Air flight & Vertigo

[sueg]

Not sure if this is the right place for this thread. DH spent the day in the hospital and left with a diagnosis of vertigo. He was horribly ill, but is slowly recovering. However, the meds make him drowsy. We are flying down in a week and a half and I am wondering about air flight triggering another bout. If we medicate, he may sleep thru dinner at Todd English. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks

 

[rajahfan7]

My positional vertigo has only acted up once on a flight (on a great flight home from disney no less!) and it was the worst last 45 minutes of a flight. I did find that the lower we got the better I felt and once we were on land I was ok. I don't have full blown vertigo like your husband (yet) but I'd definitely take some dramamine as the turns the plane makes will definitely have him feeling

 

[NonScents]

My vertigo during air travel was helped by using "Earplanes", a type of ear plug that helps to equalize the pressure in the inner ear, I believe. Many drug stores have them.
Didn't completely eliminate my symptoms but lessened them considerably.
I prefer Bonine to Dramamine, doesn't make me as drowsy or dried-out feeling.

 

[sueg]

Thanks for the suggestions. Maybe we we look for an over-the-counter alternative for the flight down and just take 1-2 prescription pills as back up for the trip & flight home.

 

[Sugar Jones]

My husband uses the Transderm Scop patch and it works for the flight was well as motion sickness from the busses and rides. It really helps him and it's often used for vertigo.

All of us also use the "Earplanes" the previous poster suggested, they work great.

 

[DebbieB]

I've had positional vertigo for the past 3 years on and off. I can only remember one time when it started during air travel. Luckily it's been awhile since I've had an "episode" (knock on wood).

 

[sueg]

People have been urging him to drink Sprite and/or take ginger. He is recovering from his last serious bout and was amazed at how a tall glass of ginger ale made his head "clear up".

 

[leebee]

As a previous poster said, I find Bonine works better than Dramamine and makes me far less sleepy. What is your husband's prescription? The active ingredient in Bonine is meclizine (25 mg).

When I fly, I take a decongestant in addition to the Bonine (which is an antihistamine). I have to be careful, though, as many OTC decongestants have an antihistamine in them- I don't want to overmedicate! It seems to help; keeps the fluid out of my ears/eustachian tubes, which helps with the positional vertigo, I think. I also learned (the hard way) that I get violently ill from anesthesia, but the scopolamine patch helped with that when meclizine didn't, so maybe your DH should consider the scope patch.

 

[sueg]

DH's prescription is meclizine. It definitely makes him drowsy. We will be discussing alternatives with the doctor, if we can get in to see him before we leave.
I was interested in reading that PP got sick when getting anesthesia because DH has gotten violently ill after a prior surgery and I wonder if there is a link to the vertigo.
In addition to air travel, we have also discussed riding Toy Story Mania, Soarin, and Test Track.
We are really going for F&W, so we will make any adjustments needed so he can enjoy the Festival.
Thanks for all of your suggestions.