Scopolamine patch

Nurses Medications

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Why scopolamine patch is always put behind the ear????

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Scopolamine is an anticholinergic medication often used for motion sickness or nausea. The reason we put the transdermal patch behind the ear is because one of the suggested MOA's is that it acts in the CNS by blocking cholinergic transmission from the vestibular nuclei to higher areas in the CNS. Since the scopolamine transdermal patch has a limited distribution of the medication, it has to be placed in proximity to where it will be most effective, which is behind the ear (closest to the vestibular nuclei).

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thanks

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Moved to allnurses Nursing and Patient Medications forum-see previous thread about med here.

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I had no idea that this was actually a drug with medical uses. Is this the same drug that's turning people into "zombies" in Columbia?

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Specializes in Med/surg, Onc.

We use them frequently on hospice/comfort care patients to help dry up oral secretions. No zombies here.

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