Bonine and Ginger Tablets

Does anyone take both of these? I bought them both for our upcoming cruise, but I am unsure how to take them...I know you can use the bonine once to twice per day, but what about the ginger tablets with the bonine?

Thanks! :)

I am THE go-to-gal when it comes to seasickness (hence my name)

In our travels I have tried everything medically available (patches, pills, wrist bands (called sea bands) ginger tabs, ginger candy, ginger snaps, dried ginger (spicy or regular)

I have worn the wrist bands, with the patch behind my ear and sucking on ginger all at the same time and have still not been able to stand straight. One year I even went to a hypnotist before a trip, and other than costing $65, it didn't do diddly for me.

On our last 4 cruises, I have stuck with Bonine beginning 2 days prior to our airplane departure and take the maximum every day throughout our travels (land or sea) and take them for several days after we arrive home. I also take my little container of crystalized ginger and munch them for the 3 weeks we're gone. Our trip last year was a riverboat (Danube) and I was dizzy, but not physically sick. Obviously ocean ships are "wavier".

I would not recommend however mixing meds, such as the patch plus Bonine or prescription med for instance.

I read so many folks suffering from seasickness, you hope something could help!

I am also a believer in Bonine (or Meclizine, the main ingredient). I also start taking it two days prior to embarkation so it's in my system before the ship sails. I find taking it twice a day to be best for me: once in the morning when I get up and once before dinner keeps me on an even keel and feeling good the entire trip. :)

I do well taking just one Bonine a day. If it's going to make you a bit sleepy take it before going to bed.

If you've never taken Bonine before please try it before you leave. I took it once around 8pm, didn't have an alcohol all day, and I couldn't wake up the next morning until after 10 am. It was the worst feeling; I'd wake up and drift right off again. Some people can tolerate it just fine, and I used to be able to take it, but not anymore.

Ginger works well for us. We take a 500mg capsule 2 or 3 times a day, and we have no problems with queasiness. It's an herb so it should be safe for most people. It wouldn't hurt to check with your dr. if you have health problems or take prescription drugs, but I know people with lots of health issues who take ginger with no problems.

I take one Bonine at bed time and ginger a few times a day and I have never had any problems. By the way, I get sea sick in my shower :D. So my regimine works really well for me.

Kris

I started taking Ginger when I found these boards (although a Google search for "seasick remedies" will give you plenty of hits).

That was before my Miracle 12/07 cruise and, for the first time, I had absolutely NO problems. Of course, it could've been a coincidence. I still took 1/2 bonine before bed. I drink (not a lot, but some), and didn't want to mix too much bonine with alcohol.

My next cruise was on Glory and I couldn't even tell the ship was moving, although we had tablemates talking about how much the ship had been tossing one night during a storm. I didn't even know we had sailed through a storm!

So, I was convined I was "cured."

Wrong!

Unfortunately, the next cruise was on a smaller ship and we had rougher seas and I experienced some difficulties.

Now, mind you, I've suffered from motion sickness my entire life. I have never actually hurled on a ship, and I've never missed dinner! :D

But I have been uncomfortable enough to not want to do anything but sit in the fresh air and not move.

Anyway, I have concluded that while the Ginger helps, it hasn't cured me. I start taking it 1-2 days before sailing and take one capsule am and pm. I also take 1/2 bonine at night, and if that doesn't do the trick, and take 1/2 in the morning. I'm pretty sure 2/day is the max recommended.

And even though bonine is "less drowsy" I still feel sleepy the day of disembarkation. That's a concern when I drive to port.

But, yes, you can take Ginger with other meds. Do NOT mix other meds, though. That could be dangerous. And for those who take allergy meds, be careful as well.

Take the ginger with lots of water. It can bother people who have indigestion. There's a 'burp' factor to it. Sometimes, it feels like it's stuck in my throat for a few hours and I have to keep trying to wash it down.

But, yeah, you can google it and see what the recommended amount is based on the strength you purchased.

i always start bonine a day before the cruise and for a couple more days on the ship. i dont take ginger pills but a ginger ale on the ship is a good change from the regular drinks once in awhile. so far i have never gotten sea sick. anyway, this works for me :).

I too, get dizzy on land and have found that if I take one Bonine in the morning, I'm good! I've even had the occasion where I skipped a day or two while on the ship because I felt so good and we were sailing in calm waters. I have not had any problems with drowsiness while taking Bonine, or any other side effects. I was actually surprised to see so many people reporting side effects, because I really felt none, which I'm glad about.

Good luck!

I get motion sickness in cars, on rides and in boats. I've tried Dramamine, but even the non-drowsy makes me soo tired. On our last cruise I tried Bonine and it worked great. I didn't have that tired/sluggish feeling.

I took it at night 2 days before the cruise and every night during the cruise.

The active ingrediant in Bonine is Meclizine HCL (this is also in Dramamine II) which used to only be availabie by presciption under the brand name of "Antivert." This is still the drug of choice for inner ear problems such as Meniere's disease and is a great drug. The nice thing about Bonine is that you only need to take it once per day and many have learned that if they take it at bedtime it helps you sleep and seems to have no side-effects the next day. If taken during the day it can make some folks a little sleepy (it does this to me). We recall one cruise where a gentleman at our table told us how much he loved the seabands (he was wearing two) and by the end of the meal he had to leave because he was quite ill! As to the patches (Transderm Scop) it is very effective but can have some nasty side effects for many folks. My wife finds that it causes blurry vison which makes it difficult to read on a cruise.

Hank

On our Hawaiian cruise last March I took the bonine the day before the cruise. Boarded the ship, at a beautiful dinner in the MDR and about an hour later I fed the fish so to speak. I felt so terrible the next day my husband made a trip to the clinic on the ship. The nurse there told him I could use bonine once every 6 hours. I did for several days and then cut back to two. It worked. Before considering taking more than 2 per day check with your doctor.

I have heard good reports on using Ginger, but we have had outstanding results using Sea Bands (accupressure bands worn on the wrists). Since they are external, there are no side effects and they work immediately. They have been used for medical nausea such as chemotherapy and pregnancy for years. We found them at WalMart for under $8. We had no seasickness even going around Cape Horn last January.

The OP doesn't say whether they know they have a problem or are worried that they might experience one. So this might be helpful, it might not.

First of all, understand that seasickness is caused by a conflict between the eye's signals to the brain that you are not moving, and the inner ear's signals that you are moving. Soooo... until you get your sea legs (most people do this easily, but it can take a day, sometimes two for more serious cases), avoid situations where this conflict is happening. Go outside on deck (the fresh air helps) and be somewhere where you can see the horizon and hence the motion (stars at night). If you are inside, be near a window, verandah, etc. If you are not yet used to the motion, and even if you are, minimize your time in enclosed spaces inside -- even the best of us can get a little motion sick in the right circumstances. Also, and this sounds counter-intuitive, eat normal meals. Don't overeat and don't eat a lot of greasy foods, but eat at normal times.

All this being said, large cruise ships are not often in rough seas, though it does happen. What exactly is rough and what is not is also complicated since it as there is a complicated relationship between the height of the seas, the frequency of the waves and/or different wave trains, and the length of the ship. Most of the time, the motion is fairly gentle even though the ship may be pitching (fore and aft) or rolling (side-to-side). If you have experience on a small, private boat, the motion on a cruise ship is totally different.

Some people swear by the seabands, some people don't get much effect. Ginger is proven to reduce motion sickness. Neither of these need to be started much before you get aboard. Standard OTC medications such as Bonine or Dramamine work for most people who need more support. These need to be started before you board by about a day and continued until you are sure you have your sea legs. Trying these in advance will tell you how you react to them. You (the OP) didn't get to the level of asking about the patch, but for others reading this, this is a solution that NEEDS to be tried on land before you try it at sea, at this means trying it for the better part of a week. It's common side effects are a dry mouth, but the extreme side effects include hallucinations -- not a good thing as you are walking down the deck as the ship is moving!

Not to minimize the problem that people do indeed have, but in my personal opinion, some people talk themselves into making this problem worse. I was with a young fellow who was throwing up as we were just moving away from the pier, and the only way to know the ship was in motion was to watch the buildings going by! Most people are fine, and even the worst cases get better after a day or two at the most. (Yes I know some people are sick all the time, but I am talking about the vast majority of people.)

Relax and enjoy, and let the motion of the ocean gently rock you to sleep at night -- it is a big part of what being at sea is all about.

I might not get as sick as people here but I get carsick so I've taken Bonine on each of my cruises and come out beautifully. I am a small person and typically react to most medications but I have never noticed being drowsy or anything on Bonine. I start the morning of my cruise and take one in the morning and one at night. I have never gotten seasick on the ship.

On one kayaking excursion we were sitting in the ocean waiting for some of the group and the rocking did make me seasick (the worst kind) and I had to go back in. But, I felt better within an hour and did not get sick again on the entire trip.

I'm reading a lot of people take it a couple of days before the cruise but I never have and haven't had an issue. I also have never had drowsiness.

The OP doesn't say whether they know they have a problem or are worried that they might experience one. So this might be helpful, it might not.

 

First of all, understand that seasickness is caused by a conflict between the eye's signals to the brain that you are not moving, and the inner ear's signals that you are moving. Soooo... until you get your sea legs (most people do this easily, but it can take a day, sometimes two for more serious cases), avoid situations where this conflict is happening. Go outside on deck (the fresh air helps) and be somewhere where you can see the horizon and hence the motion (stars at night). If you are inside, be near a window, verandah, etc. If you are not yet used to the motion, and even if you are, minimize your time in enclosed spaces inside -- even the best of us can get a little motion sick in the right circumstances. Also, and this sounds counter-intuitive, eat normal meals. Don't overeat and don't eat a lot of greasy foods, but eat at normal times.

 

All this being said, large cruise ships are not often in rough seas, though it does happen. What exactly is rough and what is not is also complicated since it as there is a complicated relationship between the height of the seas, the frequency of the waves and/or different wave trains, and the length of the ship. Most of the time, the motion is fairly gentle even though the ship may be pitching (fore and aft) or rolling (side-to-side). If you have experience on a small, private boat, the motion on a cruise ship is totally different.

 

Some people swear by the seabands, some people don't get much effect. Ginger is proven to reduce motion sickness. Neither of these need to be started much before you get aboard. Standard OTC medications such as Bonine or Dramamine work for most people who need more support. These need to be started before you board by about a day and continued until you are sure you have your sea legs. Trying these in advance will tell you how you react to them. You (the OP) didn't get to the level of asking about the patch, but for others reading this, this is a solution that NEEDS to be tried on land before you try it at sea, at this means trying it for the better part of a week. It's common side effects are a dry mouth, but the extreme side effects include hallucinations -- not a good thing as you are walking down the deck as the ship is moving!

 

Not to minimize the problem that people do indeed have, but in my personal opinion, some people talk themselves into making this problem worse. I was with a young fellow who was throwing up as we were just moving away from the pier, and the only way to know the ship was in motion was to watch the buildings going by! Most people are fine, and even the worst cases get better after a day or two at the most. (Yes I know some people are sick all the time, but I am talking about the vast majority of people.)

 

Relax and enjoy, and let the motion of the ocean gently rock you to sleep at night -- it is a big part of what being at sea is all about.

Thanks for all the information! Yes, I do get motion sick along with both my girls. We have never cruised. So, I am taking along a wide variety of "just in case" remedies. ;)

Thanks everyone for your answers!!!

If you get motion sick, along with your daughters, I presume that that means carsick, and you might try some ginger for that the next time to see if it helps. Bear in mind what I said earlier about the mental conflict. If your daughters are looking down doing something to pass the time, then their eyes will not be seeing the motion, and this can be the cause of the problem. Similarly, if you are a passenger and are trying to read, this can be a cause. Ginger is a known preventive measure, so try that even before you cruise.