Effective prevention of travel sickness (Stugeron 15)

Member Name: FairyG

Product:	Stugeron 15
Date:	27/04/09 (466 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Prevents nausea and calms travel stress.

Disadvantages: Can cause drowsiness, so you can't drink or drive.

I love travelling, but the one drawback is I suffer terribly from motion sickness. It's a problem I've always had from being small, when just a two hour trip to the seaside would have me going pale and queasy. My parents had to stop the car at some point on every trip to let me dash out to the grassy verge.

They never gave me travel sickness tablets though, and I wish they had, as it might have prevented me getting so anxious about travel and its inevitable results. Something that did help was if I sat by the window where I could see the horizon but my siblings always fought for a window seat, so sometimes I got squeezed into the middle and after that I was doomed.

Once I was grown up and married, and had progressed to sitting in the front seat of our first car, I discovered the motion sickness wasn't nearly so bad at the front. I could survive seven hour journeys to Cornwall, so long as my husband went round corners and roundabouts smoothly, and not too fast. I would still get a bit shaky though, so I wasn't cured.

However this made me brave enough to eventually try a two hour flight to Ibiza. Not a good idea! It was a bad experience, especially the take off, which gave me a sudden hot rush to the head, and that prickly feeling that meant travel sickness was taking hold. My husband got to eat my breakfast on that flight. Before coming back I went to a chemist and bought some Kwells for the journey back. Well I didn't get sick, and I even ate some of my meal, but they knocked me out and I felt weird for the rest of the day. I do not like Kwells at all.

Before I flew abroad again, I knew I needed some better travel sickness tablets, so I asked the chemist to recommend something and ended up buying Stugeron 15. With some trepidation, I headed for Manchester airport for a flight to Majorca.

I followed the instructions and took two tablets two hours before the flight. As we boarded I was feeling amazingly chilled out and quite relaxed about the whole thing. Those tablets had really kicked in! As well as suppressing nausea they have a very calming effect on the nervous system, preventing the jittery feeling I get when travelling. I survived very well, although I did nod off for a while.

Since then, I've used Stugeron on every plane journey, and felt fine, even on eleven hour flights to the US. On one trip I had three take-offs in one day and with the help of my magic tablets, didn't have any problems.

I found that Stugeron doesn't make me too drowsy until the plane takes off, and then together with the change in cabin pressure I start to feel sleepy and doze off for an hour or two. I don't mind that though, as it passes the time. After the first two tablets before the flight, another Stugeron can be taken every eight hours. However, I've found that after six or seven hours they're wearing off, and the queasy feelings start creeping up, so I take another one a bit sooner than I should.

It also helps if there's still some in my system when we land, as then there's the coach transfer to cope with. This is especially useful in places like Crete, where the coach drivers tend to career madly around corners while talking on their mobile phone.

I've also found them very helpful on cross channel ferries. I couldn't possibly go on a ferry without them, although I've yet to try a full cruise. (Maybe one day...) They're also great for coach tours in the US. Long journeys on the freeway aren't too bad, so I just take half a tablet to be on the safe side, and wear travel wristbands as well. The one drawback when travelling, is that I can't drink alcohol with Stugeron, but it's a small price to pay to be able to enjoy the journey. And unlike with Kwells, I don't feel spaced out for the rest of the day.

A packet of Stugeron contains 15 tablets. The active ingredient is cinnarizine, with 15mg in each tablet. They are classed as an anti-histamine. Children aged 5 to 12 can take one tablet two hours before travelling, then half a tablet every eight hours. Adults and children over twelve can take two tablets two hours before travelling, then one every eight hours.

They are slightly smaller than paracetamol, but not very easy to swallow, as they taste very bitter, so are best taken with a drink of water. They should be taken after food to reduce the possibility of stomach irritation. The instructions state that possible side effects are drowsiness, upset tummy and more rarely headache, dry mouth, increased sweating or allergic reactions. The only effects I've noticed are some drowsiness, and sometimes a dry mouth, neither of which are a big issue for me. Anyone taking other drugs that make them feel drowsy should speak to their doctor before taking these.

Stugeron 15 can be bought over the counter, so you don't need a prescription, but the chemist will probably ask if you've taken them before and that's a good time to talk about any worries you might have.

Overall though, I've found them very effective, with minimal side effects, and they've enabled me to enjoy many journeys that would otherwise have been a nightmare.

Stugeron 15 can be found at chemists and is usually priced at around £2.50.

Summary: I'm the worse traveller I know, so if they help me they should help anyone!