Scopolamine Experience

[Sabbatical II]

After trying many of the usual remedies to stop my wife getting sea sick with no success, finally we tried the Scopolamine patches. After having the patch on for 2 days while on land, on day 3, on a choppy day outside, she had 100% success on a tourist boat where many others were very sick. She enjoyed the day, something previously unthinkable. The only side effect she had was a slight ichiness near the patch site after having on it for about 24 hours. However, I have the following questions for those experienced with Scolopamine.

1. The patch is supposed to be good for 3 days. Is there any benefit to leaving it on or has it lost it's oomph by then?

2. If you remove the patch after 3 days does it mean that you become sea sick again?

Greg

[Bash]

my wife used to use them back in the bad old days when she used to get seasick. I think the theory is that after three days your system should be used to things and you won't need the medication any more.

Scopolamine used to give her horrendous bad breath. A nasty side effect. I'm glad she doesn't need it anymore.

[hellosailor]

Greg, in theory by the end of three days all the medicine has migrated out into the body and there's no benefit to be had, but the best thing is "try it" and if she thinks it still woks, or that it tapers off better...do it.

Personally I prefer SCOPACE, which is the oral pill form now sold in the US. Many docs don't realize it exists.

With any seasick med, you may or may not have acclimated by the time you stop using it. The electric wrist band also works very well (FDA approved for morning sickness and other purposes) IF you keep it precisely in place, and that's on/off with a switch.

Scop is a serious med with serious contraindications for many people, so if there's any doubt, ask your doctor or pharmacist to call the mfr, or contact them directly.

[Jim Cate]

G'Day Greg,

Many years ago, during the patch's first appearance I used them extensively, and with great success. They made me bulletproof!

But, over a period of maybe two years, using them mostly for my singlehand ocean racing (about 20 races per year), I noticed that the mild itching that I experienced around the application site was getting worse, and that first a red patch and then a raised welt were appearing after I removed the patch. The raised welt itched like crazy, and began to persist for days, and then a couple of weeks. I asked my doc about it, and he recommended discontinuing their use (duh!).

He suggested that the problem was a reaction to the adhesive used to stick the patch on. It is possible that they have changed that adhesive over the years... At any rate, it is something to think about if one is proposing to use them routinely.

The good news is that many folks gradually loose their seasick tendencies as their sea time builds up. With any luck, Heidi will do so too!

Oh, have you tried Stugeron yet? We've found it to be the best oral stuff for us.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann

[hellosailor]

Jim, Sturgeron (cinnarizine) is AFAIK not available legally in the US market at all, even though it is OTC in Canada and others.

(And personally, it didn't do a thing for me, apparently it acts through totally different pathways than scop.)

You may have a good point about the adhesive, many of them are 'rubber' cement or similar, and latex allergies apparently are an issue with all kinds of self-stick bandaids.

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Jim, Sturgeron (cinnarizine) is AFAIK not available legally in the US market at all, even though it is OTC in Canada and others.

(And personally, it didn't do a thing for me, apparently it acts through totally different pathways than scop.)

You may have a good point about the adhesive, many of them are 'rubber' cement or similar, and latex allergies apparently are an issue with all kinds of self-stick bandaids.

My pharmacist in Canada had never heard of Stugeron when I asked. Are you sure it's available in Canada? Where have you found it?

I found the patch to be very effective when I used it. It did wear off in three days, just when a major storm hit. I got a little bit sick in the storm, but was able to control it with a small amount of gravol. Much better than if I'd just hit the storm with no prep, believe me! So I believe that I'm still adapting, even though I have the patch on.

Only side effect was dry mouth (others may have been too polite to tell me if I had bad breath).

[sdowney717]

Did you try ginger pills?

[hellosailor]

cw, I was sure I'd gotten it in Canada (some time ago) but the Wikipedia says NOT available in the US and Canada now, although available in the UK. And also that it is a type of antihistamine--very different from scop.

Scop may turn you into a blind psychotic axe murderer with heart palpitations and a cotton mouth, but I'd say that beats seasick any day.<G>

[Trinomite]

Originally Posted by Bash

Scopolamine used to give her horrendous bad breath. A nasty side effect. I'm glad she doesn't need it anymore.

Wow, if I remember correctly, that drug was used as a `truth serum`back in the 50`s. Maybe they `tweaked`the formula....

(I know nuzzzzzing, no, I`m not telling you the 5 digit code to my Debit card.......)

Just kidding
Tri

[motion30]

I used the patch twice Once with good results the second time I was single handing and had a bad reaction, I was confused, could not make decisions and just out of it Lucky I was in the cdhesapeake by then and follow another boat from norfolk to pax river I finally figured out the problem and tore the patch off,,,i never did get sick

[Trinomite]

Btw: Ginger in large doses (if your stomach can handle it, works for a lot of people)

I used to got through a checklist for new crew:
- Are you prone to motion sickness.
- How much did you drink last night.
- Have you had breakfast.
- If not is it because you`re hung over.
(here`s an energy bar before we cast off)

In some cases that solved most of the issues. It was when we got becalmed and the boat rolled then that was another matter.

I still carry a large jar of candied Ginger and a pile of Dimenhydrinate (Gravol)
on my Powerboat.

Cheers

[sdowney717]

Ginger works for me and ginger wont make you sleepy or loopy.

[oldjags]

Whatever you do, don't use a Scopalamine patch that is past it's expiration date! I had some left over from a bareboat charter we took 4-5 years ago, and figured I'd use them rather than let them go to waste.

They still worked as far as the seasickness goes, but the side effects were horrible. The dry mouth was so bad I almost had a panic attack in the middle of the night when I couldn't swallow anymore. And if you have an enlarged prostate, good luck trying to pee!

Other than that, they're great! :-)

[Trinomite]

No Kidding Friend
The chemical soup that makes up a lot of these `magic drugs`is based on stable molecules that can only last for so long..
Combine that with a heavy dosage of salt laden vapour that is trapped in the bottle along with condensation, it is a wicked invitation from Hell to possibly turn the chemical formula backwards (or sideways, or totally ineffective).
(I`m not a chemist, but basic college science dictates that any highly complex chemical formula can turn sour on you after the planned expiry date has been exceeded)

Be well, (and I really mean it)

(911 is a concept in society. It`s simply not an option at sea unless you or your M8 is a Doctor or Nurse)

TRi

[Trinomite]

Btw: When I bought my last sailboat (Cat 27, 1984, CA built), I did a 10K refit and put it back into the Charter fleet where it lived most of it`s life.
You have NO idea of the stuff that used to be left behind....
It got down to the point where I demanded that after every multi day charter, the Vessel be completely scrubbed down and disinfected.

(`STUFF happens)

Eeeeeuwww!