Proven remedies for motion sickness

What does Validol consist of and how does it work?

The basis of the medicine under a name familiar to everyone is menthol; this substance is synthesized or isolated from peppermint essential oil. Validol also contains liquid extracted from the root of medicinal valerian.

Mint leaves are the raw material for the production of Validol

Thanks to the main component Validol:

• dilates blood vessels, eliminating spasms - temporary contraction of the muscles of the vascular walls, causing a narrowing of the lumen;
• has a sedative (calming) effect;
• has a weak analgesic effect.

Once in the mouth, menthol oil interacts with the nerve receptors of the mucous membrane; the result is the release of hormones (for example, endorphin) into the blood, which regulate the permeability of the vascular walls.

Validol first appeared on the shelves of German pharmacies at the end of the 19th century; three decades later, the medicine was ousted from the German pharmaceutical market by more successful competitors and the drug was forgotten. Surprisingly, after some time, Validol appeared in the USSR and for decades became one of the leaders among drugs for heart pain.

Validol, of course, is not a fighter against serious illnesses; A herbal medicine is capable of moderate vasodilation for a limited period. Unfortunately, Validol does not reduce the risk of a heart attack.

A proven remedy is used when it is necessary to alleviate symptoms:

• angina pectoris - a pathology in which due to vascular spasm, not enough oxygen reaches the heart; accompanied by chest pain;
• cardialgia - pain in the heart area, which is a sign of diseases that are sometimes not related to the condition of the heart (intercostal neuralgia);
• hysteria - a mental disorder accompanied by muscle spasms;
• neurosis - a psychological disorder of a reversible nature, often having consequences in the form of vascular spasms (including the brain);
• sea ​​sickness, as well as air sickness, in which unlucky travelers feel sick and vomit - that is, the so-called motion sickness syndrome is evident.

Dosage forms of Validol

The drug is available in three forms:

• lozenges that are placed under the tongue; additional substances - sucrose and magnesium stearate;
• sublingual gelatin capsules filled with an oily liquid with a menthol flavor; the main component is a solution of levomenthol (a type of menthol); among the auxiliary ones - glycerol;

  
  One of the dosage forms of Validol is transparent gelatin capsules

• drops that are taken orally; It is an oily solution with a strong menthol odor.

The tablet or capsule is placed under the tongue and waited for the product to dissolve until it disappears completely . The liquid is dripped onto a piece of sugar; then sugar is also placed under the tongue for resorption.

Types of drug

In addition to the usual Validol, there are two more types of products - with glucose and isomalt.

Table: varieties of Validol

Folk remedies for motion sickness

If you know that any trip will be accompanied by illness, you can prepare in advance and use available remedies to suppress nausea and prevent vomiting.

Children should not travel on an empty stomach. But overeating before a trip is also not recommended. Adults are advised not to smoke or drink alcohol before going on a long trip.

Ginger root helps at home. To prevent the onset of symptoms, you should eat about 1 g before traveling, thoroughly crushing it. Anise essential oil has a positive effect. It is applied in advance to the back of the wrist, and when discomfort occurs, the aroma is inhaled.

Folk remedies include mint candies. Their effect is best experienced during an airplane flight; swallowing saliva helps equalize the pressure in the inner ear and avoid the feeling of stuffiness.

If you get motion sickness when traveling by car, you can pre-bandage your wrists with a medical or elastic bandage at home. It is believed that this is a good and safe way to overcome unpleasant symptoms without medications. In pharmacies you can already buy a motion sickness bracelet that works as an acupuncture remedy. For greater effect, it is recommended to wear it on two wrists.

Pharmacies offer several types of such products:

• for pregnant;
• for girls;
• for boys;
• for small children.

Remedies with untested effectiveness include navel sealing. Traditional healers believe that in this way they remind the body of the period of intrauterine development, so the person stops getting motion sickness.

Validol and pregnancy

It is curious that the instructions for the “classic” Validol do not mention pregnancy, including among the contraindications. It is logical to assume that in this case, the “heart” drug is allowed for expectant mothers without any reservations, both in the early and late stages. However, not all so simple.

Validol with isomalt is a relatively new remedy, and here the situation is different: the instructions warn that pregnant women should take the medicine as a last resort, when the possible benefit to the woman outweighs the potential threat to the baby in the womb. Probably, this remark should be followed when planning to open a package of Validol.

How does the drug affect the organisms of the mother and fetus?

Validol does not accumulate in the body; After absorption through the oral mucosa, substances from the drug are converted in the liver and excreted by the kidneys. The medicine, in principle, does not harm the development of the fetus. However, sometimes Validol affects the functioning of a woman’s organs, and therefore the course of pregnancy; In a number of situations, the health of the expectant mother is at risk .

So, the drug:

• is able to stimulate contraction of the uterine muscles - due to the presence of menthol oil in the composition; pathology increases the likelihood of miscarriage, so those expectant mothers who periodically hear the words “increased uterine tone”, “hypertonicity” addressed to them by a gynecologist, are better off refusing Validol therapy;
• reduces blood pressure - due to the expansion of the lumen in the vessels, blood flow is enlivened, blood supply to organs is improved; but for patients with low blood pressure, Validol will harm, aggravating the malaise;

  
  Lethargy and a feeling of weakness accompany expectant mothers with low blood pressure; Validol in such conditions will only worsen the condition

• aggravates allergies; the drug “pushes” the production of histamine, a substance that provokes the body’s reaction to threats, often imaginary; however, the medicine has this effect after long-term use.

Severe allergies in the mother are dangerous for the fetus - especially in the 1st trimester, when there is still no placental barrier that retains antigens.

Which variety of Validol should the expectant mother prefer?

The most common form of Validol is tablets. But they contain sucrose, so gelatin capsules are more suitable for pregnant women with diabetes.

Validol drops are undesirable for pregnant women - the product is used together with a lump of sugar; Excess sugar negatively affects the functioning of organs, which already work under overload during pregnancy. For diabetic mothers, it’s better not to look at the drops at all - just like Validol with glucose.

The version of the drug with isomalt, like capsules, can be considered optimal for pregnant women; the manufacturer also emphasizes that the product is hypoallergenic - in fact, histamine is not listed among the substances whose production is stimulated by Validol with isomalt .

Indications for taking the medicine

Pregnancy is a time of increased stress on the heart; in the female body, the volume of blood circulating through the vessels increases, a third circle of blood circulation appears (uteroplacental), the task of which is to provide the growing fetus with useful substances and oxygen supplied with the blood. Month after month, the baby increases in size, which is why the uterus puts pressure on neighboring organs, pinches blood vessels, impeding blood flow.

Mechanical compression of the diaphragm, as well as the pulmonary artery, causes pain in the heart. This condition is, in principle, not dangerous to health, but when slight tingling in the heart area or heaviness in the chest turns into severe pain, swelling, shortness of breath, it is time to seek medical help. Validol will relieve discomfort and temporarily ease the work of the heart, however, with pathological changes in the body, other means are needed .

The expectant mother's heart is under increased stress, so pain on the left side of the chest is a common occurrence during pregnancy.

A pregnant woman, due to “hormonal storms” in her body, is prone to panic, stress, and often gets nervous with or without reason. Validol, whose main task is to calm, is designed to help you temporarily find peace of mind and fall asleep after a busy day. Taking a pill once will not harm; It is dangerous to become addicted to the drug, when without the drug the nerves can no longer be tamed .

Anxiety, resentment, tears are faithful companions of pregnant women; Validol will calm a woman, the main thing is to limit yourself to one tablet

Whatever the purpose for which you need Validol, taking the product without consulting a doctor is a rash step; It is better for pregnant women to do without medications at all; the question of the advisability of taking them is decided by the doctor. It takes into account:

• How does gestation go?
• severity of the disease;
• risk of allergy to the drug;
• trimester of pregnancy.

Validol for different periods

The early period of pregnancy is marked by the formation of organs in the fetus; in the 1st trimester, competent doctors do not advise using medications unless absolutely necessary, even those allowed for expectant mothers, so that the laying of organs goes smoothly.

Later, drugs are prescribed with caution to pregnant women, since the placenta appears, protecting the baby from negative factors, including drugs. But from the 36th week the use of medications must be stopped; the same Validol increases the tone of the uterus, which means it can sometimes cause premature birth .

When planning to undergo treatment with Validol, a woman should take into account the following details:

• the medicine is often used to escape toxicosis, which torments pregnant women in the early stages; a number of doctors are skeptical about the properties of the drug to relieve nausea and vomiting, not excluding the possibility that the “healing” effect of Validol is the result of self-hypnosis; Think a hundred times before taking pills in the 1st trimester;

  
  Toxicosis complicates pregnancy, but the question of the benefits of Validol for such a disease is controversial

• the risk of increased uterine tone appears in both early and late stages; you can use Validol only if you are sure that the reproductive organ is normal;
• you should not take the medicine regularly; If you are nervous, try to calm down first without Validol.

Many doctors avoid recommending Validol to patients, considering the drug to be outdated, something like an ordinary mint candy . About five years ago there were plans to remove medicine from pharmacies altogether, but they never decided to do so; Validol is still confidently among the sales leaders.

In a number of European Union countries, as well as in the United States, Validol cannot be found in pharmacies, since Western doctors consider the drug to be of unproven effectiveness.

Where motion sickness may occur

A trip on any transport can be a provoking factor. Sea travel ranks first in terms of the frequency of symptoms. The risk increases if a person is in a closed cabin while moving and cannot monitor the movement of the vessel.

In childhood, during pregnancy, motion sickness occurs in a car when driving in the back seat. The reaction occurs due to a discrepancy between the sensations received by the visual analyzer and the vestibular apparatus. Signs of seasickness are also common when traveling by plane. Symptoms appear from the moment of a change in altitude, a turn, or when entering air pockets.

Malaise is least likely to occur in railway transport. Symptoms appear when sitting at the rear of a moving train. The probability is higher when traveling on a high-speed train that moves faster than 200 km/h.

Motion sickness occurs even among astronauts who are preparing for flights and training the vestibular apparatus. But in this case, the cause of the disease is weightlessness, which disrupts the functioning of the middle ear.

Features of taking the medicine

Dosage is an important point when it comes to Validol; Using the drug in strictly recommended quantities, the expectant mother will reduce the risk of adverse reactions and ensure the effectiveness of the drug.

According to the instructions, Validol is taken no more than 2-3 times a day, one tablet; As for the liquid form of the medicine, the daily dose is 24 drops (usually divided into 4 times). However, pregnant women should be guided not by the instructions, but by the doctor’s prescription, who will most likely reduce the dosage.

A course of taking Validol is unlikely to be suitable for a pregnant woman - in most cases, one or two tablets are enough to relieve heart pain.

Once under the tongue, Validol begins to act within 3-5 minutes. If ten minutes pass and the effect is zero, the drug turned out to be useless - and this happens; This means that the patient requires other treatment.

Contraindications, adverse reactions

The instructions give the only prohibition on the use of Validol - hypersensitivity to the components of the drug. Forms containing sugar should be prescribed with caution to patients with diabetes mellitus.

Among the negative reactions of the body to the drug are:

• dizziness;
• nausea;
• increased tearfulness.

It is unlikely that a “side effect” will appear after a single Validol tablet, but it is certainly not possible to avoid a deterioration in well-being in the event of an overdose. By abusing Validol, in addition you will receive:

• drop in blood pressure;
• nervous overexcitation;
• malfunction of the central nervous system;
• cardiac dysfunction.

How Validol interacts with other drugs

The drug is “friendly” to other medications and does not interfere with their action in the body. As a rule, Validol can be combined with other medications without any problems .

Taking products containing nitrates is sometimes accompanied by a headache. Validol, when used simultaneously with nitrates, will reduce pain.

However, it is better not to use the “heart remedy” together with drugs that depress the nervous system; Validol will enhance the effect of the latter, which is undesirable.

Why does motion sickness occur?

Signals to the brain about the position of the body in space come from several systems at once. The vestibular apparatus, which is located in the middle ear, perceives acceleration, speed of movement, and the location of a person. The brain receives additional information from sensory receptors located throughout the body and the organ of vision. If there is a discrepancy between the signals, signs of motion sickness appear.

The body's reaction depends on age. In children aged 1 year, the vestibular apparatus is not yet developed, and vision is not used by the brain for orientation in space, so they do not develop motion sickness. With age, the nervous system trains and maintains a model of reaction to the action of a stimulus. Therefore, symptoms of seasickness appear less frequently.

How can an expectant mother replace Validol?

The secret of the drug’s success on the Russian market is not a secret at all: anyone who is familiar with Validol will, without hesitation, list the advantages of the drug:

• low price - Validol can be bought in capital pharmacies for 4 rubles;
• a small number of contraindications and adverse reactions;
• available in every pharmacy;
• a veteran of the Russian pharmaceutical industry with a strong reputation.

Validol has a lot of analogues, but not all of them are approved for pregnant women; for example, the popular Valocordin and Persen are contraindicated for expectant mothers . If you need to replace Validol, first of all consult your doctor: the doctor will select a relatively safe analogue, as well as the dosage.

There are no substitutes equal to Validol in terms of cheapness and availability.

Table: structural and functional analogues of Validol

Photo gallery: Validol substitutes

Validol’s “relatives” such as Valerian and Motherwort tincture are also proven sedatives . Valerian tablets are even capable of dilating blood vessels, but only with long-term use, and this is precisely undesirable for pregnant women. Motherwort contains alcohol, which makes one wary of the drug. But when a woman needs to calm her frayed nerves, perhaps the doctor will not be against the careful use of both remedies, the instructions for which, by the way, do not include pregnancy among the contraindications.

Motherwort tincture will reduce agitation and calm; despite the fact that the herbal preparation has no contraindications at all, pregnant women should not drink motherwort without a doctor’s permission

Reviews from women

Despite the fact that the medicinal properties of Validol are often questioned, the drug has not yet been forced out of pharmacies; expectant mothers who have problems with their hearts or nerves look at it. It would be useful to reinforce your confidence in Validol with the opinion of your attending physician, since the drug can complicate pregnancy. Take your medicine correctly; Don’t grab the pill whenever you’re nervous, first try to cope without the help of your “heart friend.” When you are pregnant, it is better not to be friends with medications.

A professional television journalist, she worked for many years as a special correspondent and commentator on federal television channels (VGTRK, TVC). Author of documentaries. I have awards, including state ones. In recent years, he has been the editor-in-chief of the private television company PUL. Rate this article: Share with friends!