Non-Drowsy Sea Sickness Meds

I usually take a bonine the morning of our cruise and typically I don't have to take one again. I only got sick one time on a ship and my husband still says its because I drank too much one night.

I also give my girls (13 and now 11) a pill too but just the first day. Last year on the Legend we were following a tropical storm. I gave my one of my daughters a pill and I think I even split it in half. She ended up eating the buffet and then sleeping til muster. After muster, she slept til dinner. Lots of folks were sick on the ship over the week even though we weren't in a storm but just coming after it. Seas were churned up and Cozumel waters were a nasty mess.

What works for you? What is the best for kids without drugging them into a stupor? I have a health food store less than a mile from my house that I could buy ginger but does that really work?

I take a steady diet of Bonine and Ginger (from GNC) every single day..... from the first day I fly, to the day I come home.....

Bonine used to work OK for me, but since I added Ginger, I rarely get sick. My kids have been lucky so far, but once my son was a bit queasy and I gave him a Ginger Pill ONLY and he was back to himself in no time. I cannot say it was the Ginger, but it certainly did not hurt!

Good Luck!

Catrin

I don't want to sound rude, but if you only have to take one at the beginning, I doubt you truly suffer from motion sickness. Are you taking it as a precaution? If that's the case, try the ginger. I hear it works great.

Me, on the other hand, gets sick in anything that moves. Since Bonine is a 24 hour pill, I start taking it the night before our cruise and then nightly after that. If the seas are rough, I usually end up having to take another 1/2 to full pill.

Ginger works really well all on its own. They did a story a few years ago on one of the news programs comparing all sea sick remedies and ginger worked the best . My SO gets very seasick without it. we tried bonine for him the 1st cruise we took and it made him dizzy so switched to just ginger and it worked really well.

Another vote here for ginger. I carry one in my pocket to each meal and take it as soon as I sit down. Have not had any sickness now in 15 cruises.

On our last cruise, I gave my son, age 9, a less-drowsey dramamine, and he was fine. Since my daughter is only 5 and can't swallow pills, I gave her the chewable ones. She was a cranky mess at dinner. After that we did not give them to her anymore. If they can swallow pills, try the less drowsey ones. I also gave them a zrytec before bed each night. We were in port on 3 of the 4 days so I was most concerned about bedtime. We were lucky to have calm seas so I don't know if the zyrtec would work but we had no issues.

Another vote here for ginger. I carry one in my pocket to each meal and take it as soon as I sit down. Have not had any sickness now in 15 cruises.

So you take them every day with each meal? I might try these as a preventative measure this time around.

Try the gum

Ginger capsules for me.

Twice a day, with breakfast and supper.

I think if it's THE thing and it's natural than I want to know more. Could someone please give the specifics on the Ginger Pill everyone says works??

I usually shop at Vitamin Shoppe so that's where I would purchase it. As a nurse though, I need strength of pills especially.

Thanks!!

I think if it's THE thing and it's natural than I want to know more. Could someone please give the specifics on the Ginger Pill everyone says works??

 

I usually shop at Vitamin Shoppe so that's where I would purchase it. As a nurse though, I need strength of pills especially.

 

Thanks!!

I'll have a look at mine when I come home.

They're made in Europe where there is stricter control over "natural" products than in the USA.

I think if it's THE thing and it's natural than I want to know more. Could someone please give the specifics on the Ginger Pill everyone says works??

 

I usually shop at Vitamin Shoppe so that's where I would purchase it. As a nurse though, I need strength of pills especially.

 

Thanks!!

I LOOOOOVE ginger because it's a natural remedy. And for me, it's very effective.

Nursm0m, I just bought some more last night at WalMart. The label says "Ginger Root, 550 mg." The brand is Spring Valley.

One of my favorite ways to take it is as a tea: open up one capsule (carefully!) & add boiling water & sweetener of choice. (You could also just toss the capsule into the boiling water & stir until it's dissolved). This might be an effective way to get kids to take it. You could probably use a little boiling water until it dissolves, then add cold water until it's a reasonable temperature for drinking.

The elastic wrist bands are another good natural remedy. But, from my experience, the most amazingly-effective remedy is the batter-powered wrist bands. I frequently fly with my DH in a small Cessna, and on our last cruise, we hit some *really* severe turbulence. It was like trying to ride a bucking bronco, while *not* hitting your head on the ceiling. I was completely amazed by how effective they were, because I am really susceptible to motion sickness. BUT, the battery-powered bands are very expensive ($100-ish), and probably overkill for a cruise...

Good luck!

As well as ginger pills we also bring along as our soda allotment ginger ale (the real stuff Canada Dry :D)

If you end up using Bonine again, take it at night starting the night before. I first took Meclazine (the ingredient in Bonine and also less-drowsy Dramamine...same thing!) on the second day of a cruise after being very sick in rough seas the night before. I was very sleepy taking it that day and had to take a nap. I felt much better after I woke up, though!

However, on the next cruise I started taking it the night before and most nights thereafter. No drowsiness during the day to report of so I would advise your daughter to do the same.

I never took Ginger regularly but didn't have great success with it when I took a couple pills one day. That was the same night that I got very sea sick. However, maybe if I started taking it twice a day and started the day before it would be more effective.

Turns out my ginger capsules are not made in Europe but are an Israeli product.

Gingerol Femina

Gingeroot extract, powered ginger, cellulose (I guess that is the capsule itself) and Vitamin B6.

I have read on several sites that ginger is a powerful blood thinner. People who take Coumadin or other blood thinners would want to consider that.

On our first cruise we took ginger capsules and bonine the first day and each port day. For some reason, the ships seem to rock more when leaving the ports. We had no problems.

The next cruise we tried the same, but the ginger gave me serious indegestion and an upset stomach. So I went with the non drowsy bonine. No problems.

Our kids use bonine or non drowsy dramamine. The key is to take it before you feel sick.

Happy sailing!

I watched a show on the Travel channel and they said use green olives or fresh squeezed lemon juice at the onset of motion sickness. It worked for me. I still had my Dramamine but never had the need to take it.

My friend got really sea sick on her last cruise and went down to the infirmary. They told her to eat a green apple like a Granny Smith type (which they gave her) and it worked! She ate some apple any time from then on whenever she felt like she was getting sea sick.