Sea Sick Medication

[theoaks39]

RCCL has made so many changes and I am only checking to see if you can still get the medication on the ship. We are sailing on the Liberty the 26th of Sept and from experience I do not want to get caught without it. I have checked our local pharmacies and am having a dicfficult time finding any, If necessary I will check with my doctor.

[pcur]

RCCL has made so many changes and I am only checking to see if you can still get the medication on the ship. We are sailing on the Liberty the 26th of Sept and from experience I do not want to get caught without it. I have checked our local pharmacies and am having a dicfficult time finding any, If necessary I will check with my doctor.

 

Yes, they hand out dramamine or bonine at the Customer Service desk, unless they've changed their policy since May of this year when I was on my last cruise. I recommend you try to find over the counter meclazine. It's the ingredient in dramamine and bonine, but half the price. My hmo pharmacy carries it in 12.5 mg tablets, which is a half dose. I really like it because we take our seasick meds in half doses twice a day, anyway.

[BND]

Walmart, Target, grocery stores all carry Bonine and Less Drowsy Dramamine in 25 mg doses which is the adult dose that I take twice per day with no side effects at all. The recommended dose is 25-50 mg/day for motion sickness and up to 100mg/day for vertigo. What exactly are you having trouble finding?

[pcur]

I find the less drowsy Dramamine still makes me groggy. I really prefer the bonine.

[BND]

I find the less drowsy Dramamine still makes me groggy. I really prefer the bonine.

 

Really? They are exactly the same thing. They are chemically identical. Compare the two packages.

[theoaks39]

I find the less drowsy Dramamine still makes me groggy. I really prefer the bonine.

I agree. I can find Dramamine but not the Bonine. That is the reason I wanted to make sure I could still get it on the ship. I have always had the best results from the medication I received on the ship.

[Mack2]

Bonine, Dramamine -less drowsy, and Antivert (by prescription only) is comprised of the same active ingredient. The active ingredient is Meclizine.

I prefer to think of them as interchangeable.

 

Although, you really shouldn't get Antivert for motion sickness... because it's specifically indicated for vertigo.

 

The reason why it's available both over-the-counter AND prescription is because of the indication. The FDA prefers that vertigo be treated by a physician, since many other disease states can cause vertigo (low blood pressure, stroke, inner ear infection, etc). Motion sickness can be self-diagnosed... but if someone is suffering from dizziness for no good reason... a doctor's visit is prudent.

 

The other medications for motion sickness are all anti-cholinergics like meclizine... they can cause dry mouth, fatigue, etc.

One good one is the scopolamine patch.. which goes by the trade name Transderm-Scop... that's the 3 day patch you have to get by prescription that goes behind the ear.

 

 

I'm a pharmacist. I know someone who just came off of the EotS from NY the last week of August. The customer service desk freely gives out one of the meclizine brands... Thank goodness, too! They left when there was a storm coming up the coast, and came back during Tropical Depression, Dennis.

[Gonzo70]

I agree. I can find Dramamine but not the Bonine. That is the reason I wanted to make sure I could still get it on the ship. I have always had the best results from the medication I received on the ship.

 

As another poster pointed out, less drowsy Dramamine and Bonine are identical. It is always good to bring one's own medication on board. Although the ships do generally provide it, there is no guarantee that they will continue to do so and if the seas become rough there is always a chance they run out.

[royalcruz]

I got Meclazine from Costco. I had to buy it from the pharmacy but didn't need a prescription. It is 12.5 mg #100 for about $4. I take it every night before bed when cruising.

[pcur]

Maybe the dramamine less drowsy is a higher dose, and we take bonine at 12.5 mg each time. The time we used dramamine less drowsy we must have taken a full dose.

 

The meclizine is sooooooooooo much cheaper. I'm going to Costco; it's even cheaper than my hmo pharmacy!

[Pat.bz]

I buy Equate Motion Sickness pills at Walmart--a 100 are less than $5 and they work like a charm for me.

[Cruisedreamer1]

My husband woke up this morning with vertigo and we went to the doctor to see what he had(thank goodness it was not a stroke or heart problem(which they checked for). The doctor precribed Anitvert and off I went to purchase it at our local pharmacy. The pharmacist told me it would not be covered by our insurance and when questioned why was told that it was an over the counter drug. She then gave me the generic brand for Meclizine 25 mg. I paid $5.25 for it(it use to be Longs and now it is CVS).

[Coralc]

I agree. I can find Dramamine but not the Bonine. That is the reason I wanted to make sure I could still get it on the ship. I have always had the best results from the medication I received on the ship.

 

Do you think that might be the placebo effect? :D Although I agree with others about the "Less Drowsy" Dramamine....for some reason, I get really sleepy after taking it. And I don't notice it with the Bonine or generic meclizine.

 

I was slightly nauseous on a rough cruise last year, and rifled through the luggage and found only the Dramamine. About an hour later I absolutely HAD to nap. I found and used the others for the rest of the cruise without the associated sleepiness. I don't know, maybe it is something in their "inert" ingredients. :D:):D

 

EDIT: Although we like CVS when we have shopped at them in other states...we are going to miss our Longs drug stores. :-(

[megr1125]

I have no trouble finding either in Wal Mart, etc...BUT for some reason I can't find/get the generic stuff in New Jersey---wonder if it is a wacky state rule?? (any NJ pharmacists out there???) [my regular pharmacist said we can't get it in NJ w/o a script?:confused:]

 

( i could get it elsewhere, but I always forget about it when i AM elsewhere...)

 

Not that it's a big deal, we only take it the 1st couple days and if it gets bumpy!

[Mack2]

I have no trouble finding either in Wal Mart, etc...BUT for some reason I can't find/get the generic stuff in New Jersey---wonder if it is a wacky state rule?? (any NJ pharmacists out there???) [my regular pharmacist said we can't get it in NJ w/o a script?:confused:]

 

( i could get it elsewhere, but I always forget about it when i AM elsewhere...)

 

Not that it's a big deal, we only take it the 1st couple days and if it gets bumpy!

 

 

You can probably go to a pharmacy in Jersey and ask to see if the pharmacist can order Meclizine 25mg in CHEWABLE tablet form.

 

Those are OTC... the non-chewable meclizine is prescription only.

 

I know my wholesaler carries Chewable Meclizine 25mg.. it's like $5 for 100 tablets... but who the heck needs that much?

[stretch44]

Just remember that meclizine PREVENTS motion sickness, not cures it. It is always best to take BEFORE not after you get sick. We always start taking the pills the day before we leave so that it is in our blood stream before we board.

[mechcc]

For those of us that only suffer when the seas are rough or suffer only mildly, ginger is a natural prevention. You can get dried ginger from natural food markets and ginger ale is a great drink to sooth the stomach. Some folks take ginger snap cookies on board. Also, if you are prone to motion sickness, book a cabin low and midship.

[Coralc]

Oh yeah. The ginger Altoids are great, too. :) Mythbusters found ginger to work as well as the commercial medications.

[Putterdude]

DW has worn the SeaBands for years on both planes and ships and the best part is that there are no drugs involved.

[mechcc]

Oh yeah. The ginger Altoids are great, too. :) Mythbusters found ginger to work as well as the commercial medications.

And Ginger is a natural herbal product.

[TuxedoMan]

I find the less drowsy Dramamine still makes me groggy. I really prefer the bonine.

Bonine for me too. I am not positive, but I think they still offer on ship

[Grandeur]

I just picked up a tiny little bottle (2.5ml) of MotionEaze at Walmart.

 

It says on the pkg:

 

Fast 5 minute relief with just a drop behind each ear!

 

No Drowsiness

Safe for kids

No side effects

Fast relief for dizziness & nausea

100% natural oils

Drug free

 

Stops motion sickness even after it starts.

 

 

I do not suffer from full blown motion sickenss but can get annoying "morning sickness" :( feelings depending on the seas and size of ship. The patch does not work for me because it affects my vision. If I didn't have to read the compass or dining menu I'd be fine :rolleyes:.

 

Bonine and Dram work fine for me but thought I'd give this a try for my Monarch sailing. Bringing 7 yr old DS on Oasis in December and wanted to see how it may work for him (just in case).

[TuxedoMan]

And Ginger is a natural herbal product.

I tried the ginger, but alas, it did no good. Maybe I wasn't using enough?:mad:

[BND]

Ginger has been shown to work on nausea on a couple of different tv shows. I don't depend just on it, but I do take it in conjuction with Less Drowsy Dramamine. The fact is, if you get sick, you will take whatever works for you.

 

I do love how people who don't get sick either tell you it's all in your head or that there are worse side effects from meds. Walk a day in my shoes on a rough sea day and we'll see....

 

You have to find what works for you and the fact is meds (Bonine or Less Drowsy Dramamine) work for most people with few or no side effects.

[kabado]

I had been cruising for years and taking everything mentioned above and most of the time got so seasick, I had to visit the doctor onboard the ship. HOWEVER, my doc gave me the cure. DO take ginger caplets (find them by the vitamins) at each meal AND take a bonine twice a day. Both of these doses are higher than the recommended dose, but my doctor said it would not hurt. Hurt? Heck, I am dancing from the moment I board the ship because the worst I get is maybe just a tiny big queasy the first night and that's IT. I have since been on a VERY rough cruise and there were seasick bags placed on the staircases and the captain even apologized for the rough seas and I was NOT SICK AT ALL! Consequently, I highly recommend you at LEAST take the ginger caplets. Take the first one the night before the cruise at dinner.

 

I've been cured!!!!!!!!!! HOOOORAYYYY!!!!