Motion Sickness

[arnold]

Next week we're heading out on a 16 hour car trip and lately my oldest has been complaining that my driving makes her sick.  I think she's experiencing motion sickness.  I'm wondering if there's anything I can give her to help her with this.  I usually tell her to look out the front window, and I'll roll her window down which seems to help.  But. were talking 16 hours, I'm sure she'll want to sleep, or play her ipod for a bit; which tends to make it worse. Any suggestions???

[Starr]

As a long time sufferer of motion sickness the best thing for me was to get old. Now everyone lets me sit in the front. haha  dd could stand on her head, read and draw and would be fine in the car, ds not so much. We find dramamine before you leave, audiobooks and smooth driving helps. The drivers that don't break hard, no rush break, rush break, break before corners not through them ( I don't know how to describe it) make the driving more gentle and easier to handle. Plus the dramamine often makes one sleepy and there's nothing like waking up a few hours down the road on a long trip!

[amyco]

They also make non-drowsy dramamine which works well.  Also--be careful what she eats before and during the drive--no heavy or greasy or overly sugary food.  Thankfully my dd grew out of the worst of carsickness, but still gets it occasionally.  It also helps to crack a window for some air. 

[Rachel]

Dramamine, staying hydrated, not getting too warm, and staying away from diesel vehicles helps.

 

Some driving, especially city driving makes my motion sickness worse. Be sure you are gentle on the gas pedal when taking off. When you are braking, gentlely release the pedal just before the vehicle completely stops, it makes stopping less jerky. Use cruise control to maintain constant speed. Minimize lane changing and if you drift, don't over correct. Constant back and forth or jerky movements really bother me. Some people don't even realize they drive that way. I do better if I'm driving but mountain roads bother me even if I'm driving.

 

I agree that getting older helps.

[Alessandra]

The only thing that helped me was driving, lol. Looking out the window and so is all well and good, but will not stop serious motion sickness.

 

Dramamine or Bonine works, but you have to take them well before the trip. If you get sick first, they will take hours and hours to work. Btdt.

[Hypatia.]

My 8 year old DD1 gets severe motion sickness, I did as a child and luckily it's not as bad now (as long as I'm sitting in the front).  I keep dramamine and a barf bag in the car for her.  She can listen to her iPod, but if she tries to read or play on a tablet then it gets really bad.

[Pawz4me]

We use the non-drowsy version of Bonine, taken at least 30 minutes before the motion-sickness inducing event begins.

[RebeccaS]

:grouphug:  for your dd.  My oldest has always gotten very carsick and dreads long trips (we've done at least one a year).  My dd is now on a prescription anti-nausea med that helps her since Dramamine doesn't cut it.  

[SoCalLynn]

Both of my daughters always got car sick on long trips. My younger one would even occasionally get sick just driving to the next town over. I didn't want to give her medication that would make her drowsy all the time, so I found these pressure point wrist bands at the drug store and they always worked. Always. Even on a whale watching trip.

http://www.sea-band.com/

[Tap]

Motion sick mama and daughter here.

 

Dramamine helps a lot.  The drowsy formula is the best, but the non-drowsy works good too if the person needs to stay more alert (both can make a person drowsy though).  They are different chemicals so if one doesn't work for her this time, don't hesitate to try the other formula another time.  On a car ride that long, she may need a second dose, so make sure to read the instructions on how long she can go between doses.

 

Absolutely no reading or looking down at something detailed for more than a minute or two.  One you get the nausea started it is hard to get back under control.  Books on tape are a good way to pass the time or having favorite music already cued up and ready to go so there is less time spent searching an iPod or other device for play lists. 

 

Eating a snack along the way does help, you dont want her to get hungry, it makes it worse. This is why cruise ships are often known for having overflowing food. Peanut M and Ms  or honey roasted peanuts are favorite road trip foods here.  The protein, sweet and salt really helps dd and me.  Carbonation can make it worse so avoid carbonated drinks if you can.  

 

 

Every time you stop make sure she gets out and walks around.  For us,if we are already nauseous when we stop,  it seems like about  3 minute walk is good to help relive the nausea if it is building up, but not enough to prevent it from starting over again as soon as we get back in the car.  We really need about 5 to 10 minutes to get back control over our stomach.

 

If you are going though a stretch of empty roads or long freeways ,map out where the rest stops are along the way just so you have an idea of where they are and how far they are between.  

 

If she really wants to read or do a task, put a blanket or shirt over the side window (stick the edge out and roll up the window to catch the fabric to hold it in place. This can help quite a bit, if work really needs to be done on the trip. A baby blanket or dark silk scarf if nice because it is light weight and small.

 

Pressure point wrist bands nor ginger do anything to help us.

[Luckymama]

We use the non-drowsy version of Bonine, taken at least 30 minutes before the motion-sickness inducing event begins.

This is what dd takes (but the store-brand version). She never gets drowsy from it.

[elegantlion]

I have extreme motion sickness. I can't even look down except for a second or two. I daydream - when I'm not driving. Ironically, my motion sickness is greatly relieved if I'm driving. My go to remedies are: 

 

Dramamine before leaving

no eating heavy meals - no eating before unless it's a long ride

7up or Ginger Ale at all times

air blowing on me

music or audiobooks

watch traffic and nature

Chill - letting your mind wander can be good

clear line of sight - front seat is best. A few times my friends didn't believe that I needed the front seat. Let's just say they never had me sit in the back of the van again (thankfully they stopped in time)

no weird odors in the car. No weird noises -windows down affect me differently than the AC

Stopping every couple of hours helped

sleeping

[Alessandra]

Both of my daughters always got car sick on long trips. My younger one would even occasionally get sick just driving to the next town over. I didn't want to give her medication that would make her drowsy all the time, so I found these pressure point wrist bands at the drug store and they always worked. Always. Even on a whale watching trip.

http://www.sea-band.com/

 

Fwiw, these do nothing for me, no help. Also no help, Relief Bands that go on wrist and emit an electrical impulse.

[Alessandra]

:grouphug:  for your dd.  My oldest has always gotten very carsick and dreads long trips (we've done at least one a year).  My dd is now on a prescription anti-nausea med that helps her since Dramamine doesn't cut it.  

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[In The Great White North]

A/C blowing directly in my face, not reading (anything, even the map), and being in the front seat are what helps me most. Sleeping also helps.

 

The wrist bands didn't work.  Dramamine didn't work.  Ginger ale/7Up will make me puke even not in the car. Weird odors and weird noises definitely make it worse.

[Stacia]

Lots of great advice already. Keep the air conditioning cranked & blowing on her face. (She can wear a light jacket/long sleeves, but keep the cold air on her face. Everyone else should just plan to bundle up in the car.) Sometimes wiping your face w/ a damp cloth while cold air is blowing on it also helps.

 

Sunglasses if it's sunny or there's any kind of glare.

 

Dramamine before you leave. Don't eat a lot before leaving, but eat enough to not feel hungry. No greasy or heavy foods. No coffee (if she drinks it). Ginger ale or Coke w/ lots of ice seem to be ok for sipping.

 

Make sure you have plastic bags handy, along w/ some wet paper towels, extra shirt, etc... in case of nausea accidents.

 

If I'm riding, I always demand the front seat. It helps w/ motion sickness. If she can't have the front, she needs the seat w/ the best air flow in the back, hopefully a window seat. But, mostly, I stick to driving & avoid riding w/ others as much as I can. Unfortunately, for me, motion sickness has gotten worse with age. :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: If she wants to listen to her iPod or change any settings for things like that, have her do it when the car is not moving or when she is outside of the car. Even if it extends your trip by a little bit, it is best to stop when she will need to spend a minute looking at her iPod or something. Have her preprogram it & then she can alter settings at each stop you make along the way, if needed.

[Stacia]

Some driving, especially city driving makes my motion sickness worse. Be sure you are gentle on the gas pedal when taking off. When you are braking, gentlely release the pedal just before the vehicle completely stops, it makes stopping less jerky. Use cruise control to maintain constant speed. Minimize lane changing and if you drift, don't over correct. Constant back and forth or jerky movements really bother me. Some people don't even realize they drive that way. I do better if I'm driving but mountain roads bother me even if I'm driving.

 

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

 

There are some people I cannot ride with & part of it is their style of driving. Also, the type of car sometimes seems to have an effect. For example, in a lighterweight/smaller car, I can feel the motion much more (which is a bad thing). Bigger/heavier cars are more 'steady' feeling, generally speaking. I had to get a car last year & really, really, really wanted a Prius. After test driving one for a bit, I realized that it's so light, even driving it was making me sick (not to mention my motion-sickness-prone ds who was along on the test drive). I ended up buying a different car brand/heavier car because of it.

 

[AK_Mom4]

I gave up the front seat to DD20 so she could go on vacation with us without puking or being zoned on Dramamine all the time. Sitting in the front meant she had to navigate for her dad (a job I hate!) but it was nice not deal wth vomit this trip.

 

We have not found anything other than being up front or Dramamine that works for DD. I think we have tried everything out there over the years.

[Guest susanb]

The solution to carsickness is to keep your eyes steady. That's why drivers never get sick. Their eyes are focused on the road ahead. A sure way to get sick is to look out the side windows. The kids are usually stashed in the back seat and they look out the side windows. As the eyes try to focus on the passing scenery, utility poles, etc.,they develop something called "optokinetic nystagmus." The eyeballs involuntarily and impercetably dance back and forth. This results in nausea and vomiting. It was discovered and written about by scientist Robert Barany in 1921. He detected it in passengers as they looked out the side windows on a train. It is also called "railway nystagmus." 

      Most physicians are totally unaware of this (it is not in medical data bases, including MedlinePlus) and they continue to pass out antihistamines.