Bonine or dramamine?

[bermudagal56]

which of the two do you think works better for sea sickness?

[Keith1010]

which of the two do you think works better for sea sickness?

 

In the end it comes down to personal preference.

 

We use Bonine and prefer it but there is no right or wrong on this.

 

From one of the health web sites.

 

 

"Both Dramamine (dimenhydrinate) and Bonine (meclizine) are antihistamines used to treat symptoms of motion sickness including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and vertigo. Generally, meclizine tends to cause less drowsiness and has longer lasting effects than dimenhydrinate. Other products that contain meclizine include Dramamine II, D-Vert, and various store brands. Always read and follow the complete directions and warnings on OTC products and discuss their use with your health care provider before taking them. You may also find helpful information at http://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/dramamine and http://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/bonine."

 

Keith

[hancock]

Dramamine II= Bonine. Both are Meclazine HCL. I find one a day works well. You can also look for the generic. It is much cheaper.

[njhorseman]

Dramamine II= Bonine. Both are Meclazine HCL. I find one a day works well. You can also look for the generic. It is much cheaper.

 

But original formula Dramamine is dimenhydrate, not the same drug as Bonine...and I suspect that is what the OP was asking about...(original) Dramamine vs Bonine.

[Hlitner]

We have found two major advantages to using Meclizine (Bonine) over Dramamine. You only need to take one Bonine pill (they are chewable) every 24 hours. And Bonine does not make us as sleepy as Dramamine. It is also interesting that most cruise line's and their physician have adopted Meclizine Hcl as their drug of choice for basic seasickness prevention.

 

Hank

[Apothecat]

Too bad the scopolamine patches aren't over-the-counter. They work great too.

[Keith1010]

The information I posted shows the ingredients.

 

Keith

[SheilaNC]

Be sure to consider interactions or conflicts with any routine medications that you are taking. Always consult your physician for suggestions. Re: scopolamine patches...be sure you are aware of some potential serious side effects. We find that Bonine (meclazine) works well for us. On another note, crew members turned us on to eating green apples for seasickness and it works! Ginger ale is good for queaziness and ginger capsules worked for us as well.

[SadieN]

But original formula Dramamine is dimenhydrate, not the same drug as Bonine...and I suspect that is what the OP was asking about...(original) Dramamine vs Bonine.

 

Original 'Dramine' is cheaper when purchased as generic antihistimine (Benedryl).

[Hlitner]

Too bad the scopolamine patches aren't over-the-counter. They work great too.

 

We could fill a long book chapter with tales of this drug. But suffice it to say that you will never see a cruise ship physician handing out or recommending those patches. One of the best tales comes from a cruise ship physician (Celebrity) who told us of the night they found an elderly lady wondering down a hallway totally naked. She apparently thought that she was following all the other naked people. Bottom line was that she woke up in the middle of the night apparently having halucinations from scoplomine (just one of its many potential side effects). Here is just a small sampling of some of the possible side-effects:

 

....................................................

Remove the patch and tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: mental/mood changes, difficulty urinating, eye problems (e.g., pain/pressure/reddening of the eyes along with widened pupils), fast/irregular heartbeat, severe drowsiness, voice changes (e.g., hoarseness).

 

After stopping this medication, you may experience dizziness, loss of balance, nausea/vomiting, headache, muscle weakness, or slow heartbeat. If these effects occur, they usually appear 24 hours or more after you stop this medication. This is a result of your body adjusting to being off the medication. Report any such reactions to your doctor immediately.

 

..................................

 

Many have good results with this drug but quite a few others suffer some of the nasty effect. I personally used it a few years ago and it worked fine, but DW found that after 2 days use she could no longer read her book (all the words were blurry). The irony is that the first time we got a prescription for this drug the script was signed by the Secretary of Health of PA (my boss and a friend) who pointed out that one side effect was death! And then he quickly signed the script. Perhaps he was trying to tell me something about my job performance :)

 

 

Hank

[njhorseman]

Original 'Dramine' is cheaper when purchased as generic antihistimine (Benedryl).

 

You can't substitute one for the other on an equal dose basis because they are not identical drugs although they are similar. Original Dramamine is dimenhydrinate. Benedryl is diphenhydramine.

[Granny DI]

I have used meclizine for 12 years...I've tried all the others and this is the best. It's now an OTC drug but you have to ask the pharmacist to get it for you. I bought a bottle of 100 for $4.93 last weekend at Target.

[Keith1010]

OK. So I hope you are not too confused.

 

As I mentioned in my first post it all comes down to personal preference.

 

There is no right or wrong on this and ask 100 people and you will get a lot of different answers.

 

Talk with your doctor and then my recommendation stands which is to try it at home.

 

Keith

[bermudagal56]

thank you everyone for all of your opinions. I purchased a small bottle of dramamine NON DROUSY because they were on sale. Friends we are traveling with bought the bonine. So we have both in case we need them but i am hoping we won't need them!

thanks again!

[njhorseman]

thank you everyone for all of your opinions. I purchased a small bottle of dramamine NON DROUSY because they were on sale. Friends we are traveling with bought the bonine. So we have both in case we need them but i am hoping we won't need them!

thanks again!

 

No, you don't have both. Dramamine Non Drowsy (I believe it's actually called Less Drowsy) and bonine are the same drug. Both are meclizine. You need to buy the original formula Dramamine if you want to have both drugs available.

[Poppet1964]

We could fill a long book chapter with tales of this drug. But suffice it to say that you will never see a cruise ship physician handing out or recommending those patches. One of the best tales comes from a cruise ship physician (Celebrity) who told us of the night they found an elderly lady wondering down a hallway totally naked. She apparently thought that she was following all the other naked people. Bottom line was that she woke up in the middle of the night apparently having halucinations from scoplomine (just one of its many potential side effects). Here is just a small sampling of some of the possible side-effects:

 

....................................................

Remove the patch and tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: mental/mood changes, difficulty urinating, eye problems (e.g., pain/pressure/reddening of the eyes along with widened pupils), fast/irregular heartbeat, severe drowsiness, voice changes (e.g., hoarseness).

 

After stopping this medication, you may experience dizziness, loss of balance, nausea/vomiting, headache, muscle weakness, or slow heartbeat. If these effects occur, they usually appear 24 hours or more after you stop this medication. This is a result of your body adjusting to being off the medication. Report any such reactions to your doctor immediately.

 

..................................

 

Many have good results with this drug but quite a few others suffer some of the nasty effect. I personally used it a few years ago and it worked fine, but DW found that after 2 days use she could no longer read her book (all the words were blurry). The irony is that the first time we got a prescription for this drug the script was signed by the Secretary of Health of PA (my boss and a friend) who pointed out that one side effect was death! And then he quickly signed the script. Perhaps he was trying to tell me something about my job performance :)

 

 

Hank

 

As a huge patch fan (I wouldn't cruise without one).. I'm sure the side effects also listed menstrual pain and flu symptoms (it seems most drugs do these days!).

 

However, I have noted that the OP didn't actually ask about the patch.

[mrsd912]

I've used Bonine with great success for motion sickness in the past so that's what I'ge got packed. DH avoids drugs whenever possible so I also got some ginger hard candy at our local organic grocery store.

[Keith1010]

thank you everyone for all of your opinions. I purchased a small bottle of dramamine NON DROUSY because they were on sale. Friends we are traveling with bought the bonine. So we have both in case we need them but i am hoping we won't need them!

thanks again!

 

Good luck with all of this.

 

As usual, there are very few questions on cruise critic that don't seem to have a wide range of opinions. :D

 

Enjoy the cruise.

 

Keith

[5326jan]

We take Bonine, but rarely have to use it. Candied ginger also takes away any quesiness, but ships are so big and stable these days, I rarely even feel motion!

 

My DH had the bright idea to take a Dramamine many years ago, on our first cruise, "Just in case". He slept the whole 3 day cruise!!!:mad: We didn't cruise again for 10 years! Kinda ruined it for us for awhile. :rolleyes: