First Timers Sea Sickness Tablet Advice

[Crestawave]

Hi Everyone

My wife and I have just booked our first ever cruise, we're going with Viking ( we did a lot of research to find a cruise line to sort us, we did'nt want non stop entertainment or anything too formal) to the Panama Canal and Pacific Coast. Hopefully we'll be fine but can anyone recommend which sea sickness tablets available in the UK work best ?  From previous experience I found that travel sickness pills tend to make you a bit sleepy' I once missed most of a Majorcan scenic rail journey after taking one. Someone we know advised us to start taking them a week before we sail, any thoughts on that or other suggestions welcome.

[leaveitallbehind]

I don't have any direct recommendations but would suggest that maybe you talk with your doctor or pharmacist for advice and specific options.  They may know best what would be good for you.

Edited September 28, 2023 by leaveitallbehind

[Crestawave]

34 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

I don't have any direct recommendations but would suggest that maybe you talk with your doctor or pharmacist for advice and specific options.  They may know best what would be good for you.

Thank you, I'll ask the pharmacist as we'll be home before we get a doctors appointment in the UK nowadays. 

[sydney dog]

You can always buy some ginger pills.  They are OTC and should be readily available.  I have really bad stomach issues and they work for me.

[GeezerCouple]

58 minutes ago, Crestawave said:

Hi Everyone

My wife and I have just booked our first ever cruise, we're going with Viking ( we did a lot of research to find a cruise line to sort us, we did'nt want non stop entertainment or anything too formal) to the Panama Canal and Pacific Coast. Hopefully we'll be fine but can anyone recommend which sea sickness tablets available in the UK work best ?  From previous experience I found that travel sickness pills tend to make you a bit sleepy' I once missed most of a Majorcan scenic rail journey after taking one. Someone we know advised us to start taking them a week before we sail, any thoughts on that or other suggestions welcome.

 

Welcome to CruiseCritic!

 

Whatever you use, please make *sure* to try it at home before your trip.  

You found out that one type made you "a bit sleepy", but what if some other med makes you more sick or sick in other ways?  Best to know that in advance rather than having what could be an unpleasant surprise during the trip.

 

I doubt you'd need to be taking them starting 7 days in advance, but ask the pharmacist about this, too.  My guess is any any "advance" benefit is likely to work if you start the day or evening before you sail.

Also ask the pharmacist about how long the med will likely be working in your system (although this can vary from person to person somewhat).  That is, no point in taking something in the morning if the maximum effect starts to kick in in 8 or 10 hours, and the reverse for something taken the night before.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[mom says]

Yes, ask your pharmacist. I believe the common OTC motion sickness pills in the UK are Dramamine and Stugeron. Both are in the antihistamine family and drowsiness is a side effect in both.

 

If you will embark your cruise in the US, I'd suggest going to a US pharmacy and getting some Meclizine  tablets (brand name Bonine) it is less drowsy if taken as recommended- every night at bedtime, starting the night before embarkation). Of course check with the pharmacist to see if this would be right for you.

 

[StollyBolly]

I have found non drowsy tablets here in the US.  I would also recommend the wrist bands.  We used them on the Drake Passage and had no problem.  The ginger is also a good idea.  We found a bag of individually wrapped chews at the pharmacy.  

[MBP&O2/O]

Are you prone to motion sickness? If so, remember that a ships motion  is totally different to anything land based. Premier league v non league. 🙂

Don't psych your self up in this regard.

Also remember, all the OTC recommendations are made by people who have zero knowledge of your tolerances and /or allergies.

Viking are bigger ships, and Masters tend to avoid rough weather, where possible,  to look after the passengers.

[Crestawave]

Thank you for all the advice,  from what I see all the tablets available in the UK are prone to making you drowsy. I'm going to get some anyway, plus some ginger chews. We're staying overnight in Long Beach before embarking so hopefully they'll be a pharmacy nearby where we can get some Bonine.

[Szt]

I’d agree with the wrist brands. They won’t make you sleepy. We also learned that keeping your stomach full greatly reduces the risk of sea sickness. East enough to do on a cruise. 
I have a really sensitive stomach and have found ginger tea or bitters work better than any med. My favorite go to is tamarind candy. But I’ve never seen it available outside of south or Central America. Some of the natural remedies in Latin America work great! When all else fails, get bitters and soda or Apperol at the bar. Get fresh air, eat and sleep well and don’t worry too much. You can talk yourself into being well as much as you can being sick. 
fyi- Meclazine is for vertigo.   

[YourWorldWithBill]

10 hours ago, Crestawave said:

Hi Everyone

My wife and I have just booked our first ever cruise, we're going with Viking ( we did a lot of research to find a cruise line to sort us, we did'nt want non stop entertainment or anything too formal) to the Panama Canal and Pacific Coast. Hopefully we'll be fine but can anyone recommend which sea sickness tablets available in the UK work best ? 

As @sydney dogsuggested, get some ginger pills! Studies have shown that they actually work better than other medications, without the side effects. But the wrist bands have shown to be very effective, and we might be using those for our next cruise.

[datone]

15 hours ago, Crestawave said:

We're staying overnight in Long Beach before embarking so hopefully they'll be a pharmacy nearby where we can get some Bonine.

Have a look on Ebay.  I am in Australia and buy it that way so I have it ahead of time.   I take one each night of the cruise around 9 pm, starting the night before, and by the time any drowsiness kicks in, I am ready for bed anyway.   Never been seasick since I started using this.

[Crestawave]

1 hour ago, datone said:

Have a look on Ebay.  I am in Australia and buy it that way so I have it ahead of time.   I take one each night of the cruise around 9 pm, starting the night before, and by the time any drowsiness kicks in, I am ready for bed anyway.   Never been seasick since I started using this.

Done , there was one UK based seller that had some available. 

[Meander Ingwa]

Meclizine is the non drowsy medication, sold under many trade names.

 Bonine and Dramamine Less Drowsy are the most common.  Here in the US they are over the counter.  I get mine via Amazon and it is very inexpensive.

 

Many people swear by Ginger and green apples, other find the bands work for them.

 

What ever you choose, try them out for a few days to make sure they agree with you.  People who know they are prone to motion sickness take Meclizine at bed time starting a few day before travel.  Better to not chase sickness 

 

[mjkacmom]

21 hours ago, mom says said:

Yes, ask your pharmacist. I believe the common OTC motion sickness pills in the UK are Dramamine and Stugeron. Both are in the antihistamine family and drowsiness is a side effect in both.

 

If you will embark your cruise in the US, I'd suggest going to a US pharmacy and getting some Meclizine  tablets (brand name Bonine) it is less drowsy if taken as recommended- every night at bedtime, starting the night before embarkation). Of course check with the pharmacist to see if this would be right for you.

 

I always bring Bonine, anything else makes me sleepy. I get bad motion sickness, no fishing boats for me, or merry go rounds for that matter. So far so good, I’ve been fine on cruises but have yet to hit weather.

[Szt]

I think some decks also have less motion than the others. But I can’t remember if it’s the higher decks or lower. 
Unless you are super sensitive, you can barely feel the motion on the boat. You feel more of a vibration from the engines than movement. Of course rough seas are a different story. 

[TheOldBear]

1 hour ago, Szt said:

I think some decks also have less motion than the others. But I can’t remember if it’s the higher decks or lower. 
Unless you are super sensitive, you can barely feel the motion on the boat. You feel more of a vibration from the engines than movement. Of course rough seas are a different story. 

In general, places midships, on lower decks will experience less movement than spaces on higher decks or at the bow or stern.

[tw0sugar5]

I took 12.5 mg of meclizine instead of the full 25 mg tablet on a choppy day at sea.  Got rid of the motion sickness without the drowsiness.  I weigh less than 115 pounds.

[ceeceeDee]

Apart from medication, if you feel queasy get into the fresh air and concentrate on the horizon. I have only ever been sea sick once and that was a particularly rough sea and I was up on the Lido deck at the time. I returned to our midship, low deck cabin, took Travel Calm and had a half hour snooze and then I was fine.

Never been sick again and our cabin on our last two cruises was at the very front of the ship. Indeed one was a forward facing cabin.

[MCC retired]

Whatever method or medication you choose to bring along ,  if starting to feel the motion, do not retreat to your cabin. That is the kiss of death . Walk about , outside if possible and eat .

[Szt]

My very first cruise the seas were very rough. I started to feel a little “icky”. I’ve never had any motion sickness. My husband insisted I take Dramamine. THAT made me sick. I lost a whole day. The “icky” was just lack of sleep, richer foods than I’m used to, and the stress of things not going exactly as I planned. Never will I take any motion sickness med again. 

[StarLi]

I use 24 hours non drowsy Bonine, but have gone on cruises without it. Do try all medications at home first. my bestie had the same medication as me and I was fine but she was confined to the cabin feeling sleepy and tired the whole cruise from the non drowsy medication. 

[ceeceeDee]

Agree, MCC, fresh air is the best, though I wouldn't say that returning to the cabin is necessarily the kiss of death (depending on the cabin location, of course). On that trip where I was sick, getting into the fresh air was a tad problematic since it was rough enough for the Lido deck to be closed (pools splashing around like a tsunami) and the external decks were mostly closed also. But definitely, if it is not that rough lots of fresh air helps.

[mrgabriel]

I’ve used the scopolamine patch, Bonine, generic meclizine, gravol, ginger, wrist bands but the best solution I’ve found is acupuncture.  I normally can’t stand on a dock without feeling sick but with acupuncture, I handle 5+ metre seas without any issues. If I’m concerned, I take half a Bonine before bed. 

[shipgeeks]

OP, Do you have a reason to believe you might/will be affected by seasickness?

We were fortunate in that we started cruising before anyone talked about it, so we never thought about the possibility, or of taking any meds.  Fifty cruises, some with very rough seas, and neither of us has ever been bothered by it.