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The Annals of Pharmacotherapy: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 173-177. DOI 10.1345/aph.1C239
© 2003 Harvey Whitney Books Company.
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AMBULATORY CARE

Failure of Cetirizine and Fexofenadine to Prevent Motion Sickness

Bob S Cheung, PhD

Senior Defence Scientist and Project Leader in Disorientation Countermeasures and Vestibular Studies, Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto (DRDC-Toronto); Adjunct Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Raquel Heskin, HonBSc

Term Research Assistant, Spatial Disorientation Laboratory, DRDC-Toronto

Kevin D Hofer, MA

Aerospace Research Technologist, Spatial Disorientation Laboratory, DRDC-Toronto

Reprints: Bob S Cheung PhD, Aerospace Life Support, DRDC-Toronto, 1133 Sheppard Ave. W., PO Box 2000, Toronto, Ontario M3M 3B9, Canada, FAX 416/635-2204, E-mail bob.cheung{at}drdc-rddc.gc.ca.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of 2 second-generation antihistamines in modulating motion sickness induced by Coriolis vestibular cross-coupling stimulation.

METHODS: This prospective, randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study was conducted in 18 healthy adults. Subjects were exposed to Coriolis vestibular cross-coupling in the laboratory using the Staircase Profile Test for baseline susceptibility and when under the influence of cetizirine, fexofenadine, and placebo. Subjective evaluation of sickness symptoms was based on the Graybiel diagnostic criteria of acute motion sickness, Golding's scale, and the Coriolis Sickness Susceptibility Index.

RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA and Friedman nonparametric ANOVA of rank tests revealed that there were significant differences in symptom assessments based on Graybiel's diagnostic criteria (p <= 0.001), subjective symptoms of motion sickness (p <= 0.001), and state-anxiety (p <= 0.001) before and after motion exposure. However, there are no significant differences between the baseline susceptibility to motion sickness and treatment with placebo, cetirizine, or fexofenadine.

CONCLUSIONS: The failure of the second-generation antihistamines cetirizine and fexofenadine to prevent motion sickness suggests that the therapeutic actions of this class of antihistamines against motion sickness may be mediated through central versus peripheral receptors. The sedative effect of other antihistamines, such as hydroxyzine, may play a more significant role in alleviating motion sickness than previously thought.

Key Words: emesis, motion sickness, nausea, second-generation antihistamines

Published Online, December 23, 2002. www.theannals.com, DOI




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Copyright © 2003 by Harvey Whitney Books Company.