Medications are commonly used to combat motion sickness. These medicines, however, are not without undesirable side effects (most importantly, mild sedation) which might interfere with performance of duties.

The symptoms of motion sickness, however, often result in a greater impairment of performance, and in this case the medications may be beneficial. The decision to prescribe or use medication must always take into account risk versus benefit.

The effectiveness of motion sickness drugs will vary with individual susceptibility, the duration and intensity of the motion, the interval between taking the drug and the onset of motion, and dosage.

Since people differ in their responsiveness to the commonly used drugs or their combinations, failure to control motion sickness with one drug or combination does not mean that another regimen will not be successful.