Motion sickness while driving

I popped those "motion sickness" pills twice just out of pure curiosity. Within ten minutes, I was out cold—straight up slept through my entire drive from Chicago to Nashville.
Those things are basically sleeping pills masquerading as medicine. I’ve never even dealt with motion sickness before.
They also make some Aviomarin tablets.

Anyway, here’s what Pfizer posted about those anti-nausea meds:
"Dimenhydrinate is safe for kids, but because of its anticholinergic effects, people who have angle-closure glaucoma, people suffering from bronchial asthma and men with an enlarged prostate should avoid them. Meclizine works similarly. You have to be extra careful when using antihistamines like promethazine because they can cause intense drowsiness and disorientation, which can end up totally ruining your trip in the end."

The thing is, I actually have glaucoma AND asthma! Did I seriously just mess myself up? Like, what does that even have to do with eye pressure or breathing issues?

I’ve taken those pills a few times before—usually whenever I was heading out for prom or hitting the road for a long trip—and they never once made me drowsy. 🤷

electriccobra76 said:I popped those "motion sickness" pills twice just out of pure curiosity. Within ten minutes, I was out cold—straight up slept through my entire drive from Chicago to Nashville.
Those things are basically sleeping pills masquerading as medicine. I’ve never even dealt with motion sickness before.
They also make some Aviomarin tablets.

Anyway, here’s what Pfizer posted about those anti-nausea meds:
"Dimenhydrinate is safe for kids, but because of its anticholinergic effects, people who have angle-closure glaucoma, people suffering from bronchial asthma and men with an enlarged prostate should avoid them. Meclizine works similarly. You have to be extra careful when using antihistamines like promethazine because they can cause intense drowsiness and disorientation, which can end up totally ruining your trip in the end."

The thing is, I actually have glaucoma AND asthma! Did I seriously just mess myself up? Like, what does that even have to do with eye pressure or breathing issues?

Don't sweat it, you didn't damage anything. But you shouldn't take them since they're contraindicated for your condition.
Those pills affect glaucoma and asthma because they interfere with acetylcholine release—that's the neurotransmitter traveling from the end of a neuron to the postsynaptic cell. These pills block the receptors (muscarinic ones) on that postsynaptic cell. So, the acetylcholine never hits the receptor; instead, the enzyme acetylcholinesterase just breaks it down. Not gonna bore you with more physiology.
The pills act anticholinergically, meaning they dilate (widen/relax) the pupil sphincter muscle in the eye. That restricts fluid drainage, which is the last thing you want with glaucoma.
As for the asthma, taking these can trigger bronchoconstriction—narrowing the airways. That's why people with asthma struggle to breathe and rely on inhalers (like Ventolin...).

Get it now? Or not? 😕 Don't know how to make it any simpler...🤣

By the way, I don't even take the whole pill anymore. I've trained myself to just take a quarter. If I took the full dose, it would be "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....wait, are we in America already?!"

Adding my two cents here. I can't promise this works for everyone, but it worked for me.
Growing up, motion sickness was a nightmare, especially on the school bus. Trying to read or anything similar would push me right to the edge. The one thing that actually helped most of the time was just staring at the horizon.
Then came high school, which meant a daily commute of about 37 miles miles. Five days a week, every single week. That first year was rough, and I spent a lot of time experimenting—call it a philosophical approach if you want—trying to distract myself with tiny details. I’d focus on reading street signs, checking out license plates(😕), and whatever else I could find. Basically, I tried to overstimulate my brain just so I wouldn't dwell on the fact that I felt sick. For the next three years and up until now, it's become rare—maybe a few times a year at most. Usually, it only hits when I'm traveling through mountain passes or if I'm already feeling under the weather.
Hopefully, I haven't derailed the thread with this long-winded story 😁, but what I mentioned above really made a difference for me.

Cheers.

Sean Kim7 said:Adding my two cents here. I can't promise this works for everyone, but it worked for me.
Growing up, motion sickness was a nightmare, especially on the school bus. Trying to read or anything similar would push me right to the edge. The one thing that actually helped most of the time was just staring at the horizon.
Then came high school, which meant a daily commute of about 37 miles miles. Five days a week, every single week. That first year was rough, and I spent a lot of time experimenting—call it a philosophical approach if you want—trying to distract myself with tiny details. I’d focus on reading street signs, checking out license plates(😕), and whatever else I could find. Basically, I tried to overstimulate my brain just so I wouldn't dwell on the fact that I felt sick. For the next three years and up until now, it's become rare—maybe a few times a year at most. Usually, it only hits when I'm traveling through mountain passes or if I'm already feeling under the weather.
Hopefully, I haven't derailed the thread with this long-winded story 😁, but what I mentioned above really made a difference for me.

Cheers.

But nausea is an inner ear issue, not a perception problem... So while this might work for you, I doubt it works for everyone. That's why I've tried every method under the sun. I take Dramamine... otherwise 🤮

I think I read somewhere that if you're feeling nauseous because your equilibrium is totally off, it’s actually better to look out the window at the trees passing by instead of just staring straight ahead.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I think I read somewhere that if you're feeling nauseous because your equilibrium is totally off, it’s actually better to look out the window at the trees passing by instead of just staring straight ahead.

In my experience, though, that’s a bad idea. It’s much better to keep your eyes fixed straight ahead and just follow the road.

I’ve actually found myself needing it way less since I started driving.

Elizabeth Hayes6 said:Don't sweat it, you didn't damage anything. But you shouldn't take them since they're contraindicated for your condition.
Those pills affect glaucoma and asthma because they interfere with acetylcholine release—that's the neurotransmitter traveling from the end of a neuron to the postsynaptic cell. These pills block the receptors (muscarinic ones) on that postsynaptic cell. So, the acetylcholine never hits the receptor; instead, the enzyme acetylcholinesterase just breaks it down. Not gonna bore you with more physiology.
The pills act anticholinergically, meaning they dilate (widen/relax) the pupil sphincter muscle in the eye. That restricts fluid drainage, which is the last thing you want with glaucoma.
As for the asthma, taking these can trigger bronchoconstriction—narrowing the airways. That's why people with asthma struggle to breathe and rely on inhalers (like Ventolin...).

Get it now? Or not? 😕 Don't know how to make it any simpler...🤣

Yeah, thanks a ton.
👍

Nicole James said:In my experience, though, that’s a bad idea. It’s much better to keep your eyes fixed straight ahead and just follow the road.

I’ve actually found myself needing it way less since I started driving.

But man, it actually helped me out a ton. Every 10 or 20 minutes I'll glance over for a few seconds and I feel totally fine..

Elizabeth Hayes6 said:By the way, I don't even take the whole pill anymore. I've trained myself to just take a quarter. If I took the full dose, it would be "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....wait, are we in America already?!"

I just pop two as soon as I start moving. Usually, it’s just a 7 or 8-hour bus ride. I sleep through five or six hours and step off the bus feeling completely refreshed.

Hey there.

I’ve dealt with motion sickness my entire life. It doesn't matter if I'm on a bus or in a car—even on short trips, the nausea hits hard. There have been plenty of times where even popping an anti-nausea pill didn't stop me from getting sick or throwing up.

Lately, I’ve found a routine that actually works. If I have to travel at 9:00 AM, here is my drill:
- I eat something light like crackers or rolls around 6:00 AM. No sandwiches, ever.
- By 8:00 AM, I take two Dramamine tablets.
Even with that, I try my best to avoid eating or reading anything while I'm moving.

On shorter trips, I don't eat a single thing or even touch water—definitely no tea.

Honestly, I'm fed up with these pills. They make my blood pressure drop and leave me feeling completely wiped out and drowsy.

I've got a long road trip coming up soon.

Does anyone know a better way to "survive" a trip without relying on those pills?

Thanks! 🙂

Look, I’ve got a massive issue here—I can only handle traveling via the interstate or by train. Anything else? No chance at all! It’s even a struggle for me to go out on a sailboat because my motion sickness is just that bad 😢

Jose Ortiz2 said:Hey there.

I’ve dealt with motion sickness my entire life. It doesn't matter if I'm on a bus or in a car—even on short trips, the nausea hits hard. There have been plenty of times where even popping an anti-nausea pill didn't stop me from getting sick or throwing up.

Lately, I’ve found a routine that actually works. If I have to travel at 9:00 AM, here is my drill:
- I eat something light like crackers or rolls around 6:00 AM. No sandwiches, ever.
- By 8:00 AM, I take two Dramamine tablets.
Even with that, I try my best to avoid eating or reading anything while I'm moving.

On shorter trips, I don't eat a single thing or even touch water—definitely no tea.

Honestly, I'm fed up with these pills. They make my blood pressure drop and leave me feeling completely wiped out and drowsy.

I've got a long road trip coming up soon.

Does anyone know a better way to "survive" a trip without relying on those pills?

Thanks! 🙂

I won't even touch motion sickness pills. You can't take them on an empty stomach, but you can't take them right after eating either. It's a lose-lose.

(At least that’s how it works for me.)

And god, the smell of breakfast sandwiches? If people start eating greasy pastries on a Greyhound bus, I'm done. Total nausea.

Lawrence Wells said:Look, I’ve got a massive issue here—I can only handle traveling via the interstate or by train. Anything else? No chance at all! It’s even a struggle for me to go out on a sailboat because my motion sickness is just that bad 😢

I've never actually been on a sailboat.

One time I was on a boat for about 40 minutes. Didn't feel sick at all. I was just chilling on deck by the railing. 🤷

The only time I ever felt sick on a plane was once. Just once. 🤷

I used to get terrible motion sickness on pretty much any kind of transportation, even just short trips.
This year, I decided to try my first long-distance bus ride without taking any medication. Honestly, I was terrified, but I ended up feeling only slightly nauseous, so it actually went really well.
Before heading out, I just had a protein bar and some sugar-free lemonade, then maybe a lemon hard candy during the ride, and that was it—nothing else, and I felt fine.
It wasn’t a massive cross-country trek, but for a start, it was a huge win. In the past, I couldn't even last an hour without feeling sick; back in elementary school, I'd feel awful on every single field trip, and by high school, I actually missed outings because I was so scared of getting sick while traveling.
It’s honestly awful when something like this starts dictating your life, where you can't even travel because you're constantly worried about feeling sick.

I saw this motion sickness wristband at a CVS the other day (honestly can't remember the exact brand name right now). When I asked the pharmacist if people actually use them or if they even work, they basically told me they had zero feedback on whether it’s legit or just a gimmick. 🤷 It wasn't even something you could find in local pharmacies around here until recently. 🤷

So, for anyone who deals with motion sickness, here’s what actually helps

- You don't have to be starving, but like, don't go overboard with a huge meal either... just stay balanced
- Seriously, no reading, no texting, and definitely don't turn around to chat with the crew in the backseat
- Just stare straight ahead and maybe grab onto the dashboard or the seat in front of you

(Doing that last thing kind of tricks your brain into thinking you're actually stationary, so it doesn't get so confused when your body feels like you're sitting still but your eyes are seeing everything moving outside)

I’m also struggling with the driving, especially on those long hauls like LA to New York

For me, the best strategy is eating something dry, like crackers, about four hours before hitting the road, then popping an anti-nausea pill two hours before we head out.

Honestly, there’s zero chance I’m going anywhere without a pill Rodavan. Especially if the roads are junk, full of crazy curves, or if we're driving through the night.

Like, during my last long trip, the Greyhound driver had to slam on the brakes because some cyclist suddenly darted right in front of the bus. I somehow managed not to faceplant into the seat in front of me, but man, thank god I took that pill. 🤷

Maybe I'll finally grab one of those motion sickness wristbands. 🤷

Jose Ortiz2 said:I saw this motion sickness wristband at a CVS the other day (honestly can't remember the exact brand name right now). When I asked the pharmacist if people actually use them or if they even work, they basically told me they had zero feedback on whether it’s legit or just a gimmick. 🤷 It wasn't even something you could find in local pharmacies around here until recently. 🤷

Found it via Google. It's the Sea-Band.

Found this too:

Acu-strap - motion sickness band

Acu-strap uses acupressure science to help with morning sickness, motion sickness, or nausea following anesthesia or chemo. It works by applying pressure to the Nei-Kuan acupressure point on both wrists. To find that spot, place your three middle fingers on the inside of your wrist so your third finger sits right on the wrist crease. The Nei-Kuan point is just behind your first finger between the two wrist tendons (see pics A and B), which is where the button goes.
You need to wear the bands on both wrists to get results. It can take up to 5 minutes to kick in, and it stays effective as long as you're wearing them. You can boost the effect by pressing directly on the button with your fingers. Acu-strap can be washed in warm water with mild detergent up to 5 times. Once they don't fit snugly against your wrist anymore, toss them and get new ones.

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