True Non Drowsy Motion Sickness pills

[bcla]

We buy our Meclizine at the pharmacy counter. It is not a prescription thing, but that is where it is kept.
We take it a week before traveling, the entire time we travel, and a week after we travel.
Our family (especially DH and I) get airsick (not vomit, but dizziness) when we travel, and the above works perfectly!
Our dosage is 1 per day.

Doesn't sound like a legal requirement like pseudoephedrine. Some pharmacies keep stuff behind the counter or locked cases because they're commonly pilfered by shoplifters.

A lot of drugs that have gone OTC are still available by prescription in some form. My wife was prescribed 600 mg ibuprofen, which seemed kind of odd. A nurse told me that there's no effective difference if one just takes 3 200 mg OTC tablets. However, the prescription ones are cheap since they're generics, and may be tax deductible. We also don't pay sales tax in California for prescription items.

When I was looking up this stuff I noticed that one can still get meclizine with a prescription in the same doses available OTC. I was looking for a certain OTC medication in a smaller dose and asked a pharmacist about it. He said he could order it in a smaller dose if I had a prescription, or I could just buy the OTC version and split the tablet. Which reminds me. Perhaps the OP can just ask a pharmacist. Most will answer questions about OTC meds.

 

[Starwind]

How much can you stock up considering the expiration date? In any case, the generic/house brand versions are generally cheaper and most aren't chewable. One time we visited Reno via bus (my wife thought it was better than driving and we got some hotel/casino perks) and I started feeling queasy because of how much the bus shaked. I bought some Dramamine Less Drowsy because the store I bought it at had no generic version (out of stock). It was pretty expensive ($4.50 maybe?), but the small tube was somewhat convenient. If you're every buying this stuff again, maybe try a generic? The following has various inactive ingredient lists.

http://www.drugs.com/otc/motion-sickness-relief.html

I found it odd that it's no longer available in Canada.

https://costcopharmacy.ca/HealthInformationDrug.aspx?id=575

Meclizine is no longer being manufactured for sale in Canada and is no longer available under any brand names. This article is being kept available for reference purposes only. If you are using this medication, speak with your doctor or pharmacist for information about your treatment options.

Here's a generic non-chewable in 12.5 mg tablets. I'm not sure about the legality of the stuff or logistics of shipping it into Canada, but it's pretty cheap. The ingredients don't seem to include aspartame.

http://www.amazon.com/Rugby-Meclizine-Tablets-12-5mg-100ct/dp/B00B6SQX56
http://www.drugs.com/otc/193347/rugby-meclizine-hcl-12-5-mg-each-antiemetic.html

I'm not even sure why chewable tablets need to contain aspartame. What ever happened to just using sugar?

I it is annoying that it is no longer available in Canada. Fortunately, the border is close enough that it is easy to pick some up when going to other things anyway. I declare it coming back and have never had an issue. I am going to hazard a guess that it falls under the same "reasonable personal use quantities" rule that other OTC and Rx meds fall under. Meclizine is not banned or controlled in Canada as far as I know -- just no longer sold for some reason. Note that the products/manufacturers were different anyway from the US - so perhaps it is a matter of the manufacturer stopping selling it and nobody stepping in to fill the gap ? Not really sure...

I have not had expiry issues because I use it for migraine and other nausea as well, not just motion sickness.

The aspartame instead of sugar my guess is because people get weird about sugar being in things. Personally, I would rather have the sugar and cannot have the aspartame.

Finally, although i prefer the brand name to generics, yes, I have seen the generic in WalMart; the non-chewables do not have aspartame that I have seen. Seems only the chewables are affected by that problem.

SW

 

[Starwind]

Which reminds me. Perhaps the OP can just ask a pharmacist. Most will answer questions about OTC meds.

I second asking the pharmacist for advice. They are an excellent resource and in my experience usually have great advice and suggestions. Also, they may have suggestions for other meds (OTC or Rx) or new items on the market. And if it is your pharmacist, they can look up your other meds to make sure there isn't going to be a med conflict/interaction problem.

I will always remember walking into a pharmacy in Switzerland experiencing severe motion sickness from the 13 hour bus day tour I was in the middle of (I went to the pharmacy during our lunch break). I spoke no German, but the pharmacist spoke English; I explained my problem, she asked a few clarifying questions, and then came out with a BTC medication which worked really well and made the rest of the trip manageable (FWIW, the medication contained meclizine and some other active ingredients).

-SW

 

[Starwind]

Also, as another poster alluded to, sometimes medications have multiple effects; so they may be normally used for some purpose, but CAN be used for other purposes (which may or may not be off label).

For example, one of the meds I am on is normally used as part of the treatment for DiseaseA, which I absolutely do not have, however, it has another effect, which is good for me, and which is why my MD prescribed it. In this case, not off-label, but one of the much lesser reasons it is prescribed.

A good pharmacist can give professional advice about options like that that might exist for dealing with motion sickness / nausea. You may have to get your MD involved as well if a solution in an Rx med.

SW

 

[bcla]

The aspartame instead of sugar my guess is because people get weird about sugar being in things. Personally, I would rather have the sugar and cannot have the aspartame.

There is phenylketonuria. There's a warning about it on anything that contains aspartame. I've heard that most babies are tested for it immediately after birth. It would royally suck that something so common is essentially poison that builds up over time.

 

[U-No]

Today I did a trial run on the equate version of Less Drowsy dramamine before our trip in 10 days. I guess my plan was to spin around in the backyard - I didn't think that part through. Well the result was that I got so tired I SLEPT FOR 3 HOURS this afternoon. So my question - has anyone tried any other motion sickness methods that are NON drowsy and really work. We are going to Universal and it is a must for me I think. Appreciate the responses.

A Scopalamine patch applied behing your ear works great. Need a script though.

 

[Bkk40in2011]

Tried your suggestions on overnight and it worked much better. I was struggling a little in the morning with energy but feel the adrenaline from being on vacation at Disney will help with that maybe. I also started the Magnesium supplements so that will hopefully help too. Thanks again to everyone. I appreciate all your time to post.