Whats With the Seasickness Patches I Saw on My Recent Cruise?

I don't get it, these ships are very stable and any motion reduced by stabilizers but still saw many people with patches.

I could see it them being used in the Bering Sea or some small fishing boat but on a large cruise ship is it worth the trouble?

They have to be on several hours before you get sea sick, so some people who are susceptible put them on prior to/right at boarding to be on the safe side.

I don't get it, these ships are very stable and any motion reduced by stabilizers but still saw many people with patches.

 

I could see it them being used in the Bering Sea or some small fishing boat but on a large cruise ship is it worth the trouble?

Some people are very sensitive to motion and once they get seasick it's torture for them.

Motion sickness affects everybody differently. I am more sea sick on a large cruise ship than I am on a smaller, bouncier ship. That slow rolling motion does me in.

I've learned. I wear Sea Bands from the night before I step foot on board to the moment I disembark.

It may be worth the trouble for some who are easily prone to motion sickness

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I don't get it, these ships are very stable and any motion reduced by stabilizers but still saw many people with patches.

 

I could see it them being used in the Bering Sea or some small fishing boat but on a large cruise ship is it worth the trouble?

You "don't get it" why people who are suffering from a medical condition (motion sickness) are taking medication for it? Are there any other medical conditions that you fail to understand why people take medications?

I used to use Dramamine and found myself sleeping through the day. On a whale watching cruise in Hawaii a few years ago, the crew recommended and provided ginger capsules in case you started feeling ill. Took one and quite soon felt much better. Only thing I use now when flying or cruising.

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Some say the patches can make you more sick than relieving the ailment.

As mentioned if you are going to wear the patch you are advised to wear it from the get go.

Also some people are prone to getting sea sickness no matter what the sea conditions are like.

Keith

Some say the patches can make you more sick than relieving the ailment.

That’s definitely inaccurate. The patch, like all medicines, can cause side effects in some people. Those people will generally figure it out and can decide whether or not the patch is worth whatever side effects they get. Some (most) don’t get much if any side effects. I am incredibly prone to motion sickness. Get it in any travel vessel whether it’s a car, boat, plane, train, bus, etc. for me the patch is very much worthwhile; for two reasons 1. It prevents motion sickness on the boat (mostly, I find bonine a bit more effective), 2. Even if I didn’t feel I needed it on the boat I need it for the plane ride to and from plus in every port I generally take a bus, taxi, or boat ride.

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There are those that are extremely prone to motion sickness, me being one of them. I have to take meclizine just to go on a lot of rides.

But I can’t use the Scop patch because the side effects outweighs the benefits for me. Wonder how many people get it because they aren’t aware of other effective alternatives......

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Some say the patches can make you more sick than relieving the ailment.

That's not really accurate. Some people cannot tolerate the side effedcts from that medication (I am one of those people.) It works extremely well for a whole lot of people, and is so convenient to use that it's worth trying.

While some people may not get seasick on a large cruise ship, if they plan on doing an excursion on a smaller boat then things are entirely different! I've had some really bumpy rides in Alaska and in the Caribbean on sight seeing and snorkeling tours.

I don't get it, these ships are very stable and any motion reduced by stabilizers but still saw many people with patches.

 

I could see it them being used in the Bering Sea or some small fishing boat but on a large cruise ship is it worth the trouble?

Seems like an odd question. My daughter is very susceptible to motion sickness, the patch keeps her from getting sick and lets her enjoy the cruise. What is not to "get"?

I have never been seasick even in some severe seas on fishing boats. That doesn't mean other people don't have different experiences. Also, some people are unsure if they are going to be sick so they use medication to ensure they are not miserable through their vacation.

Seems like an odd question. My daughter is very susceptible to motion sickness, the patch keeps her from getting sick and lets her enjoy the cruise. What is not to "get"?

 

I have never been seasick even in some severe seas on fishing boats. That doesn't mean other people don't have different experiences. Also, some people are unsure if they are going to be sick so they use medication to ensure they are not miserable through their vacation.

If the OP saw an apparently inordinant amount of people with the Scop patch on, they might just be wondering. I know of several people who had a fear of being seasick that went to their doctor and received a script for it just in case.

I get motion sick in the car if I can't look out front and even on most simple amusement park rides, but the Scop patch makes me miserable - loopy, knocks me out and the absolute worst case of dry mouth I have ever had. And found out the hard way what happens when you touch it and then rub your eyes.......

No kidding!!! That happened to me and I made the mistake of taking it off without reading the rest of the fine print!! I thought my husband was going to have to leave me behind on a hillside in Croatia...

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I agree that there are probably people who are taking sea sick meds just out of fear of getting sick. I’ve certainly seen enough people on these forums asking if they should just take a preventative before their first cruise. MOST people will not get sea sick on a cruise, and those that due are susceptible to motion sickness in their every day lives so are already aware that they have motion issues. My advice to people is that if they haven’t experienced motion sickness in mild situations (cars for example), they probably don’t need anything for the ship. Agree that a cruise ship is night and day from a small ship.

I used to never get motion sickness and cruised without issue. But about 10 years ago I started having issues with it and now I won’t step foot on a cruise ship without some meds. With medication I feel fine in calm seas and slightly queasy in rough seas. I don’t want to know how I would feel without it!

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I am now very prone to motion sickness, worsened by medication that I take for other things. I have tried a whole range of remedies - seabands, ginger, motionease, stugeron, cyclizine, ondansetron - with little or no benefit. I was feeling so sick and miserable that I thought I would have to stop cruising. That is bad news for me as I cannot sit for long which rules out travelling far by car, train or plane :(

The scop patches have saved my cruises, I am very lucky that I can take them without a lot of side effects. I admit that I might not always be sick without them, and I try to leave them off once we have got into calm waters, but there is no way I am going to embark for a cruise without the trusty patch behind my ear!

I get very illl from motion sickness. Any size ship or any vehicle, plane, ride, or train. Exception is if in front seat of car or bus. Those patches give me double vision, I use sea bands and Dramamine.

Some say the patches can make you more sick than relieving the ailment.

I have used them for other venues. The typical issues tend to be if you leave them on for an extended period, like 7+ days.

So if using them in a typical cruise with a number of port days, I would take it off in port.

My Mother was one who had issues with large ships, but not small boats.

She could detect the motion of an aircraft carrier at dock, but enjoyed being out on Chesapeake Bay in a thunderstorm on a sailboat.

People are different.

I don't get it, these ships are very stable and any motion reduced by stabilizers but still saw many people with patches.

 

I could see it them being used in the Bering Sea or some small fishing boat but on a large cruise ship is it worth the trouble?

If you are susceptible to motion sickness then they are definitely worth the trouble. If it doesn't bother you then they are not needed.

My poor husband got seasick snorkeling. The up and down waves and him looking at the bottom did it.

My concern is when I see people who have not cruised or never been seasick who use them, just in case. The scopolamine is a strong drug that may have serious consequences. To me there are other options to try first.

My wife has used the patch on cruises and learned early to let it run it's course. The first time she pulled it off at the end of the cruise, even though it had only been applied a day or so before and she had a bad reaction. It seems that letting the medication deplete from the patch and then slowly leave her system helped a lot.