Scopalomine Patch Not Working Anymore!

[Green_Manelishi]

Yikes!

For 2 dive trips now, my Transderm Scop Patch has had zero effect. I'm one of those "see a wave and ralph" types of people, and for 2 years now, I've been using the Scop patch regularly (maybe 2 days per month for local dive trips, and for a week or two at a time for liveaboard trips). It has worked just great the entire time. I've been wearing it on my boob under my bathing suit, since hair gets stuck in it and rips it off if I wear it on my ear. The placement hasn't been a problem - the patch has worked like an absolute charm. The only side effect for me is dry mouth.

Until my last two dive trips. Total green-ness. Yech. Totally ruined the trips. I didn't do anything differently.

Has anybody else of you regular patch users had this experience? I can't find any information indicating that one can develop a tolerance to scopalomine, and my doctor doesn't know much about it (he's not a diver, sigh), but that's almost what it feels like. That or a QC problem, I dunno.

I read the thread about the ear placement being necessary for dosage reasons, so I'll go back to that, but it's been working for 2 years now on my boob (same spot!), so I can't figure out what the problem is all of a sudden.

Anybody out there having the same problem?

I use a scope patch near my ear; I don't have enough hair to catch and I have insufficient boob size to hide a patch. Although, I have been told my pecs are larger than many I am curious to know HOW you manage to catch the patch in your hair unless you are not pushing the hair out of the way.

In any case, I have found they don't work as well if:

1) it gets wet then dry then wet ... too many dives. I have found I can use a patch for 2 days of (not consecutive) diving then it needs to be replaced.

2) I am tired

3) I've been using it (too) frequently, even if it's not for diving, and the patch is not "fresh"

 

[DiveMaven]

I'm curious as to what the manufacturer said when you told them where you were applying it?? Did they think that had an effect?

Because I've seen too many divers enter the water with a patch and exit without it, I put the sticky part of a waterproof bandaid ovver the top of my patch to hold it in place. That also keeps the patch dry and I don't have to worry about it potentially losing it's effectiveness over time....which I'm not sure will happen, but I'm paranoid enough to worry it might anyway.

 

[ciret]

I just saw a Mythbusters episode where they were testing motion sickness remedies. the thing that worked the best in their test was ginger pills. I've never tried that in pill form, but have used raw ginger and that seemed to work. I just cut a small 1"x1/4"x1/8" sliver in between my cheek and gum. Although lately for diving I use 1/2 wal-dram II (Walgreens Dramamine II) the night before and the other half the next morning. Haven't been sick since starting that. Good luck.

 

[scubaboy44]

I did great with the patch until my last couple of dive trips. I put them behind my ear, and they keep falling off! Got sick as a dog in Morehead last spring, (dove anyway...fantastic wrecks!) and got somewhat green diving the Keys wrecks Thanksgiving weekend(also dove anyway, felt much better u/w). Could it be bad glue?::l:

 

[Taxgeek]

Doh, yeah, it helps if they stay on! ;-)

So, I tried Bonine (2 pills at once) while sitting in my office. Got very slightly sleepy after a few hours, but not any more sleepy than a big meal would make me. I got a couple of random "spinny moments" (is that what vertigo is?) in the 2 days following taking the pills, but that seems to be the extent of the side effects.

I also got a Scopace prescription, which is another scopalomine med, in pill form. I have to try that one tomorrow morning to make sure there are no side affects that would be problematic with diving.

Oh, yeah, and the Transderm company didn't seem to think anything of the booby application of the patch. "As long as it sticks . . . " is what they said. Who knows.

So this saturday is my last dive trip of 2005. A 6 hr ride over to San Clemente Island. I'm thinking I'll try the Scopace . . . since scopalomine was working so well for so long . . . although my pharmacist said I could take both scopace and bonine, seems dumb because then I wouldn't know which did the trick if it actually worked.

And yeah, I think I"m gonna go get some ginger just in case. . . yeccchh, but oh well. The sacrifices we make!

I have a trip to Cocos planned for April . . . 36 hours from Mainland to Malpelo . . . 36 hours from Malpelo to Cocos . . . 36 hours home . . . that's 108 hours of potential barfitude . . . lovely. I think I'm just going to get a valium prescription for that one and sleep for 36 hours straight!

(The ralphing smilie is too cute!)