KnickNak Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 So, I sometimes experience Vertigo or Pretty Bad Nausea. ( Not sure if it is caused by my meds ) has anyone experienced side effects from this drug? I may be traveling and I want to be knocked out. Has anyone also taken this with Xanax? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 I get motion sick on airplanes (cars, buses, trains and boats too), and use meclizine pretty religiously when I fly. I have also taken it with either Xanax or Klonopin, though I'm not anxious about flying. I find meclizine ("Dramamine II") is not quite non-drowsy, as it claims to be, but it is significantly less sedating than dimenhydrinate (Original Dramamine/Gravol). It is convenient to me that it lasts longer too. Meclizine is not enough to fully prevent motion sickness/nausea/vomiting for me when I fly, but it makes a dent. If I recall correctly, dimenhydrinate is more effective as an anti-emetic, but it also needs to be taken every 4-6 hours. I don't use it when I fly because it is too sedating - I typically fly within North America on flights only 2-3 hours long, for a combination of business and pleasure, so I need to be functional and safe to drive (for example) upon landing. If your goal is sleep, I'd go for dimenhydrinate. Also talk to your pdoc about temporarily upping your Xanax dose (I see it's currently 0.5mg - I take 1mg and it does not make me sleepy, but it makes me more susceptible to sleep, if that makes sense). Fun fact: my dog was prescribed meclizine for idiopathic vertigo (don't know that it helped, but it didn't hurt either). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnickNak Posted August 24, 2019 Author Share Posted August 24, 2019 (edited) Thanks for the reply! I am sorry you suffer from motion sickness. Usually I am pretty good in cars if I don’t look down or sit in the back seat. For me it’s how the way I sit. I usually go in my sisters Jeep and it can be bouncy. I talked to the Pharmacist and he said that Meclizine could make you dizzy...yet it is for dizziness lol. My concern is like you said, is being able to function after. This is prolly an irrational fear. But, can you actually stop breathing from mixing the two drugs. 🤔 Edited August 24, 2019 by KnickNak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 (edited) I do okay in cars most of the time, but I prefer the front seat. I can't read, or muck with my phone while in a car. Sitting in the back seat, having recently eaten, smells (e.g. smoker's car, or a travel mate's perfume), being too hot... all a good recipe for me to call for the driver to pull over. Anxiety does play a factor too - and obviously the terrain. Lots of hills, curves, driving with high rates of acceleration and deceleration... ugh. I don't think I would be okay off-roading in a jeep either! My understanding is that longer term/multi-day use of meclizine or other anti-emetics can result in rebound nausea and dizziness upon discontinuation. So if you're going on a cruise and taking it for a week, you'll want to taper off of it. This is also true for Scopalamine, a prescription anti-emetic patch you wear behind your ear (used for motion sickness and post-operative nausea/vomiting). There are many posts on cruise forums about people getting nauseous/dizzy after taking off the scopalamine patch. I have never stopped breathing from the combination of meclizine and Xanax. 😎 I usually take 50mg meclizine and 1mg Xanax about 1h before boarding a plane (I also don't eat for 6-8 hours ahead of time, and drink only water the day of... and pack a big ziploc bag in my carry-on... this is gross, but motion-sickness bags are not necessarily leak-proof, so it's good to have something to put them in, just in case ). Ah the joys of travel! Edited August 24, 2019 by Geek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikl_pls Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 If you want a prescription antihistamine for vertigo/nausea, cyclizine is supposed to be a good one for that. (I've never taken it before so I can't say from experience...) Hydroxyzine can be used for nausea and anxiety, but I don't know how well it works for vertigo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnickNak Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 4 hours ago, Geek said: My understanding is that longer term/multi-day use of meclizine or other anti-emetics can result in rebound nausea and dizziness upon discontinuation. So if you're going on a cruise and taking it for a week, you'll want to taper off of it. Yes... man, drugs are weird. I feel like there is always a down side to them aka withdrawal. I def wouldn’t be making a habit of it. Probably only use it a few times. I have this odd perception thing. I have had it a few years, seems like it is a mystery. Pdoc said it’s a form of high anxiety. It makes me very disoriented and then it makes me panic. Vicious circle. It is almost like I can’t look forward like I feel like I am falling into the horizon. Creeps me out. Makes me sound wacky. Do you prefer Airplanes over Driving? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnickNak Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 (edited) 29 minutes ago, mikl_pls said: If you want a prescription antihistamine for vertigo/nausea, cyclizine is supposed to be a good one for that. (I've never taken it before so I can't say from experience...) Hydroxyzine can be used for nausea and anxiety, but I don't know how well it works for vertigo. Good to know! I think my Dr. gets sick of me asking for certain meds lol. I Keep forgetting they are the Dr. not me. 🤷🏼♀️ Edited August 25, 2019 by KnickNak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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