What is your anti-motion /sea sickness method or medication of choice ?

What is your motion/sea sickness method of choice ? Do the sea bands work ? Does the patch make you drowsy ?

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I tried bands ,green apples,ginger and nothing worked .The only thing that works for me is Bonine,but then I fall asleep too early.

I've used bonine and the patch. Bonine doesn't make me sleepy but some people experience that. The generic is really cheap, would just try it at home and see if it makes you drowsy. If u do that start it a day or two before you board.

I don't think the patch makes many people sleepy. It's biggest downside is that it's prescription so have to see doc and can be expensive if your insurance doesn't cover it. It doesn't work quite as well for me as bonine but it has the benefit of not having to remember to take it twice a day.

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Ginger Ale.

Ginger Ale.

Probably the best advice so far. While many people do suffer some degree of seasickness, most are able to ease the symptoms by limiting heavy or greasy food and alcohol. Unless the seas are really rough, careful eating - fresh air and training your body to recognize and compensate for the motion really helps. In an inside cabin, your balance feels the motion which is not easily understood. If you are on deck and looking at the horizon , your vision experience can be made to interact with the balance signals from your inner ear - and your system learns to cope.

The fact is: everyone can experience motion sickness, but the overwhelming majority can learn to cope with the motion and enjoy any but the roughest sea days.

I use meclizine, the generic for dramamine. I start taking it a couple of days prior and then 2 a day at night on the ship. I am fine and not tired.

Ginger and green tea. Never have been sea sick when cruising.

Probably the best advice so far. While many people do suffer some degree of seasickness, most are able to ease the symptoms by limiting heavy or greasy food and alcohol. Unless the seas are really rough, careful eating - fresh air and training your body to recognize and compensate for the motion really helps. In an inside cabin, your balance feels the motion which is not easily understood. If you are on deck and looking at the horizon , your vision experience can be made to interact with the balance signals from your inner ear - and your system learns to cope.

 

The fact is: everyone can experience motion sickness, but the overwhelming majority can learn to cope with the motion and enjoy any but the roughest sea days.

I agree...pay attention to your body and how you are feeling. At the first sign of a problem start watching the horizon, eat crackers to keep something on your stomach, don't read or watch TV or look at something inside the ship.

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ReliefBand for my wife.

Seasickness is a sneaky little creature. Fiance and I were on Elation 11/15 and it was rough sailing the whole way. Half of the MDR was empty, cruisers were violently sick, and we had waves crashing against our porthole every night. Fiance had one bad evening, for a couple of hours. I admit, I kind of enjoyed it, (but I felt horrible for those who were sick, I just liked the physical "balace-board" experience).

On our last cruise (#4 for me), it was smooth sailing. For some reason, I experienced about a day and a half of seasickness. I couldn't believe it!

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The biggest downside of the patch isn't that one has to spring for a physician appointment for the scrip. It's the possibility of hallucinations and/or temporary blindness.

I seldom get seasick but I always travel with Bonine. It works the best for me but I only take it in the evening just in case it makes me drowsy (although it is supposedly better than Dramamine in that respect).

I use meclizine, the generic for dramamine. I start taking it a couple of days prior and then 2 a day at night on the ship. I am fine and not tired.

Just to clarify…Meclizine is not Dramamine. There is a Dramamine Les Drowsy which is meclizine but true Dramamine is dimenhydramate. Meclizine's trade names are Bonine and Antivert. In the end both drugs are antihistimes and anticholinergenics. So they do a similar job in a similar way.

Meclizine is usually used every 24 hours and supposed to be less drowsy whereas Dramamine can be taken every 4-6 hours but can make you vey sleepy.

For those of us in Canada, Dramamine is Gravol. I have never seen Meclizine in the pharmacy but it may be available by prescription.

I am not usually an alternative medicine believer. But I have seen on multiple occasions the Seabands work tremendously well for both my girls and they are at the top of our packing list for their upcoming first cruise.

My sister swears by the bands and non drowsy Dramamine.

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The manufacturer of sea bands notes they work for about half the people.

For my wife and myself on occasion we will use Bonine. We will take it if the Captain says seas will be rough and by taking it sooner rather then later we do not have side effects from it. We take one per 24 hours rather then two.

Keith

Bonine and green apples work for me.

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The biggest downside of the patch isn't that one has to spring for a physician appointment for the scrip. It's the possibility of hallucinations and/or temporary blindness.

I would venture to say those are uncommon side effects. I've certainly not experienced that and since many people on these boards suggest the patch would assume they haven't either.

I think what people are skipping over is there are two types of people who cruise. There is the average person who does not typically get motion sick but may have a few green hours on a cruise during rough seas. For that person ginger ale, green apples, sea bands, etc are good remedies. They don't know when or if they will get sick so no reason to medicate prematurely. Then there are people like me who gets sick often already, pretty much any mode of travel except for me driving will lead to me getting motion sick. I know that if I get on a cruise ship I will be sick from the moment I step on board until the moment I get off (probably even longer). For that person, yes, taking medications that have the risk of unpleasant side effects is definitely better than the known factor of being nauseous 24/7 on the cruise.

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...Then there are people like me who gets sick often already, pretty much any mode of travel except for me driving will lead to me getting motion sick.

 

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Interesting observation -- what do you think it means?

When you are driving you are "looking at the horizon" - and not just contemplating your discomfort. Otherwise, you are experiencing the IDENTICAL motion. This indicates that a lot of your motion sickness is controllable - and not just by medication.

I use meclizine, the generic for dramamine. I start taking it a couple of days prior and then 2 a day at night on the ship. I am fine and not tired.

Meclizine HCL is the generic for Bonine. Dimenhydrinate is the generic for Dramamine although the Less Drowsy Dramamine is also Meclizine. Dimenhydrinate actually breaks down to Diphenhydramine, which is Benadryl and a counterion.

...

On our last cruise (#4 for me), it was smooth sailing. For some reason, I experienced about a day and a half of seasickness. I couldn't believe it!

 

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Sorry OP, in that long response I forgot to say I ate more bread and sipped my soda (sparkling lemonade). We had (OTC generic) Dramamine but I didn't take any.

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Ginger capsules - start them twice daily 3 days before the cruise and always take with food. We take Meclizine at night - sleep like babies and wake up feeling great. Seasickness is lousy - also found out that if I drink anything alcohalic the day I get onboard I get queasy, after that no problem at alll!!

Interesting observation -- what do you think it means?

 

 

 

When you are driving you are "looking at the horizon" - and not just contemplating your discomfort. Otherwise, you are experiencing the IDENTICAL motion. This indicates that a lot of your motion sickness is controllable - and not just by medication.

Mine is vision related. If what my eyes see and what my inner ears feel don't match I get sick - I get motion sick in movie theaters too. I ask get sick with any uncontrollable steady motion; whether it's plane turbulence, road vibration on a bus, or swaying on a cruise ship. And no, it's not identical when you driver vs when you don't; when you drive you anticipate the movements of the car, when you don't drive you can't.

It's not controllable. I never used to get motion sick. It developed in adulthood. So I had no expectations that led to it, just happened at some point. Medication helps a lot. Nothing short of medication helps at all.

Explain to me how 'watching the horizon' is a useful tip when I'm watching a movie that short from an actor's POV and the camera is shaking as the person runs (i.e. Captain Phillips) or when you are eating in the MDR after sunset. If you have mild motion sickness that might be useful; but it's not useful if you have persistent motion sickness. Which brings me back to, if that's all you need to feel better - you don't really have motion sickness issues.

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I would venture to say those are uncommon side effects. I've certainly not experienced that and since many people on these boards suggest the patch would assume they haven't either.

 

SNIP

 

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Well, one would hope the FDA wouldn't approve a drug for a minor ailment that had frequent serious side effects. Those adverse reactions (hallucinations and temporary blindness) are uncommon. But there are a host of related adverse reactions on the visual disturbance and neuro-psych spectrums that are significant which have also been reported.

Drowsiness, contrary to what a pp "thinks" was reported by about 1/6 of the participants in the clinical trials. That's not insignificant.

Mine is vision related. If what my eyes see and what my inner ears feel don't match I get sick - I get motion sick in movie theaters too. I ask get sick with any uncontrollable steady motion; whether it's plane turbulence, road vibration on a bus, or swaying on a cruise ship. And no, it's not identical when you driver vs when you don't; when you drive you anticipate the movements of the car, when you don't drive you can't.

 

It's not controllable. I never used to get motion sick. It developed in adulthood. So I had no expectations that led to it, just happened at some point. Medication helps a lot. Nothing short of medication helps at all.

 

Explain to me how 'watching the horizon' is a useful tip when I'm watching a movie that short from an actor's POV and the camera is shaking as the person runs (i.e. Captain Phillips) or when you are eating in the MDR after sunset. If you have mild motion sickness that might be useful; but it's not useful if you have persistent motion sickness. Which brings me back to, if that's all you need to feel better - you don't really have motion sickness issues.

 

 

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Since the context is seasickness, the horizon is relevant.

Of course, there are some people who are, and probably always will be subject to seasickness. They will have to rely upon medication- or just stay in very stable environments. But it is a simple matter of fact that the majority of people are able to accommodate - that with experience they are able to overcome it in normal conditions and enjoy the experience of being at sea.

Then too,, in extraordinarily rough conditions, perhaps with diesel fumes in the air,and a belly full of greasy pork chops or last night's overindulgence at the bar still lingering, everyone will suffer something.

What is your motion/sea sickness method of choice ? Do the sea bands work ? Does the patch make you drowsy ?

 

 

 

 

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Uhm... Land?

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