Sea sickness?

[The_Notorious_MOM]

I went on my first cruise (3 night) in 2012. I got a script for my pediatrician because my son (15 at time) always has motion sickness. Once the ship left port, I got hit with motion sickness. I took one of my son's pills and it helped a little, but I was weaving while walking like i was drunk. I was afraid to eat the first night at dinner. I was miserable and wondering if i could leave the hubby with the kids and fly home at the first port. My sister gave me a patch (she swore by it) and by late that night I was fine. I did not research side effects as I did not plan on using one, but had no issues on the ship. But I will now as we are cruising again in a few weeks. The cost through my insurance is $128 for five. The cost through my husband's insurance was $50 for seven. I'd gladly pay more just because of how well they worked. As miserable as I was the first night, I'd have a hard time not bringing them on the upcoming cruise.

Edited November 5, 2016 by The_Notorious_MOM

[XForeverYoursX]

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Just bought this and the sea bands. Walgreens didn't have ginger root for some reason!

 

 

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[Rjh8842]

I am the opposite. I do not take anything unless I am sick. I only had one time where my family and I started felling sick and took some pills on the ship one night. Unless you have strong reason to believe you are sick why take anything before hand?

[Mango Tango]

I have been using Ginger Root capsules since 2008 and I know they work for me. I start taking them a couple of days before we fly out for our cruise. I take 2 capsules in the morning and 2 before dinner. I also keep taking them for a couple of days after we get home from a cruise. It helps while you get your land legs back. Also, if we are taking an excursion on a small boat, I sometimes supplement the ginger with Dramamine.

 

I also use ginger root capsules for car sickness. If I don't take them, I cannot look down at a map or my phone without feeling sick. If I take them, I have no problem with that or riding in the back seat of a moving car.

 

I like the fact that Ginger Root Capsules are a natural supplement, not a drug. I used the patch on my first cruise in 1992. What a disaster! I had such terrible side effects from it; blurred vision and extreme dry mouth. I took it off halfway during the cruise and had such withdrawl symptoms, I had to put another one on to finish the cruise. Once I got home, I took it off and had the withdrawl symptoms once again. NEVER AGAIN FOR ME!

[luckyprincess]

Hi OP! So I get motion sick on a swing set. I wish I was kidding but I'm not! So for me I need some serious help. I have the best success with regular Dramamine. The kind you take every 4 - 6 hours. I start taking it the day before about an hour before my flight. I continue it the whole time. It does make me a little drowsy and I do drink on my cruise and it does make me a little drowsier because of that. But honestly I take a nap mid day and have always partied into the night. I've also done a cruise with the non drowsy Dramamine because I didn't want alcohol to affect it. We had super rough seas that year and there were times I was a little woozy. I've also done a whole cruise with bonine and ginger. I did two bonine pills before bed and then did two ginger capsules every 3 hours. I was a little woozy once or twice when we had rough seas but it was great and I was never tired.

 

For me, I'd rather be sleepy than sick so I'm taking the regular Dramamine again this time. I know that works better than anything else and I'm not looking to experiment. Good luck!

[Merly]

Skip all of that and take Ginger Root Capsules. They really work! I couldn't cruise without them as I am very prone to seasickness.

 

Agree, we take root ginger capsules, one a day , staring the day before the cruise. Never had an issue whilst taking them.

[shadbrew]

Over the years I have tried the patch, Bonine and Dramamine and ALL 3 make me sleepy, thus missing the fun. A few years ago I learned about Sea Bracelets and would not sail without them. DH and friends also wear them when deep sea fishing. You can buy them an most drug stores.

 

I also recently discovered the ginger pills and ginger gum and they too work well for me. I buy them at WalMart.

 

I am one who can get seasick on dock so must be prepared to enjoy every minute of cruise.

 

Happy Sails

Where (in what department) at Walmart do you get the "ginger gum"? Never seen nor heard of it.

[FunCruiser56]

i have tried the patch..lots of side effects. Bonnine was good, no side effects.. a little pricey. Ginger did not work for sea sickness and gave me a huge headache and a bad taste, can't even eat it anymore. Meclazine works best and cheap through Amazon or local pharmacy, I take one tablet each night before bed, sleep great and no side affects.

 

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[westtexgranny]

Take ginger capsules, I get them and GNC. I am very prone to motion sickness to the point I can't ride in a back seat and must keep my eyes on the road to avoid sickness. I take ginger each morning and I have not had a problem. I take it another time in the afternoon if the seas are more rough but I have not had any sea sickness.

[Richst48]

Take ginger capsules, I get them and GNC. I am very prone to motion sickness to the point I can't ride in a back seat and must keep my eyes on the road to avoid sickness. I take ginger each morning and I have not had a problem. I take it another time in the afternoon if the seas are more rough but I have not had any sea sickness.

 

Am I wrong but I thought ginger was mainly to keep your stomach calm? When I get motion sickness I get dizzy first and then that upsets my stomach. Does ginger help the dizziness also?

[XForeverYoursX]

Should I be wearing both sea bands?

 

 

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[shipgeeks]

OP, may I ask why you are concerned? Do you have a history of seasickness?

[redlady62]

You can get meclizine for free at the guest services desk. They come in packs of two and you take one pill in the morning and one at night. They will give you enough for the whole cruise, just tell them how many packs you want. Suggest going as soon as you get on the ship as there usually isn't much of a line when you first get on.

 

 

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I also suffer from motion sickness (no IMAX movies for me) and unfortunately ginger did not help for my Caribbean cruise. Celebrity Cruises introduced me to Meclezine and have been great cruising these last 6 years. As mentioned in the quoted post, they provided it complimentary and you can get it at guest relations. Start meds prior to the motion of the ocean [emoji305]. I typically take the evening prior to embarkation and then twice daily while the cruise is moving. When we are docked in port I do not take meds that morning but will take one once back on board.

 

 

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[Bizmark'sMom]

Should I be wearing both sea bands?

 

 

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Yes.

 

The Sea Bands work really well for me. I still need Bonine if the seas are particularly rough, but that's rare. On my 21 day cruise in the Canadian Arctic / Greenland, I needed Bonine twice.

[CasualCruisers406]

I'm getting queasy just thinking about it! Even after 2.5 years at sea in the Navy, I still get motion sick, even while sitting docked at the pier. I use the patches with great success. Won't even think about boarding a ship without them.

[chengkp75]

I use the patch and it works great for keeping seasickness away, but it does have some side effects. To me, the side effects aren't nearly as bothersome as being seasick, but others may not agree.

 

They make your mouth dry, and after a few days (3-ish), they will start to give you a sore throat. Anything more than 3 days and my vision gets blurry. I have learned to remove it on day 3 to avoid the vision problem, and the sore throat and dry mouth go away within hours, but there seems to be enough medicine in my system to keep me from getting sick for the remaining 4 days. When I don't use the patch I get sick to the point of being incapacitated; throwing up, spending days in bed, it's awful.

 

I have heard people say they use half a patch instead, so I will try that next time. But I will absolutely be using one, because the pills and the ginger and the seasick bands have not worked for me...ever! The seasickness patch has worked 100% of the time.

 

 

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Whatever you do, do not cut the patch in half. This will allow the full dosage to leak onto your skin instead of being released slowly through the porous inner layer.

 

If you want to reduce the side effects of the patch, here is how to do it. Take a small round band-aid and place it behind your ear. Then place the patch so that half of the patch is on the band-aid, and half is on your skin. Only the part on your skin will dose the scop to you, reducing the dosage. If you still feel side effects, but not motion sickness, move the patch to be more on the band-aid. If you are feeling motion sickness, but your side effects are okay, then move the patch so more is on your skin.

[qanderson]

Whatever you do, do not cut the patch in half. This will allow the full dosage to leak onto your skin instead of being released slowly through the porous inner layer.

 

 

 

If you want to reduce the side effects of the patch, here is how to do it. Take a small round band-aid and place it behind your ear. Then place the patch so that half of the patch is on the band-aid, and half is on your skin. Only the part on your skin will dose the scop to you, reducing the dosage. If you still feel side effects, but not motion sickness, move the patch to be more on the band-aid. If you are feeling motion sickness, but your side effects are okay, then move the patch so more is on your skin.

 

 

Thank you, I hadn't thought of that

 

 

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[Slugsta]

I take medication that tends to cause nausea and I get very seasick. I have tried sea bands, ginger and motionease, might just as well not have bothered. I have also tried pretty much oral medication, again with no benefit.

 

The one thing that does work for me is the patch. Thankfully as I was thinking I would have to give up cruising :( It does increase my dry mouth (other meds cause it too) but that is all. I drink alcohol with it too with no problem. Of course, you should take the advice of your medic (I did, he said it was OK to drink ). I put the patch on the morning of travel (around 8 hours before we sail) and remove it once we are just 'hopping' from port to port, then back on with the patch to get home.

[SuiteTraveler]

No one has asked you where you are cruising. The need for seasickness medication really depends on where you cruise. For example in the Caribbean from Galveston, New Orleans, Miami or Ft. Lauderdale or San Juan or any other Caribbean island, you probably won't need anything at all. I would just bring some Bonine along as a precaution. If you are going on a cruise that involves being in the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean (or any other ocean for that matter) then you will definitely need something. What we do for cruises that include an ocean is take Bonine starting on the morning of embarkation and then if we encounter high seas, we stop taking Bonine and switch to Trans Derm Scops and go midship for the day, if our stateroom is not midship, and stay there until bedtime. If you are cruising from New York or Boston or Charlotte or cruising to Alaska there is a good chance you will hit high seas at some point. The same is true for cruises out of Southampton - if you are cruising to the Med from there, you should have Bonine and Trans Derm Scops as backup. If you are cruising the Med from someplace like Barcelona or Rome or Venice and returning to one of these ports, you probably won't need anything. Cape Horn - you definitely need the scops as a backup to the Bonine. If you are going on a river cruise, it is highly unlikely that you will need anything at all for the ship, but you may need Bonine for the tour buses as they often go on winding roads in Europe. Also remember this, if you do get seasick, the ship's doctor can give you a shot to stop the nausea. Your cruise insurance will pay for the doctor visit if needed.

 

For me, Bonine doesn't have any side effects. IF I have to use the Trans Derm Scop, then I experience a dry mouth and somewhat blurred vision, but it is better than being seasick. Just keep some water handy.

 

Finally, should you not take the Bonine and find that you are suddenly seasick, put a ice cold can of soda or a bag of ice on the front of your neck and lay down. Putting something ice cold on the front of your neck works to stop the feeling of wanting to throw up and being nauseated. Lying down also helps. Try to relax your body and just focus on breathing slowly while you lie down with the ice on the front of your neck. This will help you immediately and then when you feel you can without vomiting, take a Bonine and continue laying down and using the ice on the front of your neck for around 30 minutes so the Bonine has a chance to kick in.

Edited November 24, 2016 by SuiteTraveler