I have just waded through a bunch of previous posts but can't find what Im looking for.

Im pretty sure that someone somewhere mentioned a drug as competition. I am also pretty sure it was Methenamin or Antihydral

It has taken me an embarrassingly long time to twig to this, but I use Antihydral. And so do a significant percentage of Rockclimbers.

Not only does it increase friction by reducing hand perspiration, if applied daily for a week or so before going on a climbing trip - it really toughens the pads of your fingers. This allows you to keep climbing, as you don't lose all the finger off your fingertips - the dreaded "Day-four-skin". After 3 days of over excited climbing you wake up on Day four to discover your pads are bleeding and you can't climb anymore.

So what?

Well, firstly, I just thought it was a cool little nugget that would interest people.

But, secondly, there is clearly a percentage, who knows how large, of baseline uptake of Antihydral that is not by patients suffering from hyperhidrosis. There are approximately 10 million rock climbers in the USA. I reckon 5-10% would get through a tube a year. That is a wild guess. Most of us only use it prior to a climbing trip (holiday) to make sure we can keep climbing.

@mikebrisy does this alter the assumptions and spreadsheets?

HELD IRL