Motion sickness medication

ssonixx

ssonixx

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ssonixx
I have had this question floating around in the back of my head for a while. Tossing it out there to see if anyone has any thoughts.

Motion sickness medication helps to alleviate nausea, right? So, wouldn't it also reduce the sensory illusion of turning/banking while flying in IFR conditions?
 
Well I am a VFR pilot and a few weeks ago I accidently flew into full IMC - at night. I did not have any sensations of turning. I really felt like I was straight and level while I tried to follow a heading given to me by ATC. Then I saw the Turn Coordinator rock and the ball swing one way then the other. Then the Directional Gyro started spinning. The Vertical Speed Indicator indicated a rapid descent and the airspeed was increasing. But I did not feel anything. When I broke out of the IMC I was in a steep bank and nose down. And all along I thought I had been doing such a good job of staying level.
 
Try a "C-Band" available at most drug stores...it puts pressure on a point on your wrist. Also try the seasoning called ginger...that works too for motion sickness.

Neither of these will keep you out of IMC but they will keep you from barfiing.
 
ssonixx said:
I have had this question floating around in the back of my head for a while. Tossing it out there to see if anyone has any thoughts.

Motion sickness medication helps to alleviate nausea, right? So, wouldn't it also reduce the sensory illusion of turning/banking while flying in IFR conditions?
Click to expand...

Fly more, you'll get over it. Mrs. Steingar wears one of those bracelets, works like a charm. Doesn't for everyone though.

DogDaddy said:
Well I am a VFR pilot and a few weeks ago I accidently flew into full IMC - at night.
Click to expand...

How could you "inadvertently" enter IMC down there? There are so many lights on the ground, how did you not notice them going out at once? Unless you were over the Everglades at night, which is not an entirely good place to be in the first place.
 
Almost all motion sickness medications are very impairing.

I like ginger. Tasty too. But it helps the stomach, not the senses.
 
spinfire said:
Almost all motion sickness medications are very impairing.
Click to expand...

The only one I'm aware of that can be used is scop-dex, and that's only allowed for military pilots and astronauts. It is a mixture of scopalamine and dextroamphetamine. The scopalamine is for nausea, and the amphetamine is for offsetting the drowsiness induced by the scopalamine.

The best recommendations are the non-medical ones that you'll find here:
http://www.leftseat.com/AME/motion.htm
Basically, focus your vision on one place (typically the horizon in VMC or the artificial horizon in IMC), don't move your head around, keep the plane straight and level, and blow cold fresh air on your face.
 
I saw an aerobatic pilot talk about a wrist band, similar to the sea (c) band. It cost a lot $150. But it was well worth it durning my training. It's called aero medix. They were very popular for flying, BUT, they also found out it works great for chemo patients and people after surgery, which is probably why it cost so much.
My wife uses the cband and is fine.
If you need more info pm me.
 
The relief band (which is basically an electric fence on a wristband and zaps one of your nerves) has worked for ALL of my passengers prone to motion sickness.
 
I sufer from this really bad. I posted about this and was told to go see a doctor. I go Monday for a bunch of test.

All my life I have been very prone to motion sickness, it takes very little to get me sick. I hope its all in my head...lol
 
DogDaddy said:
Well I am a VFR pilot and a few weeks ago I accidently flew into full IMC - at night. I did not have any sensations of turning. I really felt like I was straight and level while I tried to follow a heading given to me by ATC. Then I saw the Turn Coordinator rock and the ball swing one way then the other. Then the Directional Gyro started spinning. The Vertical Speed Indicator indicated a rapid descent and the airspeed was increasing. But I did not feel anything. When I broke out of the IMC I was in a steep bank and nose down. And all along I thought I had been doing such a good job of staying level.
Click to expand...

the spin. There it was - seconds from fully developing . . . getting your instrument rating now?
 
I flew on Scapolomine patches the last tour in Iraq (made necessary after filling a bag in the midst of a gun run). They work great, but wouldn't recommend making a habit of using them (unsure of civil aviation restrictions). Try the ginger (pickle it) and manage your eating habits prior to flight (minimize intake of acids). You can build up endurance to air sickness. Just have to keep flying.


1600vw said:
I sufer from this really bad. I posted about this and was told to go see a doctor. I go Monday for a bunch of test.

All my life I have been very prone to motion sickness, it takes very little to get me sick. I hope its all in my head...lol
Click to expand...

Best of luck to you. How long have you been flying?
 
NoHeat said:
The only one I'm aware of that can be used is scop-dex, and that's only allowed for military pilots and astronauts. It is a mixture of scopalamine and dextroamphetamine. The scopalamine is for nausea, and the amphetamine is for offsetting the drowsiness induced by the scopalamine.

The best recommendations are the non-medical ones that you'll find here:
http://www.leftseat.com/AME/motion.htm
Basically, focus your vision on one place (typically the horizon in VMC or the artificial horizon in IMC), don't move your head around, keep the plane stran light and level, and blow cold fresh air on your face.
Click to expand...
Never heard of Scop-dex. I like the sound of it.

As a long time sufferer of motion sickness back in my sailplane days, I'd like to share two personal findings; 1) Plain 'ol Scop' patches work great, in fact, so well that a half a patch or even less was quite effective over multiple days for this 215lb barf master, 2) Nothing makes you drowsier than an extended period of motion sickness.
 
Fill your stomach with lots of liquid absorbing food before a flight, like bread, cracker, mashed potatoes, etc.

Avoid all liquids, especially coffee.

-John
 
I have thousands of hours of flying...which sounds like a lot when you say it like that...but I still get motion sick on occasion. If you're a pilot, it's a fact of life and sometimes you just learn to deal with it. These are all great things to try however I have tried the Sea bands, bought the $100 wrist shocker, ginger pills, etc and nothing has ever worked for me. The only thing that works is dramamine but of course you can't take that while flying. What does make it worse is greasy things! I had a 20 min bumpy flight from heck after a taco run once! Good luck to others out there though.
 
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Tristar said:
I have thousands of hours of flying...which sounds like a lot when you say it like that...but I still get motion sick on occasion. If you're a pilot, it's a fact of life and sometimes you just learn to deal with it. These are all great things to try however I have tried the Sea bands, bought the $100 wrist shocker, ginger pills, etc and nothing has ever worked for me. The only thing that works is dramamine but of course you can't take that while flying. What does make it worse is greasy things! I had a 20 min bumpy flight from heck after a taco run once! Good luck to others out there though.
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Tristar, try what I suggested, it really does work. The worst thing you can do is have liquids sloshing around in your stomach.

-John
 
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