Antarctica · Travel Medicine
Two days of Drake Passage. Then seven days of ice.
Get the scopolamine patch, the antiemetic for expedition-ship GI bugs, and the TD antibiotic Antarctic expeditioners actually use, prescribed without the appointment. Sent to your pharmacy, ready before you fly to Ushuaia.
- Physician-founded
- Licensed in all 50 states
- HSA / FSA eligible
- Same-day Rx in most cases
Almost every Antarctic itinerary starts in Ushuaia, Argentina and sails 800 km across the Drake Passage to reach the Antarctic Peninsula. The crossing takes 36 to 48 hours each way through unprotected Southern Ocean, widely cited as the roughest commercial sea passage in the world. The Peninsula days that follow are calmer, but the small expedition vessels themselves still pitch in any swell, and daily Zodiac landings to penguin colonies and research stations are exposed transfers. CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program logged 23 cruise ship gastrointestinal outbreaks in 2025, the highest annual total on record. Bacterial traveler's diarrhea still finds people on the Ushuaia pre-sailing dinner. Scopolamine handles the Drake. Ondansetron handles whatever stomach bug hits next. Azithromycin handles the one a pill can actually treat.
Antarctica travel health guide — vaccines, snapshot overview, and what to review before you go.
Orders are reviewed and prescriptions sent to your pharmacy within 24 hours.
Booking questions, platform help, or just not sure where to start, give us a call.
+1 (302) 251-2302Rx at your pharmacy in three steps.
No appointment. No waiting room. Answer a few questions and a licensed provider reviews within hours.
Your destination, dates, health history, and current medications. Takes about 2 minutes.
A licensed clinician reviews your health profile, checks for interactions, and approves your prescription.
- Allergy screen passed
- Drug interactions clear
- Prescription approved
Your approved prescription is sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. Pick it up when your pharmacy has it ready.
Skip the appointment. Get the same Rx.
Both columns cover the visit and prescribing only. Your pharmacy bills the medication itself on either side.
Medications in the Antarctica Expedition Cruise plan
Antarctica medication FAQ
- Rough enough that expedition operators name the two extremes themselves: "Drake Lake" on the calm crossings and "Drake Shake" on the rough ones, and you do not get to choose which one you draw. The passage is about 800 km of open Southern Ocean between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, with no land mass to break the swell from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Crossings take 36 to 48 hours each way on a typical expedition vessel. CDC notes that seasickness affects up to a quarter of cruise passengers on open-water legs, and small expedition ships sit at the high end of that range because there is less mass to absorb the motion. Scopolamine goes behind the ear at least 4 hours before sailing, lasts up to 72 hours per patch, and covers a full one-way crossing without a second thought.
- A small share of Antarctic itineraries use air-cruise operations that fly from Punta Arenas, Chile to King George Island in the South Shetland Islands and then board the expedition vessel there, skipping the Drake. According to IAATO, that fly-and-sail format made up about 8,500 of the 118,000 visitors during the 2024–25 season. The other 90%+ cross the Drake by ship in both directions. Even on a fly-and-sail itinerary the Peninsula sailing days still include exposed water and daily Zodiac landings, so motion sickness coverage remains worth having.
- Yes, on every cruise format. CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program reported 23 cruise ship gastrointestinal outbreaks in 2025, the highest annual total since tracking began in 1994, and norovirus was the predominant cause. Small expedition vessels carry 100 to 200 passengers in close quarters with shared dining rooms and shared landing equipment, so the transmission shape is the same as a larger ship even though the headcount is smaller. Ondansetron is the dissolving tablet to keep in your cabin so a stomach bug doesn't take a Peninsula landing day from you.
- Three prescriptions in one visit. Scopolamine patches (Transderm Scop) to prevent motion sickness on the Drake Passage in each direction and on Zodiac landings, with up to 72 hours of coverage per patch. Ondansetron (Zofran) to stop nausea and vomiting from any cause, including norovirus or food-related illness. Azithromycin 500 mg, taken once daily for 3 days, to treat bacterial traveler's diarrhea if an Ushuaia pre-sailing meal or a stop in Punta Arenas catches up with you. Three risks, three prescriptions, one visit.
- Orders are reviewed by a US-licensed provider and the Rx is sent electronically to your pharmacy within 24 hours. Most travelers can pick it up the same day.
- After your provider approves the Rx, it is sent electronically to whichever pharmacy you choose during your visit. Your pharmacy will tell you when the medication is ready for pickup. You can use your pharmacy insurance to cover the medication itself.
- If a provider can't safely prescribe (rare, usually due to a glaucoma history with scopolamine or a macrolide allergy with azithromycin), the visit fee is refunded in full. You only pay if the Rx is sent.
The Peninsula is the prize. The Drake Passage is the price. Start with the patch.
Three risks, three prescriptions, one visit. Reviewed by a US-licensed provider and ready at your pharmacy before you board in Ushuaia.