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.
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.
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.