People’s Pharmacy: Motion-sickness medicine triggers amnesia

Q. My son, now in his 50s, has always suffered from motion sickness. To travel to business meetings, he would take Dramamine but arrive sick and unable to function.

Recently, he has been taking scopolamine. Both times he has tried it, he has not been sick and attends the events without problems. However, the next day, he does not remember anything about them. The entire day before is lost.

I find this scary. Have you heard of others experiencing this? Will it lead to long-term memory problems? He has tried lots of remedies before this, but nothing else has helped his motion sickness.

A. Scopolamine is a compound found in certain toxic plants such as belladonna, angels trumpet and Jimson weed. It helps prevent motion sickness, a property the Allies utilized in World War II while crossing the rough English Channel during the invasion of Normandy. Today, it is still prescribed as a patch to be worn behind the ear as Transderm Scop.

Scientists began experimenting with a combination of scopolamine and morphine at the turn of the 20th century. German doctors used it to induce anesthesia during surgery and childbirth. Morphine reduced the pain, and scopolamine ensured that the patient forgot any discomfort that did occur.

Occasional use should not pose a serious problem. If he needs to remember what happened during his meetings, though, he may need a different strategy. If he has not yet used acupressure wrist bands, he might want to try them.

Q. I have been taking duloxetine DR capsules (Cymbalta) twice daily for acute anxiety for a year. No one warned me about the negative sexual side effects of the medication.

I stopped taking it cold turkey five days ago. I have strange hot flashes that make my face turn red and feel warm. I have also had other problems, including loud tinnitus and dizziness. It’s all strange, but I’m trying to fight my way through. Do you have any advice on stopping duloxetine?

A. Physicians prescribing duloxetine or many other antidepressants should warn patients about sexual side effects. These can include lower libido and inability to achieve orgasm. A black box in the prescribing information also warns about suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Getting off duloxetine can be challenging. The Food and Drug Administration lists discontinuation symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea, diarrhea, irritability, vomiting, insomnia and anxiety. It suggests a “gradual reduction in dosage,” but offers no real guidance.

In our “eGuide to Dealing with Depression,” readers offer their detailed stories about how they were able to lower their dose a bit at a time to get off Cymbalta and other antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines. This online resource is available under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com

Q. You have written about some of the serious side effects of Ozempic and Wegovy. I’ve been taking Ozempic for 13 months, gradually increasing the dose to 2 milligrams. I’ve lost 40 pounds and have experienced absolutely no side effects. It has been a godsend!

A. We have heard from others that semaglutide has helped them lose weight when other strategies have failed. The FDA approved this drug as Ozempic for treating Type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for “chronic weight management.”

We are pleased to learn that it has been effective for you without causing adverse reactions. The most common complaints are digestive distress.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”