Best way to handle sea sickness

[lors]

I just stopped at my local drug store and asked the pharmacist what the best remedy would be that is all natural. She told me that she has heard from many that ginger capsuals taken the day before you cruise and then used when needed have worked VERY WELL for many customers. Myself I like the idea that it is all natural, I suspect that you could also use candied ginger or??? any other form of natural ginger...I asked about the band and she said that they do work for some and showed me how they work...it is an actual metal or ?? hard plastic dot on the band that presses on the middle of the wrist..sort of an accupunture sort of thing, I said hey I could just use the top of a pen..lol....Irregardless I chose the ginger tablets...I will let you all know how they work when I return from our cruise onthe 25th of Nov...;)

[SwissMyst]

I just stopped at my local drug store and asked the pharmacist what the best remedy would be that is all natural. She told me that she has heard from many that ginger capsuals taken the day before you cruise and then used when needed have worked VERY WELL for many customers. Myself I like the idea that it is all natural, I suspect that you could also use candied ginger or??? any other form of natural ginger...I asked about the band and she said that they do work for some and showed me how they work...it is an actual metal or ?? hard plastic dot on the band that presses on the middle of the wrist..sort of an accupunture sort of thing, I said hey I could just use the top of a pen..lol....Irregardless I chose the ginger tablets...I will let you all know how they work when I return from our cruise onthe 25th of Nov...;)

 

There several aspects to motion sickness: nausea and inner ear disturbance. Ginger appears to work best for nausea. The other OTC remedies like bonine work on the inner ear with some impact also on nausea.

 

One might need effective remedies for both elements of the sea-sickness package. The inner ear remedy is key for me because it seems the nausea queasiness after the inner ear disorientation first.

 

It will be interesting to learn how others treat each part of this. I personally use the combo of bonine and candied ginger chunks. And as much good ginger beer as I can find on a ship. (HAL has lousy ginger ale, but asian countries and Australia have wonderful and robust ginger beers (non alcoholic) Bundaberg and Schwepes are great ginger beers brands. When weight is no problem I bring along my own six pack of Bundaberg.

[nothriver]

I suffer from motion sickness, and have only cruised once. I started Bonine the day before our cruise, but only took it for a few days, as we had small boat excursions early in our cruise. A couple days after I stopped the Bonine, I was sick. Seas were not rough at all but we were in a higher up aft cabin.

 

For our upcoming cruise, I booked an inside, mid-ship on Main. I'll definitely take Bonine and NOT STOP taking it until a couple days after we are home. I suffer no side effects from the Bonie. I think I'll get a prescription for the patch but only use it in an emergency. I'm also going to pick up the sea-bands and give those a try.

 

Thanks to everyone for the helpful tips. I'm hoping to conquor my motion sickness and book more cruises in the future. My life-long motion sickness definitely has kept me from cruising in the past. Having been ill in the Inside Passage, I'm pretty sure I've lost my mind booking a cruise crossing the North Sea; wish me luck!!!

[kazu]

I just stopped at my local drug store and asked the pharmacist what the best remedy would be that is all natural. She told me that she has heard from many that ginger capsuals taken the day before you cruise and then used when needed have worked VERY WELL for many customers. Myself I like the idea that it is all natural, I suspect that you could also use candied ginger or??? any other form of natural ginger...I asked about the band and she said that they do work for some and showed me how they work...it is an actual metal or ?? hard plastic dot on the band that presses on the middle of the wrist..sort of an accupunture sort of thing, I said hey I could just use the top of a pen..lol....Irregardless I chose the ginger tablets...I will let you all know how they work when I return from our cruise onthe 25th of Nov...;)

 

It took dh over 10 cruises to decide to give ginger a try. He was absolutely blown away. He will hit the ginger as we leave the MDR, but it wasn't there the first few days so I bought some in port. It really does help as do the green apples. (on a rough night they are always at the front desk to help yourself). For me, sailing is smooth, but I do eat ginger as I love the stuff:D

[luxurysailer]

The cause of seasickness is overstimulation of the semicircular canals in the inner ear by excessive motion of the ship. The nausea is caused by excessive stimulation of these semicircular canals.

 

So, what is a scientifically proven way to prevent excessive stimulation of the semicircular canals? Take Bonine or its generic equivalent meclizine. But there are some side effects of this drug, the most frequently encountered being drowsiness. My wife and I take ours just before retiring in the evening which has minimized this effect during waking hours. For those with medical problems it is a good idea to consult your physician prior to taking any OTC.

 

A couple of previous posts have mentioned that it should be taken prior to (preferably 12-24 hours) encountering rough seas, and that is good advice. This drug is used for prevention of seasickness and will not produce quick relief of symptoms once seasickness rears its ugly head.

[I am Lulu]

Just for clarification, is it green, as in unripened apples, or green in color, apples?

:o

[reefisher]

I have been sailing (sailboats),and deep sea fishing for years. I get sea sick on a childs swing or even a merry-go-round. I have tried many remedies over the years. Scopolamine patches are the most reliable. But I find that as I age (68) the side effects are as unpleasant as the sea sickness. I now use an Rx product called Scopace. Same active ingredient as the patches , but I can titrate more to my needs and it wears off faster than if I used the patches. Most meds have to be taken long before the motion starts, with Scopace it is not so critical. Meclizine is also a very good OTC product if taken early enough. And it is free on most cruise lines. One fishing trip I took nothing but fresh ginger, kept gnawing on a big chunk of root. I was sick as a dog. At least when fishing I have something to take my mind of the queazies. Sometimes I take a vial of promethazine or compazine with me fishing, it works after the fact but requires and IM injection. Thank God I have only had to use it once. You would think that with such sensitivity to motion sickness I would just stay on land. No Way!!!!!!!

[Max2003]

Just for clarification, is it green, as in unripened apples, or green in color, apples?

:o

 

As in color. They are normally available at the front desk in rough weather. As a matter of fact if you see them there expect rougher seas. A leading indicator of sorts.

 

Packets of bonine/meclizine are also available at the front desk. Normally only the person suffering from seasickness can pick them up however, which could be problematic.

[luxurysailer]

 

If they require a person to already be seasick before giving them packets of meclizine they need to change their policy. This is ridiculous and a prime example of austerity measures taken too far.

[peaches from georgia]

As in color. They are normally available at the front desk in rough weather. As a matter of fact if you see them there expect rougher seas. A leading indicator of sorts.

 

Packets of bonine/meclizine are also available at the front desk. Normally only the person suffering from seasickness can pick them up however, which could be problematic.

If true that is a ridiculous policy. And how would they know anyway if the person picking them up was seasick unless they made you throw up on the front desk first!

 

We bring our own Bonine and enough for each of us to take one every night with a few extra in case it really is rough and we want to take two. Looking at the cost of a cruise I'm not going to penny pinch and not bring my own Bonine.

[Mary Ellen]

Packets of bonine/meclizine are also available at the front desk. Normally only the person suffering from seasickness can pick them up however, which could be problematic.

Not in our experience. My DH has picked them up for me without problem.

[SwissMyst]

I picked some generic bonnie at the front desk recently on the Maasdam. There was no requirement that I be "sick". This would be a bad misstatement to leave hanging.

 

I just asked and was given two packets of I believe two pills each. They can also be obtained merely by asking at the medical office, no appointment necessary from what I have also heard.

 

The pills are tiny and you can get it generic at your local pharmacy. They come in a thin blister pack sheets and no reason one can not permanently carry a few of these blister packs tucked into their suitcase to make sure cover the length of the cruise.

 

(I fell short last time and won't make that mistake next time.)

[Cmargierose]

OK I’m really confused now as to what will work for me....I hate to puke

[catl331]

OK I’m really confused now as to what will work for me....I hate to puke

No one method works best for everyone ... you just have to try different ones to find out which is best for you. The free SeaCalm (meclizine) given out by the front desk and infirmary work well for DH and me. We once had a retired pharmacology professor tell us that any relief from green apples is mostly a placebo effect, as there isn't enough of the effective chemical in them to do much good. I suggest you try ginger candies or tablets first to see if that is sufficient for you before going to meclizine or bonine.

 

edit: I see from your other posts that you are on the Grand Princess, not a HAL ship. I don't know if they give out free meclizine, or where.

Edited April 20, 2018 by catl331

[PatsyAnne]

OK I’m really confused now as to what will work for me....I hate to puke

 

 

 

I like meclizine (Bonine is one brand name). It doesn’t make me as sleepy as Dramamine, although it has some effect and warnings about alcohol. Take it before you might get seasick. I take it about an hour before we sail, if at all. I rarely have problems on the ships, but can on small boat excursions.

 

If you’ve never taken a drug before, I recommend you try it at home to see how it affects you prior to your cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[IslandThyme]

What's everyone's experience with Bonine and alcohol. Yes, I know there's a warning, but in practice, since there's a lot of alcohol consumed on cruises, and apparently a lot of Bonine too, I'm wondering.

[Daisyloo]

I can get "seasick" on a porch swing, so I take no chances on a cruise. I start Bonine the night before the cruise starts and continue it every day until a day after the cruise ends.

As far as alcohol goes, I drink and have never had an issue. However I don't drink a lot. Maybe a drink or two a day and wine with dinner.

[drowelf]

There seems to be quite a few posts with the reports of rough seas in the Pacific. Since we will soon be sailing I was wondering what others do to prevent sea sickness. Do people wait until foul weather or are you pro active and bring something from home either OTC or from the doctor?

 

The DW is prone to Motion Sickness, the only think that works reliably for her, even for mild seas, is the scopolamine patch. The 3 days on, 1 off sometimes does not work out too well on a cruise, when her off days fall on Sea Days.

[OlsSalt]

When seas get rough and beyond what my Bonine wants to handle, I just take to bed and just ride it out. I don't expect to carry on, business as usual.

[danacline]

I used to get car sick as a kid, but have not since I reached driving age. I have never been air or sea sick to the point of puking, fortunately. We have found that Bonine works well, and neither of us have ever taken it in advance - we wait until a slight queasy feeling, chew one (raspberry flavored?), and then 10 minutes later we're good the rest of the day. This includes waves so large that the pools are closed and people walking down a corridor bounce off the walls (bulkheads?) on each side like drunks.

 

We cruised with a friend once (her first cruise) and she got the Scop patch. Unfortunately for her, it conflicted with some of her other medicines, resulting in a panic attack in St. Thomas. When my wife got her back on the ship and down to the clinic, the doctor told her immediately to remove the patch. Even after removal, it was several days before she was back to normal. So if you go with the patch, make sure you talk to your doctor about interactions with other medications you may take.

 

We also carry candied ginger, plus I add several shakes of powdered ginger into my tea every morning. Can't hurt!

[dee2673]

As prone to motion sickness as I am, I take Bonine and start it the day before. No sense in taking chances. Never had an issue and I drink too.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[haladdict]

I avoid meds if I can. I find myself a nice comfy chair on a low deck ,mid ships and I read a book.

Sandra

[Haboob]

The cause of seasickness is overstimulation of the semicircular canals in the inner ear by excessive motion of the ship. The nausea is caused by excessive stimulation of these semicircular canals.

 

So, what is a scientifically proven way to prevent excessive stimulation of the semicircular canals? Take Bonine or its generic equivalent meclizine. But there are some side effects of this drug, the most frequently encountered being drowsiness. My wife and I take ours just before retiring in the evening which has minimized this effect during waking hours. For those with medical problems it is a good idea to consult your physician prior to taking any OTC.

 

A couple of previous posts have mentioned that it should be taken prior to (preferably 12-24 hours) encountering rough seas, and that is good advice. This drug is used for prevention of seasickness and will not produce quick relief of symptoms once seasickness rears its ugly head.

 

That's "motion fatigue", and takes several days of constant heavy seas to develop. It's even less fun than

garden-variety sea sickness.

 

Garden-variety sea or motion sickness is different. Your brain has two systems tracking which way is "up" so

you can stand or walk without falling over: Those semi-circular canals in your inner ear form one. Your eyes

form the other. When your inner ear says you're rocking and rolling, but your eyes see nothing moving? Your

brain is wired to make you want to lie down before you fall down -- more strongly wired in some folks than

others.

 

Two simple cures: (1) Lie down and close your eyes so your brain ignores their input, (2) go outside or sit

near a big window so most of what you see is a horizon bobbing around to match your inner ear's input.

[OlsSalt]

There are also different forms of motion that feel very different - the side to side which can be mitigated by the stabilizers or the up and down of the front and back of the ship, which cannot. Or the whole package to gether called "corkscrewing" which is about as bad as it can be. The one I really hate is when the ship goes up and down from fore to aft - that is the stomach churning vertigo one for me.

[Haboob]

There are also different forms of motion that feel very different - the side to side which can be mitigated by the stabilizers or the up and down of the front and back of the ship, which cannot. Or the whole package to gether called "corkscrewing" which is about as bad as it can be. The one I really hate is when the ship goes up and down from fore to aft - that is the stomach churning vertigo one for me.

 

The one I hate is the one where you begin worrying about the "up" part. :o