Anti-motion sickness pills

[Genghis the Engineer]

This I'm sure should be an easy question, it's just eluding me at the moment.

I'm involved with a large research aeroplane, which routinely flies a lot of scientists for long flights, often in uncomfortable conditions.

So, we'd like to be keeping a large supply of kwells or similar. However, our friendly neighbourhood pharmacists claim it's a controlled drug and we can only buy 12 doses at a time (which is to say, half a crew!).

Can anybody advise how I can readily get hold of a large and renewable supply, ideally from a UK source?

G

[aviate1138]

No Company Doctor Genghis? Then visit more than one chemist/pharmacy?

Looks like Lloyds online will sell multiples of 12 if you answer a few questions

Kwells 300 Microgram Tablets 12 Tablets - Lloyds Pharmacy - Online Chemist (http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=1008&storeId=90&productId=328957&langId=-1)

ebay sellers do multiples I think

Kwells (12 tablets) on eBay (end time 07-Oct-10 15:26:44 BST) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kwells-12-tablets-/310232752463?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Over_The_CounterMedicine_CA&hash=item483b50214f#ht_711wt_913)

[Genghis the Engineer]

No physician in our part of the organisation unfortunately, but that gives me an idea....

We have been sending out people to visit more than one pharmacist, but it's hardly an efficient use of people's time!

G

[bingofuel]

Why not just ask each scientist to purchase their own?

[Genghis the Engineer]

Why not just ask each scientist to purchase their own?

You've clearly never tried to manage scientists. Ever heard the expression "herding cats". Plus we still need a pool for those who didn't.

G

[homonculus]

These are not controlled drugs, but like most prescription only drugs which have been deregulated many of these drugs are only allowed to be sold over the counter by a pharmacist

The reason is that there are drug interactions, plus reasons some patients cant take them, so the idea is the person selling them can check they will not harm the individual.

If you somehow illegally purchase a laqrge quantity and get away with it, there is a fair possibility that when you hand them out like smarties one or more of your patients will have a little or big problem. I am sure they or their relatives will show their gratitude via the courts.

There is nothing different about a scientist. If they are at risk of needing these drugs they should go to the pharmacist and buy them legally and safely

[Charlie Foxtrot India]

Ginger seems to work well for some people in preventing motion sickness..

[Flyin'Dutch']

Big enough budget to fly a big plane but not to get proper medical advice and cosher supply of medication?

[chic]

I use Avomine in the UK but have also used patches Scopolamine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopolamine)

I was always told that I'd 'grow out of it' - still waiting after 50 yrs!! What do the astronauts use -I hear that they also get motion sickness. Apparently if I was on a boat for long enough I'd get over it.

Unfortunately shouldn't use these things if you're 'in charge of machinery etc'.

[dogle]

Thanks, chic, and welcome. "long enough" on that hypothetical boat might in fact be just a few hours if you had taken a suitable precautionary med and, above all, were confident in its effectiveness (been there).

Genghis, your plight brings back the tale of an elderly aunt who suffered terribly from 'car sickness'; a great pity because her husband was a non-driver, and outings with other family members were otherwise a special treat. One day her brother (a former Army officer) announced at pre-outing briefing "We've managed to get hold of some of the special stuff which will fix your travel sickness. It is what we gave the troops going over on D-Day, totally effective - but don't ask how we came by it, you must never mention this to anyone!".

He produced a small, sealed glass vial. I can imagine her watching wide-eyed as the vial was cracked open and a few ml of colourless liquid were added to her cuppa.

The stuff was indeed totally effective; outing happily accomplished without a trace of sickness. I suspect that on return they spilled the beans and told her that the vial, prepared by son just previously, contained ... what the troops got ... water ! Anyway as far as I know, her confidence now in place, she never succumbed to travel sickness again.

The point of the tale is that a placebo can, if suitably presented, be astonishingly effective when there is an underlying confidence issue propelling the illness (which is no less real for all that). If your aircraft - and crew! - be the ones I think they are, then granted you may have a somewhat higher-quality problem. In that case I have to side with homunculus' cautionary 'smarties' comment in respect of active medication; even good old, effective dimenhydrinate - "Dramamine" - which has been available over the counter for yonks (dunno now, the way we are heading even aspirin may be PoM ere long!) has side effects for a few subjects and potentially serious effects in case of certain nasty underlying diseases.

OTOH, thinking laterally: just supposing one had the bottle, it could be a fascinating experiment - and even possibly very beneficial - to test the effect on said felines' collective propensity to nausea, say by producing at preflight coffeetime a magic little dropper bottle ... swearing recipients to secrecy with a couple of dark hints about SF restricted stores ... sorry but you must not take this if you have bilhartzia or syphilis it could kill you .... etc. etc.... ;-)

[aviate1138]

chic

"Apparently if I was on a boat for long enough I'd get over it."

Don't hold your breath because Admiral Lord Nelson "Sent to sea aged 12, he soon found that although he loved the ships and the sea, he would always suffer from terrible seasickness all his life."

What a hero because when I am seasick I can't concentrate on anything other than feeling ill! Nelson fought great sea battles and threw up all the while!

[Agaricus bisporus]

Couldn't agree more with Dogle. From my experience on boats sea-sickness is psychologically controllable in the majority of cases. Those that start by convincing themselves they won't be sick are usually OK. Those that think they will/may be always are.

Having said that, at sea Stugeron is reckoned the most effective, the Navy should know, and that's what they use.

Available in any quantity afaik.

ps. Vert rare to be seasick "all the while" Seasickness wears off after several (miserable) hours and rarely lasts more than 24, max 48hrs.
I think you'll find Nelson was sick every time he went to sea, which is very far from all the time he was at sea. That is not uncommon.

Not that 24hrs helps in the air. Take your stugies 2 hrs before getting airborne!

[MacBoero]

My vote goes to Stugeron too. The trick with this stuff is to take it before your journey starts. If you get to the point where you FEEL you need something, then it is too late.

With Stugeron, I take two at least one hour before sailing, and then 1 every 4 hours for the first day or two, whilst awake. Dropping to 1 when waking in the morning thereafter.

I only need it whilst cruising or sailing for several days, as that requires going below whilst on the move. Day sailing and short course racing, I don't need them at all.