How to deal with car sickness

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Pandemic aside, my family doesn’t take very many road trips. I’ll admit, it is partially because the thought of packing three small kids (and all the added toys, snacks, extra clothes, etc.) into a minivan gives me instant anxiety. And I know this is getting way ahead myself (I’m not even on a trip), but the thought of the trip being over — and the impending clean-up — is making me tired and frustrated.

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However, when we do decide to take a road trip, it comes with a little extra planning, specifically revolving around my eldest child, who began getting car sick at the fun age of two-years-old; she’s now seven. And, when I say car sick, I mean pretty much the worst of it. The first time it happened was on a trip to Pennsylvania. Let’s just say, I’m happy the hotel had a laundry room because the entire car seat needed to be taken apart, soaked, and washed (and even then, there was still a minor stench). At that time, we bought children’s Gravol and it seemed to work for the drive back home.

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How to deal with car sickness Back to video

Over the years, we’ve tried countless different strategies to either prevent or alleviate her car sickness, but nothing has brought permanent relief from vomiting in the car. Seriously, we take a bucket everywhere we go.

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Furthermore, I doubt that being at home for over a year has helped anyone who suffers from car sickness. Sure, there are fewer chances to get car sick, but also less chances of building up any kind of tolerance or working on methods to relieve that icky feeling. In fact, we’re noticing that some days, depending on a ton of factors that include what was eaten during that day, the car sickness can happen within a 15-minute drive to a nearby mall.

While we still rely on Gravol for longer drives, unfortunately, it isn’t the answer to every 15-minute drive around our neighbourhood.

Doctor’s advice

Sure, there are millions of websites that give you the same run-of-the-mill types of answers (some of which I’ll touch on below), but I was on a mission to go straight to a medical source and find a definitive medical solution for car sickness. Unfortunately, it proved to be harder than I expected. After speaking to several doctors of different specialties, none of them were too keen on being quoted word-for-word.

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A family doctor insisted that he may be able to give some advice, but it would be heavily opinionated and didn’t want to give his name for fear of being questioned or riddled with disapproval; after all, it’s not like prescribing a medication to treat an illness. Everyone experiences motion sickness in various ways, based on various situations, and therefore different solutions will have different outcomes.

In my daughter’s case, no matter what we’ve tried, doctor-suggested (though not medically-proven) or not, it hasn’t worked (other than Gravol). I can see why someone wouldn’t want to put their name beside general advice that might not return the relief that a patient hoped it would.

A medical resident said that if a patient came in with nausea or motion sickness, he would give scopolamine (a medication used for motion sickness or post-op nausea) and send the patient home, but he also said that’s not his area of expertise, and that a neurologist or family doctor may have more information.

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With a family doctor already covered, I moved on to a neurologist. The only one who responded didn’t really help, as she confirmed she doesn’t have any solid information on that topic, but she did kindly point me in the direction of a family doctor…

Then my luck finally kicked in; I was able to speak with a doctor who was willing to answer all of my questions surrounding car sickness (and the use of Gravol).

Cause, prevention, and treatment

Dr. Sheryl John, a pediatrician, explained that motion sickness begins when our senses aren’t synced. “Basically, when certain cues — visual, vestibular or inner-ear, somatosensory or general sensations — from your body are not matching up,” it can cause what we refer to as car sickness.

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Preventing car sickness, she said, can be divided into three categories: environmental, complimentary, and medications (see below for more details). Treatment, then, is essentially the same as what you would do for prevention. I’ve included some of her prevention strategies and how it’s worked for us in the past.

Environmental factors

Dr. John said these factors can include things like, “looking at the horizon or stationary spot in the distance, avoiding reading or looking at screens, and sitting where there is less movement”

Looking at the horizon : A long time ago, a psychiatrist (a friend — I didn’t take my daughter to see a psychiatrist about her car sickness) told me to have her look out the window as we start the car and drive away. Her brain and her body need to register that the car is in motion, otherwise it throws off the senses, potentially causing the car sickness. I understand the logic, but unfortunately that didn’t help her.

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Avoid reading/screens : Previously, I held that reading in the car makes car sickness worse; the same goes for playing games on a phone or tablet. However, I’ve found that any kind of distraction — whether it’s reading, watching a YouTube video on my phone, or a movie on a rear entertainment system — diverts her from whatever feeling is causing the motion sickness, if only for a few extra minutes. I understand the concept, going back to the previous method of looking out of the car. But in this case, reading has helped us last longer in the car without the mishap of barfing.

Sitting where there is less movement : Originally, we had my two older kids sitting in the third row of our minivan. We recently switched everyone to the middle row, and I do think this has been a significant help! Occasionally, we test out a short drive with her sitting in the third row, and the nausea comes a lot faster than when she is sitting in the middle row. Obviously, she isn’t quite old enough to sit in the front passenger seat, but I’m told that would also make a difference and could offer a bit more relief. Likewise, I’ve also heard (from a few others who deal with car sickness) that once someone becomes the driver, it also offers relief — presumably because you’re in full control of the vehicle and completely aware of the movement of the car.

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Fresh air : Breathing in some nice, fresh air can also be a huge relief if it’s not freezing cold or boiling hot outside, but unfortunately, it seems like that’s a lot to ask of Canadian weather. It has helped a bit, but again, it only helps for a few extra minutes before we’re back to square one.

Complimentary

Products such as acupressure bands and ginger, said Dr. John, are alternative treatments that can be an addition to the environmental factors that help prevent car sickness.

Sea Band : You know when you’ve gotten to the point where you will try anything? That’s where I’m at. A quick search across Google will eventually lead you to the Sea Band . It’s an acupressure band that is supposed to relieve the feeling of motion sickness (apparently, it can also be used for morning sickness during pregnancy). I haven’t quite figured out if it truly helps, although like other distractions, it does seem to be helping for a bit longer than without. Having said that, it could either be a placebo or even a mere coincidence, since I’ve been trying several other things at the same time. Regardless, it’s got a ton of great reviews, and aside from spending a few dollars, I don’t see the harm in trying — it hasn’t made it worse.

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Ginger : Chewing on a piece of gum or sucking on a hard candy (lollipop) can relieve nausea, but I have a few issues with this one. First, none of my kids particularly enjoy the spicy taste of ginger, so that’s not the best solution for younger children. Second, lollipops finish pretty quickly (especially if you’re like my son, who bites into and finishes it within 30 seconds), and I’m not too comfortable supplying my kids with several lollipops throughout the span of a car ride (because if one kid has it, then the others need it too) — especially if it’s all bound to come back up within a few minutes. And as an anxiety-riddled parent, the choking hazard doesn’t sit well with me either.

Medications

Finally, we also have the option of using “medications like antihistamines or scopolamine, but those can make you drowsy,” said Dr. John.

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Gravol : According to Dr. John, “Gravol is a type of antihistamine” — antihistamines are also used as allergy medications. Gravol was our original go-to, quick solution for going anywhere far, especially for drives from Mississauga to see family in Whitby. Keep in mind, according to the directions on the box, it should be taken at least 30 minutes prior to driving. From experience, wait the full half-hour.

In addition, it’s only good for six to eight hours, so an entire day trip would require a second dose, at some point. However, it’s not always the best option, as it sometimes (not that often) makes my seven-year-old extremely drowsy, which sucks when we’re going on a day trip and want her to be her fun and lively self once we’ve gotten out of the car.

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Over the years, although we’ve tried many, many things, we haven’t found anything that works quite as well as Gravol. So, I decided to dig a bit deeper with this one and asked Dr. John about the side effects of taking Gravol too often. Specifically, my two questions were: If I needed to give my daughter Gravol once a week for the next five years, is that safe? And, if it is that often, is it possible for her to build up a resistance to that medication, in turn causing it to be less and less effective?

She replied, “Under six years old, I’d be cautious, but as long as it doesn’t make her too drowsy, it should be fine if she’s otherwise healthy.” And regarding effectiveness, she said, “No resistance that I’m aware of, but if it seems that way, you could always switch to another antihistamine.”

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Final thoughts

A few years ago, I spoke to a doctor with a more naturopathic approach, who told us to cut some dairy out of her diet. So, we happily obliged, and limited her dairy intake by a lot, especially if we knew we would be travelling. It makes sense — she could have been lactose-intolerant — and since dairy is the enemy of many tummies, maybe driving was triggering some tummy issues. Regardless, limiting dairy seemed to work for a bit, but the car sickness eventually returned. However, it’s definitely worth a try.

So, there you have it — everything I know and learned about car sickness. Hopefully at least one of these things can help bring you some form of relief, because it’s a horrible, icky feeling. However, you should always speak to your doctor if you’re having concerns about motion sickness. A family doctor would have a better understanding of your medical history and what might work best for you.