I haven’t been on a plane in at least a decade, but the last time I was on a long, international flight, I was ill. And I don’t just mean mildly air sick. I was violently ill. I threw up so much I thought I was going to lose a lung.
I’d like to visit a friend in the US in a few months, and I’m already worried about the 24+ hour flight I’d be subjecting myself to. Hence, a couple of questions.
Firstly, is air sickness something one can “grow out of”? The last time I flew I was probably in my early to mid-teens, and now I’m in my mid-twenties. Does age affect these things at all? Or will I have to worry about this for the rest of my flying life?
Assuming age has no effect, which I’m thinking is unfortunately likely, are there any tips out there on what I can do to prevent having to ask every passenger in the same row as me for their barf bags? I hear there are over-the-counter drugs you can take before getting on a plane - are they effective? Anyone have any experience with them?
Anything else I can do? Seriously, the last time I was on a plane I was so sick that if I would have jumped out of the plane if I could have. I’ve heard that sitting near the front of the plane gives you a smoother ride and therefore means you’re less likely to get sick - any truth to that? Any other tips out there please?
I think it’s unusual for people to be sick on those large planes used for cross-Pacific flights. I’ve been across the Pacific many times and not noticed anyone being sick. This is partly because larger aircraft give a steadier ride, and partly because the pilots plot a course to avoid turbulence if possible (and they have more choice of courses on a long flight).
But if you have a history of air sickness, then you might want to take a drug aimed at sea sickness (which is closely related, of course). In addition, the steadiest part of the aircraft is located near the middle, and over the wings, so aim for that. You would also want to try to get an aisle seat, so you aren’t climbing over someone else while they are asleep and you need to get to the toilets.
(And I have been air sick once: I was a bit hung over and it was in a small plane, holding about 20 passengers, with no toilets, so I used the paper bag provided so nicely.)
I also very rarely see anyone getting airsick these days. I think modern large planes give a much smoother ride than in times past, and pilots generally avoid turbulent areas where possible. Most times on a long-haul flight you wouldn’t even know you’re moving, except during the take-off and landing phases and the occasional course adjustment.
Make an appointment to see your doctor. Likely, there’s a prescription which will take care of it for you.
I have severe flight anxiety, to the point where I’m a weeping mess before boarding even starts. Last time we went to Europe, I talked to my doctor beforehand and she gave me a tranquillizer. I slept through the whole flight.
It’s possible your vomiting could be a reaction to nerves, rather than because of the motion. If you were sleeping, you wouldn’t be puking, now would you?
There are also over-the-counter motion sickness drugs like Drammamine or Bromine (out of experience with sea-sickness, I recommend the latter.) Some of these might be safe to take on top of whatever your doctor prescibes. Ask him/her.
Ginger capsules, huh? More info on these and other remedies would be appreciated.
I don’t think nerves have anything to do with it. I distinctly remember being very calm before getting on the plane, and even during the first hour or so on the plane, before feeling incredibly ill.
Oh, and I don’t get car sick, sea sick, feel sick while playing 3D video games or watching a 3D movie… nothing like that. Just flying. Very frustrating.
Some people (me for instance) are much more likely to get motion sickness from the kind of subtle motion that is characteristic of modern wide-body airplanes than from wilder motion. I never feel unwell during severe turbulance or when on a boat in rough seas, but on regular level flight, even turning my head too abruptly can lead to serious problems. The thing about motion sickness is, once it starts, it’s too late to do anything about it (except vomit copiously, which always helps at least for a while). So it would definitely not be a good idea for the OP to take any chances, especially on a flight this long.
I used dramamine for years, which I hated, because, even though it generally worked fairly well, it made me horribly, horribly sleepy – the non-drowsy forumulations like Bonine (obviously, brand names will likely be different in Australia) seemed less effective.
For the last year or so, i’ve used something called the “reliefband,” which was recommended by a doctor to deal with severe morning sickness but works just as well for this. It’s not one of those pressure point bands – it actually sends an electrical pulse along a nerve every few seconds. It can be a little uncomfortable after a few hours, and it ain’t cheap – but it works like a charm for me. I can eat, sleep, move around the cabin without fear – and it doesn’t leave me a zombie the rest of the day, like dramamine does. I do get some funny looks sometimes when I strap the thing on my wrist, though . …
I’ve only been airsick once, when I was eight and dad was doing chendelles and lazy-8s (I opened the door and spewed on the runway during a touch-and-go that turned into a full stop), so I don’t have any first-hand experience with either Marezine or the Relief Band.
Common preventative action is to look out the window so that you have a stable horizon to look at. Not sure if that works with a postage stamp sized window at 30,000 feet. Also, turn on the air vent.
And just in case… Sic-Sacs. (Man, I wish I’d bought a few of the Quiet Urp airsickness bags when I had a chance. That would have been a fun pic to post.)
Johnny, do you know of any clinical trials of that Relief Band device? I’m curious to find out if it might help ameliorate the nausea and vomiting frequently associated with severe migraine. Migraine sufferers, during a nasty bout of nausea, are almost entirely unable to keep even small sips of water down. This means that the various pills one may ingest to alleviate nausea aren’t terribly useful. Something like the Relief Band, if it has been proven to work, would be quite a boon.
The Relief Band is in Sporty’s printed catalogue. I looked for it online and though there is a photo of it on the Safety and Survival page, I did not find it on their site. In any case, the text says ‘FDA-cleared’. Interesting choice of words. Cleared? I take that to mean that the FDA has found it not harmful. If the FDA said it worked, I’d expect the text to say FDA-approved.
Dolukhanova said it worked for him. But beagledave’s Mythbusters link says ‘the electronic stimulation wristbands didn’t work for either Adam or Grant.’
I’ve done a little looking, too, and found a couple places that say the ameliorating effects of the Relief Band are probably only attributable to the placebo effect. Still, at about a hundred bucks, it might be worth trying. A trip to the emergency room is a pretty trying experience when one’s head is pounding, has an extreme light and noise sensitivity and has dry heaves. If the nausea can be made to go away, that would be a great help in just getting to the damn hospital.
Yeah, I’d go with Dramamine; it really does work. It’ll make you sleepy but what else do you have to do on a long flight anyway? Another suggestion: try to make sure you get seated towards the front of the plane, the seats in the back tend to have more movement and noise and always make me feel much sicker than seats in the front.
I use either hard candies or soda with sugar (ginger ale, regular Coke). The sugar somehow settles your stomach. The key is to take it as soon as you start feeling a little “off”.
When I flew to Europe I was seated in front of someone like that - I did not know it was possible for someone to vomit almost continually for 11 hours.
There are ways to de-condition you to airsickness… but I don’t think you have enough time to put them into effect. The air force, for example, simply puts people in the back of airplanes, along with a supply of barf bags, and subjects them to various manuvers until they stop puking or beg never to fly again. I don’t, however, think this is the most advisable solution in your instance.
Yes, you will probably have some suspetibility to air sickness all your life, given how severe your reaction was last time. HOWEVER - there ARE things you can do to make the situation better than it was last time.
Yes, the dramamine and bonine mentioned are effective. They will also make you sleepy/wonky, but since you’re not doing the flying up in the cockpit that doesn’t really matter, does it? Just use a cab while under the influence rather than attempting to drive yourself to/from airports.
You may also wish to consult a doctor prior to departure for actual medical advice as well.
Avoid alcohol For one thing, it dehydrates you, which makes icky feelings more likely. Another thing - it doesn’t mix well with those air sickness drugs.
Stay hydrated Dehydration can lead to icky feelings. Dehydration is more likely on airplanes due to the dry, recirculated air. I strongly recommend water. Yes, this means will you have to go to the lavatory several times during the flight. If you ask me, that’s preferable to filling all the barf bags on board by oneself. Also, if you do start vomiting it will put off the dry heaves, which are truly unpleasent, and also with water in your stomach it may take some of the sting out of the stomach acid you’ll bring up. I’m sorry, is this too much TMI?
Avoid decongestants Pseudoephedrine, for example (what we in the US call “Sudafed”) can cause vertigo at altitude. This will only make things worse for you. So avoid ALL drugs except the motion sickness ones to avoid this sort of complication - if you do require regular medication for a health problem see a doctor about potential problems.
Use ginger - I’m told this works, at least for some people. So… take your motion sickness meds and suck on ginger candy, I guess.
Sit over the wings The wings are what holds up the airplane. Sitting over them usually gives you the smoothest ride possible. If not directly over the wings then just before or behind them.
Don’t fly on an empty stomach - Eat a LIGHT meal. Actually, I know people who swear by saltines and ginger ale. Basically, what a woman suffering from morning sickness would eat.
Don’t fly after a heavy meal - in others, all things in moderation. Don’t stuff yourself, either.
But really, the motion sickness drugs should, given your history, probably be your first line of defense. Don’t hesistate to ask for extra barf bags - the flight attendants would much prefer to hand you a stack and you hand them bad unused than to have to run down the aisle in a race between them and your stomach contents.
It’s also possible that you had a some sort of intestinal bug that, while not severe enough to bother you on the ground, manifested while you were at altitude. In which case maybe you won’t have a repeat. I hope you don’t have a repeat.
You might want to plan for a relatively quiet day as your first day after landing to allow yourself time to recover from any … er… “discomfort” you suffer enroute. Jello, chicken soup, and the like being good first meals after a violent '“cleansing”.
Good luck - I hope this flight works out much better for you than the last one.
