Motion sickness medications

Most seasickness tablets are antihistamines (dimenhydrinate, meclizine, cinnarizine, promethazine) or hyoscine, an anticholinergic. Both groups damp the nerve signals between the balance organs of the inner ear and the part of the brain that triggers nausea and vomiting, which is also why they cause drowsiness and a dry mouth. They are prevention rather than rescue: the CDC Yellow Book says they work best taken before exposure, because once nausea has started the stomach slows and a tablet is absorbed poorly. Timing and amounts are on each label, and a pharmacist can match a tablet to your trip.

The ingredients to ask a UAE pharmacist about are the same families sold elsewhere: dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), meclizine or meclozine, cinnarizine (Stugeron), promethazine (Avomine) and hyoscine hydrobromide. Which brands a given pharmacy stocks, and whether any needs a prescription, follows the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention's drug register and the pharmacy's own policy, so ask at the counter rather than relying on another country's rules. These pages describe what each ingredient is and link to its sources; they are not a UAE formulary.

As effective as the same ingredients anywhere else, because the medicine is the ingredient, not the brand or the country. The CDC Yellow Book lists the antihistamines and the scopolamine patch as the usual choices for preventing motion sickness, with drowsiness as the most common side effect, and notes that habituation beats any medicine for people who travel often. The tablets do far less once nausea has started. For a short trip with mild symptoms a pharmacist will usually point to an antihistamine taken before departure; for a long crossing the choice is wider and worth a conversation.

The scopolamine (hyoscine) patch is prescription-only in the United States and the United Kingdom, and in the UAE its status is set by the national drug register, so start with a doctor or a licensed pharmacy rather than an online seller. A pharmacist can tell you whether the patch is registered and stocked and whether you need a prescription; if it is unavailable, the tablets above are the usual alternative. Buy medicines only from licensed pharmacies: patches sold through unregulated websites may be counterfeit. The patch goes on hours before travel and is not for children.

Airsickness is uncommon on smooth commercial flights, so many people need nothing. If you are prone to it, the usual over-the-counter air sickness medication is an antihistamine tablet taken before boarding as the label directs, with drowsiness as the trade-off, which some travelers welcome on a long flight and others cannot afford on a short one. Pick a seat over the wing, keep the air vent on your face, and look out at the horizon or close your eyes during turbulence. Ginger and acupressure bands are harmless to try, with weak evidence. The drug-free options, including sound therapy through headphones, are covered on the air sickness page.

It depends on the box. Dramamine Original Formula and Dramamine for Kids contain dimenhydrinate, and Dramamine Less Drowsy contains meclizine, the same ingredient as Bonine. A store-brand box with the same active ingredient on its Drug Facts label is the generic equivalent. Read the active ingredient line rather than the brand name, because some other Dramamine chewables also contain meclizine.

Usually, yes. The common motion sickness medicines are sedating antihistamines (dimenhydrinate, meclizine, cinnarizine, promethazine) or hyoscine, and each label lists drowsiness as a possible side effect. Meclizine is sold as less drowsy, but its label still warns against driving until you know how it affects you. So none of the usual options is fully non-drowsy, and the newer non-drowsy allergy antihistamines, such as cetirizine, fexofenadine and loratadine, do not work for motion sickness, the CDC Yellow Book says.

Sometimes, but only for some causes, and that is a doctor's call. Prescription meclizine is labeled for vertigo from diseases of the inner ear's balance system in adults, and cinnarizine is used for vertigo in Meniere's disease in the UK. The over-the-counter motion sickness labels, including meclizine boxes such as Bonine, cover motion sickness only. See a doctor about vertigo that is new or keeps coming back.

Yes, for nausea caused by motion, when taken before the trip. The antihistamines and scopolamine are labeled to prevent the nausea and vomiting of motion sickness, and the CDC Yellow Book says medicine works best taken before exposure rather than after symptoms start. They are not general nausea medicines: nausea without motion needs its own diagnosis.

Not usually. Zofran is ondansetron, a prescription anti-nausea medicine, and the CDC Yellow Book says ondansetron and granisetron are not effective against motion sickness. The medicines that are used for it are the sedating antihistamines and scopolamine.

In the US, the main prescription options are the scopolamine patch and promethazine tablets, and meclizine also comes as a prescription tablet, labeled for vertigo. Dimenhydrinate and meclizine are sold over the counter. A doctor can prescribe when an over-the-counter tablet has not worked or does not suit you, and can check it against your other medicines.

By ingredient: dimenhydrinate (Dramamine Original, Gravol), meclizine or meclozine (Bonine, Dramamine Less Drowsy), scopolamine or hyoscine (the Transderm Scop patch, Kwells tablets), cinnarizine (Stugeron), promethazine (Phenergan) and cyclizine. The ingredient is what matters, so read it on the box. In the UK, Kwells and Stugeron are sold from pharmacies, and both can cause drowsiness.