February 21, 2002
Motion Sickness: An ancient ailment; some newer cures
| Pam Sowers |
| HS News & Community Relations |
We all know what the Vikings, those robust conquerors of early Europe, looked like as they sailed away from their ancient ports. Robust and rugged, they turned their faces to the ocean breeze as their long boats pointed toward plunder and terror along the North Sea coasts.
In actual fact, the majority of them probably spent the first two to three days at sea just like so many of us today — nauseated, disoriented and exhausted from the ravages of motion sickness. As Dr. Christopher Sanford, the co-director of the travel clinic at Hall Health Primary Care at the UW, says, “All those stalwart Vikings threw up their gruel and ale, just like we do.”
Motion sickness, seasickness or whatever you wish to call it is the result of the brain receiving conflicting information from the visual and balance systems in your body.
It may not be much comfort to you, but close to 100 percent of us can suffer motion sickness under the right circumstances. Luckily, Sanford says there are several things you can do about it before you start your holiday ocean cruise or trip to the amusement park.
“The easiest motion sickness drug to get is dimenhydrinate, sold over the counter as Dramamine,” Sanford says. “It has the advantages of starting to work in about an hour, it’s cheap and you don’t need to see a doctor. It’s been proven to work better than a placebo. Its drawbacks are that it causes drowsiness or dry mouth in some people and it has a lower efficacy than the prescription drugs.”
Sanford’s favorite of the prescription medications is scopolamine, delivered in the form of the Trans-Derm Scope patch.
“You put it behind your ear, and it can stay in place for three days,” Sanford says. “You have to apply it at least four hours before you anticipate getting motion sickness.”
Side effects can include dry mouth, drowsiness and perhaps blurry vision that can interfere with driving or reading. People suffering from glaucoma or partial urinary obstruction should not use the scopolamine patch.
A prescription antihistamine called meclizine is also available. It’s marketed under the name Antivert.
“It’s a pill that should be taken about an hour before motion sickness sets in,” Sanford says. “An advantage of the patch is that if you wait until you start getting a little sick before you put the patch on, you won’t throw it up. If you’re late taking the pills, you may not be able to keep them down for the needed hour they take to absorb.”
If you want to avoid taking motion sickness medications, you might try eating some ginger at the first sign of motion sickness, or wearing acupressure wristbands. Sanford says there are some other steps you can take as well:
- Try to stay in the middle of the boat or plane.
- Avoid reading, but try to stay mentally stimulated. Sanford says, “Someone who is driving the car, for example, is less likely to get car sick than the passenger.”
- Fix your gaze on a stationary object, like the horizon.
- Lie down, if at all possible.
- If all else fails, remember that seasickness goes away for most people in about two to three days.
