By Christine Cheng, R.Ph.
Q: My family is itching to get traveling again, but I’m nervous because I get motion sickness regardless of whether we go by car or plane. “Gravol” works for me, but I find it makes me very drowsy. Are there other options?
A: Most people are familiar with “Gravol” (dimenhydrinate) being effective to reduce the nausea, vomiting and dizziness associate with motion sickness. Like you mentioned, the primary side effect of drowsiness limits its use for many people. Thankfully, there is another drug called MECLIZINE that has a similar action and effectiveness as dimenhydrinate, with a much lower incidence of drowsiness. As it is not commercially available in Canada, we compound this in our compounding lab. Other effective options to be considered include SEA BANDS (which make use of acupressure) and homeopathic COCCULINE.
Christine and Fred Cheng are a passionate, charismatic sister-brother pharmacist team at their unique, family-operated Pharmasave stores in Cloverdale and Steveston, B.C. They specialize in natural remedies and compounding for both human and veterinarian use. Find them on Instagram and Facebook! Everything mentioned in their article is available InStore.
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