scopolomine patch washes off

[Guba]

I washed the area for the patch with alcohol, let it dry, then applied the patch.
Good news. It stayed on long enough for me to realize that the scop patch does NOTHING for me in terms of preventing/handling seasickness. I discarded it, popped a couple of Dramamine, and I was eating breakfast within an hour.
However, I have a number of diving buddies who use the patch on a regular basis and have no problems with it at all. They all say the key to keeping it on is for the skin to be clean and dry before application.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Scopolomine also comes in a pill. I've had good luck with them and don't have to worry about tape.

Joe

Yeah... Besides, the patches taste like crap... :mischief:

 

[DiveMaven]

I use a patch when diving and have seen far too many divers enter the water with one and come out without one.

What I do is buy clear waterproof bandaids. I cut the sticky parts off the ends and stick them over the patch. I've never had a problem with a patch coming off using this method, even when diving 4x a day for 3 days in a row.

 

[joe rock]

I use a patch when diving and have seen far too many divers enter the water with one and come out without one.

What I do is buy clear waterproof bandaids. I cut the sticky parts off the ends and stick them over the patch. I've never had a problem with a patch coming off using this method, even when diving 4x a day for 3 days in a row.

I do the same with no problems. And I have no ill effects from using the patch while diving. Don't know where that one came from.

JR

 

[MissyP]

hey, i was told that those patches arent meant for divers - something about them getting wet and the dosage spiking or something and causing adverse affects- was i mislead by my instructor?

terrible news considering they were the only thing that worked for my dive buddy. (a friend of mine has an Rx for them for use while fishing, and she let my dive buddy try them and they worked great!)

I've used the patch for quite a while now.. and it was prescribed by my doc knowing exactly what I'd be using it for (diving).
Make sure the spot behind the ear is clean, dry and you get all of your hair out of the way before sticking it on.. Out of about 30 patches, I've lost 2 (and those were usually on the 2nd or 3rd day of diving). Make sure you put it in the little groove behind your ear lobe- that way your mask or hood don't brush against it when you put them on or take them off..

 

[Paco II]

one of the posters mentioned Scopace. Has anyone else used it? the transderm path works well for me, but I like the idea of being able to have more control over the dosage.

 

[Texasdivechick]

I hadn't heard that. My doctor prescribed them for me, knowing I inteded to use them for scuba.

To be on the safe side, I just called DAN about it. The fellow I spoke with said there are no conclusive studies, but that it does not appear to be a problem. He said scopolomine patches are approved by the Navy for use with their divers. He did warn that if you use them more than three days in a row you risk withdrawal symptoms. That is a concern for me as I'm headed down to Bonaire Saturday for a week (Woo Hoo!). Anyway, your dive buddy should probably contact DAN and verify all of this.

The fellow from DAN didn't have any recommendations about getting the patches to adhere during diving.

You really won't need them for Bonaire. There is virtually no chop, no current, and most of the diving takes place from the shore.

 

[RonDawg]

It stayed on long enough for me to realize that the scop patch does NOTHING for me in terms of preventing/handling seasickness. I discarded it, popped a couple of Dramamine, and I was eating breakfast within an hour.

Dramamine and its generic equivalents tend to give leave me foggy (and no it's not my mask :11doh: ) and drowsy whereas Scop patches seem to have no side effects on me, other than the one time a pimple formed where the patch was.

The only time I've lost a patch prior to the 72 hour expiration was also when the pimple formed beneath. I think that was more due to my scratching it than the adhesive not holding.

The patch worked really well for last week's night dive off Kona, as there was quite a bit of surface chop. I was still able to retain my dinner whereas others were feeding the fish :11:

 

[Stu101]

After a bout with seasickness I now dive with a transderm scop patch. It works pretty well if it stays on, but quite often it washes off by the end of the dive. I have tried putting waterproof tape over the patch, but the tape washes off too.

Any tips on how to get the patch to adhere for the duration of the dive?

Have you tried using a hood?

Stu

 

[fppf]

My wife takes Scopace like candy, and she still feeds the fish. But it helps her stay functional and not totally dry heaving all day. She tried the patch and after about 2 hours she felt all weird, not good for diving.

The pill form does help control the dose a lot better, but you need to remember to take it on time. If your late and start getting sick you wont recover from it.

Needless to say my wife REALLY likes diving.