PREVENTION OF EXPERIMENTAL MOTION SICKNESS BY SCOPOLAMINE ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN

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  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 47  (10) , 1096-1100
Abstract
A double-blind placebo-controlled study compared the efficacy of the antimotion sickness drug scopolamine when administered by oral or transdermal routes. A secondary purpose was to extend the bioassay involving fixed-dose combinations of the homergic drugs promethazine and ephedrine. After receiving 12 apparently identical drug-placebo treatments, 8 normal male students were exposed to a slow rotation room to stressful accelerations generated by their execution of 40 head movements out of the plane of the room''s rotation at 1 rpm and at 1 rpm increments until either symptoms were experienced (just short of frank motion sickness) or the 27 rpm ceiling on the test was reached. Efficacy of a drug was defined in terms of the placebo-range and categorized as beneficial, inconsequential or detrimental. The rank order of drugs with beneficial effects was: promethazine 25 mg plus ephedrine 12.5 mg (86%); scopolamine orally (75%); scopolamine transdermally (63%); and promethazine 12.5 mg plus ephedrine 25 mg (29%). The only detrimental effect was with scopolamine given orally. It is concluded that the advantages of the transdermal scopolamine, which include minimal side effects and prolonged effectiveness, deserve full exploitation.

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