Willard Bridgham 3

I have the elastic wrist-bands with the small ball at the acupuncture point and they work for me. Got them in a drug store in Portland, Me. right next to the dramamine.

I'm in a family with lots of doctors and have tried every kind of scrip medicine, every kind of non-scrip pill and etc.....in the instructor's seat, I got queasy until I got the wrist bands.

The wrist bands work in the passenger seat, on a ferry crossing the mouth of the St Lawrence in a nor'easter and in an 18' kayak in the Minas Basin of the bay of Fundy (66' tides twice a day) where my friend and I were paddling in 40' tidal rips.

Alan G.

I used to get it bad enough to wonder if I could ever instruct. Fine driving but not riding. Dramamine worked well for my and drowseyness was not a big problem.

Fortunately as I have done it more and kept my vision farther out front, with deep even breaths it has gotten much better and I don't seem to have the problem anymore. That said I try to eat a breakfast that soaks it up. Oatmeal or pancakes with no bacon or eggs.

Alan

caf

Nothing wrong with trying the wristbands, but like others, I'd also endorse transdermal scop patches as probably the most effective overall for motion sickness.

A few points relative to their use:

They're not designed to be cut in half, and won't deliver the medication in a reliable manner if you do so. They can cause mild drowsiness, dry mouth, and can sometimes make it hard to read or watch TV (they affect accomodative vision). If you do have side effects, you can take the patch off, but it may take a few hours before the effects begin to wane.

Be aware if you rub the edges of the patch, or the surface when taking one off or on, then touch your eye, your pupil will dilate. If you then crash, the medics could think you have some sort of brain injury.

Given their mechanism of action, I wouldn't expect the drug Emend to be very effective for motion sickness.

wf758

Thanks guys. I've done 5 or 6 DEs. Last couple I tried the wristband, but it didn't work for me. I never got motionsickness of any kind (cars, boats, planes or trains) until I lived in NYC and rode around in the backs of taxis. I KNOW that had to do with the fact there is no horizon to see! Now, riding passenger on the track and I can do one or two laps (and I concentrate on the horizon). I can drive all day, but by end of day i'm feeling "blah" which I think is motion sickness. Not the way you want to end up feeling after a satisfying day at the track. I'm sure it is a mental thing now, but I've got it. A number of good suggestions for me to try here. Thanks to all...

kurt M

Good points on not touching them and then your eyes. This is well covered in the instructions and for good reason. I have seen the after math when a fellow diver contaminated one eye and it dilated like an acid trip. He had a very hard time diving and I bet driving would be far worse. I will say that cutting them in 1/2 is a common practice among drivers and divers with the reaction noted by most all users being 1/2 the side effects. Very few people needed the protection from an entire patch. This was most noted when gong to the second patch on day 3. The active ingredient is dispersed evenly throughout the sticky later. Why would they not deliver at 1/2 rate when cut in half? I have a OK understanding on how transdermal systems work but am no expert and am only wondering.The patch came onto the market and was pulled due to delivery issues. It came back onto the market in time to save my bad diving habit from going over the transom every day at about 10:00 am. The active ingredient is a very powerful psychoactive drug and in higher doses had/has other uses some not so nice from what I have read.

Alan Herod

+ 1 for Scop-T. I have been cutting them in half for three years. The side effects of the full patch were too obnoxious. I have had no problem using the second half of the patch at a subsequent event. I put the 1/2 patch on the night before the first day and they seem to stay on throughout the event. I spend a lot of time in the right seat in all run groups. I have heard people complain of rebound effects; but, have never experienced them myself.

Historically I have always had problems with motion sickness, riding on boats, back-seat of cars, and flying low levels, behind tankers, or traffic pattern work in military aircraft.

caf

The delivery system is fairly complex http://www.transdermscop.com/infomed_prescribing.htm

When you cut the patch, you're actually cutting a membranous envelope which contains the drug. The rate of release of the drug is controlled by another membrane. The patches have been pulled off of the market twice due to presumed delivery issues. I still think they're the best way to go for those seriously afflicted. Although cutting the patches should be a no-no, I'm not sure you would do any harm by doing so, so if you're happy with that approach go for it.

The second patch phenomenon is definitely real. There is a cumulative effect after the patch has been on for several days. Also, there is extra drug in the adhesive formulation. This is designed to increase the speed of onset when the patch is first applied, but if you've already been wearing a previous patch, your blood level of scopolamine is already at the desired level, and that extra boost can make you a little weird. I would recommend waiting a few hours after discontinuing the first patch before applying the second. That's just a guess, I don't know of any studies that follow the blood levels of the drug during a transition to a second patch.

kurt M

Thanks for the link. The manufacture does in fact states do not cut the patch. They should listen to the users and make a 1/2 patch as in real world use many users cut them in half. I noted some things. The diagram has the layers unbound at the edges. I can see that greatly disturbing the layers and exposing the high concentration layer directly to the skin could result in an overdose. If you were to cut cleanly (I cut straight down with a fresh razor blade while it is on the base plastic) I would wonder if this would not be the case. Obviously it is not as many users cut them with success. I wonder if it is CYA.

5 hours would be my guess between patches. The initial dose is noted after 4 hours with the peak in 24 and a 1/2 life of 9.5 hours. The initial site has active scop and you absorb from the skin for a few hours after removal. The second patch is in a way a second dosing site for some time. Hit the delay just right and the second one is adding just as the first is dropping off. This does not take the 1/2 life into play. does the dose trail off at day 3? If not you will have 9 hours of scop on you, and getting more after 4 hours from the new one as well as some residual from the inital site.

Too much and you can see and hear things and have vivid dreams and on the upper end of the doses. I had vivid daydreams to just flat out hallucinations the first time I removed one and started a second.

leif997

^^^ all too complicated^^^....Zyrtec the night before will stop even the weakest stomach from launching in 6 to 8 foot seas (as heavy seas as I have tried it out in) and you will NOT have any drowsiness at all. Period.

drvirden

Same here.

1) Benadryl and Bonine metabolize to the same chemical once they reach your bloodstream, so if you can take Benadryl without getting sleepy do so. One 25 mg tablet usually does the trick every 4 hours, so one in the morning and one at lunch. Plus a bottle of Benadryl is way cheaper than the 10 Bonine tabs that come in that tiny tube. The anithistamine works on receptors in the stomach which produce acid and make you feel bad. I've also taken a couple of Sudafed (60 mg total) which make me hyper to counteract the sedative effects of the Benadryl.

2) Avoid spicy foods. Pickles, mustard, and chili, all common track food, make it WAY worse. Fruit, dried cereal, granola bars, etc, made life a lot better at the track.

3) Look farther ahead. As my vision has improved, my level of queasiness when riding with others has decreased exponentially.

4) Finally, plan your rides with instructors accordingly. Last one of the day is obviously safest. Plus, ask around--there are some VERY smooth and fast drivers out there. You don't have to come back in with bruises from being slung around inside the car to learn something. And don't be afraid to sit out a session if you are questioning how you feel. One of my worst off-track experiences came after riding with an instructor them jumping right into my car...

Chaos

Sudafed

pat056

+1 for the horizon solution

When I instruct, the 1st sessions' the worst! I finally figured out I was with a new student and I was watching his guages, turn-in points, etc.. When I'm feeling more comfortable the student knows what he's doing, I relax and look forward more, then no more car sickness.
I once did a cone DE for quick turns and stops prior to actual on-track. I would jump out of one car and into another. I did this for an hour and thought I'd die! I finally told the head instructor I couldn't hang anymore and he told me I was the only one left...all the other instructors had long since had to stop! That group didn't do the "autocross" thing anymore lol!

TR6

Keeping your eyes on the horizon definitely helps. This technique is great in aircraft, boating, etc, with good results. Unfortunately, in a car on the track, keeping your eyes on the horizon the whole time isn't very practical since there is so much else you have to watch.

Another bit of advice... Don't drink orange juice or anything similar for breakfast. Acidic drinks will definitely not sit well. Even milk isn't good. Water or coffee if you know you are going to be in rough conditions.

As a side note, I had the wonderful experience not long ago of being on a trawler crossing about 70 miles of open sea to the Dry Tortugas when the seas were running very rough (6-8ft swells). That was the extreme limit of my endurance for pitching and rolling, especially when the bow would rise way up out of the water and then slam down into the next trough with enough force that the whole boat would shudder. I kept my eyes glued to the horizon like my life depended on it. Never did actually get sick, but I won't say I wasn't feeling miserable and was very grateful to get back on dry land...

springgeyser

I get motion sick rather easily. Ginger products helps me. Confirmed by Mythbusters.

wf758

Went fishing this weekend. Only 3 miles off the coast in ~3 foot seas (small boat). Lost my cookies within an hour, even with Dramamine in the system a good hour before I set off. I'm headed to the doctor for a patch. I want to feel GOOD on that track.