MariaPat

Will be traveling with a friend that suffers from motion sickness when in cars.We will be doing some driving to small towns in Tuscany and Umbria. Is there an Italian product that she can purchase to alleviate some of those feelings? Some one told us about a chewing gum? Does anyone know the official name? Thanks!!

StCirq

Why do you need an Italian product? Can't you bring Dramamine from the USA or a comparable product from wherever your home is?

They do, of course, have similar products in Italy, but why bother with a visit to the pharmacy?

What am I missing here?

Bob_C

Have your friend drive, then they shouldn't get ill.

susanna

I have suffered with motion sickness all my adult life, and I am recommending something that has worked for me for the last three years, although I still have doughts before I need to use it. It is called the Relief Band, if you do a search on google you will find many companys that sell it, including sharper image. It is about $100, it transmits an electric current from your wrist thru your fingers, and it supposedly interupts something in your brain so that you don't get sick..it is also used for pilots (scary thought), pregnant women, and chemo sufferers. I have not had an incident since I started wearing it in the car...I can't understand it, but I swear it works.
An example of my motion sickness...while on the Amalfi Coast, traveling by bus to Positano, I had to get off the bus, with my luggage,get sick and then wait for another blue bus to come by, flag it down, get back on, and do that again. Needless to say, once we arrived in Positano, I never left to sightsee!

illusion321

while in italy i wanted to buy tylenol pa or something like it so i can sleep on my plane trip back, Well the person at the pharmacy told me that sleeping medicine is illegal in italy, but that they could give me a herbal product, which i did not buy.

Melnq8

I too suffer from motion sickness, so I can relate. I'd suggest picking up something in the US before departure as StCirq has suggested. Better to be prepared than to have to chase down something in unfamiliar surroundings.

Lots of options - Draminine, Bonine, etc. Your friend might also ask his/her doctor for the motion sickness patch, which is placed behind an ear.

There's also ginger, which I've not tried, but supposedly wards off motion sickness without drowsiness and dry mouth which are common side effects of other motions sickness remedies.

Melnq8

Sorry for the mispelling - my coffee hasn't kicked in yet.

Melnq8

I did it again - I'm hopeless.

mishoe01

She can also get a RX for the motion sickness patch (Transderm Scop Patch). I did this before my trip to Italy last year, and will be taking them with me to Australia this year. It's great - you get 4 patches/box - each patch is good for 3 days - you wear it behind your ear (usually not even seen by others unless you have short hair).

susanna

A warning about the RX patch for motionsickness. Although it works remarkably well for motionsickness, it does come with side affects, which I wasn't aware of until they happened. It has the usual warnings about dry mouth, ect, which are all managable.

I wore the patch for two weeks while traveling around England and France. The first side effect happened while I was wearing it, because I wore it behind the same ear. You should switch ears every three days when you change the patch. My pupil on that side dialated to almost full open, which meant that I had to keep sunglasses on, and I couldn't read or focus on anything written. It was a bit scary,I didn't know what was going on, it slowly decrease, but took about 2-3 days.
The second side effect happened after I returned home, exactly 48 hours after removing the last patch. I got the worst case of motionsickness for about 8 hours, I couldn't move, open my eyes, get out of bed. It was like vertigo, very strange. It happened because I wore the patch for two weeks, and it is a direct reaction to the withdrawal of the patch.
I was told, for the future, if I were to wear them again,which I did, to try and remove it at night before going to bed to allow your system a rest, and that did work, and to keep switching ears when putting it back on.
These sideaffects are all harmless, I'm not trying to talk you out of the patch, just be aware.

Melnq8

Susanna -

Kinda scary.....

I've used the patch before with no problems, but have not used it for more than a day or two. Thanks for the heads up.

carrom

The Italian stuff is called "Travelgum" - it's available at all chemists over the counter and it's just like chewing.gum - it works!

TamT

Make sure your friend sits in the front and avoids looking sideways - that helps me

Tam

Ljauer

MariaPat,
I am trying to buy travelgum ALSO. My friend bought it in Italy. I live in Corpus Christi, TX. JUST WONDERED IF YOU GOT ANYMORE INFO? Plnning a car trip to Louisville, KY June 15th. My daughter loved it better than anything she has tried.
Lora

ahotpoet

The best thing you can do when she is feeling queasy is stop, get out of the car and have her look ( and I mean really look) around at things at different distances. Up close, then far out, next a little closer in, then farther out, etc. Have her continue this until she feels better. This really works too and there are no side effects.

clevelandbrown

ReliefBand is the electric device that gets good reviews, but I think you have to grease your wrist (similar to having an EKG).

My wife has had very good results with Davis Queaz-away bands, which are only $10US. They supposedly work like acupuncture.

Either of these, and other remedies, should be found at a store that sells boating equipment (a surprising number of sailors suffer from motion sickness).

Whatever your friend decides to use, be sure to try it out before the trip; you don't want to find out it doesn't help in a strange locale.

I seem to recall that pharmacists in Italy are almost like primary care providers, doing much more than just filling prescriptions. In Florence I was bitten by the only four mosquitos in town. When the swelling and itching got bad, I went to a pharmacist and he "prescribed" an ointment that worked really well. On the other hand, in Venice I needed test strips for my glucometer, and was never able to overcome the language barrier with the pharmacist.

tdyls

Another vote for TravelGum! Ask for it by name at any farmacia in Italy.

It's chewing gum, and it has a weird mint taste that will make your tongue go numb. But it knocks out motion sickness in a flash, better than fresh air and a Coke.