Managing Motion sickness

 

Managing Motion sickness

I have had quite a few questions about motion sickness recently. Many people are doing some summer travel, but others have issues with this in their general day to day getting around. I did a post on this topic several years ago, but there are some new things to try, so I am updating and rerunning it. Here are some general facts.   Females are more likely affected than males.  People who suffer from migraines tend to be especially susceptible.  While the majority of people who have the most issues with this are between 2-12, some younger babies seem to have trouble as well. I know some unfortunate parents who have babies that vomit every time they go out in the car.   I feel the need to add that even for the kids who get carsick, I do not recommend forward facing car seats until kids are two. The risks of injury in case of an accident are too great.   If you know in advance that motion sickness is an issue, here are a few natural remedies that you may want to try. If you are someone who deals with this a lot, you will have plenty of car rides ahead to do your experiments and see what works for you.   Getting fresh air by having a window open is the first course of action. Do some distraction by playing a game that has your child looking out the window. Experts say to specifically look at the horizon. For those kids who are not super sensitive, you can play some 'I Spy' games. See if you can find interesting license plates or different colors or letters on signs. Don't sabotage your trip by bringing along trip activities that have your child focusing on things inside the car. Even the best passengers might be fine until they start reading or looking at a phone or map.   Most kids do best when their tummies are not too full or too empty. Little crackers to snack on might be useful.   There are wristbands that provide pressure to some acupressure points that seem to give relief. You can find these on Amazon; there are several brands. A popular one is called sea-bands. They come in multiple sizes and colors. Otherwise simply massage the wrist and lower arm area. The magic spot is located on the inner arm about 1.5 inches above the crease of the wrist, between the two tendons there.   There is a new generation of wristbands that emit an electrical impulse that may help with motion sickness. As a bonus, these may also be something to consider to help with morning sickness: Emeterm wrist bands   Ginger seems to be very helpful. For older kids, there is a ginger gum specifically made for nausea (also available on Amazon). Find your favorite ginger cookie or candy; Trader Joe's has a wide assortment. Of course don't give anything to a young child that might be a choking hazard. Check out ginger lollipops (often marketed towards pregnant women.)   Motion Eaze is a topical aromatherapy that some folks swear by. You just dab a drop behind the ears and it provides relief within a few moments. Don't do this one for the first time before you embark on a long car ride. The smell is fairly pungent and other folks in the car might have a hard time with it. If you prefer not to apply a scent directly, there are several essential oils that have been found to help with nausea. Peppermint, spearmint, ginger and lemon are all on the list. Consider letting your child choose the favorite scent. You can apply a few drops to a cotton ball and put it in a baggy. The kids can take sniffs whenever they feel the need.   Hylands,  Boiron and Natural care all make homeopathic motion sickness remedies. As with many homeopathic remedies, they get mixed reviews. Homeopathy does seem to be the ticket for some folks, and is unlikely to cause trouble as long as it is used as directed. It might be worth a try. My husband likes to cry "placebo." I say, "Bring it on, whatever works!"   MQ motion sickness patches More in the possible placebo category, these patches are for kids or adults, four and over. There are over 7 thousand four and five star reviews for these herbal patches, but the directions are clearly written in an "English is the second language" fashion. Based on the large number of positive reviews, I would have no trouble giving these a try.     Medications If you are going on a long car ride, plane ride or boat trip and you have struck out with the natural remedies there are some medication options. Benadryl is an antihistamine that often works quite well for motion sickness. It comes as a liquid. The bottle directions are for children over the age of 6, but most doctors are comfortable giving it to younger kids. The dose usually agrees with the tylenol dose volume. For instance, kids over 22 pounds would get 5 ml or one teaspoon. Always check with your own doctor's office to see what their policy is. Benedryl makes most kids sleepy, but don't count on that. It gets some kids hyper. You probably don't want to find that out on a cross country flight.   Dramamine is another choice. It is an over the counter medication specific for motion sickness. Children 2-6 years of age can take ½-1 tab; children 6-12 years of age can take 1-2 tabs. These chewable tablets can be repeated every 6 hours, no more than 3 doses in a 24 hour period. Start with the smaller dose first to see if it works. Giving the dose 30-60 minutes before travel is recommended. For kids over 6, Bonine is another reasonable choice. This medication can be given at the first sign of nausea and is less sedating.   For patients over the age of 12, if all else has failed, some people use a scopolamine patch. This is a much stronger prescription medication that I would never use as a first line drug. Some of my motion sensitive older patients have found these valuable for cruises. (Tuck this information away for the future when taking a cruise is not an absurd notion.)   Luckily, motion sickness is something that kids tend to grow out of except for an unfortunate few. If you or your child have chronic motion sickness issues, it can be eye related. Cover one eye for several moments to see if the symptoms ease. If this works, you may have something called vertical heterophoria. It is worth having a consult with an eye doctor. My favorite eye expert in this is Dr. Vincent Penza.   More and more experts are starting to pay attention to the connection: https://www.healthline.com/health/glasses-for-motion-sickness   Some people with chronic motion sickness have also gotten relief from chiropractic treatment and /or acupuncture   Regardless of what does and does not help your particular case, if you are on a car ride, assuming the kids are old enough to comply, have them try very hard to give you as much warning as they can. Ideally they should try to get in the habit of warning the driver at the first twinge of discomfort. The initial signs are usually paleness, yawning and restlessness. They may feel a little sweaty. This is quickly followed by nausea and vomiting. With enough warning you might have time to pull over and get them out of the car for a couple of moments until the motion sickness eases. Being stoic is not a good plan; it usually backfires.   In my car, I actually kept barf bags in the glove compartment. I used to collect unused ones from my airplane travels. They may come in handy. If you don't have an actual barf bag, have a container or plastic bag that you can whisk out at a moment's notice.   Your trunk should be prepared:   A change of clothes (don’t forget socks) A clean towel A plastic bag for putting the soiled clothes in Some wet wipes A lollipop to get the yucky taste away Febreze for cleaning off the seats (you will bless me) Extra water and hydration tablets (or pedialyte packets)   While kids are usually the ones most apt to barf in your car, motion sickness can afflict any of us at different times. I hope that some of these tips can help you out.   I remember my days as a carpool driver. One of my little passengers had Emetophobia (fear of vomiting) and would quite literally open the car door and leap out if anyone so much as made a gagging noise. It kept things interesting!