Hello all,

Any ideas or suggestions on how to overcome airsickness? I know the over the counter med's are out of the question.

Thanks!

Susan suffers from air sickness and has spent her fair share of flight time talking into a bag.

She now uses the wrist bands with hard points which are supposed to press on accupressure points. She says they help a lot. I have to say she seems better since wearing them.

TD

Nothing has helped my wife. I hope to find out about a few more remedies here.

A friend who did underwater salvage recommended ginger chews to me, saying they helped with seasickness - and they do seem to help, on the rough days. Not sure if it's because it takes my mind off of it, or if it's actually the ginger, but it helps me.

I am sitting here laughing like an idiot while I wait for my flight home from a business trip.

About 2 years ago I got the flu so bad that I couldn't keep anything down. I barfed everything up and then some more from the bottom of the barrel. I was getting dehydrated so I had Erin take me to urgent care, where the doc gave me some anti-nausea suppositories. They really did the trick and I was on my way to getting better in no time. I still keep the leftovers ones that I didn't need in the fridge just in case I hoist a few too many some night.

Not to make light of your issue, but I can't help but laugh thinking about "administering" one of those suppositories during my preflight on a bumpy day, and the looks it would get from any ramp passers-by, to which I would reply, unsolicited: "It's an old Inuit remedy, you should try it!" as I hold up my #1 finger.

The best cure for air sickness or sea sickness is a tree. The second best thing I found is a prescription patch that goes behind the ear called transderm scop

I used to dive off-shore which meant long rough boat rides and I would get really sick just getting to the dive site. I tried everything and everything in combination. Not counting meds, the wrist buttons and ginger worked well for me. Also O2 helps a lot as well as breathing deeply and not holding your breath (which we tend to do more & more the worse we feel). Dehydration was also a big factor so staying hydrated is good; bring a pee bottle though. If your urine is colored, you are likely dehydrated.

I recently heard something about a new non-drug treatment. If I run across it I'll post - it sounded really promising.

My wife has vertigo. Can't even sit upright if it hits. When she feels it coming on she takes Bonine, an over the counter drug. She also takes it before we fly and it makes all the difference.

Zane, I don't know if I should suggest your cure to her.

When she feels it coming on she takes Bonine, an over the counter drug.

This was the best med I used when diving - hands down. I used to take a bunch of Bonnie 2 hours before getting on the boat and then top it off with chewable Dramimine during the boat ride. Worked wonders.

Everyone,
Thanks for your replys and advice. I see that the only approved airsickness med the FAA has approved is Ginger Root.


Thanks all!

Took the pc12 into teterhole today and got a right awful beating...
That airplane is a complete pukewagon. All the passengers were sick. I wanted to hurl. The only thing that works for me is to get on solid ground. Like the guy said in Erik the Red, "Some of the greatest sailors in the world were pukers!".
Nothing worse than getting bounced around in a hot and stuffy cockpit, especially when you combine it with a wallowing Dutch roll. I'm getting sick all over again thinking about it.

There is no cure.

Unless you fly a jet and whine about the rides all day long.

Foxflyer wrote:The best cure for air sickness or sea sickness is a tree. The second best thing I found is a prescription patch that goes behind the ear called transderm scop

In college I got to travel to the Amazon and the Galapagos. One of my fellow students caught hell from the accompanying faculty member for trying a hallucinogenic rain forest plant called Wanduk (aka Datura). Later in the Galapagos, the same faculty member was wearing a scopalamine ear patch on our boat. The shipboard naturalist saw his opening to lay some natural history on us, and went on to explain in front of our entire group that scopalamine is the active alkaloid in the datura plant. My classmate didn't catch any more flack after that.

I should actually add, however, that the classmate was pretty darn strung out for a long time. That was pretty scary, frankly.

[-o

dufus wrote:Took the pc12 into teterhole today and got a right awful beating...
"Some of the greatest sailors in the world were pukers!".
Nothing worse than getting bounced around in a hot and stuffy cockpit, especially when you combine it with a wallowing Dutch roll. I'm getting sick all over again thinking about it.

There is no cure.

Unless you fly a jet and whine about the rides all day long.

When I am flying PIC I can't think of one time I got queezy,, well except when someone else hurls and the smell makes it way to my side of the cockpit. Keep fresh air blowing on my face and I am good to go.

Now when I am a passenger then all bets are off.

Ben.

No prevention here, only barf bag substitute...

My dad worked for Bechtel, Inc., I had an opportunity to spend a summer in Peru with him. He had numerous helicopters and planes at his disposal. One morning after way tooooo many SA pilsner cervezas, I puked 5 gallons off third floor deck of monster tug boat I slept on, deckhands laughed and cleaned it up. I called my dad via shortwave to pick me up, a twin otter on floats was dispatched. They picked me up from an Amazon River work camp I visited the day before with friends, the only time I got real air sick was winding through the jungle and foothills, I whipped off one of my new Tony Lama boots, (no barf bags on board). Happy to report I was able to pull my dry empty boot back on after making my destination. Pilots thanked me for my efforts in refraining the inevitable puke and for not stinking the plane up. I must have been empty. Those were the days...

This device seems to work very well. I keep one in the plane for passengers; and it worked extraordinarily well for a friend having radiation and chemo. http://www.aeromedix.com/aeromedix_arti ... index.html

I stumbled upon this cure. Take as many and as long of acrobatic lessons as you can stand. Once you get your body use to that, you won't even notice a few bumps. I used to get sick if it was hot, stuffy, and bumpy. Now I don't even feel discomfort. Now granted to get to that point you are going to feel really bad after the acro flights. To me it was worth it because I could plan the acro flights to allow for some down time afterward. Plus If I got really sick I could hand the plane off to the instructor and just concentrate on not blowing chunks. If you are PIC you are not able to to that and you probably have a schedule once you get on the ground. Plus it is a good reason to pay for some acro.

I might be crazy, but it worked for me.

-Kneel

n6zt wrote:This device seems to work very well. I keep one in the plane for passengers; and it worked extraordinarily well for a friend having radiation and chemo. http://www.aeromedix.com/aeromedix_arti ... index.html

It's worked exceptionally well for me as well, though I rarely need it. I've also loaned it to freinds with morning sickness or chemo. I'd say it works for most people, maybe 90%. However, it is very important to read the directions and to get the device positioned properly so the "tingle" goes up the middle of the palm to the two center fingers.

I bought two of them, ones with the replacable batteries.

One thing I think is the more you think and worry about it,the more likely it is to get sick.I went 8 years in the commercial fishing industry and never got motion sickness.I bragged about it to the old timers and all they said was just wait,you'll have your turn.It finally hit me on a calm clear day of all times and man was I green and ill,they almost turned the boat around I was so bad.After that incident at just the slightest hint of weather I turned green and felt ill,and or got sick for quite some time.It took a while to get past it.What helped me the most was eating things that didn't taste so bad on the way up fishermans friends cough drops and chewing ginger chews .Granted in a small plane its a little different but basically once i got to the point mentally where it was like ok here it comes,aim over the side,chum,chew a tab,eat a banana and get back to work it became a non issue.

I'm a pharmacist. Try Marezine. It works great! Does not make you drowsy like Dramamine and Bonine. It's kind of hard to find. CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid don't carry it. The big box stores don't either. Try an old independent pharmacy or have your pharmacist special order it from the wholesaler. You can usually get next day delivery. Take it an hour or so before flying.

The behind the ear patch is a prescription called Transderm Scop. It works for 72 hours and you have to put it on. Have to put it on at least 4 hours before flying. Be good for long cross country flying. It's pretty expensive compared to the over the counter Marezine.