Scopoderm Patches - Sea Sickness

snooks

snooks

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For anyone who has ever used Scopoderm / Scopolomine or Hyoscine patches and had to get a prescription for them in the past...I've just found out they can now be bought over the counter at pharmacies. If you've used them before and been fine, it makes it a lot easier to get hold of them...BUT I wouldn't try them unless you've exhausted the other easily accessible sea sickness remedies. They can cause hallucinations! So speak to your doctor and read the instructions before using them.

It was only 8 or so years ago that they were unavailable in the UK, after being previously available on perscription only. Then they were available again on perscription and now they can be bought over the counter..Oh how times change

At £7.99 for 2 patches they are slighty more than a prescription fee, but it beats waiting for hours in a doctors waiting room /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As usual, the patches last for 3 days, and have to be applied 5 hours before hand, so they are great for long passages, but not if you drink alchohol...if your on a day sail and suffer, you can get Kwells (which also contain Hyoscine Hydrobromide) these melt in the mouth so work fast and you won't be in danger of feeding them to the fishes the same way you can with tablets!
 
I got into the habbit of sticking a plaster/plaster tape over the top, as the glue used would sometimes give up the ghost and leave the patch on my sleeping bag! So if you do cut them in 1/2 stick some tape over it...my doctor warned me about touching the patch then my eye, because it might paralyse my eye muscles for a short time...making time at the helm interesting to say the least /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
For anyone who has ever used Scopoderm / Scopolomine or Hyoscine patches and had to get a prescription for them in the past...I've just found out they can now be bought over the counter at pharmacies. If you've used them before and been fine, it makes it a lot easier to get hold of them...BUT I wouldn't try them unless you've exhausted the other easily accessible sea sickness remedies. They can cause hallucinations! So speak to your doctor and read the instructions before using them.

It was only 8 or so years ago that they were unavailable in the UK, after being previously available on perscription only. Then they were available again on perscription and now they can be bought over the counter..Oh how times change

At £7.99 for 2 patches they are slighty more than a prescription fee, but it beats waiting for hours in a doctors waiting room /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As usual, the patches last for 3 days, and have to be applied 5 hours before hand, so they are great for long passages, but not if you drink alchohol...if your on a day sail and suffer, you can get Kwells (which also contain Hyoscine Hydrobromide) these melt in the mouth so work fast and you won't be in danger of feeding them to the fishes the same way you can with tablets!

[/ QUOTE ]I only tried them once, being now an inveterate sicky, but the effect wore off after 10 hrs, and I was sick for the next 10. I have always wondered if it was ineffective patches, or the attachment behind the ear was not complete. Have you tried any other place for sticking the patch?
 
Scopoderm

I thought Scopoderm was prescription only - not OTC?

"but it beats waiting for hours in a doctors waiting room"
I hear that - I get mine online from http://www.doctorfox.co.uk/travel-sickness/ - no doctors appointment, no queing in chemist (handy as both are at least 20 min drive away) and delivered direct - can thoroughly recommend - they have all the motion sickness remedies u need.
 
Thanks Danners - useful link. I like to have some in the med box and asked at Boots. They said they would order but when I returned they had lost all trace.
 
TigaWave said:
You can also cut the patches in half for a half dose, as they are quite strong.
Click to expand...

This is ridiculous and dangerous advice. Not my view, but that of a pharmacist writing on this forum when this last came up.

Cutting them in half releases a far larger dose than would otherwise be administered through the intact patch. DO NOT DO THIS
 
patches

That is correct; it is not safe to cut the patches. Some types of drug delivery skin patches (there are quite a few of these now) can be cut, but not scopoderm.
They can be very useful in seasickness, particularly if you are already feeling sick as they dont rely on swallowing anything. The downside is that the effect will take 6 hours or so to start, and similarly is slow to wear off after the patch is removed or expires.
Some people tolerate them very well but there are well known side effects, sedation, hallucinations, blurred vision, dry mouth and difficulty passing urine so if you have medical problems or are on other medication it is worth seeking advice (GP or pharmacist) before using it.
On the last Global Challenge, where I developed a lot of experience in treating seasickness, (!) it became second choice on our boat, after Cinnarizine (stugeron). Three people used them regularly at the start of each leg, including me. Starting them well in advance of setting off improves the performance of them markedly (that applies to Cinnarizine too, which in the lab setting appears to be the most powerful suppressant of motion sickness). The patches can come off, the high collars of some foul weather clothing is at just the height to scrape them off. The absorption of the drug will be different on other areas of skin than behind the ear, so stick with that.
 
TigaWave said:
You can also cut the patches in half for a half dose, as they are quite strong.

.
Click to expand...

DO NOT CUT THESE PATCHES.

What happens is the active ingredient can be squeezed out and you get 36 hours worth in a few minutes. The result can be serious with major hallucinations lasting several hours. How do I know this. Well my partner did it. The subsequent bad trip included being convinced the boat had rolled and was sinking so she initiated the abondon ship routine we had practiced including attempting to issue a MAYDAY. She was unable to find channel 16 on our boom box but she was giving it a go.
 
TQA said:
DO NOT CUT THESE PATCHES.

What happens is the active ingredient can be squeezed out and you get 36 hours worth in a few minutes.
Click to expand...

Very strongly agreed. That said, these patches have revolutionised my ocean sailing and I have worn them for over a month at a time with no side effects other than a cast iron stomach that saw me through several very rough spots.

I'm not certain of the current prescription restrictions, but I buy them online from Dr Fox (?) which is UK based and regulated.
 
If you want to reduce the dosage of a full patch you can apply the scopoderm patch on top of a plaster strip so that only half of the scopoderm patch is in contact with the skin. Apply another plaster overall. As recommended by swmbuo.
 
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