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Motion sickness guide

Motion sickness prevention online in Virginia and West Virginia

This guide is for healthy adults 18 to 64 who feel well now and want to prevent motion sickness before anticipated travel. It is not for current dizziness or vertigo, which need an in-person exam — and the scopolamine patch is only prescribed after a contraindication screen (no glaucoma, urinary or prostate problems, seizure disorder, psychosis, or severe kidney or liver disease).

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Start a $59 online review for Motion sickness.

Motion sickness is the predictable mismatch your inner ear feels on a boat, in a car, or on a plane, and the most useful prescription option is the scopolamine patch worn behind the ear. This lane treats prevention only: it is for a healthy adult who feels well now and wants to be ready for a specific trip. It deliberately does not evaluate dizziness or vertigo that is already happening — spinning at rest, ringing or hearing change, a severe headache, or any new weakness, numbness, or trouble speaking point to an inner-ear or brain problem (from BPPV to a stroke) that needs an in-person exam instead. Because the scopolamine patch can raise eye pressure, worsen urinary retention, and cause confusion in older adults, the screen blocks it for any glaucoma, urinary or prostate problems, seizure disorder, psychosis, severe kidney or liver disease, and for anyone 65 or older, where guidelines advise against these medicines without in-person oversight. Meclizine and dimenhydrinate are available over the counter, and the physician can counsel you on using them with a trial dose before you travel.

If treatment is appropriate, your physician can send a non-controlled prescription to your pharmacy and provide portal instructions for the next step.

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Quick facts

  • You must be physically in Virginia and West Virginia at the time of request
  • Starts at $59
  • No insurance needed
  • No app download
  • Physician review around the clock
  • Non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy when appropriate
  • A work or school note can be included when medically appropriate
  • Response windows: 24/7, every day

Common symptoms

  • Nausea, cold sweats, or queasiness that comes on with motion
  • Feeling car-sick, sea-sick, or air-sick on prior trips
  • Wanting to prevent symptoms before a cruise, flight, or long drive
  • A known pattern of motion sickness that a specific medicine has helped before

May fit online care

  • Adults 18 and older
  • A healthy adult 18 to 64 who feels well right now and wants prevention for a specific trip
  • No current dizziness, vertigo, ringing, hearing change, or neurologic symptoms
  • No glaucoma, urinary or prostate problems, seizure disorder, psychosis, or severe kidney or liver disease
  • Not pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding

Look for another care setting

  • Dizziness, spinning (vertigo), ringing, hearing change, or a severe headache happening now — that is not motion sickness and needs an in-person exam
  • Any new weakness, numbness, trouble speaking, double vision, or trouble walking — call 911 or go to the ER now
  • Any glaucoma, trouble urinating or prostate problems, a seizure disorder, psychosis, or severe kidney or liver disease
  • Age 65 or older, pregnancy or breastfeeding, or safety-sensitive duties (pilot, commercial driver, diver) during dosing

What to have ready

  • Your trip type and travel dates
  • What has happened with motion sickness before, and any medicine that helped or caused side effects
  • Your current medications, including any drowsy or anticholinergic medicines and alcohol use
  • Whether you have an MRI scheduled during the trip (the patch must be removed before an MRI)

What happens next

Standard

$59

Within 6 hours

Priority

$99

Within 3 hours

Rush

$149

Within 1 hour

Start the request on the website, answer the fit questions, and choose the response window you want. If the concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends a secure update after sign-in. When appropriate, non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy, and a basic work or school note can be included at physician discretion.

Why won't you treat dizziness I already have?

Motion sickness is a prevention request from someone who feels well. Dizziness or vertigo that is already happening — especially at rest, or with ringing, hearing change, a severe headache, or any new weakness or speech trouble — can come from the inner ear or the brain, from BPPV to vestibular neuritis to a stroke. Those cannot be sorted out online; they need an in-person history, a neurologic exam, and sometimes imaging. So this lane screens current dizziness out and refers it in person.

How does the scopolamine patch work?

You apply one small patch to hairless skin behind an ear at least four hours before you need it, and it releases medication for up to three days. If you need longer coverage you remove it and place a fresh patch behind the other ear. You use only one at a time, never cut it, and wash your hands after handling it so you don't transfer medication to your eyes. It can cause drowsiness, dry mouth, and temporary blurred vision, and it must be removed before an MRI.

Why is the patch not offered to people 65 and older?

The medicines used for motion sickness — the scopolamine patch, meclizine, and dimenhydrinate — are all strongly anticholinergic, and in older adults that raises the risk of confusion, hallucinations, falls, and urinary retention. Expert guidelines (the AGS Beers Criteria) advise against starting them without in-person oversight, so this lane does not prescribe them at 65 or older and refers you to your primary care physician to choose a safer option.

Can I just use an over-the-counter option instead?

Often, yes. Meclizine and dimenhydrinate are available over the counter and work well for many travelers. Because they can cause drowsiness, it helps to try a trial dose before your trip. The physician can counsel you on which to choose and how to time it; the prescription patch is mainly useful for longer trips like cruises or when the over-the-counter options have not worked.