Evaluation of Several Common Antimotion Sickness Medications and Recommendations Concerning Their Potential Usefulness During Special Operations
Abstract
NAMRL evaluated antimotion sickness medications to help the USSOCOM Biomedical Initiatives Steering Committee explore alternatives to meclizine. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study compared five groups (n = 30 per condition): 1) oral + transdermal placebo (control); 2) 50 mg oral meclizine + transdermal placebo; 3) 25 mg oral promethazine + transdermal placebo; 4) 0.8 mg oral scopolamine + transdermal placebo; 5) oral placebo + transdermal scopolamine (1.5 mg). Each condition included oral caffeine (200 mg). Medication efficacy was defined as the number of tilts tolerated upon reaching sustained moderate nausea during a Coriolis, cross-coupling stimulus. A past motion susceptibility rating was employed as a covariate. Performance was evaluated with cognitive and psychomotor test batteries derived from USSOCOM?s Mission-Related Performance Measures. MANOVA detected no medication-related performance differences in either battery. Planned contrasts compared meclizine to promethazine and scopolamine (oral or transdermal), while controlling for past susceptibility. The only observed difference was between meclizine (M = 170 tilts, SE = 13) and oral scopolamine (M = 217, SE = 13), p = .04; however, a post-hoc comparison failed to distinguish oral scopolamine from placebo. Lack of observed medication performance differences implied that USSOCOM may consider alternatives to meclizine; however, efficacy findings were inconclusive.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 02, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA511823
Entities
People
- Ben D. Lawson
- Christopher M. Mcgrath
- Heather A. Mcgee
- John F. Golding
- Michael A. Castaneda
- Steven J. Kass
Organizations
- Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory