Motion sickness
Treat uncomfortable symptoms brought on by movement.
Secure delivery
UK clinicians
Motion sickness is a common physical response to real or virtual motion. Many people experience it to varying degrees, and it can be uncomfortable.
Answer a few questions about your health, and our experts will recommend treatments tailored for you. Order motion sickness treatment online and get it delivered when you want it.
Many of us will experience motion sickness at one time or another. It’s often caused by common methods of travel, such as car, train, sea or flying. It can also be caused by modern simulation systems and virtual reality systems (VR). Even something like a ride on a merry go round with your children can result in unwanted motion sickness. This can be inconvenient and uncomfortable.
Typical symptoms of motion sickness can include feelings of nausea (from mild to severe), dizziness, fatigue and sometimes vomiting. Motion sickness can affect the smallest of tasks in everyday life, getting in the way of simple activities such as driving in a car or getting to-and-from work by public transport.
Motion sickness is more common in children (particularly younger ones). Most children who get motion sickness are between six and nine years old. However many children 'grow out' of the symptoms as they reach their teen years and don’t suffer from the effects of it in adolescence and adulthood.
Motion sickness is also more commonly experienced by women, as well as people who suffer from vertigo, Meniere’s disease and migraines.
It’s difficult to know exactly how common it is, but everyone can get it, and most people will probably have experienced it at certain times to some extent.
It’s estimated that over two to three days of being on a large ship at sea, up to 25% of people get motion sickness. And 4% of people who travel by car experience motion sickness. On a commercial plane, fewer than 1% of travellers are thought to get motion sickness. So, as the figures show, it does occur ― even though we can’t be entirely sure of how prevalent it is.
How we source info.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
It’s caused by conflicting information between signals sent from the eyes and the inner ear to the brain (namely the vestibulo-cochlear system), which then results in the symptoms of motion sickness.
So your brain gets different signals from your eyes and your inner ear when you’re travelling over bumps in a car, or if you’re moving up and down on a boat. It’s this mixture of signals that makes you feel ill.
Symptoms of motion sickness include nausea, headache, lack of energy, sweating, feeling cold and turning pale, and an increase in the amount of saliva you produce. Not everyone will get all of these symptoms, and they can vary from one person to the next.
Motion sickness doesn’t tend to cause serious problems. But on rare occasions you might find that you can’t stop being sick. This excessive vomiting can lead to dehydration and low blood pressure, which can prove to be dangerous if untreated.
If you have to travel or commute regularly, and suffer from motion sickness symptoms, then this can be challenging. You’ll have to plan ahead, including the use of any medication that might help you with these symptoms. Knowing that your journey may trigger motion sickness can also cause you to feel stressed or anxious which, in turn, can make travelling more difficult and unsafe than it needs to be.
How we source info.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
How we source info.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
Have something specific you want to know? Search our info below, or ask our experts a question if you can’t find what you’re looking for.
Motion sickness: an overview. Drugs in Context, 8, pp.1–11.
Motion sickness. The Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society : official organ of the Louisiana State Medical Society, 148(1), 7–11.
Effects of ginger on motion sickness and gastric slow-wave dysrhythmias induced by circular vection. American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology, 284(3), G481–G489.
The effects of the selective muscarinic M3 receptor antagonist darifenacin, and of hyoscine (scopolamine), on motion sickness, skin conductance & cognitive function. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 84(7), 1535–1543.
Preventative patch for motion sickness that's effective for up to 72 hours.
Fast-acting tablet for nausea and motion sickness. Can ease symptoms within 20 minutes.
Effective tablet for motion sickness. Take it before you travel and avoid nausea.
Tablets to help control nausea when traveling by road or at sea.
Registered with GMC (No. 4624794)
Meet DanielRegistered with GPhC (No. 2202465)
Meet SanjedaRegistered with GPhC (No. 2070724)
Meet CraigRegistered with GPhC (No. 2070338)
Meet RuaraidhAlways read the leaflet that comes with your medication and tell us about any side effects you get.
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