Motion sickness medical therapy

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Vishnu Vardhan Serla M.B.B.S. [2]

Many cures and preventatives for motion sickness have been proposed.

One common suggestion is to simply look out of the window of the moving vehicle and to gaze toward the horizon in the direction of travel. This helps to re-orient the inner sense of balance by providing a visual reaffirmation of motion.

In the night, or in a ship without windows, it is helpful to simply close one’s eyes, or if possible, take a nap. This resolves the input conflict between the eyes and the inner ear. Napping also helps prevent psychogenic effects (i.e. the effect of sickness being magnified by thinking about it).

Fresh, cool air can also relieve motion sickness slightly, although it is likely this is related to avoiding foul odors which can worsen nausea.^[1]

Over-the-counter and prescription medications are readily available, such as Dramamine (dimenhydrinate) and Bonine/Antivert (meclizine).

Scopolamine is effective^[2] and is sometimes used in the form of transdermal patches (1.5mg) or as a newer tablet form (0.4mg).

Interestingly, many pharmacological treatments which are effective for nausea and vomiting in some medical conditions may not be effective for motion sickness. For example, metoclopramide and prochlorperazine, although widely used for nausea, are ineffective for motion-sickness prevention and treatment. The sedating anti-histamine medications such as promethazine, work quite well for motion sickness, although they can cause significant drowsiness.

Ginger root is a mild anti-emetic and sucking on crystallized ginger or sipping ginger tea can help to relieve the nausea.

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