Husband has motion sickness

[kw0575]

Any suggestions to prevent him from getting sick the whole trip? This is our first cruise and we are on Celebrity Infinity to Alaska on May 11th from Seattle. We are on 7th deck midship. Is this is good spot for us??

[Gonzo70]

Welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

The lower the deck and the closest to midship, the less motion you will feel while in your stateroom - so deck 7 midship is a good spot. If the seas are rough however, you likely will still feel motion - so it is best to be prepared. I'd recommend he speak with his physician and bring along some medication(s) that his physician recommends. The seas during the first 1-2 days and last 1-2 days are often at least somewhat rough when heading to/from Seattle, but in the middle of the cruise it should be smooth sailing.

[Palms2Pines2Sea]

Welcome to CruiseCritic kw. You will enjoy your cruise a tremendous amount!

 

I am a life long sufferer of motion sickness. I thought that I would never be able to enjoy being on a ship. I grew up with a love of sailing, and I'm fine as long as I'm at the helm. As a passenger, I'm reduced to a sweaty nauseous mess.

 

Antivert is my godsend. It is the pharmaceutical equivalent of Bonine, but a lot less expensive. I get 50 pills from my local store for $4. One every 24 hours and I'm as good as gold, and have survived several storms on the Atlantic that had heartier souls confined to their beds. It is amazing stuff. I find the only side effect is a little extra drowsiness, but I consider that a small price to pay.

 

BTW, your cabin location is excellent for reducing any ship's motion. Have a wonderful time.

[dmwnc1959]

I'll also extend a hearty welcome and a hand shake!

 

As far as motion sickness, find a non-drowsy over the counter motion sickness remedy like Bonine (or whatever) and start a full 24 hours before he even gets on the plane, and then continue every morning at breakfast. It'll beat the 'symptoms' before he even gets to the 'cause'.

[fredflint]

here is the link for antivert and all the different names

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000709/

 

I have sailed to Alaska before and I get motion sickness very easily, I have a hard time just riding in the back seat of a car. I usually have one bad day on a cruise but the trip I took to Alaska on a smaller ship than the Infinity I had no issues at all so I would expect him to be fine. If he has any major issues he can get a shot of Phengram from the ships doctor and that works wonders so just go an enjoy.

[Karynanne]

Bonine is the brand name for meclazine. It works very well for motion sickness. Have your husband take it before the ship sails, so it'll be in his system.

 

Years ago we had a friend that was really sick on a Transatlantic cruise, and her cabin steward brought her some apples. Apparently there is an enzyme in apples that helps the tummy calm down.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Fixit2010]

It all depends on what is causing the sickness. I would speak to an ENT consultant who understands the Vestibular and how the fluids slosh around the ear. However I believe and could be mistaken that motion sickness is normally in the middle ear, where as the vestibular is in the inner ear. Stemetil is a prescribed drug that dampens the middle ear and reduces sickness. Again I would suggest speaking to your GP/Doctor/ENT specialist.

[Beach Nut]

All my life I've suffered from motion sickness, in cars and on smaller ships.

 

I'd dearly love to try Windstar or a week on a catamaran in the Caribbean, but I don't dare, as I've been as sick as can be, with dry heaves for a couple of hours on a Monterey Bay whale watching cruise, even after taking Bonine. (This was only the latest of my episodes on smaller ships.)

 

I have never been sick on a big ship, despite 2 days of going through 30 foot swells crossing the Tasman Sea on the Mercury in '08. Many on the ship were sick, including my husband. And, I didn't take anything, but somehow, the motion of the large vessel didn't impact me.

 

Once, we were upgraded at the pier from our 8th deck, midship outside cabin to a Concierge balcony cabin very near the back of the ship and I was a bit nervous about the location, but couldn't refuse my first experience in a balcony cabin. I had no problem, again without taking meds.

 

However, having experienced severe motion in a room near the front of the Summit while getting a massage, even on relatively calm seas, I think that i would have definite problems with a cabin at or near the front, even on a large ship.

 

I usually like to get us on the 7th, 8th or 9th level, for the views, but always as close to midship, or midship rear as possible.

 

I hope that you enjoy your cruise. :)

 

Susan

[rothjer]

I'll also extend a hearty welcome and a hand shake!

 

As far as motion sickness, find a non-drowsy over the counter motion sickness remedy like Bonine (or whatever) and start a full 24 hours before he even gets on the plane, and then continue every morning at breakfast. It'll beat the 'symptoms' before he even gets to the 'cause'.

 

 

Although I SWEAR by Bonine, and find that out of all of the medications I have tried, it works the best, I would STRONGLY reccomend taking it at night, as I still find that it makes me quite tired and I sleep a lot more when I am on the pill.

[Pinkkong]

And there's always the possibility he might not get sick on the ship at all. I get car sick, and sick on the plane, but I've always been just fine on a ship, so he might end up being just fine. The general cabin location you've chosen is a good one.

[ClairetoCruise]

Whatever you try, use it a few days before the cruise to check the effect.

Aboard: Pina Coladas help me best.

Also try: Coke, Gingerale, and green apples.

I use Trans-DermScop patch now but put it behind my ear three days before cruising.

Another trick: Don't forget about the sea.

If you're not watching it, turn your back to it. I get sick when it's in the background such as inside a cabin with a window. Or in the dining rooms where it's off to the side and my brain is registering the motion but I'm not thinking about it.

The semi-submersible platforms used in ports to view fish are very bad for people with motion sickness because they sway back and forth underwater.

Claire

[HppyCamper]

If you do a search on this and other cruise forums you will find that many people use ginger to prevent sea sickness. Ginger was proven to be effective for this on the Mythbusters show.

 

On a cruise I take to 100mg capsules of ginger each morning and then sometimes before meals. I carry some ginger candy with me when I am about. Works great! We had very rough seas on our cruise, our cabin was on deck 5 and waves were splashing against our windows, and I was fine.

[Fixit2010]

I speak from experience with Vertigo/Labyrinthitus/a strain of Meniers.

 

I find that the ship is actually theraputic and helps, but seriously if you want sound advice speak to a professional that specialises in the ear such asn an ENT consultant or even an audiologist.

 

Ginger is good for settling the stomach, and so is peppermint. However I prefer an over the counter pack of cinerazine

[gelo7]

Bonine does wonders for this husband, I never cruise or do amusement parks without it. I take one when I wake up, and I am good for the day.

[scubaJen]

I use Dramamine - non drowsy formula and it works like a charm. I take it the morning of embarkation and continue with a daily dose daily until I disembark. Since I have been doing that, I have not had a problem.

[wvufan]

I used to use the patch but had bad aftereffects. I have used ginger capsules for the last 15 cruises and no problem. I take one in the morning and one in the evening with meals.

 

Specifically, I use 550 mg ginger root natural who herb capsules.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE Baby :D :D Bob and Phyl

[FunCruiser56]

Another user of Bonnine/meclazine I take 1-2 the night before we get on the ship and every night of the cruise. No seasickness. Last cruise we were on the tail end of a tropical storm and we were really experiencing big waves and motion.

There are also patches you can get with a perscription from your doc, not covered by insurance and a big pricy. I found them to have too many side affects, compared to none with Bonine.

 

Be sure to have meds in your system well before you board, once your sick it takes a while to recover and you will end up in bed- not a way to spend your first night on your cruise. There are great med facilities on ships and they can also give you a shot if the pills don't work.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Bev

[packedandready]

Just a note to add to all the suggestions....My husband gets motion sickness VERY easily..on all sizes of fishing boats, carnival rides, small helicopter, etc. We're about to take our 10th cruise and he's NEVER gotten sick on the ships. He took the non-drowzy stuff on our first cruise and it still made him sleepy so he stopped taking it and has been fine. Hope it's the same for your DH. Good Luck

[Golfgal]

I also suffer sea sickness. I'm fine in cars, trains etc but on our first cruise I needed the jab to stop! Horrible. My BIL lent me an electronic sea band for our next cruise and it was fantastic. I bought one of my own for less than the cost of my jab and it will get a real test this year as I've booked an aft cabin for our next cruise! Mind you we're cruising from Barcelona rather than Southampton so no Bay of Biscay to worry about:)

 

With the meds, it may be wise to start taking them the day before to make sure there well in the system. Hope you both have a great cruise.

[garycarla]

Lots and lots of remedies. Hard to say which is the best for each person.

 

But, I always get a bit seasick. Found out that I could just buy the Walgreens brand of pills - supposedly non drowsy. Best way for me is to take them in the evening. Then when I go to bed, I am out - COLD!

[Fixit2010]

have you ever spoken to an audiologist or ENT consultant? Motion sickness comes from the ear.

[kw0575]

Thank you all so much for the advice. From what I've read Bonine may be what he'll use. Can't wait....54 days and counting! :-)

[ghstudio]

I suggest a visit to his doctor. Bonine may well work but I've found that whatever one uses....wrist band, bonine, ginger, etc. you have to believe that it will work. Of course you also have to be sure that the motion sickness "preventative" doesn't interact with some other drug one might be taken.

 

If the doctor prescribes bonine and tells your husband it will work.....and the dosage he can/can't take....it will work far better than buying it over the counter and "trying" it.

 

The mind can have a real impact on how drugs/cures/preventatives work.

[jaybird from SC]

I sometimes suffer from motion sickness so this is what works for me:

 

Bonine works great. Take it well before sailing or flying.

Prescription patch-not so good. Side effects were bad.

Never thought they would , but sea bands seem to work the best. They are always in my purse.

[lel5344]

Check with your local pharmacist. Ours brings in Generic Meclizine from the warehouse and it's incredibly inexpensive. Last time, we paid less than $8.00 for 100 12.5mg tablets.

 

DW has also found that SeaBands work well for her.