Motion Sickness?

Okay, just curious here. Suicideblonde and I were just IM'ing and it seems that we both suffer from motion sickness.

How many of you here have the same affliction?

How severe is it?

What do you do for it?

I'm not sure if mine is actually considered motion sickness, cause I never get sick on boats or roller coasters, but I cant read while I'm riding in a car. I always envy people who can ride and read a book or the newspaper at the same time! And I have a friend who gets sick if she rides in the back seat, so she always gets "shot gun" lol.

Usually a common anti-emetic drug will do fine.

Something very interesting is to notice that children who suffered from it have higher incidence of migraines.

Do you two have migraines?

I suffer from car sickness, but have no difficulty with either air travel or boats. In fact, I've been out on a sailboat in rough water on Lake Superior while everyone else on board is tossing their cookies, but I've been fine. Yet a car journey of more than 45 mins to an hour (back seat, front seat, driving -- makes no difference) is absolute misery for me.

I'm still looking for an effective anti-nauseant that is safe to use while operating a vehicle. Gravol works, but knocks me out. I used scopolamine once for a 2-day trip, but it produced some alarming ocular side effects.

And I've never been a migraine sufferer. I do have a eustachian tube dysfunction that affects one inner ear, however.

Maria - - -

No migranes here. My daughter has migranes, but no motion sickness. You know migranes are inherited? They run in my ex's family.

Suicide and I were discussing the new bracelets I have seen advertised that deliver electrical impulses to the brain and are supposed to thwart motion sickness. I am interested to find out if anyone has tried one of these.

I take Bonine for mine, but it does tend to make me dopey. However, if I have gotten a good night's sleep the night before, I can drive all day without feeling that I am too sleepy to drive.

Originally posted by peachy51
You know migranes are inherited? They run in my ex's family.

;) I am a child neurologist, migraines are our daily bread.

The medicine I take started out as prescription a waaaaaaay long time ago . . . then it went back and forth for years as being over the counter and then only as prescription and then over the counter. It has been over the counter for many, many years now.

Gravol is the brand name (at least in Canada) for dimenhydrinate tablets, which are available over the counter.

Scopolamine is the active ingredient in a timed-release skin patch worn behind the ear, marketed under the name Transderm-V (also OTC).

I can't ride in the back seat of a car. And forget planes or boats without first taking dramamine. However, a natural remedy for motion sickness is ginger tea. I boil some fresh ginger and make a tea out of it, or you can buy ginger tea at a health foods store. I usually drink a cup of it about 30 minutes before getting on the plane. I take a one litre bottle of it with me on the plane and sip on it throughout my flight. It really does work.

A word of caution-- some people are sensitive to the "burning" sensation of ginger. It should be used with food and NOT on an empty stomach. And I would suggest that you try it at home before you need it to make sure you can tolerate it. You don't want to find out it gives you heartburn.

Yes, I knew about ginger. In fact it is a good remedy for nausea of any kind.

Lynn, I don't think motion sickness is genetic because I think I'm the only one in my family who is unlucky enough to have it. Don't know about whether Menieres is genetic tho. I have a co-worker whose mother had it and it was so bad she was totally bedridden. If she even lifted her head, she was sick as a dog. :( And the doctors thought my ex-sister-in-law had it but never decided on a final diagnosis.

I have seen the bands with the buttons and then I have seen them with a disc that has controls on it that runs on a battery and delivers electrical impulses to the brain.

My cousin, who is a physician's assistant to a neurosurgeon explained why we get motion sickness. I don't remember the technical explanation but in layman's terms it translated to the fact that we have little things on either side of the head that move together in tandem all the time. For those of us with motion sickness, the motion causes these to get out of sync and when that happens it causes the nausea and subsequently the vomiting.

I believe that the pills work on keeping everything in sync and tries to correct the underlying cause, whereas the ginger just works to prevent the nausea and the underlying cause is still malfunctioning.

I can last about an hour in the car without being sick, flying doesn't make me sick (but I take the pills anyway just in case) and I don't get on boats at all {green :( }

Ginger (or any of the natural/herbal remedies) has never had any effect whatsoever on my nausea.

Ask your doctor about prescribing you some Phenergan tablets to keep on hand. I learned a long time ago the benefits of this wonder drug.

-- I have had blinding migraines, that landed me in the emergency room before, and received it by injection.

-- I have had a virus so bad, I couldn't quit throwing up and received this by suppository.

-- I've received it via IV in the hospital to prevent naseau during and after surgery.

-- I took it during pregnancy for a bit, due to disabling morning sickness.

-- I have taken it in tablet form before any kind of extensive traveling, and wouldn't leave home without it. NOTE: must be taken an hour ahead of time to be affective. Don't wait until you board the plane or boat. ;)

I get motion sickness real bad at the drop of a hat, and this has allowed me to deal with it over the years as best I can. One drawback to it is drowsiness, but I've found drinking some caffeine ahead of time counteracts it enough to still enjoy myself.

It works so much better than over the counter stuff, with about the same disadvantages. BTW, the patch never helped me and may have even *caused* me to get nauseated. :(

Ask your doc about it!! I've found that they will keep you supplied with it, if you have no history of abuse and only used it when necessary.

Here is a link to more info on it. Keep in mind the side affects listed are rare, as I've never had a problem with it and I'm pretty sensitive to any drugs.

http://www.anti-anxietymeds.com/phenergan_information.htm

Originally posted by southerngal
I'm not sure if mine is actually considered motion sickness, cause I never get sick on boats or roller coasters, but I cant read while I'm riding in a car.

Same here, even today I cannot read if I am a passenger, my daughter also had mild carsickness as a todller but has outgrown it, however just like me she still cannot read while in a car. I believe it has to do with the vibration causing the letters to jump about. It may also be a form of induced epilepsy, I know I sometimes feel very queazy when out clubbing and all those lights go flashing.