Sea sickness pills cause a medical emergency! :huh:

An OCC boat left Denmark this summer bound for Inverness and the Caledonian Canal. Strong westerlies had stirred the North Sea making for a lumpy passage so out came the sea sickness pills. One of the crew, a man in his early 60 's succumbed quite quickly and retreated to his berth. Only later did it emerge that this guest crew was taking a drug called alfuzosin to control his prostate symptoms. Within 24 hours he found that he could no longer pass urine and was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

As his distress increased the skipper tried to contact any Coastguard for advice on the ship 's VHF but was unable to raise anyone. Eventually a passing helicopter picked up their call and relayed it to Aberdeen who recommended the yacht divert to there where they would be met by an ambulance. By now the crewman was in acute urinary retention and extreme discomfort. As this had been a relatively short passage the yacht was not equipped with urinary catheters and strong painkillers so there was no option but to forge ahead as fast as possible.

The story ended happily. The poor guy was transferred to hospital where the insertion of a catheter gave instant relief. He was treated for urine infection but has not been back on a boat since!

So a few questions for discussion.
Is everyone aware that most sea sickness remedies (including patches) have, what are called, parasympathetic side effects? This means they can cause a worsening of certain conditions such as urinary retention and glaucoma. Men with pre-existing prostate problems should be wary as they may tip the balance and result in acute urinary retention.
My guess is that most boats on passages of less than 500 miles would not routinely carry the equipment and skills required to catheterise a man. Should they do so if they have male crew on board above the age of 55?
My guess is this man got into trouble because he had a mixture of infection and parasympathetic drug side effects conspiring together to exacerbate his already precarious prostate. Do we all carry antibiotics and if so which ones?
If you are someone susceptible to urinary retention which sea sickness remedies should you use and which should you avoid?

Sea Sickness has always been a major problem for me, on a trip across the Irish Sea I was so bad that the skipper actually thought he was going to have to call the Coastguard to get me airlifted off the boat because hypothermia was setting in. In the end we did manage to reach a marina.

On my next trip from Scotland to Isle of Man, I took Stugeron and although they did help a little with the sea sickness it made me very drowsy which could have been very dangerous for the rest of the crew as I fell asleep while on watch and steering the boat, luckily someone else was able to take over. Again it meant that I was unable to help and became a passenger on the yacht.

Before crossing the Atlantic I went to the doctor to see about transdermal patches but he said I was an unsuitable candidate for them and he prescribed tablets for me (no idea what they were called). After leaving Gran Canaria I started taking the tablets and while on watch during the night I started with hallucinations, was positive I was seeing animals leaping out the water and people jumping off the yacht so the tablets went overboard. Luckily enough I had brought a backup solution with me. Sea Bands which uses acupressure on a point on your wrist.

As someone who suffers from urinary retention I would highly recommend the Sea Bands over any form of medication.

As for carrying a catheter to use on someone with this problem, you should be properly trained on how to use one because if it is not done right the first time it can cause a lot of stress to the patient and the person who is trying to insert it, especially if it is your partner or someone you know. Totally different for a medically trained professional who can remain detached.