Watch the video http://www.uwtv.org/programs/displayevent.asp?rid=789 

I use Contact Cold and Sinus.  Doesn't make me drowsy or hyper.  I will
take one about an hour before diving.  Sudafed does very little if any
good for me.

Ear plugs can't help your ears equalize. If they don't have little holes in
them to let water in, they will cause problems.

What happens when you travel or just drive up a hill where the altitude
changes say 1000 feet?
If you have problems then it is likley there is a medical condition.
If so the Pro Ears are about your only option.

An ear full of cold water when a drum ruptures can set the world spinning.

If you have no problems equalizing going up and down hills the problem
usually resolves to not doing it early enough or often enough, descending or
ascending to fast, or to just being tense.

Have you tried going to your doctor?

Safe Diving,
Captain Dale

There's your trouble...

What dose of Sudafed did you take and how far ahead of your dive did you take it?

Adam

I'm not a doctor or even play one on the newsgroups, but I routinely
use chlorpheniramine maleate, an over-the-counter allergy medication
for my equalizing problems. CVS carries it in a bottle simply labelled
Allergy Tablets. I find I have no side effects from the chlorphenirame.
No dry mouth, no drowiness, no heart racing, etc. (Drowsiness and
excitability are listed as side effects.)

Sudafed never worked for me, and just created dry mouth.

My difficulty equalizing is less severe than yours, since it sounds
like you have painful difficulty on every dive. I tend to have
difficulty more in allergy season and more on shallow dives with a
sawtooth depth pattern.

However, if I take the chlorpheniramine (double dose) an hour before
the first dive, then again about 4 hours later, I can often descend
even without a nose pinch. Subsequent dives, including a shallow third
dive perhaps, won't be any problem either.

YMMV.

HTH.

Dave C

Source, supplier of unscented, oil-free PURE TALC, compatible with
drysuit latex seals. If interested, contact
dcalderbankATcheshireDOTnet, or check eBay listings for current contact
info or sales (eBay ID: dave4868).

Try this,
I used to tell my students with the same problem.
You have a new hobby...........
when you are sitting around watching tv, reading or driving around.
Pinch you nose and blow. keep doing this allot. But not too hard.
I've seen students correct there issue by working the tube(s) and in 2 to 3
weeks clear up the problem well enough they don't need meds.
Hope this works.
You have my prayers buddy ;)