I am terribly prone to seasickness, and after trying just about everything else (Bonine, wrist bands, etc.) I got a prescription for the scop patch. Ive worn it on dry land with no major problems, so Im going to try it out on my next diving trip. However, Im worried about if falling off, as Im going to be diving pretty frequently (~3 dives a day for a couple of weeks). Planning to put a bandaid or tape over it, but does it have to be worn behind the ear? It seems like it would be easier to keep on if it was under my swimsuit or somewhere where it would be less likely to get dislodged. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!
Scop patch placement
- Thread starter crab_girl
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I've seen many people wear Scop patches behind their ear through multiple days of diving with no problems. I would make sure to clean the spot with alcohol, etc. to help it adhere before putting it on and when changing it. Maybe one of the docs'll jump in about alternate locations.
Chris
Chris
erparamedic
Vampire Girl......er Dork
crab_girl:
I use the scop patch on vacations when I know I'll be on a dive boat. I have not had any problems, what-so-ever, with it falling off. It stays adhered the whole 3 three days, or till I take it off... I forgot about it one time and it stayed on for 4 days, no problem. I've never known of anyone to wear it anyplace else besides the ear.
Note FYI-- When you put the patch on, make sure your hair is not in the way, and press it on firmly. Then wash your hands thoroughly. Do not touch it anymore. Every time you touch it, you'll need to wash your hands. The reason being- if you touch your eyes after touching the patch, you *could* get the medication in your eyes, and then your eyes will dilate. While it's not harmful, it would be a pain in the butt if you were in the sun for a while! (Things would be VERY bright!) :14:
All of the Hyperbaric literature I can find uses the "behind the ear" placement. Different results may be found by looking on PubMed.crab_girl:
I expect there will be a comment here soon from a dermatologist on uptake from different dermal locations.
Transdermal Scopolamine in the Hyperbaric Environment.
Schwartz and Curley, 1986
RRR ID: 3528
Hyperbaric oxygen and scopolamine.
Bitterman et. al. 1991
RRR ID: 2573
Effects of transcutaneous scopolamine and depth on diver performance.
Williams et. al. 1988
RRR ID: 2495
More RRR references on drug interactions here
livingstone
Guest
crab_girl:
You're more likely to knock it off while washing your hair; you'll forget that it's there.
BillP
Senior Member
Hey crab girl:
Patch placement is kind of a pet peeve of mine. (I have a whole menagerie of pet peeves!) Have you ever noticed that you put the Transderm Scop patch behind your ear, a heart patch on you chest, an estrogen patch on your lower abdomen, etc.- as if putting the patch close to the organ of interest makes any difference at all!? The medicine is absorbed systemically, so how close the patch is to the target organ doesn't matter one bit. Stupid marketing departments...
Having said that, the different patches are engineered to deliver a certain dose at a certain rate that depends in part on where it it applied. IMHO Novartis (the Transderm Scop manufacturer) designed the patch to be applied behind the ear primarily for marketing and placebo effect reasons, but that's where it's supposed to go. It might be unlikely that it would hurt to apply it anywhere else, but it might not help as much as it's supposed to if you applied it to an area with different absorption characteristics. I contacted the manufacturer once, and they insist that the patch must go behind the ear.
The comments that you got about the patches sticking quite well during a dive trip match my experience. Chrispete's comments about applying the patch carefully and cleaning the spot are good advice, and erparamedic's FYI is very good information. Sounds to me like you're on the right track.
Patch placement is kind of a pet peeve of mine. (I have a whole menagerie of pet peeves!) Have you ever noticed that you put the Transderm Scop patch behind your ear, a heart patch on you chest, an estrogen patch on your lower abdomen, etc.- as if putting the patch close to the organ of interest makes any difference at all!? The medicine is absorbed systemically, so how close the patch is to the target organ doesn't matter one bit. Stupid marketing departments...
Having said that, the different patches are engineered to deliver a certain dose at a certain rate that depends in part on where it it applied. IMHO Novartis (the Transderm Scop manufacturer) designed the patch to be applied behind the ear primarily for marketing and placebo effect reasons, but that's where it's supposed to go. It might be unlikely that it would hurt to apply it anywhere else, but it might not help as much as it's supposed to if you applied it to an area with different absorption characteristics. I contacted the manufacturer once, and they insist that the patch must go behind the ear.
The comments that you got about the patches sticking quite well during a dive trip match my experience. Chrispete's comments about applying the patch carefully and cleaning the spot are good advice, and erparamedic's FYI is very good information. Sounds to me like you're on the right track.
pharmacist chiming in here:
- TransDerm Scop has only ever been studied in humans while applied behind the ear, thus the absorption characteristics are not likely to be the same over other areas of the body... also explains why the manufacturer replied the way they did... they are required by federal regulation to stick to what has been studied and what is currently being studied....
- Beware with withdrawl symptoms - you may find that leaving the patch on for an extended period (ie: 6 days) at the end of your diving trip may help alleviate any withdrawl sx.
- Beware the side effects of the med: blurred vision, dry mouth, dizziness, etc. as they are likely to occur. It also appears that the rate of side effect does not change at depth, so you could try it on the surface to see if you tolerate it.
- TransDerm Scop has only ever been studied in humans while applied behind the ear, thus the absorption characteristics are not likely to be the same over other areas of the body... also explains why the manufacturer replied the way they did... they are required by federal regulation to stick to what has been studied and what is currently being studied....
- Beware with withdrawl symptoms - you may find that leaving the patch on for an extended period (ie: 6 days) at the end of your diving trip may help alleviate any withdrawl sx.
- Beware the side effects of the med: blurred vision, dry mouth, dizziness, etc. as they are likely to occur. It also appears that the rate of side effect does not change at depth, so you could try it on the surface to see if you tolerate it.
I've used the patch several times. Other then a horrible case of dry mouth while diving and a bit of dilation in the eyes (nothing terrible) those little things are wondeful.
I think it's very import to make sure the area behind the ear (right behind your ear lobe) is clean and dry. Put it on well in advance so the adhesive has time to warm to your body. Do that, and that little baby will see you through (at least) the next three days..
Good luck!
I think it's very import to make sure the area behind the ear (right behind your ear lobe) is clean and dry. Put it on well in advance so the adhesive has time to warm to your body. Do that, and that little baby will see you through (at least) the next three days..
Good luck!
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