SEA Sickness

[DivingDoc]

Originally posted by DocVikingo

Dramamine now comes in two flavors, Dramamine Original Formula (dimenhydrinate) & Dramamine Less Drowsy Formula (meclizine). Both make many folks drowsy, although less so with the latter. Research has indicated that the former is not a good mix with scuba.

Mescolor is an antihistamine/decongestant/drying agent that contains chlorpheniramine, pseudoephedrine & methscopolamine nitrate (Transderm Scop uses straight scopolamine within its delivery system). Mescolor might be helpful against mal de mer, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it for scuba unless the diver also had signs/symptoms of allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and/or a common cold.

Didn't know Dramamine came in two flavors -- just took a look at the ingredients a few years ago one day and realized they had changed. The active moity of dimenhydrinate is diphenhydramine (Benedryl). Diphenhydramine, as the makers of Allegra like to point out, has been shown to cause more impairment of driving performance than alcohol (Allegra causes no more impairment than placebo).

I did not mean to imply that the methscopolamine (scopolamine-like agent) in Mescolor was the same as the scopolomine used in Trans-derm Scope (though, now that I look at my grammar, it does read like that). Personally, I don't prescribe it, though my some of my colleagues do. I don't like methscopolamine because it can cause confusion. I remember also some reports 10-12 years ago which reported hallucinations in connection with Trans-derm Scope. However, I brought it up because, since it is similar to scopolamine in effect, it could maybe work for sea sickness. Injectable scopolamine, incidentally, as you probably know, was used as "truth serum" during World War II, and has been used pre-operatively (at least in the past) as an agent to dry-up mucous and cause amnesia for the events of the surgery.

I was not recommending either for SCUBA diving -- just for sea sickness.

I'd be interested to know, however, why dimenhydrinate, but not meclizine, was bad during SCUBA diving. If it was because of the mental impairment/drowsiness, then why is meclizine OK, since it still does cause drowsiness?

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi DivingDoc,

The degree of drowsiness for meclizine does appear less than that for dimenhydrinate, but I have no idea why.

My guess as to "why dimenhydrinate, but not meclizine, was bad during SCUBA diving. If it was because of the mental impairment/drowsiness, then why is meclizine OK, since it still does cause drowsiness?" is simply because meclizine has yet to be studied under scuba or scuba-like conditions. Not a lot of funding sources for such an avenue of inquiry, I'd venture.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[donacheson]

Originally posted by ebbtide
hi all
i know this isnt the best sounding topic but it mught help some .
ive been a fisherman on the atlantic for the last 15 or so years
i am 31 now . and after all this time on the water , i still get seasick its just something that ive become accustom to ive tried all the remideys you can think of ! and the only one that werks for me is to let it happen and then EAT some bread or crackers after wards so that the dry heavs dont set in , ive spent up to 3 days on the water with them and they arnt fun learned my lesson i did !
now ive taked gravol and other sea sickness pills most of all will make you drowsy ! the patch behind the ear still throws me off balance . so i ask you how do YOU handle it and does it hapen often to you ,
best advice stay cool above deck, open air is real good for ya .
for me it is even happened under water ! now thats an experience ide like to forget hahaha

That's been my daughter's experience, except that once in the water she's fine. Over the years, she's learned that to lie down outside in the fresh air on dive boats and to carry a supply of crackers and water to keep something in her stomach is better than any medication.

She's an officer in the Navy and has served for 10 years at sea on supply ships and destroyers. Oddly enough, the pitch and roll of big ships hardly bother her, although she's found an English nausea medication that's helpful when things really get rough.

 

[samsliquidblue]

Hi Ebbtide,
I am not a doc but I carry a bottle of the Crystalized Ginger to Jocassee Lake, Salem, SC and to the Cooper River in Charleston, SC. We have all kinds of divers on our charter trips that get motion sickness at times. The ginger has a chemical in it that helps to sooth the Vagus Nerve from the stomach to the brain and eases the sickness part so you don't feed the fish. You can buy it in the regular grocery store under the Chinese food section or the Spice Section. It is really cost effective and does not put you to sleep or interfer with diving. You will need to nibble on it through out the dive period so it remains in your system. Usually a piece the size of an asprin each hour will keep you level on the boat. For some it works and then others have to use prescriptions to gain help.

 

[ebbtide]

thanks for all the input it will really help out next time out .
ill be trying the ginger soon , it is real helpfull to hear that i am not alone on this , as a kid i had allot of problems with my ears ,
tubes in ears and other stuff and i dident know if i was ever going to be able to dive or not but after conquerning the EAR FEAR . and sea sickness underwater (lol) i am up for almost anything !

 

[kru]

Anyone ever use something called Stugeron? You can only buy it in Europe or Mexico, so when my brother-in-law goes to Mexico he purchases extra to take home. He swears buy it and he suffers badly from sea sickness. He even gets sick when it's flat and calm. When he take Stugeron, I've seen him handle some fairly rough seas.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi kru,

Stugeron (cinnarizine) is referenced in my post of 07-23-01, and that can be read within this thread ---> http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=22187&t=328#post22187

This drug has been around since the 70s, and has been used in the treatment of epilepsy, Meniere's disease, migraine headaches, vestibular disorders & other conditions.

It is not FDA approved, but is widely available around the world, including Europe, Central America, South America, BVIs, etc. In fact, you can have it shipped anywhere from places such as the venerable English chemists John Bell & Croyden in London.

While it does seem to benefit many in managing mal de mer, like any other drug it is not without possible adverse effects, some rather worrisome for scuba. Common complaints include drowsiness, occasionally severe, inability to concentrate, dizziness & gastrointestinal disturbances.

Hope this proved informative.

DocVikingo