Dramamine and Motion Sickness
I get motion sickness on carnival rides. Not the big rollar coaster, but more so on the small spiny rides. If I would take dramamine, would it help me to not get motion sickness on the rides? Thanks!
Answer:Motion sickness or kinetosis is a condition in which the fluid in the semicircular canals of the inner ear becomes agitated. This causes disagreement between the apparent visually perceived lack of movement and the inner ear's sense of actual movement. Depending on the cause it can also be referred to as seasickness, carsickness, simulation sickness, airsickness, or space sickness.
Many cures and preventatives for motion sickness have been proposed.
TREATMENT
Natural
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.
Chemical
Other treatments for motion sickness rely on medication. Over-the-counter and prescription medications are readily available, such as Dramamine. Ginger is a mild anti-emetic and sucking on crystalised ginger or sipping ginger tea can help to relieve the nausea. 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, 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. Scopolamine is sometimes used in the form of transdermal patches.
Please take note:
Considerable over dosage of dramamine can lead to myocardial infarction, serious ventricular dysrhythmias, coma and death.
Try look very far away at a object (e.g. a tree) and not looking at near objects whenever you feel motion sickness & going to vomit(MOST RECOMMENDED!). Cause the constant movement of a nearby object aggravates motion sickness of jerking movements.
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Doctor gave me dramamine for an inner ear infection and I couldn't stay awake. In fact, I went to sleep at my desk. As an alternative, he gave me Antivert and it very successful. Just an idea. Good luck!