What to bring for Sea Sickness?

[martikus]

What do you have on hand in case little one gets sea sick? Neither DH or I suffer from sea sick and we're going on Allure which should cut down on DS's chances.....but I would hate to have nothing on hand. The sea bands wouldn't help if he is already sea sick...what would you bring?

[cb at sea]

Most "little ones" have no issues. But, your pediatrician is the one to ask. OTC medications may not be proper for small kids. Call your child's doctor for the right medication and dosages.

[SadieN]

If he starts to feel sick have him eat tart green apples and drink clear soda (Sprite, GingerAle). Crackers are also good.

We bring ginger candy.

[gt1701a]

My son experienced seasickness when he was almost 4. Next cruise we asked the doctor and he gave us the correct dosage of dramimine for his weight (12.5-25 mg). They now make a dramimine for kids that is a lower dose so you dont' have to split the pills. Call your doctor and ask for the right dose. I believe younger kids don't have to worry about it. My 2 year old was fine.

[Keith1010]

The odds say your child will be fine.

 

However, I do not recommend getting advice on CC when it comes to this topic.

 

I would speak with the pediatrician to see what they would recommend.

 

Even over the counter items are mainly medicines so I would really recommend consulting with the physician.

 

Keith

[Mack2]

How come nobody ever thinks to ask the pharmacist?

Pharmacists can recommend over-the-counter remedies (and we can now vaccinate people for the flu and other vaccines).

 

 

There are few pharmaceutical options for kids.

Bonine, Dramamine (Less Drowsy Formula) which is meclizine

Dramamine Original Formula, Gravol (avail. in Canada) which is dimenhydrinate.

Benadryl which is diphenhydramine.

 

 

Bonine/Dramamine (Less Drowsy Formula) is not recommended for children under the age of 12.

http://www.drugs.com/mtm/bonine.html

Do not give this medication to a child younger than 12 years old.

This is because of the meclizine, it really hasn't been officially studied or submitted to the FDA for the use in children.

 

Dramamine Original Formula/Gravol (dimenhydrinate). This medicine has been around a long time and has been studied for children. Dimenhydrinate has recommended doses for kids as young as 2 years old.

http://dramamine.com/products/kids

• children 2 to under 6 years: give 1/2 to 1 chewable tablet every 6-8 hours; do not give more than 3 chewable tablets in 24 hours, or as directed by a doctor.
  
• children 6 to under 12 years: give 1 to 2 chewable tablets every 6-8 hours; do not give more than 6 chewable tablets in 24 hours, or as directed by a doctor.
  

 

Benadryl is the unusual one and can be given to kids 2 and up.

Diphenhydramine has been around for a long time. Benadryl used to be used as a cough medicine (Benylin) 50 years ago until it was decided that even though it works to suppress coughs, it is a better drug for allergies. So, another one of Benadryl's uses... is motion sickness.

http://www.drugs.com/benadryl.html

Benadryl is also used to suppress coughs, to treat motion sickness, to induce sleep, and to treat mild forms of Parkinson's disease.

Sure it has all these other uses, and it's BEST for allergies and sleep, but... in a pinch? You can give it for motion sickness.

Benadryl is the only one you should ask the pediatrician for in regards to the dose for really little kids... in those cases, it's dosed on a milligram per kilogram (dosed by weight) basis.

 

 

You also have some non-pharmaceutical natural remedies.

Ginger - Available as a gum, soft drink, capsules, candy.

I love Altoids... they use to sell the Ginger Altoids domestically... recently had to buy them from Amazon in bulk...

 

Seaband makes a chewing gum

and there's ginger snap cookies that I've read on CruiseCritic that people said have worked.

Sea Bands which work for some and not for others

 

Hopefully, you will have smooth seas and won't even have to think about these remedies, but it doesn't hurt to have a supply just in case. I bring Dramamine and Ginger Altoids with me on cruises... haven't really had to use them often...

[Keith1010]

How come nobody ever thinks to ask the pharmacist?

Pharmacists can recommend over-the-counter remedies (and we can now vaccinate people for the flu and other vaccines).

 

 

There are few pharmaceutical options for kids.

Bonine, Dramamine (Less Drowsy Formula) which is meclizine

Dramamine Original Formula, Gravol (avail. in Canada) which is dimenhydrinate.

Benadryl which is diphenhydramine.

 

 

Bonine/Dramamine (Less Drowsy Formula) is not recommended for children under the age of 12.

http://www.drugs.com/mtm/bonine.html

 

This is because of the meclizine, it really hasn't been officially studied or submitted to the FDA for the use in children.

 

Dramamine Original Formula/Gravol (dimenhydrinate). This medicine has been around a long time and has been studied for children. Dimenhydrinate has recommended doses for kids as young as 2 years old.

http://dramamine.com/products/kids

 

 

Benadryl is the unusual one and can be given to kids 2 and up.

Diphenhydramine has been around for a long time. Benadryl used to be used as a cough medicine (Benylin) 50 years ago until it was decided that even though it works to suppress coughs, it is a better drug for allergies. So, another one of Benadryl's uses... is motion sickness.

http://www.drugs.com/benadryl.html

 

Sure it has all these other uses, and it's BEST for allergies and sleep, but... in a pinch? You can give it for motion sickness.

Benadryl is the only one you should ask the pediatrician for in regards to the dose for really little kids... in those cases, it's dosed on a milligram per kilogram (dosed by weight) basis.

 

 

You also have some non-pharmaceutical natural remedies.

Ginger - Available as a gum, soft drink, capsules, candy.

I love Altoids... they use to sell the Ginger Altoids domestically... recently had to buy them from Amazon in bulk...

 

Seaband makes a chewing gum

and there's ginger snap cookies that I've read on CruiseCritic that people said have worked.

Sea Bands which work for some and not for others

 

Hopefully, you will have smooth seas and won't even have to think about these remedies, but it doesn't hurt to have a supply just in case. I bring Dramamine and Ginger Altoids with me on cruises... haven't really had to use them often...

 

I think this is a great list and you have a excellent point about checking with the Pharmacist as well. Just curious do you also think it would be a good idea to check with the pediatrician as well? Just wondering if you think that is a good idea.

 

Thanks again for the list.

 

Keith

[Mom2B&Z]

ITA to consult with a health care professional about meds for kids. Here in Canada, most kids don't see a paediatrician on a regular basis, primary care for healthy kids is through the family physician. I rely on our family doctor, pharmacist and in some cases, a travel medicine clinic (run by an internal medicine specialist with training in travel medicine) for advice.

This is all assuming the child in question is healthy with no medical issues...which we don't know to be the case.

To the OP, most kids are fine on ships. There are lots of ways to prevent motion sickness, most of which involve being outside so the eyes and ears tell the brain the same thing about how the ship is moving. Otherwise there are medicines out there, ask your health care provider about what is the best option for you.

Mack2, ITA that pharmacists are an often overlooked resource in our health care system. I work quite regularly with a few pharmacists and its a great collaboration!

[karinvt]

We are going on on cruise at the end of the month. This will be my kids first cruise and they range from 4-17. So I am bringing just about everything on the list lol. I am not taking any chances.

 

I actually did talk to both my pediatrician and pharmacist. The Dr suggested Dramamine for the younger ones. The pharmacist suggested ginger root for all of then but she also said that what works for one child might not work for the next so bring a few options, so I am. I have packed ginger root, dramamine, and bonnie. I would like avoid giving the last two if I can, so I am keeping in mind the green apples. Chances are they will have no issues but I am not taking any chances. Our Dr said that if they do have issues it will mostly be on day 3 of the sailing, he said the ship is further out and the waves more intense. He gave other reasons but I cannot recall all of it.

 

Best of luck!!!

[Twinzma]

Glad to hear you spoke with the Doctor first.

 

Also, I would not try a new medicine onboard. Give them a dose of Dramamine or whatever you intend to use while you are still home. This way if they have an adverse reaction to it, you can call your own doctor and seek treatment. I'm sure the Doctors onboard are wonderful, but I'd rather not take any chances.....

[Karysa]

Eating a green apple everyday on board is what helps DD with seasickness. We learned this trick a couple of cruises ago from a crew member who did this for a couple of years, ever since she started working on a cruiseship and had almost daily seasickness.

[Mack2]

I think this is a great list and you have a excellent point about checking with the Pharmacist as well. Just curious do you also think it would be a good idea to check with the pediatrician as well? Just wondering if you think that is a good idea.

 

Thanks again for the list.

 

Keith

 

You can ask your pediatrician at any time... but to save time, there are other health professionals that are available.

 

The pediatrician would be great for specific dose requirements and other alternatives. I've seen scary recommendations on Cruise Critic regarding motion sickness, people asking if they could cut the patches for their kids, or telling people to ask their doctors for Zofran (anti-nausea tablet that is primarily used for nausea due to chemotherapy)

 

Over-the-counter is recognized as safe and effective without the supervision of a physician, but you have to abide by the dosage recommendations.

 

Pharmacists are NOT doctors, and you should double check if you are unsure of the source or the advice. I consciously make an effort to link appropriate information with drug advice... especially on a bulletin board such as this.

 

It's harder to link appropriate information for things like ginger or green apples... there is one episode of Mythbusters where they proved that ginger worked, but it's still pretty subjective.