there will be mountains and there will be wine

April 25, 2017 5:51 AM

What medications are safe to deal with motion sickness over the long term (10 days or so), that do not interact with alcohol?

I’m going to be driving around the mountains of Italy this summer, as part of a tour. There will be wine. I get queasy in the back of cars, especially winding roads and mountains. What are my options to deal with this as we drive all over, for more than a week? I don't drink much normally and don't plan on drinking more than one drink a day, but I also don't want to miss out on opportunities provided on this trip.

posted by raztaj to Food & Drink (12 answers total)

Do you like ginger? Try a ride with some preserved ginger (some are cooked with sugar and then dried) to calm the feeling. Ricola Cough Drops also work for me. I get terrible motion sickness, but I am better in the front seat or looking out of the windshield instead of looking out of the side windows. I also do my best not to read or look down.
posted by Yellow at 6:07 AM on April 25, 2017

Ginger gum saved me on the drake passage (and I don't even like ginger all that much).
posted by raccoon409 at 6:17 AM on April 25, 2017

My parents always kept a hunk of raw ginger on their boat for this purpose. It's strong but apparently it works--just chew on a piece of it until it runs out of flavor. Repeat as necessary!
posted by fiery.hogue at 6:48 AM on April 25, 2017

Ginger, but in pill form, especially if you don't want to mess with comingling wine/ginger flavors. I would take pills (I usually time them about an hour before driving, if possible) and keep some ginger gum or crystallized ginger on hand for on-demand chewing if you feel extra nauseated. Maybe have some Dramamine or a heavier-hitter OTC or prescription medication with you too, in case the ginger isn't hacking it.
posted by rachaelfaith at 7:24 AM on April 25, 2017

A lot of meds aren't supposed to be mixed with alcohol not because it's going to poison you,but because it could potentially make you much drunker than you expect. You can discuss that with your doctor if you're going to be in a safe situation where one drink feeling like three won't cause problems for you.

For motion sickness, what helps me most is eating continuously. I'm not sure why, but nibbling on saltines is worth a try.
posted by metasarah at 7:34 AM on April 25, 2017

Look out the window! Chew gum! The meds typically prescribed for motion sickness are basically all antihistamines and I would not mix them with alcohol.
posted by killdevil at 8:20 AM on April 25, 2017

I know this is maybe going to sound a bit woo, but: have you ever tried motion sickness bands? I've had good luck with them in the past on planes and in cars (as well as using them while playing motion-sickness-inducing videogames!). They work by activating an acupressure point. You put them on before engaging in the nausea-causing activity, and take them off when you're done.
posted by Janta at 8:34 AM on April 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

I don't know about medications but sitting in the front of vehicles has always helped me and members of my family.
posted by purple_bird at 10:45 AM on April 25, 2017

I'm very prone to motion/sea sickness and I just spent 6 weeks working on boats without being sick (doing work that involved sitting in a windowless room and staring at a laptop screen for hours at a time) thanks to a daily dose of Less Drowsy Dramamine. A couple of times I took Bromine instead of the Dramamine. I also used the sea bands linked above if the boat was moving a lot, and a occasionally had these candies. I felt fine the whole time, which was basically a miracle for me, because prior to this job I got sick on nearly every boat I had ever been on.

The key, as it was explained to me by coworkers, is to start the Dramamine/Bromine a couple of days before you begin the motion-sickness inducing activity, and keep it up as a daily dose throughout.

While I wasn't drinking during my shift, I would regularly have a couple of drinks after work, and did not find that the medication changed the way my body interacted with the alcohol.
posted by justjess at 10:58 AM on April 25, 2017

As someone who puked during a bus tour along the Amalfi coast/cliffs, and, in the 20 years since then, has gotten better at anticipating/preventing my extreme motion sickness, here is what I would advise:

1. Constantly suck on lemon drops (or other *sour* hard candy).
2. Sit next to a window, towards the front of the bus.
3. Look out the window intently, and don't converse much with seatmates (this may not apply to you, but I get sick much faster if I'm having to focus on someone's face while the background is whizzing by behind them).
4. Keep the window open, if that's an option.
5. Honestly, bring a plastic shopping bag or something you can use as a barf bag, and don't be afraid to excuse yourself to "check out the view from the other side/end/part of the bus".
posted by unknowncommand at 6:37 PM on April 25, 2017

Ginger's affect on the body is that it causes the stomach to empty faster. So you may still get nauseous, but have nothing to get rid of in your tummy.

You could try the seasickness wrist bands, or even a seasickness patch. I know you're *not supposed* to drink with the patch; in my case I drank a little but not very much.

For pregnancy I was sick most when my stomach was empty so I used lemon hardcandies and actual cut lemon in a ziploc (to smell as needed), that helped keep the queasiness down.

Can you speak to the tour organizer and see what they suggest? Can they seat you in the front?
posted by vignettist at 12:24 PM on April 26, 2017

I find ice water helpful when I'm motion sick. If you do too, maybe try bringing a thermos you can fill with ice in the morning that hopefully will stay cold through the afternoon.
posted by snaw at 12:39 PM on April 26, 2017