Need Motion Sickness Advice

[SheilaNC]

For those interested in the Patch...see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682509.html this is a National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health Web site and very reliable. Be sure to look for contraindications and interactions.

[luv2gocruzin]

thanks to all of you for the great advise!!

[tnr]

On my last trip I decided to try something I found here on cc instead of the patches. It is called MotionEaze. They are drug-free drops that you put behind each ear. I was very skeptical, but to my surprise it worked great (and I am extremely prone to motion sickness). You can also wait until you start to feel sick before using it. It takes about 10 minutes to start working.

[sunlover5]

Another vote here for ginger capsules. (get mine at walmart) I start a day or two before I cruise. One in the morning, one in the evening till end of my trip. I love I don't have side effects and if I choose to have a drink doesn't make me sleepy. Next cruise I am also going to take along a package of ginger altoids. Won't hurt to have them handy.

I also use the ginger tablets at home when I have an upset stomach. Works great!!

[cruiser480]

A word to the wise. Don't take Bonine late in the day and have cocktails at dinner. You may be asleep before you know it and not wake up for quite some time.

[Mickeefan]

I got a prescription for generic Phenergan before my first cruise in 2004. I took 1 tablet daily and found that I was very drowsy. I switched to 1/2 tablet for my second cruise in 2005 and am planning to do the same for my cruise in 2 months.

 

My mother, who does not get motion sickness very often, experienced some on our second cruise as the water was very rough. My Dad purchased her some Sea-Bands and she put them on at the beginning of dinner and by the end of dinner she felt great. She did not take them off for the entire trip! :D

[cruiseco]

There was a TV show a couple of years ago (I believe on the Discovery Channel) about NASA's attempts to prevent motion/space sickness in their astronauts. They had this chair-like contraption that they'd strap subjects into and give them a good ride. The conclusion they came to was that all of the popular remedies work for some people but none work for everyone. They basically recommended that you start with the cheapest and most mild as far as side effects and move on up from there if needed.

[RLBlack]

I have dealt with motion sickness for many years-and found that when at sea no matter what size of vessel I am on-- I have taken pills and home remidies- taken to my bed- stoped eating- all that- the action that works the best for me- is first, not drinking any alcohol -spending as much time as possible, outside, on deck- in the sea breeze. The wind in my face- and looking out to sea clears my head, settles my stomach- and in general makes me feel better. So... if you don't have pills- or don't want to take them- try that. I know it is a little difficult when you should be sleeping- but I find- I can then sleep- later- or in a lounge chair if the rough seas last to long. rlb

[becks2005]

Another vote for Bonine. It comes in dissolvable form - easy for kids and adults to take. Also, nibbling on gingersnap cookies help settle the stomach.

[luv2c00k]

I never realized that the patch could make you sicker! Took my boys on a deep sea fishing trip about 8 years ago. Since they were prone to car sickness I asked their pediatrician about the patch. The day of our trip the seas were very rough and even with the patch my guys were horribly sick. Fast forward 4 years and we planned a sail boat trip with Boy Scouts. This time I bought seaband and bonine. Neither one wanted to use the sea bands to start off - but after spending time leaning over the side of the boat they both put them on. Within a half an hour they were find. They wore the seabands all week and took 1/2 a bonine at night. You can not wear the seabands in the water but they are easy to put on & take off.

[ladiva]

Another vote here for ginger capsules. (get mine at walmart) I start a day or two before I cruise. One in the morning, one in the evening till end of my trip. I love I don't have side effects and if I choose to have a drink doesn't make me sleepy. Next cruise I am also going to take along a package of ginger altoids. Won't hurt to have them handy.

I also use the ginger tablets at home when I have an upset stomach. Works great!!

 

Thanks so much for the advice. This will be my first cruise and I don't know if I will get seasick but I would rather be safe than sorry. I get carsick sometimes if I'm in the back so I think I am going to try the ginger pills. The ginger pills have no side effects right? I will probably want to consume alcohol and don't want to take anything that will be made worse by alcohol or anything that makes me sleepy. I don't want to miss a thing! Thanks!

[martinimadam]

All of this is interesting advice; but, you really need to check with your Doctor before taking anything, over the counter or not. I've read where the ginger pills can be dangerous if you're taking blood thinning meds. There could be other complications. Just because something is "natural" doesn't mean that it can't hurt you.

 

Personally, I take dramamine each night when I'm ready to go to bed. Sleep like a baby and still can have my cocktails in the evening. But, that's just me and how I react. Again - check with your Doctor!

[San Diego Ellie]

I swear by the electronic wrist relief band. It runs on two batteries and can be operated at any of five intensities. It is expensive -- over $100, but worth every panny as far as I am concerned. Batteries are expensive, and it takes two of them (They are a special kind). However, you can order them in bulk much cheaper online.

[cp556]

In no particular order:

-Bonine (meclazine) - take before needed, as mentioned previously

-Ginger candies or tablets

-SeaBands

-Relief Band (like a wristwatch...retails for $150 but can be found for much less on eBay) ... works before or after seasickness begins.

 

And fresh air. Much better than stale cabin air.

[askn]

:p There is a pill form now for the patch. It is called Scopace. I used it in Alaska deep sea fishing & it worked beautifully. I get sick just riding in a car so I know when something works. It is by prescription only. Try it.

[MMoore1851]

I've always taken Meclizine in past with limited results...I still felt kind of loopy, and I ended up very sleepy. I'm very prone to motion sickness, even in cars.

 

I'm going to use the Scopolamine patch next week. I put one on yesterday morning to see if I could tolerate the side effects. Let me tell you, I felt so bad for 2-3 hours that I thought I was going to die! I came within a millimeter of ripping the thing off and flushing it. But then I read my insert, and noticed that the patch releases a 'loading' dose over the first 3-4 hours when you first put it on. I ended up eating something, and felt fine after that. I'm still wearing it right now, and other than dry mouth, I'm okay.

 

I think I'm going to put the patch on at bedtime the night before we sail, and maybe I can sleep through the bad parts. I'm also taking Zofran oral disintegrating tablets and Phenergan in shot form in case I have bad breakthrough nausea/vomiting. Our last cruise was very rough, and I ended up giving myself a shot two nights in a row.

[celticd1]

I became sea sick on my second cruise (no problem on the first, even with very rough seas) and was cured by a remedy I had read about years ago on these boards. Someone mentioned that they were told by a crew member to eat green apples and saltine crackers to relieve sea sickness. So I called room service and they delivered 3-4 green apples and a bunch of saltines. I had been suffering all day and after eating about half the apple and maybe a dozen crackers I was back to normal.

 

I haven't been sea sick since that cruise, and I probably brought it on myself by being indoors at sail away, and spending too much time focusing on the ship and not enough time looking out at the horizon.

 

Now I always start the cruise outside, in the fresh air looking at the horizon as much as possible.

[pcm1961]

Which of these sea sickness remedies can be mixed with alcohol?

[bots99]

meclizine IS the magic bullet! I've had vertigo & extreme motion sickness forever. Tried everything - patches, OTC preps, holistic concoctions. Dramamine worked, but I was in a coma for the trip & the hangover was awful. A few years ago I was prescribed meclizine and it has since been made an OTC drug. I take one every day, even if I don't plan on leaving the house, but can take as many as needed when cruising - no worries of overdose or sleepiness. From my experience, if you wait until you are queasy, nothing helps too much. By taking meclizine I've yet to miss an activity or meal when the seas were rough. Even though it's OTC, most places keep it behind the counter & you need to ask for it. Comes in 2 strengths - 10mg & 25 mg - I go for the 25 gr. Cost is about $10 for 100 of either strength. No - I don't work for them. Without it I couldn't cruise - with it I'm having a ball. Hope this helps.