and if I push early - my trip is blown.

Thanks will try this on my next trip - soon :thumbsup2:

Same thing with me. I always just thought I had to blow sooo hard to equalize. Especially inverted. Then I went to a diving ent and he said I had a chronic sinus infection. He gave me antibiotics and nasonex. Easy sailing since. Sometimes I can even get a little vto action

What's vto?

Voluntary tube opening. Essential for hands free equalizing.*Tensing and stretching the muscles pull the eustachian tubes open. Some divers get good enough at this technique to hold their tubes open for continuous equalization.

Hands free equalization is a genetic predisposition, you can either do it or can't. No amount of training will enable a diver to use hands free equalization in a consistent manner if he doesn't have the ability in the first place. So the times it doesn't work you find yourself screwing up a descent. Since you never know when it will work and when it won't, might as well stay with what works every time.

Dan is so right.
I can clear without my hands. But it will fail once out of every hundred clears and I can't do it effortlessly below 30. This leads me to believe that the muscles I am using need to be strengthen and trained but in practice I just use my hand to clear as i know it will always work.

Vto can be trained. Italians call it "Ginnastica tubarica" which is Eustachian tubes gymnastics. There is a dedicated chapter in Umberto Pelizzari's book.

I think it's a little bit of both. I think it's less of a genetic predisposition and more of how your tubes are formed physically. When a child is born the tubes are horizontal with the throat, as we develop they become more vertical. It would make sense the degree to which they become vertical, and how the tubes become that way effect the diameter of the hole opening. This would clearly make it more or less difficult to open them just with muscle contraction and tension alone.

Perhaps there is a genetic association though. Like those that can curl their tongues.

This may be unique to the individual so take it as such.

Flonase is really hard on my system and I feel it when I use it in a negative way. My nasal passages hurt when I am using it routinely and to me it is a side effect that is worse then the benefit.

Also my FIL used it for allergy relief for a few years and lost his sense of smell and related taste to what he feels was using Flonase. It's a steroid I believe. I always thought they were meant to help out short term and not something to use with regularity.

Anyways I am glad it us helping your diving but it isn't for everyone and the user should read up on it before choosing to use it. I use Allegra D during dive season and sometimes a Sudafed to guarantee clear passages. I don't like it but I have allergies so you deal with it.

SR1

Quote from Searun1

This may be unique to the individual so take it as such.

Flonase is really hard on my system and I feel it when I use it in a negative way. My nasal passages hurt when I am using it routinely and to me it is a side effect that is worse then the benefit.

Also my FIL used it for allergy relief for a few years and lost his sense of smell and related taste to what he feels was using Flonase. It's a steroid I believe. I always thought they were meant to help out short term and not something to use with regularity.

Anyways I am glad it us helping your diving but it isn't for everyone and the user should read up on it before choosing to use it. I use Allegra D during dive season and sometimes a Sudafed to guarantee clear passages. I don't like it but I have allergies so you deal with it.

SR1

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Since Flonase is in fact a prescribed drug, would you consider an over the counter alternative like Nasocort a safer option? I grabbed some earlier and it is better than the simply saline I normally use. My sinuses are most congested when I first wake so if Im diving that day I usually do a nasal spray to open them up first thing.

I don't believe that over the counter availability means it is safer. Usually do t so the drug companies don't have to get reduced prescription rates like clariten did a few years back. Went from a 5$ a month copay to 65 a month otc

I have had poor experience with flonase but good results from clariten. My sister is the opposite.