Adult travel sickness

[MrsFin]

DD mid twenties still suffers from travel sickness. She has ever since she was a child but never grew out of it.
It's quite bad - affects her ability to travel by coach (train not so bad), and she can't travel in the back seat of a as car for any distance.

What are your top tips for preventing or reducing travel sickness in adults?
TIA.

Can she take meds? I have this and I'm in my 50s! Cyclizine is great - I'm not sure if you an get it over the counter or you need a prescription. But I paid £22 for 100 tablets at an online chemist, including private prescription. I think Stugeron is probably a similar price but smaller packets. I found the Cyclizine more effective than other otc meds and with fewer side effects (no dry mouth). It works so well as a preventative that I don't really notice the nausea at all so I always take on longer journeys and when flying (have refused to get in a boat since the channel tunnel opened!) Otherwise, In a car, always watch the road and don't try to map-read or look at her phone!

Yes I second cyclizine (sometimes called Valoid). I too am nearly 50 and still struggle - I can't sit in the back of a car at all.

For some reason recently you can buy it online. I was given it abroad for the first time a few years ago.

You can also try Phenergan - I have been prescribed that for travel sickness but it will knock you out. It's good for overnight flights though (nothing worse than feeling like you want to puke for 12 hours!).

Cyclizine might make her feel a bit drowsy but it does work well.

Would agree with all the tips from fellow sufferer @MountainDweller !!

(Just check the contraindications with cyclizine if she's on other medication!)

Can she drive? If not this will help her enormously whether she is the driver or the passenger. The brain compensates for the car's movement when it can anticipate the movement if the body.

You can buy acupressure bands from chemists which are effective. Also work for morning sickness.

I struggle too.
Better driving helps- people who drive smoothly and anticipate make me less sick, people who accelerate/brake suddenly or change lane abruptly make me very ill. I dread a driver who prides themselves on being 'nippy'!

Being the driver is good.
Always facing forward and being relaxed helps. Supervising children in the seat behind you is awful!
Sunglasses
Looking at the horizon.

Antihistamines.

I still struggle at 41, to the extent that we plan around it (eg no boat trips on holiday). I sit in the front in cars (people are enormously good once they’ve seen me turn green ten minutes into a journey even if they’re sceptical beforehand), I rarely travel on coaches (and DH expects to parent solo if we do). I have had medication on occasion but have found I just avoid it. Tilting trains were a misery and I’m lucky that I’m fine on planes.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
She can drive, but is currently living in London so doesn't have a car. You're right though, she doesn't feel sick when she's driving. Being in the front is better than the back, so it's obviously do do with not being able to see where you're going.
I've suggested she sees a gp - she never has - and will also suggest the medicines suggested here. She doesn't really want something that makes her drowsy though.

Not sure about the acupuncture bands - I think you have to be "a believer" for them to work . Maybe worth a shot though.

Hope she finds something that works @MrsFin - Cyclizine doesn't make me drowsy though I know it's different for everyone.

@StrongArm where abroad did you get it? I'm in France and my U.K. supply is running out - no visits recently due to Covid! Prescription meds can't be sent by post any more except by medical professionals and everything has to have a customs declaration filled in so it's tricky to get around it.

Echo what other sufferers have said.

Weirdly may want to experiment with nibbling on something to help her feel better - for me it's strong cheese, for others it's breadsticks, rich tea or digestive biscuits, fruit sweets etc.

Dd2 still gets travel sick not when she is driving though, if she isn't driving she wears seabands. I used to give her a travel sickness pill even on short journeys.

Thank you again. I've passed on all your tips.

I don't believe in those pressure bands either. I used to work on a boat and they did nothing for my seasickness.
I thought I'd grown out of my car sickness for ages, but then went on windy roads again. I suppose you never grow out of it completely.