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Warning about the Scopolamine Patch -- Please Read


Rudydog
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I'm a physician, Internal Medicine, and am constantly asked to prescribe scope patches. I never, ever write for it. I consider the stuff dangerous, and that dizziness described is part of the side effects. As is the dilated eye pupil and blurred vision on one side, and walking into walls. Please, drink some ginger ale or eat some candied ginger! It is so much safer! I do prescribe Antivert (meclizine) which is the same drug as bonine, for nausea and vertigo. Benadryl will also work just as well. Might not have the exotic allure of a grey patch plastered behind your ear, but they work and are a lot safer.

 

Dr H

 

 

So glad to have read this NOW! I took Meclizine on my first cruise & did just so-so, however took Compazine & did really well on the last cruise. I have a Dr's Appt. in 2 weeks to ask for the Scop Patch, but now believe I will stick with what worked before! Thanks for the information.

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I have a script for the patch too, but now I'm wondering....

 

Last year I went on a cruise. 10/10 through 10/17. On 10/20 (my first day home) I started experiencing inexplicable dizziness. The dizziness was seemingly only confined to certain scenarios though, like grocery stores, shopping in general, anything that i had to be walking/looking around a lot all at once.

 

Doctors tested me for all sorts of stuff, and eventually, in April of the following year, I started Vestibular Therapy, which I'm not sure did much or not.

 

I'm really wondering if I suffered a potential side effect of using that patch? Could it really be that strong? I never thought it could affect me AFTER it was off and i was home, and for months afterward.

 

I still have low level issues with shopping at times now, but nowhere near what they once were. I'm going on my 2nd cruise in 12 days, so we'll see what happens. I think i'll forego the script for the patches. I already bought ginger root capsules a few months ago when I read it on CC, and also have Bonine and even prescription meclizine from when they were trying to figure out if i had vertigo (i didn't).

 

Wow, did transdermscop really do it to me?

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my DH used the patch for several cruises with no problem. On the 7th cruise, 3rd day, he awoke during the night because his skin was itching--looked in the mirror and he was broken out head-to-toe--looked like he'd been boiled. And the itching was beyond tolerable. At first we thought maybe it was the blanket/linens but we got out the insert that came with the patches and, at the bottom of the 4th page of warnings, was the warning that it can cause rashes and itching. He immediately removed the patch and his skin cleared up within hours. Never again...he uses wristbands and ginger and has not had any seasickness.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I used the patch on my first cruise. By the second day, I felt dizzy, woozy and off center....a lady noticed I was wearing one and she told me to take it off. I did that, and by the next morning I felt good. I haven't used one since. Ginger doesn't work, nor dramamine....what works for me if I am on a smaller boat is to look at the horizon and do not use the small, cramped bathrooms. Also, if I'm on a catamaran or boat, I sit outside.

Edited by gingera
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  • 3 weeks later...
Thanks for the warning.

I have found the best motion sickness cure to be ginger root, in capsule form. This is all natural (you can buy organic), and has NO side effects. It also helps aid digestion, a must for all that cruise food. I have never been seasick, and this even helps when riding around with those crazy cab drivers on the islands. I start taking 1 capsule twice a day a few days before the cruise, and continue every day until the end of the cruise.

 

 

Wish it worked for me.....I'd recommend this before the patch.

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I am also a physician who practices internal medicine and pediatrics. I guess my experience in prescribing these medications has been quite different. I have used Scopolamine in the past and it only gave me a dry mouth. I have prescribed it for patients who later were grateful that they had received it, as it worked wonders for their sea sickness. It obviously has potential side effects, just like any medication that is prescribed or product you purchase over the counter.

 

If I informed everyone on here about all the side effects I have seen with medications like Compazine (neurologic side effects), Phenergan , and Meclizine (Antivert), you wouldn't want to take those either. So, bottom line, talk to your MD about it. If he's worth anything, he will inform you of potential side effects of ALL these medications and. based on your history and previous reactions, will recommend what he/she thinks is best for you. I can't imagine a legitimate physician steering you down the wrong path on purpose (especially if he/she has your best interests in mind).

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  • 3 weeks later...
Actually gravol is dimenhydrinate (which is original dramamine)

Bonine is meclizine (which is also dramamine less drowsy)

 

i am not a doctor but I did stay in a holiday iinn express last night (kidding i am a pharmacist)

 

So which one is better and can you get Bonine in Canada?

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  • 3 weeks later...
Did you think it was just a coincidence that no cruise line will issue these poison patches on any of their ships?

 

EVERY ship's doctor I have worked with over the past 3 decades has recommended against them.

 

A main issue is the drug has a tremendously long half life. One of its potential side effects is psychosis. No ships physician wants to be in the middle of the ocean with someone like that. If you touch the patch then touch your eye it dialates and you cant focus for some time. When someone came to me all I could do was take the patch off and tell them they will feel better in 3 days. Not too reassuring but at least I was not the one who prescribed it. At least with the tablets if there is an issue the effects are much more short lasting.

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  • 11 months later...

My DH and I went on our first cruise on October 29, 2011. Everyone in my family uses the patch and cruises often so we got our doctor to prescribe the patch. Within hours of putting his on, my DH got really "funny-feeling". By the next morning, I was "tripping out" - all of the side-effects (dilated pupils, red cheeks, sensitivity to light, paranoia, hallucinations, sticky lips, dry mouth, hoarseness, everything listed in the literature). His patch came off in the shower the second morning and he did not replace it. Mine came off too and I put another on (24 hours sooner than the second one was due). I started "tripping out" even more (too "tripped out" to realize it was the patch). When we returned home, I looked up Scopolamine and found that it is a belladonna alkaloid (aka "Deadly Nightshade"). The "hauntingly familiar" super bad-trip feeling was familiar to me, because i had ONCE experimented with belladonna when I was a "flower child" in the 60's and it was really, really bad. NEVER AGAIN will I use the patch! Cheers to all,

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Wow, I am glad I read this thread. I used the patch on our cruise in June 2011. I started using it the 2nd day aboard after feeling dizzy. The dizziness went away but felt drugged for about 12 hours. I also had the itchy feeling for the first day or so. I never had the rash but my entire body was so itchy it drove me crazy. I am going to try the ginger root capsules for our Christmas cruise. If they will help, that will be much better than having the itchy and drugged symptoms.

 

Thanks for the info everyone!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Used the patch years ago, no seasickness but sure screwed up my ability to read a menu! (blurry close up vision)

 

Two years ago took Meclizine(?) after getting seasick and it took care of me with no noticeable side effects (at least nothing worse than the seasickness itself)

 

Just my .02

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  • 1 month later...

Have used the patch on my past 3 cruises. Had a 19 yr gap between cruises because of sea sickness. With the patch I can have a cocktail, my doc said no if I took the pill. Plus the pills made me so sleepy I missed out on a lot during that first cruise and I still got sick. Ask your doctor which is best for you. The meds you take can influence if you can use the patch or pills.

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  • 3 months later...

I can get motion sick in a rocking chair, so I use the patch. I've noticed that after this last trip my patch affected me more than it has in the past. It has taken longer for my vision to return to normal. I also applied the patch then adjusted my contact, very bad thing to do folks. My husband thought I was having a stroke, we were by the pool so one pupil was very small and the other was totally dilated.

I really wish that the other seasick things worked for me. None of the others seem to be strong enough. I do bring Zofran with me to stop the vomiting if I do get seasick. We're going again in November, so wish me luck, I'm going to try to do it patch free.

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  • 5 years later...

We were on a dive boat on the Great Barrier Reef with 5m beam seas on a 30m catamaran. Very uncomfortable constantly rocking from side to side. I wasn't sick, but felt ill and did not want to eat at all. The divermaster said try a Scop patch (not tablet) and it was great. I felt instantly better and had no side effects. I shall certainly take some patches with me for our upcoming Alaska cruise, in case it starts to get rough.

The trouble is everyone reacts differently to medication. I have just had to come off penicillin because I had awful wind problems which were so bad I thought I was going to be sick. Yet millions take penicillin without any severe side effects, so it is always down to the individual

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  • 1 month later...

Just a perspective.... This thread was originally started in 2010. A friend of mine tried the patch back in those days, and did have side effects. However, I understand that the patch has been reformulated and many of the side effects have been removed. She has since used the patch with no side effects, and I also used the patch on my last cruise with no problems.

 

One suggestion I have heard is to get your prescription a few weeks in advance and to try the patch for a few days, well in advance of the cruise, to ensure that you do not have any side effects.

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I have been using the patch for almost 40 years. It makes travel possible for me. It makes me drowsy when I first put on the patch so I always put a new one on at night. That way I get a great night's sleep. This is especially useful the night before a trip when I would probably be up all night fretting over what I forgot to pack.

 

Of course, no shipboard doctor would prescribe the patch. This would mean he would have to go through your medical history and prescription history. They sure don't have the time or the interest to do that with every person who gets motion sickness on a cruise.

Best advice, talk to your personal physician and decide what is best for you. And, don't touch your eyes after putting on a patch. I did that once and learned my lesson. Karen

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  • 1 year later...
On 11/14/2010 at 2:28 AM, Kentucky Doc said:

I am also a physician who practices internal medicine and pediatrics. I guess my experience in prescribing these medications has been quite different. I have used Scopolamine in the past and it only gave me a dry mouth. I have prescribed it for patients who later were grateful that they had received it, as it worked wonders for their sea sickness. It obviously has potential side effects, just like any medication that is prescribed or product you purchase over the counter.

 

If I informed everyone on here about all the side effects I have seen with medications like Compazine (neurologic side effects), Phenergan , and Meclizine (Antivert), you wouldn't want to take those either. So, bottom line, talk to your MD about it. If he's worth anything, he will inform you of potential side effects of ALL these medications and. based on your history and previous reactions, will recommend what he/she thinks is best for you. I can't imagine a legitimate physician steering you down the wrong path on purpose (especially if he/she has your best interests in mind).

 

 

Shoot, the side effects of Prilosec are the very thing it’s described for!  I normally only use Scopamine when we have very rough seas.  Only my last cruise I had an accident where I severely banged my head on the floor!  Halfway through the exam the nurse said something about the patch I had forgotten.  But she wouldn’t tell me to remove it or what the side effects were.  I removed it because of the injury and I really didn’t need it any more.  

 

The fall was caused by the cruise line placing a high threshold threshold in the handicap restroom.  I turned a scooter over backwards when I hit it!  So no, I didn’t fall from the patch.   

 

The doctor asked me if i had my own pain medicines with me and me and I told her not really.  She wanted to know what I did have and again I told her nothing appropriate for this injury as I asked her what she had in mind.  I told her too she wouldn’t like what I had after she insisted I mention it.  I had about 6 oxycodene tablets, that I still have, she agreed that was overkill!  The pills are left over from either some dental work or my knee replacement where I was off all drugs in 2 weeks, my choice.   They gave me Motrin which I agreed was probably most appropriate! 

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  • 2 months later...
On 5/18/2018 at 9:15 AM, Campbell soup said:

I have been using the patch for almost 40 years. It makes travel possible for me. It makes me drowsy when I first put on the patch so I always put a new one on at night. That way I get a great night's sleep. This is especially useful the night before a trip when I would probably be up all night fretting over what I forgot to pack.

 

Of course, no shipboard doctor would prescribe the patch. This would mean he would have to go through your medical history and prescription history. They sure don't have the time or the interest to do that with every person who gets motion sickness on a cruise.

Best advice, talk to your personal physician and decide what is best for you. And, don't touch your eyes after putting on a patch. I did that once and learned my lesson. Karen

I also use the patch but remove it when in land. I also cut it in half. I get motion sick watching television so the patch is a lifesaver for me when cruising.

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