Is there a Dr in the house?

[matt1]

My partner is type 1 diabetic and suffers a lot from seasickness. Personally the only thing I found guaranteed to work was Scopoderm patches, but didn't like the side effect of the dry mouth and as I've got older I am less affected anyway.

Being type 1 it's more important than most to keep food down eg if she injects x insulin before a meal but then throws said meal up we will be dealing with a Hypo as well as seasickness

Does anyone know if she can use Scopoderm?

 

[Triassic]

Wife who is a GP says short answer is she sees no reason why not with regard to Type 1. There are some other restrictions, Google "Hyoscine" which is the clinical name for the active ingredient and that will pretty much tell you all you need to know.

 

[johnalison]

I can think of no obvious reason why not. Hyoscine is very effective, possibly the best, but for the disadvantages of its side effects for some, it has the disadvantage that it doesn't allow the body to become accustomed to motion, and so has to be taken continuously. This is not a problem for a channel crossing but might be for someone going further afield. I get on perfectly well with stugeron but others don't seem to.

Our diabetic son had a cast iron stomach, so we've never had to face the problem. The only difficulty we met was in taking a sweet snack when skiing for emergencies. We chose Mars bars, but these turned out to be useless because in the cold they turned out to be too hard to bite into.

 

[Tomahawk]

First Officer is also Type 1

She takes Stugeron, Neo-Emedyl (Dymenhidrate) or Betahistine as available.

No problems or interactions with her insulin or diabetes.

 

[Thistle]

Ask the pharmacist when you buy the scopoderm.

 

[KAL]

Do the patches cause much drowsiness? Kwells sometimes do.

 

[matt1]

Do the patches cause much drowsiness? Kwells sometimes do.

Not as I recall when I used to take them many years ago. I just used to get an uncomfortably dry mouth. They are very effective though.

Thanks everyone - much appreciated. We do have lots of things to get her sugars up (dextrose tablets and jelly babies being the easiest to carry). A while back we were wondering why she was having so many hypos despite using her staple Lucozade until we realised they had reduced the sugar content!

I've a feeling Kwells didn't work for her and I now see that the active ingredients is the same as Scopoderm. Maybe scopoderm is a higher dose and gets absorbed more easily. Either way I suspect she will need a prescription so can check with her GP but this forum is normally quicker and with people health professionals that have real world experience. Thanks again!

 

[Benny257]

Scopoderm (hyoscine) can be used in Type 1 diabetics. Vomiting in Type 1 diabetes should always be taken seriously as paradoxically glucose levels can actually rise despite the lack of oral intake - this is due to cortisol release. My advice is always for any vomiting Type 1 to check glucose levels at least hourly and be guided by the results. It is rarely advisable to omit insulin altogether though some dose adjustment may be necessary. Basically levels can either fall or rise.

As always, let common sense prevail. A friend set out from the South coast of Australia in heavy seas bound for Tasmania with a crew member who was diabetic (unsure if T1 or T2). He became sea sick but pressed on. Mid journey he became so sick he had to be airlfited off. Left singlehanded he too was airlifted off and the boat was never seen again.

 

[Tomahawk]

Which is why we will never go very deep water off shore...
Just too risky.

But there is still a hell of a lot of fun to be had within 60 miles of land.

 

[snowleopard]

Being type 1 it's more important than most to keep food down eg if she injects x insulin before a meal but then throws said meal up we will be dealing with a Hypo as well as seasickness

It is not essential to take the insulin in one dose before the meal. Consider taking a lesser dose then following it up with the rest if she keeps the food down (I am T1D). Best person to consult is her DSN who may not be up on seasickness but will know what to do with vomiting bugs.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I can think of no obvious reason why not. Hyoscine is very effective, possibly the best, but for the disadvantages of its side effects for some, it has the disadvantage that it doesn't allow the body to become accustomed to motion, and so has to be taken continuously.

In my seasick days - which luckily seem to be behind me - I found that wearing one Scopoderm patch until it fell off allowed me to acclimatise and I didn't have to wear another one. The biggest issue was availability - the stuff seems to swap between OTC, prescription and just-can't-get-it with baffling frequency. I had to give up sailing for five years at one point because I couldn't get it.