Any Advice for Motion Sickness?

[andovertravelers]

We are taking our first cruise this summer - roundtrip out of Seattle leaving July 8th.

 

My husband gets motion sickness on boats and I've heard on these boards that the Seattle itinerary can have rough seas. I started looking at options for seasickness remedies and there are many - Dramamine, bracelets, ear patches, etc.

 

Does anyone have any experiences - good or bad - with particular products? Any advice on what works best is appreciated!

 

Thank you

[Kellie in Texas]

On my one cruise (which was five years ago) I purchased Bonine and, following advice I had seen here on CC, I started taking it a couple of days prior to flying to our port. Once the cruise started, I took it for probably three days and then didn't need it anymore. It can make some people sleepy, so I just took it at night. We cruise in two weeks from Seattle and I plan on doing the same thing.

[Orlando Vic]

Try non-drowsey, generic Dramamine.

[new_cruiser_22]

I have seen a number of posts on this topic, they are very useful. Here is one of them -

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1197217

 

I am also looking for something in case we get sea sick.

[Keith1010]

We use Bonine and there is also Dramamine. The key is to take it before you are nautilus. We take one a couple of hours before the ship leaves and then we determine if we should take more based on the seas. It can make you feel drowsy but for many it doesn't. You can test one our at home.

 

There are other options such as ginger pills or even a prescription for a patch.

 

Keith

[PrincessNancy]

On my one cruise (which was five years ago) I purchased Bonine and, following advice I had seen here on CC, I started taking it a couple of days prior to flying to our port. Once the cruise started, I took it for probably three days and then didn't need it anymore. It can make some people sleepy, so I just took it at night. We cruise in two weeks from Seattle and I plan on doing the same thing.

 

This is exactly what I do-definitely want to start taking it a day or two before sailing. Bonine works great for me! Although I normally take it for the entire cruise--don't want to risk getting sick.I didn't really feel like I was tired from the medication. Even if it did, I'll take being a little tired compared to being seasick!!:(

Also...chewing on some Crystallized ginger is great for settling a queasy stomach.

[melsal]

While on an Ultimate Ship Tour, the ship's doctor said he treats more persons with side effects from the patch than he does from sea sickness. So unless you are sure, I would not use the patch. I am planning on taking Bonine each night on my upcoming RT San Francisco cruise starting 2 nights prior to cruising.

[mytime53]

If I was prone to motion sickness and was going to be in the position of traveling a lot, I would get a relief band. The first article I found was about morning sickness, but it's the same product: http://www.ehow.com/about_5217811_relief-bands-morning-sickness.html

 

It works (at least for me...I used it on a sailboat in heavy swells after a night of celebrating our anniversary. DH used one also, and ditto for him). Expensive for a one-trip thing, but not bad spread over many trips.

[hollon]

Do you get that seasick while in alaska, I thought the seas were calmer, also I have Bonine(sp?), but somehow threw away the pack w/ directions, but have the med, how many pills do you take one or two and do they make you sleepy. 1 pill of dramine(sp?) doesn't work, but two works, but makes me sleepy. any thoughts?

[bbwex]

Well, this is a large topic, and some background information will really help you before we get to remedies.

 

First of all, most people don't get seasick, and if you do, it almost always passes in a day, once you get your sea legs. Yes, I know, there are some people (a very small number) who seem to take several days to get over it. I have noted below that the motion on a cruise ship is far different that the motion on a small boat. Small boats can be hard to handle, if they are going slowly, they essentially bob on the surface (many people have a hard time with slow-moving fishing charters), if they are going fast, they bounce off one wave and into the next one, going up and down quickly. But see the last paragraph.

 

Seasickness is primarily caused by a conflict between the eyes (if they are not seeing the motion) and the inner ear which detect the motion. So, prevention is somewhat easy -- stay someplace where you can see the motion until you get your sea legs. Staying out on deck and watching the horizon is often the cure, and the fresh air will help as well. If you are inside, stay near a window so you can see the horizon. If you are not feeling well, do not go inside and lose sight of the seas. The other thing is to eat normally. While this seems counter-intuitive, an empty stomach is not the answer. Keep away from greasy foods and don't overeat, but eat normal meals at normal times.

 

A ship's motion is a complicated matter. The size of the seas (height of the waves), frequency of the waves, and distance between the waves are all factors, and they interact with the size of the ship as well as the direction of the ship as opposed to the direction of the waves. Stabilizers do help, but do not and cannot stop all motion. What seems odd is that you will notice motion, but notice very small seas, and sometimes get little motion in seemingly heavy seas. And do not think that the new, super large cruise ships won’t move in the ocean. The ocean is much bigger and more powerful than any ship no matter how big!

 

As for the old saying of staying in a low cabin, that is not so true any longer. With the very large superstructures on modern cruising ships, the center of motion is significantly higher than it used to be, so the ideal place is often somewhere above the main deck. Being amidships minimizes pitching (bow going up and down), but has no effect on rolling (side-to-side).

 

As for the remedies:

 

Ginger is clinically proven to dramatically reduce or prevent all motion sickness. You can eat ginger snaps, drink real ginger ale (though you might need a lot), eat candied ginger, or take ginger pills (available in any drug store). This is a natural remedy obviously, but proven to work. Start taking or eating it before you get on the ship, but you do not need more than a few hours' time for it to get into your system -- you do not need to take it days in advance.

 

Some people swear by the seabands, others notice no effect whatsoever. Again, no medications, but not always effective.

 

Bonine and dramamine are OTC medications available everywhere. They will work for most people who get seasick. They should be started before getting on the ship. Ships also dispense generic forms of these pills.

 

For cases of severe seasickness where nothing else has worked, there is the scopolamine patch. The most common side-effect is dry mouth, but there can be some serious side-effects as mentioned and including hallucinations. If you know you are going to get seasick, and you have tried other medications without success, and your doctor recommends it, get the prescription filled in advance and try it for a week on dry land first -- you don't want to start hallucinating as you walk along the rail while you are at sea.

 

Perhaps most of all, don't worry yourself into it. If your husband doesn't get motion sick in other situations other than small boats, he is likely to be fine or will be fine after a few hours. If it were a really common problem, you wouldn't see so many cruise ships out there. While cruise ships do move in the seas, and rough seas can cause a lot of motion, bear in mind that they are not anything like small pleasure craft that bob and bounce along all the time. Motion on a cruise ship tends to be much, much slower and less dramatic. For most passengers, the gentle motion is calming. Cruise lines try to avoid rough seas when they can, though that is not always possible, and the seas are not always coming from the right direction (Mother Nature can be soooo finicky). For the most part, though, relax and enjoy. Odds are that he will be just fine, and the initial prevention suggestions should be enough by themselves.

[Budget Queen]

In my opinion, the only place for this information, is from your health care professional.

 

Any ingestion, has side effects, including even the "food" based, natualist items.

[RoupMom]

I can only speak from our experience. Both going to Alaska out of Seattle, and between New Zealand and Australia, as well as along the Australian coast, we encountered some higher seas (only the first day out of Seattle). We used the sea bands and had no problem, while others around us were under the weather. When leaving Seattle we followed the advice of others and put them on the first night before we went to bed and left them on the following day. They were very effective for us. I believe that the problem some people have is getting them on correctly; they work on an acupressure point and must have the button in the right place. We found the directions and diagram on the package to be accurate. They are quite snug, so we didn't want to leave them on when not needed, as it can get uncomfortable after 24 hours. We will do that again on our cruise from Seattle this August.

[PCruiser22]

Generic Mecilizine HCL (the active ingredient in Bonine) works well and is very cheap/convenient to get (100 tabs for $5)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Meclizine-HCl-25mg-Chewable-Tablets/dp/B001UWNBXK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305784760&sr=1-1-spell

[NancyIL]

Generic Mecilizine HCL (the active ingredient in Bonine) works well and is very cheap/convenient to get (100 tabs for $5)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Meclizine-HCl-25mg-Chewable-Tablets/dp/B001UWNBXK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305784760&sr=1-1-spell

 

I bought the same thing from the pharmacy at Sam's Club for $3.80 last month. I take Meclizine every day - no matter how smooth the seas.

[andovertravelers]

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and advice. I feel much better about what I need to do to prepare for (and hopefully prevent!) any sea sickness. You guys are great!:)

[atlasali]

Bonine works great. Went on a particularly rolling Caribbean cruise, so rolling that many people were getting shots in Med Center. I was fine. However, the morning after the cruise, back home in Ohio; I was sick as a dog. Out of desperation, I took a Bonine. Within 20 minutes I was fine. I "landsick" and needed to take Bonine for 3 days after the cruise.

 

Tip: Eat crackers or something. Motion is worse on an empty stomach.

 

Tip: Friend who weighs about 105 lbs. had trouble with the patch. I think the dose was too strong for her light weight.

[lhallms]

Ginger Root pills work great. You can purchase a bottle at any drugstore for about $5. I didn't think they would help any, however on my last two cruises, I only took the Ginger root pills and never got sick.

[vbmom87]

I am not convinced Bonine works for me, but I am afraid not to take it.;) I started it at least one night before our cruise and took it every single night. Also kept a non-electronic sea band on at all times. Overall did fine, but did get queasy at the front of the ship. I would take ginger root capsules whenever the queasiness hit and very shortly after the queasines would be gone.

 

The day we disembarked we went on the Northwestern Fjords tour. That was one rough trip the day we took it. I got queasy several times. Each time I would take two ginger root capsules and I would settle right down. I just don't know if I would have been worse without the Bonine, or if it kept me from being worse. The thing is I am too chicken to not use it. On that Kenai Fjords tour our boat was rocking and rolling and lifting up and banging down. It was like a fun amusement ride if you weren't sick. I have to say I enjoyed it. However, I know if I had not been prepared, I would have been very miserable. I just wish I knew if the bonine did anything. The ginger root surely helped!!!! I am packing it again in August that is for sure.

[Wannaknow]

vbmom - we used to sail sailboats (apx. 34 ft.) & you really feel the rough water there. We were anchored in a cove off of Catalina and the boat was going UP and DOWN the entire 4 days we were there. We took Bonine every day on that trip and countless others, including cruises and never, ever got sick. My husband is very prone to seasickness. He takes 2. I just take 1 and no problem. I swear by that stuff. I'm sure it does you some good.

[Serangel71]

I am not convinced Bonine works for me, but I am afraid not to take it.;) I started it at least one night before our cruise and took it every single night. Also kept a non-electronic sea band on at all times. Overall did fine, but did get queasy at the front of the ship. I would take ginger root capsules whenever the queasiness hit and very shortly after the queasines would be gone.

 

The day we disembarked we went on the Northwestern Fjords tour. That was one rough trip the day we took it. I got queasy several times. Each time I would take two ginger root capsules and I would settle right down. I just don't know if I would have been worse without the Bonine, or if it kept me from being worse. The thing is I am too chicken to not use it. On that Kenai Fjords tour our boat was rocking and rolling and lifting up and banging down. It was like a fun amusement ride if you weren't sick. I have to say I enjoyed it. However, I know if I had not been prepared, I would have been very miserable. I just wish I knew if the bonine did anything. The ginger root surely helped!!!! I am packing it again in August that is for sure.

 

Swear by the ginger root pills, too. For me, not an issue but DS & DD both got sick on a cruise and the group we with had ginger pills - worked wonders on both. So mine is ready to go.