Seasickness meds: When to start?

[Tunkhannock]

Okay, reading up on CC I've found out that the two recommended over-the-counter sea sickness medications are ginger and meclizine (i.e. Antivert, Bonine, Verticalm).

 

We're going to be taking our first cruise in a couple of months and we're wondering when we should start taking them? The DW is very concerned about sea sickness. Should we start a few days in advance, when we board the ship, or when we have symptoms of motion sickness?

 

Thanks for the advice.

[Keith1010]

If you are worried take the medication such as Bonine a couple of hours before you board the ship. You can take two tablets every 24 hours but we find that one tablet works for us over 24 hours.

 

The key for medication such as Bonine is to take it before you feel sick and not after as if you wait you will not get the true benefits of it and you will likely get very drowsy and possibly sick.

 

Keith

[john watson]

Okay, reading up on CC I've found out that the two recommended over-the-counter sea sickness medications are ginger and meclizine (i.e. Antivert, Bonine, Verticalm).

 

We're going to be taking our first cruise in a couple of months and we're wondering when we should start taking them? The DW is very concerned about sea sickness. Should we start a few days in advance, when we board the ship, or when we have symptoms of motion sickness?

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

Are we correct in assuming you actually have had motion sickness previously in cars/coaches or aircraft? Have you been on ferries and had problems?

 

If you have not had problems like this I should wait and see first.

 

If you have had problems then 48hrs before leaving home is probably a good idea so you have got dosed up beforehand and continue thereafter.

 

The best form of Ginger I have found is the raw lumps with a sugary coating. These are good at the time and taste really strong so you chew them a bit and swallow quick. They keep everything going southbound.

 

Regards John

[Tunkhannock]

If you are worried take the medication such as Bonine a couple of hours before you board the ship.

 

Thanks for the reply!

 

Are we correct in assuming you actually have had motion sickness previously in cars/coaches or aircraft? Have you been on ferries and had problems?

 

Not I, but the DW is definitely susceptible to it, and has in fact suffered from it on smaller boats such as ferries.

[GUT2407]

I always say ask your Doctor or Pharmacist.

 

As an aside my DW swears by Green Apples and Ginger [pieces tea tablets] and she like your DW gets sick on small boats, but you will feel less motion on a shp than a small boat.

[Dayenu]

Ginger - a couple of days before the cruise, during the cruise, and a couple of days after the cruise (to avoid "sea legs")

 

Bonine - depending on what the doctor says, but I'd take it when you expect rough seas.

 

Also, is you cabin type and location are proper for people who can get sick?

[Tunkhannock]

Also, is you cabin type and location are proper for people who can get sick?

 

We've got a JS on Deck 9 near the hump, more-or-less near the middle of the ship.

[Bizmark'sMom]

I'm actually more prone to motion sickness on larger ships than I am on the smaller ones. There's no rhyme or reason to sea sickness sometimes.

 

I put my Sea Bands on the night before getting onto the ship. I carry non-drowsy Dramamine with me, and take that at the first sign of feeling "off". It's hard to explain, that odd feeling you get before the nausea starts - that's when I take the meds if I need to. Normally, the Sea Bands do the job, and after a few days I don't even need the Sea Bands anymore unless the seas get rough.

 

Middle of the ship is perfect for getting as little motion as possible. I also find that I need an outside window. Being able to stare at the horizon really does help.

[Kmangel]

My cruise itself was fine--smooth the entire 11 days. I think I would have managed just fine the entire cruise without any medication. However I was on excursions and on buses and I have been car sick in the past, so I took Bonine as a preventative. I took the medication every morning when I knew I would be on a bus that day.

[kasil]

If you've never used a medicine for sea sickness, try a dose sometime before you leave when you can afford to deal with any side effects. Drowsiness is one of the more common side effects, and if you are particularly sensitive to the medication, you may need to adjust the dose or change medications so that you don't miss out on anything. If the medication is once a day, start it the day before you think you might get car sick/sea sick. If it is twice a day, start it 12 to 24 hours before you'll need it. Any earlier and your body will have eliminated it before it was even needed.

[NMLady]

Okay, reading up on CC I've found out that the two recommended over-the-counter sea sickness medications are ginger and meclizine (i.e. Antivert, Bonine, Verticalm).

 

We're going to be taking our first cruise in a couple of months and we're wondering when we should start taking them? The DW is very concerned about sea sickness. Should we start a few days in advance, when we board the ship, or when we have symptoms of motion sickness?

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

I rarely get seasick so I don't take the meds unless I feel a bit queasy. It only takes about 30 minutes for Bonine to take effect for me.

[fairygirl1]

Seabands and ginger had zero effect on me,,,, i buy "less drowsy" dramamine ( bonine, meclizine,,,) and take 1st dose abt an hr before boarding. Then 1 tab every night around 8 or 9 p,,,no seasickness at all plus I sleep like a baby all night. It does last 24 hrs also.

The staff swear by green apples, and they truly did help me on 1st cruise,when I was unprepared,,,, have fun!

Edited July 16, 2015 by fairygirl1

[hfj17002]

My family of 4 just came back from our 1st cruise 2 weeks ago. I too was worried about sea sickness because of this site, lol. I never thought about it until I read about it on here. I bought all kinds of meds, gum, ginger, etc. Turns out, nobody ever needed it. My wife felt a little something one morning when the ship was rocking, but went away after breakfast. I took back over $50 in stuff. Good luck!

[Tunkhannock]

Turns out, nobody ever needed it. ... I took back over $50 in stuff. Good luck!

 

Hopeful our experience is the same as yours. Thanks!

[SuiteTraveler]

We've got a JS on Deck 9 near the hump, more-or-less near the middle of the ship.

 

That's the perfect location for people who might get motion sick. Where are you sailing from? If you are on a ship going through the Bay of Biscay or up to Alaska, you wife might ask her doctor for a prescription for Transderm Scop (motion sickness patch). Caribbean should be fine with meclazine, as well as the Med, usually.

 

Incidentally, should your wife start to get sick, have her lie down on the bed and put something ice cold on the front of her neck. This will immediately relieve the feeling of being about to vomit. You can use a cold can of soda pop or beer or even a bag of ice - whatever is handy. This works for everyone no matter what the cause of nausea and will give her the time to let the anti-seasickness medication kick in if necessary. Packing a ziplock bag for this purpose is always a good idea. If it is a really rough day and she doesn't have a Transderm Scop, she should remain lying down in your midship cabin as much as possible. If she is switching from meclazine to the Scop, then that day, she should not take meclazine. The Transderm Scop makes your mouth dry and your vision may be a bit blurry. For me it makes me feel like I've had 2 or 3 glasses of wine - but I can be in extremely high seas and it doesn't bother me with the Scop on.

Edited July 18, 2015 by SuiteTraveler

[AnchorsAweigh2011]

You can take the meclizine the morning you are boarding the ship because it starts working within one hour of taking it.

 

There are a few precautions and contraindications with meclizine, so check with your doctor or pharmacist first.

[cb at sea]

You are unlikely to be IN your cabin 24/7, so location isn't THAT important! You'll be all over the ship, doing stuff!!!

[SantaFeFan]

We've got a JS on Deck 9 near the hump, more-or-less near the middle of the ship.

 

You are unlikely to be IN your cabin 24/7, so location isn't THAT important! You'll be all over the ship, doing stuff!!!

 

But if one of them does get sick, it is a good location on the ship to lie down and try to get better. Even lower would be better since deck 9 may feel the rocking movement if the swells are coming from the sides instead of towards the front of the ship

Edited July 18, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[Floridiana]

I am very prone to motion sickness. Since I like the taste of ginger, I take ginger tablets and also candied ginger from the health food store every day on the ship.

 

If the captain announces that the ship might rock, I also take bonine or similar meds 1- 2 hours before the ship leaves port. If nothing was announced and I start feeling queasy anyway, I lie down and take a tablet. I never take medication days before or just in case. We always book a midship cabin.

 

Bonine makes me drowsy, even the non drowsy version. I bought 'mercalme' in France, excellent! And another seasickness medication in Australia, it came with ginger. Both these tablets worked and did not have side effects.

[OCruisers]

Okay, reading up on CC I've found out that the two recommended over-the-counter sea sickness medications are ginger and meclizine (i.e. Antivert, Bonine, Verticalm).

We're going to be taking our first cruise in a couple of months and we're wondering when we should start taking them? The DW is very concerned about sea sickness. Should we start a few days in advance, when we board the ship, or when we have symptoms of motion sickness?

Thanks for the advice.

 

Keep in mind it is quite possible you & your wife will NOT be seasick. Very few people really are.

Look forward to having a wonderful 1st Cruise! :D

 

LuLu

[Tunkhannock]

That's the perfect location for people who might get motion sick. Where are you sailing from?

 

Bayonne, NJ to Bermuda and back.

[SuiteTraveler]

Bayonne, NJ to Bermuda and back.

 

There can be quite a bit of motion in the Atlantic depending on the time of year and if there is a storm nearby. I would advise you both to go prepared with Meclizine, Trans Derm scops and a baggy for ice. Most likely you both will have no problem at all, but you don't want to wait until you are on the ship to find out and then not have the right medicine. Your wife might take a Meclizine (Bonine) the morning of the cruise with breakfast if her doctor agrees this is a proper medication for her.

 

My WORST day at sea: Going through the Bay of Biscaye - the meclizine was NOT enough, so I used a Trans Derm Scop. That was the WORST day at sea I've ever had. The outside decks had to be closed and we were all shut up inside the ship all day. It was really hard to walk around in our cabin and getting showered and dressed was a real challenge. We had to walk with our knees bent and hold on. In the shower, I clung to the safety bar and basically had to wash myself one handed otherwise, I would have been launched out the door of the shower. Then getting dressed, I was tossed head first into the wardrobe. Luckily, I was able to stop myself before I hit my head. As our stateroom was all the way forward, we stayed midship for the day with our IPads - the ship had a nice coffee and tea shop there and my husband and I chose a table with 2 sturdy chairs to ride it out and ordered special coffee or tea all day long. Dinner was also a challenge. We had to hold on to our glasses so they wouldn't fall over and eat one handed. That night they switched shows to the comedian. He was a British fellow and couldn't hold still on the stage due to all the motion. He joked that this was the first time he'd worn out a pair of shoes doing his act! LOL! I really appreciated him as he took our minds off the discomfort until it was time to go to our cabin and go to bed. Honestly, that day was so uncomfortable it made me question if I really wanted to cruise ever again. Then the next day and for the rest of the 13 day cruise it was completely calm and all the discomfort of the previous day was forgotten.

 

The other thing I think you should know is that for many people, the first few days after a cruise, they may still feel like they are on the ship. This happens to me. The feeling goes away by the end of the 3rd day home.