Mal de debarquement

Mal de debarquement Syndrome (MdDS) is associated with Motion sicknessplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigMotion sickness

Dizziness and nausea is frequently caused by unusual physical motion (or perceived motion) - e.g. air sickness, sea sickness, car sickness, VR simulation sickness etc etc.

There are three commonly-documented versions :

* Caused by motion that is felt but not seen (i.e. sickness caused by the movement of sea, air and land travel) except that it's experienced after the individual returns to the stability of dry land.

It's a persistent form of 'Land sickness' which many people experience for short periods after disembarking from a voyage.

The highly debilitating sensations of rocking, bobbing and swaying can persist for days, week, or even months. It was first noted in the medical literature as a distinct condition in 1987 (though similar descriptions go back to the 1880s).

Inner-ear examinations of patients have not found any physical damage or obvious malfunction. There is currently no cure for the condition, though some drugs such as anti-histamines and serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIsplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigFluoxetine

Fluoxetine is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) used in the treatment of Major Depressive Disorderand Obsessive-Compulsive disorder etc.. It's marketed under the trade names Prozac, Sarafem, Fontex and many others.

SSRIs are believed to act by inhibiting the re-uptake of the hormone serotonin) appear to help some sufferers.

Some patients report feeling better when re-exposed to physical motion, such as in car journeys.

Despite many decades of research, there is currently no generally agreed explanation as to the cause of the syndrome, though it's generally presumed to be a neurological imbalance of some kind.

Technical information : Semin Neurol, 29(5): 520–527.