Motion Sickness Patches

[jf606]

Has anyone used one of these? I have a Transderm patch for my Bermuda cruise. (I was seasick on my last one). Never used a patch before and was wondering if anyone who has, can tell me if it makes you sleepy or gives you headaches, etc. Also, it's supposed to stay on for 3 days. Does it stick on well during showers/shampooing? Thanks for any input.

[SwissMyst]

It has been suggested you try one out first before you go just to see what kind of side effects or dosage amount will have on you, even though you won't know how it will affect motion sickness.

[2ptu/000]

They made my mouth very dry. Very, very dry.

[MauiGirl55]

I get motion sickness very easily, and have used the patches many times-they are the only thing that really works for me. I agree that you should try one before you sail so that the side effects won't take you by surprise. The only side effects that I experience: dry mouth, blurred vision (minimal), and slight drowsiness. None of the side effects were significant--just slightly noticable. Some people have suggested cutting the patch in half to decrease the effects--do not do this--the patch has to be intact to dose appropriately. It does last a full three days, and sticks to the skin well. You should apply the patch at least 4 hours prior to sailing. Because they have worked so well for me, I've been reluctant to rely on some of the less potent remedies such as Bonine or Dramamine.

[ariawoman]

I used them on my 1st (and so far only until october) cruise. My first one fell off....no idea when or where. 2nd one seemed to stay on. I can't say I really felt any issues on it, but I did have some low level queasiness each night in the dining room (which was on the lower level of the small ship).

I'll probably ask for the prescription again this year, however honestly, I'm hoping for the natural Ginger route to work for me so that I don't have to worry about the patch staying on (since it didn't stay well on me).

If you do use the patch, I'd suggest bringing an alternative as well, as in case you have the same problem I did :-) I had dramamine with me, but upon other posters suggestions, I might bring Bonine as the backup this time.

I will find the right combo for me! Even if it means taking hundreds of cruises :D

[fflyer]

I have used the patches for my last cruise, and also before ear surgeries. To make them stick better, clean the spot with alcohol, and then let dry before applying. I do experience a dry mouth but no other side effects. Mine have always stayed on well for the whole 3 days. Also you can purchase these from Canada for much less money without a prescription. Last cruise was quite rough in spots, and quite a few passengers were sick, I felt fine.

[lettienets]

I wouldn't bother with the wrist bands as a choice. My friends used them on the last cruise in Alaska and their hands swelled because the bands were tight and did not seem to help. Who would have thought of seasickness in Alaska? i felt pretty bad but did not bring up but they did. The gravol pills work (that is what something like bonine is called in Canada) Also if you take a pill too late sometimes people bring up the pill and my doctor suggested gravol suppository pills. They are non prescription. The older I get the more I notice motion sickness on a ship.

[talltexan]

The best fact to remember about this is that you will most likely be able to remove the patch you use for embarkation and the first sea day and enjoy a lovely time in Bermuda without any further side effects. Apply another Friday morning before the anchor is raised and you're home free.

Before application I wash the area behind my ear with soap and water then let it dry for 15 minutes or so to make sure I get good adhesion. So far I've never lost one.

[terigo]

They made my mouth very dry. Very, very dry.

that is exactly what they did to me... i felt like i had cotton balls glued all over my mouth.

[SwissMyst]

[QUOTE=ariawoman;25140966............

I will find the right combo for me! Even if it means taking hundreds of cruises :D[/QUOTE]

That is exactly what justified our last cruise. Bonine and ginger now for me, whether I think I need it or not. Happy travels. But wait, that might not work for you so you had better schedule a few more trials and errors for yourself ...... just to make sure.

Not sure this is HAL's best marketing approach: Sail with us and try different ways to keep from getting sea sick. :p Give a whole new meaning to becoming a 4 star mariner.

[MauiGirl55]

Before application I wash the area behind my ear with soap and water then let it dry for 15 minutes or so to make sure I get good adhesion. So far I've never lost one.

Be sure to wash your hands AFTER you apply it, too--if there is any remnant of the medication on your hands and you rub your eyes after you apply the patch, you can get blurred vision/pupil dilation if you get any of the medication in your eyes!

[baggal]

Has anyone used one of these? I have a Transderm patch for my Bermuda cruise. (I was seasick on my last one). Never used a patch before and was wondering if anyone who has, can tell me if it makes you sleepy or gives you headaches, etc. Also, it's supposed to stay on for 3 days. Does it stick on well during showers/shampooing? Thanks for any input.

You should definitely try the patch before you set sail. The patch is a completely different class of drugs than dramamine or bonine. It is a powerful psycho-pharmaceutical with a long list of side-effects. It was discovered as antidote to seasickness and nausea during World War II, and afterward, when it was given to soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress (then known as "shell shock."). Better known then as "truth serum," it can have psychological side effects (ex. talking in your sleep) as well as the physical effects. The most interesting side-effect is that you actually may feel sea-sick once you are on land and have removed the last patch. This can last several hours.

The last time I used the patch it didn't work. The ship's nurse said that sometimes the medicine isn't transmitted evenly through the skin. At that time I took off the patch and took whatever pill the nurse gave me (I was desperate), went to sleep for four hours and woke up feeling fine. Not ideal either way.

[Pokeynose]

I have used the Transderm-SC l.5mg patch for all my cruises with no side effects. I put one on the day before I get on the ship and replace it in 72 hrs. as prescribed by my doctor. I also found using an alcohol swab to clean behind my ear before putting on the patch. HTH:)

[highland2]

I have used the patch on 2 cruises. The only side effect I had was a dry mouth for the first day. I am very prone to motion sickness and the patch worked for me. I would hate to be sea sick on the boat.:eek:

[mudscraper]

Rub some sticky ginger under one ear.
Stick Bonine tablet onto the sticky ginger.


Rich

[BLONDIE53005]

I used the patch, I put it on the day before the cruise. The only side effect I had was that I slept great. We went through the tail end of a hurricane (Ida), and I did feel ill, my mistake was going all the way up to the top deck so I was ill for a couple of hours. I will use it for our Alaska cruise this fall. I have tried numerous items for motion sickness, and this one works for me.

[Mary Ellen]

I have used the patch with limited success. If seas aren't too rough, I'm fine. I've also had limited success with ginger capsules. A few years ago my M.D. suggested I try the two in combination. That works for me! We had 40+ foot seas down from the Falklands to Antarctica and DH couldn't get over that I was out and about and feeling fine. :D Sometimes my mouth is a little dry, but I can live with that much better than seasickness. :eek:

[Diane In TN]

Hate to add to any confusion, but I'm just back from Alaska and decided to go with Bonine and ginger capsules instead of the patch (which had worked great for me on my only other cruise, years ago, to the Caribbean.) I'd read a lot of side-effect stories from the patch -- one hazard of google and the Net.

But wonder of wonders -- the Bonine (one tablet every night) and ginger (one capsule every morning, started a few days before the cruise) left me feeling perfect. Admittedly, the seas were never much, but I am very prone to seasickness. My daughter took nothing, and asked for two Bonines at various points.

[0bnxshs]

Has anyone used one of these? I have a Transderm patch for my Bermuda cruise. (I was seasick on my last one). Never used a patch before and was wondering if anyone who has, can tell me if it makes you sleepy or gives you headaches, etc. Also, it's supposed to stay on for 3 days. Does it stick on well during showers/shampooing? Thanks for any input.

On her last two cruises, both of which were 13 or more days in length, my wife used the patches continuously and suffered severe side effects at 24 hrs. after removing the final one; nausea and vomiting, dizziness and vertigo, to the point of being incapacitated for 36 hours. She could not get out of bed to go to the bathroom without becoming ill.
During use on the cruises, she suffered from dry mouth (and snored like a chainsaw :D) and blurred vision. She couldn't read easily (which she loves to do on cruises, and she was meticulous about washing her hands after handling the patches) and seemed to be in a state of mild confusion and had the "blues" most of the time, to the point of not even wanting to shop on our excursions. She just wanted to go and lie down in the room. Now what she didn't do on either of these cruises is alternate the ear she placed the patch behind, something she forgot about. Whether this had anything to do with her reaction I don't know. I do know that a pharmacist she works with was amazed that she suffered so many of the "serious but rare" side effects. A poster above referenced some of the uses for this particular drug and it's amazing to read the pamphlet and wikis on it.
When she used the patches for fewer than 7 days (2 patches) she had no trouble with it whatsoever, during or after the cruise. The pharmacist mentioned that she might have built up a bad reaction to it from previous use on shorter cruises.
With this in mind, I strongly 2nd, 3rd and 4th the suggestions of using it prior to your cruise so you know how you react to this powerful drug. If you know whether the alternatives like dramamine or bonine works for you, I'd go with them and only consider the transdermal patches if they don't.
Happy cruising!

[jf606]

Thanks for all the info. The responses were mixed regarding to its affects, so I guess since every individual is different, everyone has a different experience. But from just this group of answers, there was a good percentage of negatives, which is something to consider. I think I may see if my dr. can prescribe me another patch to test before we go, as some of you suggested. That seems like a good idea. I do know that dramamine and the wrist bands do not work for me, (not sure if I ever took Bonine, but I may have) that's why I resorted to trying the patch. At least I will only need it for less than 48 hours, each way while sailing. All I know is, on my last Bermuda cruise, which was a while ago, I was really seasick and I can't go through that again.

[lilipad2]

Of course, consult with your Dr or pharmacist yada yada.... Also keep in mind that nothing is without side effects.

I spoke to our pharmacist today. She said that the feedback she has recieved from patients is very positive (one of whom was her mother). It's also used for things other than motion sickeness apparently. She said it's very important to drink lots of water and to avoid alcohol if possible. Not only is it an anti nauseau medicine, but it's a dessicant and will dry you up (hence some people reporting dry mouth and blurry vision). She said that drammamine also has this effect (but perhaps to a lesser degree???). Along those same lines, she said with either the patch or drammamine to perhaps pack a mild laxative in case you are prone to "problems."

Hopefully we'll all have smoothe sailing and no problems (of any kind), but just in case it's good to know there are so many options available to us.

[joe122]

The medication in the Transderm Scop patch is scopolamine, which has numerous side-effects. It is one of the three main components of belladonna, which have been in use for a very long time. One of its uses is to dry the upper airway prior to certain procedures, so the dry mouth effect makes sense. After looking at the long list of adverse effects, I'm glad that I don't need to use it.

[lilipad2]

Very interesting. Found the wiki on the drug: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopolamine which discusses the background on the drug, side effects, etc. Also included are the various hoaxes and fictionalized uses of the drug (as a truth serum for example).

Personally, and this is a personal choice of course, I'm going to to ahead and use it. I think I can handle the risk of dry mouth, etc. I won't be drinking or taking any other medications. I can't handle being nauseated and having to wrangle a small child and my mom. I've read the info and also spoken to both my Dr & pharmacist on it so I feel pretty comfortable in my decision.

[Dana'sDaughters]

I was very off balance and sick on our Alaskan cruise (using, wrist bands, bonine, ginger pills). Then, I put on the patch, and it worked great...It took a few hours to make me feel better, but when it did, no more problems. I was scared of it because of the side effects, but the only one I had was some minimal blurred vision..nothing bad though. Well worth not being sick. Also, i had no trouble keeping it on. Have a great cruise!!

[granny23]

I used the patch on my 7 and 21 day cruise with great results. I had no side affects on either cruise. I used exactly as the dr perscriped. I plan on using them on our upcoming cruise in September:)

[yakky]

The reason i know so much about patches is because i have to wear them all the time due to a stroke 3 years ago. They control vision, blood pressure, balance and nausea.

My doc has me put on cortizone 2 hrs before wearing a new one to avoid allergy and itching. Of course when we cruise i already have one on. You can go to the mayo clinic drug site to learn more--happy cruising.