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Meclizine seasickness medication and its effect on central nervous system oxygen toxicity in a murine model
Guy Wiener1,2, Anna Jamison1, Dror Tal1
1Motion Sickness and Human Performance Laboratory, The Israel Naval Medical Institute, IDF Medical Corps, Haifa, Israel.
Introduction:
Diving utilising closed circuit pure oxygen rebreather systems has become popular in professional settings. One of the hazards the oxygen diver faces is central nervous system oxygen toxicity (CNS-OT), causing potentially fatal convulsions. At the same time, divers frequently travel by boat, often suffering seasickness. The over-the-counter medication meclizine is an anticholinergic and antihistaminergic agent that has gained popularity in the treatment of seasickness. Reports have shown the inhibitory effect that acetylcholine has on glutamate, a main component in the mechanism leading to CNS-OT seizure. The goal of the present study was to test the effect of meclizine on the latency to CNS-OT seizures under hyperbaric oxygen conditions.
Methods:
Twenty male mice were exposed twice to 608 kPa (6 atmospheres) absolute pressure while breathing oxygen after administration of control solution (carboxymethyl cellulose solvent) or drug solution (meclizine) in a randomised crossover design. Latency to tonic-clonic seizures was visually measured.
Results:
Mean latency to seizure did not significantly differ between the control group (414 s, standard deviation [SD] 113 s) and meclizine group (434 s, SD 174 s).
Conclusions:
Based on results from this animal model, meclizine may be an appropriate option for divers suffering from seasickness, who plan on diving using pure oxygen rebreather systems.
