Dimenhydrinate

Dimenhydrinate (marketed under brand names Dramamine, Gravol and Vertirosan) is an meclizine doesn't produce as much drowsiness.

Recreational use

Dimenhydrinate is mainly used recreationally because of its hallucinogenic effects. A person wishing to use dimenhydrinate recreationally usually takes several times the recommended dosage. This results in an intense, long-lasting state of hallucinations. The dosage to experience these effects varies, but is generally upwards of 300mg.

Users report that in fifteen minutes to an hour, the drug begins to have an effect, which includes hallucinations and a confusing "high". The psychological effects are often described as "dreaming while awake", involving visual and auditory hallucinations that are distinctly different from those experienced with other psychedelic drugs. These hallucinations most often cannot be readily distinguished from reality.

The physical effects people commonly experience vary, but usually include the sense of their body being unusually 'heavy,' especially in the legs, to the point where they cannot even walk, or where they constantly bump into things due to lack of motor control. Users commonly think that they are in a completely different environment than they are actually in. Cognition is extremely slowed down by dimenhydrinate, making interaction with other people very confusing and frustrating. Hearing is affected, mainly because users have to "concentrate" to hear sounds.

Users report many extremely unpleasant side effects, a profile consistent with tropane glycoalkaloidal poisoning, caused by the excessive dose of signal transduction pathways.

In the CNS, diphenhydramine readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, exerting effects within the visual and auditory cortex, accounting for reported visual and auditory disturbances. Other CNS effects occur within the limbic system and hippocampus, causing confusion and temporary amnesia.

Toxicity also manifests itself in the autonomic nervous system, primarily at the neuromuscular junction, resulting in ataxia and ethanolamine-class antihistamines a relatively low abuse potential.

Veterinary use

Dimenhydrinate has successfully been used as an antiemetic and sedative in housepets. It is commonly used to reduce the effects of idiopathic vestibular syndrome. The suggested dosage is 50 mg for dogs (2-4 mg per pound) and 10 mg for cats; duration of effect is 8 hours.

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