Seasickness medication and sedative effect

[Louie]

Is it always the case that where seasickness remedies are concerned, the more effective they are, the greater the sedative effect?

I've taken various commercial medications and have found that when it really matters, the milder ones don't prevent seasickness. Hyocine hydrobromide - "Joyrides" tablets - doesn't knock me out but has no effect in very rough seas. Cinnarzine/Sturgerone has been effective against nausea but I was stoned out of my mind for a while and then fell asleep for the next two hours. Dimenhydrinate has a similar effect.

Have I missed something that has low sedative and high effectiveness rates? Homeopathic and "natural" remedies have proved absolutely useless and I don't want to go on the next livaboard and sleep away the days.

Thanks

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Louie,

That appears to be fundamentally true. You may wish to consult with your physician about an antiseasickness-stimulant combination that proves effective without posing risks, either mental or physical, to safe scuba.

This is needs to be done with great care & prudence, and your doctor may wish to consult with local dive or flight medicine experts.

Best of luck.

DocVikingo

 

[BillP]

Howdy Louie:

When you look into how seasickness medicines work you'll find various theories, but some authorities will tell you that they beleive that it is the sedation that causes the effect. The more sedation, the less seasickness. Bad news for divers.

In your post you didn't mention trying meclizine for seasickness. Some find it more effective and less sedating than dimenydrinate. Scopolamine patches (Transderm Scop) can help many people with their seasickness and its sedative effects can often be manageable or even negligible. (But I understand it can be hard to get a prescription for Transderm Scop in the UK because of its cost.)

One idea you might try would be to work on getting your "sea legs" before your trip. Ice skaters learn to acclimate their inner ears to spinning and get by just fine with practice, and maybe divers can too. Head down to the corner playground and spend some time on the swing or go to the gym and bounce on the trampoline a bunch before your next trip. It might be a silly idea, but who knows, it might help if you do it enough.

HTH,

Bill