[Evaluation of self-medication by scuba divers]
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Published on: November 12, 2014
Thibaut Fraisse1, Balmes Nicolas, Benoît de Wazières
1Service de Médecine Interne Gériatrique, CHU Caremeau, Nimes, France.
Aim:
The aim of the study was to evaluate drug use amongst French scuba divers.
Methods:
An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 220 people, out of which 106 responded.
Results:
Fifteen percent of respondents were receiving long-term medication whereas 60.33% of respondents reported taking medication only occasionally when diving. Thirty-seven percent of respondents were taking prescribed medicines. Drugs consumed occasionally included analgesics (43.5%), corticosteroids (14.5%) and antiemetics. A detailed study of aspirin and steroid consumption revealed their misuse for performance-enhancing purposes, the level of risk varying with the type of diving activity. The influence of drug use on personal performance was recognised by 72.6% of divers, but only 59.4% considered that they were putting themselves at risk by self-medicating.
