Chlorpheniramine for motion sickness

Abstract

Background: Motion sickness remains a significant problem for travelers and for those involved in naval, aviation and space operations. Many motion sickness remedies are also sedating, making them undesirable in many settings.

Methods: We studied chlorpheniramine as a potential motion sickness treatment. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-ranging trial was performed to establish the most effective dose and the drug's effects on cognition. Eighteen normal, motion sickness susceptible subjects received placebo, low dose (4 mg) or high dose (12 mg) chlorpheniramine 3.5 hours before off-axis vertical rotation. Cognitive testing included a battery of objective and subjective tests performed before drug ingestion, at peak drug effect and following rotation.

Results: Chlorpheniramine significantly increased the time in the chair compared to placebo at high dose (7.2 minutes to 11.7 minutes) and low dose (7.2 minutes to 10.2 minutes). Chlorpheniramine did not affect performance on objective cognitive tests. Subjects reported significantly more sleepiness and less alertness with high-dose chlorpheniramine, although they could not reliably determine when they had received active drug.

Conclusion: Chlorpheniramine is effective and could be considered for use against motion sickness. Chlorpheniramine also has the potential to be administered transdermally.