Can you take travel sickness tablets with other medications?

October 14, 2025 •

4 min read

Approximately one in three people are susceptible to motion sickness, making travel sickness tablets a common travel accessory. However, it is crucial to understand if you can take travel sickness tablets with other medications, as combining them can lead to serious adverse effects.

Quick Summary

Taking travel sickness medication alongside other drugs requires careful consideration due to potential interactions. Enhanced drowsiness and serious side effects are possible, so medical advice is crucial.

Key Points

Enhanced Drowsiness: Taking travel sickness medication with other sedatives, like sleep aids or opioids, can cause extreme drowsiness and impaired coordination.
Additive Anticholinergic Effects: Combining anticholinergic travel sickness drugs (e.g., scopolamine) with other anticholinergic medications can increase side effects like dry mouth, blurred vision, and urinary retention.
Increased Fall Risk: Older adults are particularly susceptible to the side effects of motion sickness tablets, which can increase the risk of confusion, falls, and other adverse events.
Risk with Antidepressants: Certain antidepressants, particularly TCAs and some SSRIs, can interact with travel sickness tablets, leading to increased sedation and other side effects.
Avoid Alcohol: It is critical to avoid alcohol when taking travel sickness tablets, as the combination can lead to dangerously high levels of sedation.
Always Consult a Professional: The most reliable way to avoid drug interactions is to consult with a doctor or pharmacist who can review your complete medication and supplement list.

Motion sickness is a common condition caused by a discrepancy between what your inner ear senses and what your eyes see, leading to symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Several types of medications are available to treat or prevent this, both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription. These typically fall into two main categories: antihistamines and anticholinergics. While effective, these medications carry a risk of significant interactions with other drugs, which can worsen side effects or lead to dangerous health complications.

The Risk of Central Nervous System (CNS) Depression

One of the most common and significant risks associated with travel sickness medications is their potential to cause or enhance CNS depression. Many common travel sickness medications, such as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), meclizine (Bonine), and promethazine, are first-generation antihistamines known for their sedative effects. When combined with other substances that also depress the CNS, this effect can be dangerously amplified.

Medications That Enhance Sedation

Sedatives and Hypnotics: This includes prescription sleep aids (e.g., zolpidem) and benzodiazepines (e.g., alprazolam, lorazepam), which are often prescribed for anxiety or insomnia. The combination can result in excessive drowsiness, impaired balance, and in rare cases, slowed breathing or even coma.
Opioids: Strong pain relievers like oxycodone and morphine also act as CNS depressants. Taking them with travel sickness tablets significantly increases the risk of severe sedation and respiratory depression.
Muscle Relaxants: Medications used to treat muscle spasms, such as cyclobenzaprine, can have additive sedative effects when taken with travel sickness medication.
Alcohol: It is strongly advised to avoid or limit alcohol consumption when taking travel sickness tablets. Alcohol acts as a CNS depressant and can severely worsen dizziness and drowsiness.

Additive Anticholinergic Effects

Some travel sickness medications, particularly scopolamine patches (Transderm Scop) and certain first-generation antihistamines, have strong anticholinergic properties. These drugs block the action of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, which can cause side effects like dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, and urinary retention. Combining these with other anticholinergic medications increases the risk and severity of these side effects.

Anticholinergic Drug Interactions

Certain Antidepressants: Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) like amitriptyline have strong anticholinergic effects and can significantly increase the risk of side effects like dry mouth and confusion when combined with travel sickness tablets.
Medications for Overactive Bladder: Drugs such as oxybutynin are anticholinergic and can amplify side effects when taken with motion sickness remedies.
Parkinson's Disease Medications: Some drugs used to treat Parkinson's, such as amantadine, also have anticholinergic activity and should be used with caution.

Specific Medication Class Interactions

Beyond general drug categories, specific interactions exist that should be discussed with a healthcare provider.

Antidepressants: While TCAs are particularly concerning, some SSRIs like escitalopram can also cause increased drowsiness and confusion when combined with dimenhydrinate.
Blood Pressure Medications: An interaction is possible, especially with medications like lisinopril and dimenhydrinate, which can lead to additive blood pressure-lowering effects, causing dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting. Always consult your doctor before combining.
Other Antihistamines: Taking multiple antihistamines simultaneously, for example, a travel sickness tablet and a strong allergy medication like diphenhydramine, is not recommended as it drastically increases the risk of side effects like extreme sedation and dry mouth.

Comparison Table: Common Travel Sickness Medications and Interactions


Medication Name	Active Ingredient	Common Interactions	Key Risks
Dramamine	Dimenhydrinate	Sedatives, opioids, alcohol, other antihistamines, anticholinergics	Exaggerated drowsiness, blurred vision, dry mouth, confusion
Bonine, Dramamine Less Drowsy	Meclizine	Sedatives, alcohol, opioids, other antihistamines, benzodiazepines, antidepressants	Increased drowsiness, dizziness, cognitive impairment
Transderm Scop	Scopolamine	Sedatives, alcohol, anticholinergics, other motion sickness pills	Enhanced anticholinergic side effects (dry mouth, blurred vision), confusion, severe drowsiness
Hyoscine Hydrobromide (e.g., Kwells)	Hyoscine Hydrobromide	Antidepressants (MAOIs, TCAs), other anticholinergics, drugs that cause drowsiness	Increased sedation, worsening of anticholinergic side effects

What to Do Before You Travel

To ensure your safety and minimize the risk of drug interactions, it is essential to be proactive. Always consult a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or pharmacist, before combining travel sickness tablets with any other medication, including prescription, OTC, herbal supplements, or vitamins. A pharmacist can review your complete medication list and identify potential interactions. If you are new to a specific travel sickness medication, especially those containing antihistamines, consider doing a 'test dose' at home before your trip to see how it affects you, as some individuals experience unusual or intense side effects like paradoxical agitation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers valuable travel health advice, including considerations for motion sickness.

Conclusion

Combining travel sickness tablets with other medications requires careful consideration due to the risk of significant drug interactions. The primary concerns revolve around enhanced CNS depression, leading to increased drowsiness, and heightened anticholinergic side effects like dry mouth and blurred vision. Dangerous combinations exist with sedatives, opioids, alcohol, and certain antidepressants. Consulting a healthcare professional is the most critical step to ensure your travel is both comfortable and safe, especially if you are taking multiple medications. Never stop taking a prescribed medication or start a new one without professional guidance.

Key Takeaways

Enhanced Drowsiness: Many travel sickness tablets are sedating, and this effect is intensified when combined with alcohol, sedatives, opioids, or other antihistamines.
Additive Anticholinergic Effects: Medications like scopolamine and dimenhydrinate can cause side effects such as dry mouth and blurred vision, which are worsened by combining with other anticholinergic drugs.
Consult Your Doctor or Pharmacist: Always discuss your full medication list with a healthcare provider before taking travel sickness tablets to screen for interactions.
Watch for Specific Risks: Pay special attention if you take medications for blood pressure, depression, or anxiety, as specific interactions are possible.
Test Dose Advised: If trying a new motion sickness medication, especially for children, consider a test dose at home to monitor for intense sedation or paradoxical agitation.
Avoid Alcohol: The combination of alcohol with travel sickness medication can cause extreme drowsiness and is strongly discouraged.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, it is highly recommended to avoid combining Dramamine (dimenhydrinate) with anxiety medications, especially benzodiazepines like alprazolam (Xanax) or lorazepam (Ativan). This can significantly increase the risk of severe drowsiness, impaired thinking, and slowed breathing.

Combining a scopolamine patch with antidepressants, particularly tricyclic antidepressants like amitriptyline, can be dangerous. This can cause excessive anticholinergic side effects such as confusion, severe drowsiness, and blurred vision.

While some combinations, such as dimenhydrinate and amlodipine, may not have reported interactions, others like dimenhydrinate and lisinopril can cause additive blood pressure lowering. You should always consult your doctor to ensure safety, as individual reactions vary.

If you experience symptoms of enhanced drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, or difficulty breathing, seek immediate medical attention. If the effects are mild, monitor your condition closely and avoid driving or operating machinery. In all cases, contact a healthcare professional for advice.

Some travel sickness medications are marketed as 'less drowsy,' like meclizine, but still have potential interactions. Newer, non-sedating antihistamines (like cetirizine or fexofenadine) have minimal anticholinergic effects and fewer interactions, but are less effective for motion sickness and should not be combined with older types. Always confirm with your pharmacist.

Giving motion sickness medication to children requires extreme caution, as dosages and side effects differ. Some children may experience paradoxical agitation instead of drowsiness. You should consult a pediatrician before administering any travel sickness medication, especially if the child is on other drugs.

Combining alcohol, a CNS depressant, with travel sickness medications, which are also often sedating, can lead to severely increased drowsiness, impaired coordination, and dangerous side effects. It is strongly advised to avoid consuming alcohol while taking these medications.