What Medications Should I Avoid with Dramamine? A Guide to Safe Use

October 10, 2025 •

4 min read

Dramamine (dimenhydrinate) is a common over-the-counter antihistamine used to prevent motion sickness, but combining it with other medications can lead to dangerous side effects. It is crucial to understand what medications should I avoid with Dramamine? to ensure your safety and avoid potential health complications.

Quick Summary

Dramamine interacts with central nervous system depressants, other antihistamines, and anticholinergic drugs, increasing risks of severe drowsiness, confusion, and other side effects. Discussing your full medication list with a healthcare provider is essential to prevent adverse reactions.

Key Points

CNS Depressant Interaction: Dramamine should not be combined with other CNS depressants like alcohol, benzodiazepines (e.g., Xanax), opioid painkillers, sleep aids (e.g., Ambien), or muscle relaxants, as this can cause severe sedation, impaired coordination, and slowed breathing.
Anticholinergic Overlap: Avoid combining Dramamine with other anticholinergic medications, including other antihistamines (like Benadryl), older antidepressants, and some bladder control drugs, to prevent amplified side effects like dry mouth, blurred vision, and confusion.
High-Risk Drug Combinations: Certain narcolepsy medications (Xyrem, Xywav) have severe and potentially fatal interactions with Dramamine, causing profound sedation and respiratory depression.
Ototoxicity Masking: Dramamine can mask symptoms of ear damage (ototoxicity) caused by specific antibiotics, so caution is advised for patients taking ototoxic drugs.
Consult a Professional: Always inform your doctor or pharmacist about all medications, supplements, and herbal products you are taking to prevent harmful drug interactions with Dramamine.
Consider Alternatives: For milder cases of motion sickness, natural remedies such as ginger, acupressure bands, or focusing on the horizon are safer options, especially if you take other medications.

The Mechanism of Dramamine and its Interaction Potential

Dramamine, or dimenhydrinate, works by suppressing the overstimulation of the inner ear, which is responsible for balance. Its active component, dimenhydrinate, is a first-generation antihistamine that has a noticeable sedative effect. It also has anticholinergic properties, meaning it blocks the action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. These properties are the primary reason for many of its potentially dangerous drug interactions. When combined with other substances that also depress the central nervous system (CNS) or have anticholinergic effects, the side effects can become amplified, leading to severe drowsiness, impaired coordination, and other complications.

Medications and Substances to Avoid with Dramamine

1. Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants

Combining Dramamine with other CNS depressants can lead to an additive effect, causing excessive sedation and potential respiratory depression. This is one of the most critical and potentially life-threatening interactions to be aware of.

Common CNS depressants to avoid include:

Alcohol: Significantly intensifies the drowsiness and dizziness caused by Dramamine and can worsen motion sickness symptoms. The combination impairs judgment and motor skills, making activities like driving extremely dangerous.
Benzodiazepines: These are used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and seizures. Combining them with Dramamine can lead to severe sedation, impaired concentration, and balance problems. Examples include Xanax (alprazolam), Ativan (lorazepam), and Klonopin (clonazepam).
Opioid Painkillers: Opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone can cause extreme drowsiness and confusion. Taking them with Dramamine significantly increases the risk of severe sedation and respiratory depression.
Sleep Medications and Muscle Relaxants: Prescription sleep aids like Ambien (zolpidem) and muscle relaxants like cyclobenzaprine will enhance the sedative effects of Dramamine.
Narcolepsy Medications (Xyrem, Xywav): These drugs can cause profound sedation and are highly dangerous when combined with Dramamine. The risk of respiratory depression, coma, and even death makes this a severe interaction that must be avoided.

2. Anticholinergic Medications

Since Dramamine has anticholinergic properties, taking it with other drugs that also block acetylcholine can lead to exaggerated side effects.

This includes:

Other Antihistamines: Combining Dramamine with other antihistamines, especially first-generation ones like Benadryl (diphenhydramine), will increase side effects such as dry mouth, blurred vision, and drowsiness. Even second-generation, non-drowsy antihistamines like Zyrtec (cetirizine) can cause additive effects like dizziness and dry mouth when combined.
Certain Antidepressants: Older antidepressants, including tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), have strong anticholinergic effects and should not be combined with Dramamine. Some SSRIs, like sertraline, can also increase side effects.
Medications for Overactive Bladder or COPD: Drugs such as oxybutynin (Ditropan) and tiotropium (Spiriva) can worsen anticholinergic side effects when used with Dramamine.

3. Ototoxic Medications

Dramamine can mask the signs of ototoxicity (ear toxicity) caused by certain medications, potentially delaying the detection of irreversible hearing damage. Patients taking medications with ototoxic potential should be closely monitored or avoid Dramamine.

Examples include:

Aminoglycoside Antibiotics: Drugs like gentamicin or amikacin are known to be ototoxic, and Dramamine's masking effect is a significant concern.

Comparison of Key Drug Interactions


Medication Class	Examples	Potential Interaction	Resulting Risks
CNS Depressants	Alcohol, Xanax, Opioids, Ambien	Additive sedative effect	Extreme drowsiness, impaired coordination, slowed breathing
Anticholinergic Drugs	Benadryl, Amitriptyline, Ditropan	Additive anticholinergic effects	Dry mouth, blurred vision, confusion, urinary retention
Ototoxic Medications	Gentamicin, Amikacin	Masks symptoms of ototoxicity	Undetected or worsening hearing damage
Narcolepsy Medications	Xyrem, Xywav	Pharmacodynamic synergism	Profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, death

Minimizing Your Risk

Preventing a drug interaction requires careful planning and communication with healthcare professionals. Here are some steps to take:

Consult a Healthcare Provider: Always discuss your full medication list, including over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and herbal products, with your doctor or pharmacist before taking Dramamine.
Keep an Updated List: Maintain a current list of all medications and health conditions. This list is invaluable for your healthcare team.
Watch for Warning Signs: If you notice new or worsening side effects, report them to your provider.
Use Non-Pharmacological Alternatives: For mild motion sickness, consider alternatives like ginger supplements, acupressure wristbands, or focusing on a fixed point on the horizon. You can find more information about these alternatives from sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Conclusion

While Dramamine is an effective treatment for motion sickness, its interactions with certain medications can pose significant health risks, primarily due to its CNS depressant and anticholinergic effects. Combining it with other depressants, like alcohol or opioids, or other anticholinergics can cause severe drowsiness, impaired coordination, and other serious complications. The potential for masking ototoxicity with certain antibiotics also warrants caution. The safest approach is always to consult a healthcare professional before combining Dramamine with any other medication, and to be aware of the warning signs of a potential interaction. This proactive approach ensures safe and effective use, allowing you to travel comfortably without risking your health.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, it is highly recommended to avoid combining Dramamine with alcohol. Both substances depress the central nervous system, and their combined effects can lead to excessive drowsiness, impaired coordination, and dangerous side effects.

Combining Dramamine with a sedative can cause significantly enhanced CNS depression, leading to severe drowsiness, confusion, slowed breathing, or in rare cases, coma. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience extreme sedation or difficulty breathing after mixing these medications.

This depends on the type of allergy medication. If your allergy medication is a first-generation antihistamine like Benadryl, combining it with Dramamine can dangerously increase sedation and other anticholinergic side effects. Consult your pharmacist to determine the safety of combining your specific allergy medication with Dramamine.

While Dramamine Less Drowsy contains meclizine (also an antihistamine), it can still interact with other medications. The non-drowsy formulation containing ginger is generally safer, but it is always best to consult a healthcare provider, especially if you are taking other medications or have pre-existing conditions.

Warning signs of a dangerous interaction with Dramamine include severe drowsiness, excessive dizziness, confusion, difficulty concentrating, slowed or shallow breathing, blurred vision, or a fast or irregular heartbeat. If you experience any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical help.

Yes, several non-medication alternatives exist. These include consuming ginger (e.g., in capsules, chews, or tea), wearing acupressure wristbands, and focusing on a fixed point on the horizon. These options can be especially useful if you need to avoid drug interactions.

The best way to prevent drug interactions is to provide a complete list of all your medications and supplements to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Dramamine. They can screen for potential risks and advise you on the safest course of action.