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Ear patch, Dramamine, Ginger Tablets???


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Have a tendency for motion sickness (hasn't stopped me from taking 19 cruises ... I'm just careful where and when!). However we want to take the Rhythms of the Night tour in Puerta Vallarta on the next cruise and I'm reading A LOT about the ride over the bay being VERY ROUGH at times and a lot of passengers getting VERY sick. Any experience with different "preventatives" and your advice and recommendations ... I know no-alcohol is one recommendation but I probably wouldn't follow that advice! Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

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Have a tendency for motion sickness (hasn't stopped me from taking 19 cruises ... I'm just careful where and when!). However we want to take the Rhythms of the Night tour in Puerta Vallarta on the next cruise and I'm reading A LOT about the ride over the bay being VERY ROUGH at times and a lot of passengers getting VERY sick. Any experience with different "preventatives" and your advice and recommendations ... I know no-alcohol is one recommendation but I probably wouldn't follow that advice! Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Ginger capsules from health food stores, all the way

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My sister's girlfriend got seasick when they went with us. She tried green apples, which helped a little and was apprehensive about taking pills because of some of the medicine she is on. She tried the Sea Bands and almost instantly she was better. All the color came back to her face and she stopped vomiting. I never believed in those things until then. It saved her vacation.

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Bonine! I have SEVERE motion sickness, as in I cannot even think about reading in the car, or I will barf everywhere. Sometimes, I get MS just from being a passenger in a car. I started taking Bonine 2 days before our cruise, and I did not feel even one pang of MS, from the plane ride, all the way through the cruise (cove balcony, and some VERY rough seas a day or two), even when others around me were looking pretty green. And best of all, no drowsiness. I will never cruise or fly or take a long car ride without my Bonine!

Edited by zumbagirl78
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I'm one who gets seasick quite easily. For me ginger capsules and the patch each had limited success. :rolleyes: Before we went to Antarctica I asked my MD about something more effective than those had been. She suggested I use both of them. The combination works wonders for me. We had over 40-foot seas from the Falklands to Antarctica. My motto is now: Better cruising through chemistry. :D

 

You need to find what works for you. The patch isn't for everyone. It can have some pretty bad side effects. I know some swear by Bonine. I tried that one cruise. It knocked me out and I still got seasick. Seasick remedies aren't one size fits all.

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I suffer greatly from motion sickness and ginger tablets (available at grocery stores and drug stores--you don't have to go to health food store for them) always work for me. I used to take dramamine but it made me too sleepy and I didn't like that feeling.

 

And here's the word from the renowned Cleveland Clinic about drinking alcohol and motion sickness: "Do not drink large amounts of alcohol the evening before you travel: Alcohol speeds up dehydration and generally lowers your body’s resistance to motion sickness, if you are prone to it."

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What works for one person won't necessarily work for the next. And some types of remedies may cause side effects in some people.

 

It's best if you try different types of remedies ahead of your cruise. See what doesn't affect you negatively. Then take a few that are fine with you on the cruise. Hopefully at least one will work for you in actual practice.

 

Another thing: if you are taking any prescription medicine, talk to your doctor as any OTC could be countraindicated.

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I tried the scopolamine patch. My dr said to put it on 2 or 3 days before we boarded. After we boarded, my eyes started burning really bad. I looked in the mirror and noticed the whites of my eyes had turned blood red. Like Hollywood special effects red. Read the package and it is listed as a rare side effect and it says if this happens to remove the patch immediately. It probably won't happen to you, but if it does, know it's the patch. I took it off and waited until the next day (sea day) to take Dramamine because I didn't want to double dose meds. I ended up pretty miserable for a day or 2 before the dramamine started helping. After that, I only use Dramamine and ginger.

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Although I only took Bonine the first day out; I had no side effects. Growing up by the ocean and taking many an ocean fishing trip, and being on a troop carrier for 14 days in very rough seas; if I started to feel any nausea, saltine crackers seemed to quiet the stomach. But that is just me. I do understand MS is an inner ear problem and some people are predisposed to suffer from MS. :)

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Please read all the side effects on any medicine you take. IN 2012 I took my mother on her very first cruise on the Pearl. She's in her late 70s, needs a wheelchair for anything more than going from the bed to the bathroom, she's on oxygen 24 seven. We had planned this cruise for about a year and a half. So of course we had plenty of time to get everything set in place. We consulted with her doctor about everything. He recommended the patch. My dad picked it up for her and told me that I was to have her put it on the day before the cruise. As we had flown into Miami the day before. All was great and she's happy excited she seemed 10 years younger. Oh and let me state she also has macular degeneration, so of course that means her eyesight is limited. And her case light ,color, and large shapes. So first day was absolutely wonderful airport personnel helped-at every stage. I applied the patch once we got to the hotel. All is good and we boarded, she was it as excited as any teenager. Sunday and Monday were absolutely fantastic, with just a few off remarks, we spent a lot I mean a lot of time in the casino, so she was able to meet the casino host the casino manager several of the staff. So they knew this was typically a sweet sweet little old lady. Tuesday she started stating how beautiful specific things were. And started questioning things out of our Oceanview window and off the deck of the ship, asking me what those tankers were doing. Well you see there were no tankers. And it went downhill from there. Hallucinations, paranoia, agitation, you name it. Every single adverse side effects mentioned in that package of the patch she had. I didn't know this because I didn't read the side effects. Neither did she because she can't see to read my dad did. And of course he didn't tell me. And believe me when I tell you it was horrible. It got so bad she didn't know me, she thought I was somebody impersonating me. This all peaked Friday. It was as if it was a slow build up,peaked and then dropped. I cannot even express the gratitude I have for Mr. G and all of his crew in the Norwegian pearl casino. Our room steward and guest services our waitress everybody! She seemed to come down and was fine of course with everything happening she had not remembered to add the patch on Thursday. We immediately took her to the family physician after returning home.. And he said that from that very moment never to take any over-the-counter antihistamine etc. she doesn't remember any of the bad stuff(thank goodness) she is fond memories of her cruise although you can tell by the pictures, this just wasn't my mom. She likes to talk about it but then I go home and cry! I only touched the surface of the horrors. I just wanted to warn you please don't do anything without a doctors advice and even then tested before you go

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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This is one of those questions where what works for one person does not work for another one. No different than many medicines on the market.

 

First off I would consult with your physician because many of these items even though some are over the counter are still medicine.

 

Second, I would bring a couple of items with you.

 

Keith

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What works for one person won't necessarily work for the next. And some types of remedies may cause side effects in some people.

 

It's best if you try different types of remedies ahead of your cruise. See what doesn't affect you negatively. Then take a few that are fine with you on the cruise. Hopefully at least one will work for you in actual practice.

 

Another thing: if you are taking any prescription medicine' date=' talk to your doctor as any OTC could be countraindicated.[/quote']

 

My husband is very prone to any kind of motion sickness, and we stupidly believed when we were told by a family member that the modern cruise ships were stabilized and you don't feel a thing. So we only packed a bit of ginger ale and the accupressure bands for our first cruise. And promptly ended up on one of those sailings out of San Diego that was so choppy even some of the crew got sick. Needless to say, hubby was completely miserable, hives included... At that point, not even Dramamine helped. Ruined his first few days until he could get on land at the first port of call.

 

Needless to say, it took me years to persuade him to try another cruise this fall, and this time we are doing our homework - like Cruisin' Chick says, there are so many different opinions on what works for any given person... we are trying things out beforehand this time.

First up is Bonin and the swings and carousels on the neighborhood playground... if he can handle that, we'll go on a nice twisty ride in the mountains, and if that still works, we'll try a small boat up on Lake Tahoe the next time it's windy. :-)

I'll post again with the results!

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Have a tendency for motion sickness (hasn't stopped me from taking 19 cruises ... I'm just careful where and when!). However we want to take the Rhythms of the Night tour in Puerta Vallarta on the next cruise and I'm reading A LOT about the ride over the bay being VERY ROUGH at times and a lot of passengers getting VERY sick. Any experience with different "preventatives" and your advice and recommendations ... I know no-alcohol is one recommendation but I probably wouldn't follow that advice! Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Meclizine (Non-Drowzy Dramamine, Bonine)

Non-Drowzy with very minimal side effects.

A common side effect is dry mouth if you do not hydrate properly.

 

Since 9 times out of 10 sea sickness is cause by a disturbance of the inner ear ginger pills do not "prevent" Sea sickness.

 

Ginger pills calm the stomach but does not have any antihistamine , antiemetic or antispasmodic ingredients in it.

 

These are the active ingredients that calm the portion of your brain that controls nausea and vomiting by tricking it into thinking its balanced.

 

Scopalamine patch..I'd never recommend or prescribe it! Too many negative side effects.

 

Most people don't realize that if they are in a pinch they can pop a common over the counter Allergy/Cough Cold pill and since it contains an antihistamine it will help.

 

They key is to prevent rather then treat.

 

Buy generic Meclizine tablets from the pharmacy counter. Cheaper then brand name OTC pills. Start to take them 24 hours before you depart and continue for 24 hours after you return.

Edited by vacation_junkie
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Meclizine (Non-Drowzy Dramamine, Bonine)

Non-Drowzy with very minimal side effects.

A common side effect is dry mouth if you do not hydrate properly.

This is precisely why I suggested the OP finds what works for them. This so called "Non-Drowzy" medicine knocked me out. My idea of a good cruise doesn't involve sleeping all day and night - and still getting seasick. :rolleyes: It is awful feeling 'drugged' and having to nap all the time. If I want to sleep all the time I can do that at home for a LOT less money. At least the Meclizine was dirt cheap at Target, but I'll never get that lost vacation time back.
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Thanks everyone for your input .... It's a long time until our cruise, and like I said, even though in 19 cruises I've only experienced motion sickness 2 times, I want to be prepared this time for a 45 minute small boat ride so I don't ruin my entire evening .....

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