Help-Transderm Scop Overdose!!

[corsies]

Just returned from Liberty of the Seas 1/5-1/12. Used the transderm scop patch for 6 days. Experienced blurry vision and dry mouth. 5 days after cruise still experiencing some blurry vision and photo sensitivity. I went to see an eye doctor who says I have too much scolpamine (sp) in my system and my eyes are slightly dialated. He hopes that my eyes will return to normal in the next day or so. I am back at work and having trouble seeing the computer. Very upset and frustrated. I will never use the patch again. I am highly sea sick. Has anyone experienced an adverse drug reaction to the patch? I weigh 110 pounds and am 5 foot 1 inch. I have heard that people cut the patch in half and use half the dosage. Did not know that to be an option.

 

Thanks

 

Corrie

[Dialemic]

I dunno, but if you feel like your going to die, call 911.:eek:

[PhoenixCruiser]

Sorry to read that Corrie, I hope you feel better soon!

 

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[coy860]

I had the very same reaction, but I removed the patch the first day, and did fine on that cruise, and the 37 subsequent cruises I have been on.

 

I felt that the reaction was too severe to allow the patch to remain. My vision was normal the next morning.

[surroundedbyboys]

My whole family used that patch on our cruise. All 4 of us had the same symptoms. It started with the dry mouth and then we all couldn't read our menus at dinner. It ended when my youngest- 12 years old and okayed for the patch by the doc- started hallucinating in the night. We all removed them immediately. It took about a day and a half before we started feeling normal. (And we'd only been wearing them for about 18 hours!) I think everyone reacts differently. I have friends who wear them every time and say that they're fine except that they can't read the menus either.

[maggioml]

Please do not cut the patch in half as it was not designed to deliver medication that way. In this country, there is only one strength available. I would suggest not using it next time and sticking to some less anticholinergic meds like meclizine(Bonine).

[Yvie]

I used the scopalomine patch on one cruise and it actually made me feel worse, not better, so I removed it. I plan on bringing some Bonine along on my next cruise just in case I need it, but will try to do without.

[maggiecharlie]

I have used the patch and have had the blurred vision and dialated pupils and I am also allergic to the adhesive so I break out where the patch is placed so once the patches are removed I have circle rashes. I also feel ill for a few days after on land, they say to wear the patch a day or two on land but I can't deal with the side effects any longer.

 

I think I am going to try Bonine and see how that works and maybe also take some ginger pills.

[Rancher Dave]

If you still have the box and the paperwork on the side effects perhaps they have a number to call for more information and they can give you an idea of how to counteract the meds. You doc could always call Poison Control and get the right mix of meds to help reverse the effects you are suffering.

 

Never did more than a dry mouth for me but that was years ago when I was younger so who knows now.

 

If problems presist definitely don't wait for them to subside check with the doctor and manufacture so you can be appropriately treated and can feel better again.

[Rey323]

Hi,

I am sorry to hear that this has happened to you. A couple of years ago my girlfriend and her husband came on their first cruise with huband and I. The same thing happened to her (she also suffurs from severe motion sickness). She noticed that by the 3rd day she was not feeling well at all. Her vision was blurry and she felt nauseous. As it turned out when I read the packet that came with her patches it stated the side effects as well as you shouldn't touch it with your bare hands and if you come into contact with it wash your hands immediately. Do not have your hands come in contact with your eyes. Needless to say we removed the patch and it took her the rest of the cruise as well as another week to feel back to normal. Since then she has used the patch. Her reaction was a bad one. I don't know about cutting the patch in half or for that matter trust it but talk to your doctor about other options. I know that on our last cruise she used the sea bands, dramamine as well as ginger therapy. She starts taking ginger supplements about a week before travel. It has helped her tremendously. This is a woman that throws up as the plane takes off so give it a try. Her doctor recommend flushing the system with water. She drank a lot of water when we came home. It just takes times to get it out of your system.

Feel better soon.

[KelJ]

My husband faithfully uses the patch when we cruise, and he also uses it every weekend (except in the winter!) out on our boat on Lake Erie. He's been using it for years and years and swears by it. The only complaint he's ever had has been dry mouth.

I'm sorry that so many people have had such adverse effects. I hope people know not apply a new one daily. Each one is good for two days, I believe.

I chew a Bonine each day on a cruise as a preventative measure. I have never gotten seasick, but I also don't want to!

[Darkwolfe]

I'm thinking I got lucky. I'd heard some not so happy things about the patch back before we went on our first cruise. So, we grabbed up some non-drowsy Dramamine and skipped the patch entirely. Worked like a charm too.

 

For what it's worth, most folks shouldn't have any trouble unless the seas get heavier than 6 feet. It seems like that's roughly the point where you can start to feel motion in the ships. If the captain says that 6 foot or greater seas are expected that day, pop the Dramamine and forget about it.

 

I don't know that the Dramamine will help everybody (unlikely) but it made 12 foot seas something to enjoy rather than get sick over.

[Jungle Jane]

I had a terrible reaction, ended up in the hospital getting IV fluids! I had used it before for a day or so for amusement parks or deep sea fishing, but used it for a bunch of days in a row changing patch every 3 days and that is what caused the trouble. I don't think it's meant to be used for more than 3 days. The eye trouble is usually caused by getting the med in your eyes from touching the patch and then your eye. Even if you touch the back of it, like to make sure it's still there or whatever, you will get med on your finger. The dry mouth is a reaction from the med itself, can be remedied by drinking extra fluids. In my case it got me so used to motion that after I took it off I ended up being hypersensitive to motion and got nauseous just turning my head or looking around a room. I puked for 3 days and finally went to DR who admitted me for fluids. I will NEVER use it again for more than a day at a time. Now I have a prescription for meclizine, makes me kinda tired but it's better than puking!!!!!!!!!! Am going to experiment some more with the ginger this time around, but have the mec as a backup just in case.

[cruisePRN]

I had a terrible reaction, ended up in the hospital getting IV fluids! I had used it before for a day or so for amusement parks or deep sea fishing, but used it for a bunch of days in a row changing patch every 3 days and that is what caused the trouble. I don't think it's meant to be used for more than 3 days. The eye trouble is usually caused by getting the med in your eyes from touching the patch and then your eye. Even if you touch the back of it, like to make sure it's still there or whatever, you will get med on your finger. The dry mouth is a reaction from the med itself, can be remedied by drinking extra fluids. In my case it got me so used to motion that after I took it off I ended up being hypersensitive to motion and got nauseous just turning my head or looking around a room. I puked for 3 days and finally went to DR who admitted me for fluids. I will NEVER use it again for more than a day at a time. Now I have a prescription for meclizine, makes me kinda tired but it's better than puking!!!!!!!!!! Am going to experiment some more with the ginger this time around, but have the mec as a backup just in case.

 

Try candied ginger from Trader Joe's. Meclizine is an over the counter drug.

[JetTroop]

I don't normally get sea sick but in December we had some of the roughest waves seen in December (According to Cpt Johnny) on the Mariner in a long, long time. My wife had an extra patch so just to be safe I put it on. I should note that MOS had a decline of 700 to 800 people in the main dining room on one night from sea sickness, my wife included. While I didn't get sea sick or even feel any remote effects, I did have blurry vision where I couldn't focus. Menus had to be held at arms length in order for me to focus on them. For a 34 year old with 20/20 vision, I was freaked out and took the patch off.

 

My wife's sea sickness wasn't really getting any better and she had the patch on the whole time. We went to the medical facility and spoke to the nurse. She stated they don't recommend the patch at all, something about the dosage that couldn't be gauged on what you were or weren't getting. (I could be all wrong about that but that's what I thought she said) At any rate, she recommended to try the pills first after my wife, took off the patch and washed the area and waited a time period. When my wife did take the free pills, she felt much better and was able to enjoy the final couple of days of the cruise.

 

For me, I'll never use the patch again due to the effects on my eyes. I dont think my wife has faith in it either after our last cruise. But that's just our experience. :)

[Moeve]

We use ginger capsules BUT it is imperative you check with your DR. first. Ginger thins the blood and if you are already on blood thinners it may not be an alternative for you so please ask your Dr. or Pharmasist first!!!!!! In fact it may even be down right dangerous - another one is if you have an ulcer.

[El Mono]

Please do not cut the patch in half as it was not designed to deliver medication that way. In this country, there is only one strength available. I would suggest not using it next time and sticking to some less anticholinergic meds like meclizine(Bonine).

 

 

I have actually been told by a doctor that a smaller person such as a child or a female could take half the patch. Despite my own 200 punds weight I feel really groggy if taking a whole patch. I have used both a whole and half and a half is enough for me.

 

The only risk when taking a half patch is that its not going to help enough, there are no dangers in doing so. It would be worse to take two patches, a crazy idea, but I have seen many different things that people can come up to when selfmedicationing, such as gulping down sleeping pills with alcohol and they were no drug addicts, just people with a strange view on medications...

[warringtonian]

Just returned from Liberty of the Seas 1/5-1/12. Used the transderm scop patch for 6 days. Experienced blurry vision and dry mouth. 5 days after cruise still experiencing some blurry vision and photo sensitivity. I went to see an eye doctor who says I have too much scolpamine (sp) in my system and my eyes are slightly dialated. He hopes that my eyes will return to normal in the next day or so. I am back at work and having trouble seeing the computer. Very upset and frustrated. I will never use the patch again. I am highly sea sick. Has anyone experienced an adverse drug reaction to the patch? I weigh 110 pounds and am 5 foot 1 inch. I have heard that people cut the patch in half and use half the dosage. Did not know that to be an option.

 

Thanks

 

Corrie

 

That's the problem with transdermal patches. Even after you remove the patch there is some of the drug present in your skin which will be slowly absorbed. Also with a patch you have no control over the amount delivered. You may even be suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Either way you should be better after a few days.

If you want to take scopolamine take tablets (Scopace in the US? or Kwells in the UK). They are much shorter-acting.

[JanineM]

Sorry you had such a bad reaction. My niece (who is also petite) had vision problems the one time she wore it and took it off immediately. Her eyes cleared up in about 3 days.

 

Don't cut the patch in half! There's medication inside of that little pocket and it will leak out - causing worse problems. The product monograph pretty clearly states not to cut it, so I don't know why any doctor would recommend that.

 

You can get scopolomine pills, so perhaps that is better choice for those who are bigger/smaller, rather than messing with the patches.

 

I have used them successfully for five cruises now, but I am taller and weigh more than you. The problem I normally have is after I remove the patch after the cruise ends, so I now just leave it on for about 3 days afterwards, which allows the medication to more gradually leave my system. They are the only reason I can cruise because meclizine/bonine knocks me out like a sleeping pill, day and night, and I get sick on a kayak - let alone out on seas with swells higher than about 4 feet!

 

The water sounds like a great idea, as does the idea of contacting the drug's manufacturer. Hope you feel better soon.

[marci22]

Older individuals and smaller individuals sometimes have more adverse reactions to the patch.

 

Do not cut it in half (I see this suggestion all the time, it is wrong) as it may worsen your symptoms.

 

Personally, I think the patch is overkill on a cruise ship. (Maybe good if you're fishing on the Bering Sea, but really too much for the Caribbean.) There are several other things often mentioned that work just fine, provided you start them in advance of traveling, not when you are in the depths of motion sickness.

[tanyanubin]

I used a patch last January. I'm small, so I didn't feel that I needed the full strength. Instead of cutting it, I folded it over itself so that only 1/2 the patch was in contact with my skin. It worked well, and I'll be doing it again in several days. I did have a little dry mouth, and a little tiny 'high' feeling for a few hours after I first put it on, but neither was bad. I guess you could also just put paper or something against 1/2 the patch, but then you'd have it hanging off. Last time we ran into pretty rough weather, so I'm glad I had it with me.

[tally10]

The patch works great for us, but our less than 100 lb DD had a bad reaction to them on a transatlantic. She ended up in the infirmary with IV's and a $2000 bill. When my anesthesiologist slapped one on me prior to going into surgery with general anesthesia, I had no post procedure nausea. DH got either food poisoning (bad lobster) and/or noro on one of our cruises, he put one on and felt a lot better. I just think it works differently on different sized people (one size does NOT fit all).

[supernanny]

On our first cruise my DH used the patch and did great on the ship but when we went ashore for our excursions he had some dizziness and nausea and had to take it off. As long as he was on the ship he was fine. BTW his weight is around 175. He had no ill effects after getting off the ship and returning home. I however had what some call "land sickness"? for about a week after we were home with dizziness and some nausea at times. I had taken nothing for nausea while on the ship. I think everyone is different and you just have to try it to see. If you start feeling any side effects take it off and then you know. :( We are cruising again in Feb. and DH will be trying the patch again so I will let you know how it goes.

[vermonter16]

My husband has been using the patch since we started cruising in 2003. He also now uses it on airplane flights as well where he tends to get sick. He has no problem. As with any drug - it isn't for everyone and you might try "non-prescription" remedies before you just jump to the prescription one. Usually the prespcription one is the one that works for those when none of the other remedies too. Also - how often did you replace the patch? They are usually good for a certain amount of time.

[GeckoGirl]

My husband has been using the patch since we started cruising in 2003. He also now uses it on airplane flights as well where he tends to get sick. He has no problem. As with any drug - it isn't for everyone and you might try "non-prescription" remedies before you just jump to the prescription one. Usually the prespcription one is the one that works for those when none of the other remedies too. Also - how often did you replace the patch? They are usually good for a certain amount of time.

 

 

My doctor stated that you replace it every 3 days but you are also supposed to switch sides, so if you have it behind your right ear, then after 3 days take it off, cleanse the area thoroughly and then put the new patch on behind the left ear. She told me common side effects are dehydration, dry mouth and constipation as well as a little blurred vision.

 

Thankfully so far I haven't had to use them, but I bring them along with Bonine on the cruise just in case and if I do ever get sick I will decide which to use at that point. Probably try the Bonine first and if that is not strong enough, then I'll try the patch.