Sea sickness

[dixieva]

Google Canada meds and you can order them via Internet -- did this a couple of cruises ago

 

 

I would still check with your doctor to see if you can use the patch. People with certain medical conditions should not use the patch. For instance, my older sister has macular degeneration in one eye and her doc would not perscribe it for her. If you have any sort of eye problems it is recommended that you not use the patch. If your own doc says you can use the patch then you could order it from Canada.

 

Better safe than sorry.

[Boozebabe]

Husband and I both get very drowsy from a whole patch. I quit using them after I fell asleep during the big production show. Hubby now only uses half a patch. BUT he only uses it if there have been rough seas. Usually nothing is needed. But I do take some Bonine with us just in case.

[europe14]

On my very first cruise I did get seasick, so i have used the patch on every cruise since (12) Maybe I wouldn't need them every time, but I feel like I can't take the chance. I do not get drowsy with them on, but I do sleep great at night. My doctor did tell me that it was OK to use 1/2 of a patch. I was surprised and said I thought it was one of those things you were not supposed to cut in half and he told me that it was absolutely fine to just use a half. I have never actually done that though. My insurance does not pay for them though and they are around $20 for each patch now. Each one lasts for three days. Anyway, just my 2 cents worth. I think they are great!

[foxcent]

On my very first cruise I did get seasick, so i have used the patch on every cruise since (12) Maybe I wouldn't need them every time, but I feel like I can't take the chance. I do not get drowsy with them on, but I do sleep great at night. My doctor did tell me that it was OK to use 1/2 of a patch. I was surprised and said I thought it was one of those things you were not supposed to cut in half and he told me that it was absolutely fine to just use a half. I have never actually done that though. My insurance does not pay for them though and they are around $20 for each patch now. Each one lasts for three days. Anyway, just my 2 cents worth. I think they are great!

Thank you so much for your great advice....

[foxcent]

Thanks everyone for helping me decided what I shall do regarding the patch....I did purchase them and I will see how it goes...If I do need the patch I am going to take the idea into consideration of cutting the patch in half... Now how I am going to get it cut in half on the ship.....LOL

[Underwatr]

Different people have different reactions as you'll learn. I'll just mention that in the 80s when I was in the Navy the best thing for when we were doing a surface transit* was when the doc could issue us a Transderm scop patch. If all he had was Dramamine we'd spend more time sleeping than anything else

 

* A submarine sailing along on the surface rocks from side to side, a lot. And there are no windows to let you focus on the horizon. :)

[mom says]

I would also echo the suggestion of trying the patch at home (leave it on for at least 2 days), well before your sail date. Everyone reacts differently to medications, and no one can predict which side effects you may encounter. I didn't have problems with drowsiness, but after 2 days my vision became so blurred that I had to stop using it. I, too, now rely on Bonine. Better to know ahead of time so you can find alternate remedies if necessary.

[IDKaren]

Dr prescribed these for drowsiness before i cruised..when they say DRY mouth..it is MORE than just a little thirsty...your whole throat and mouth become so dry you feel like you are choking when u try to swallow..scary! FOR SURE try them before your trip. However if no ins that can be spendy because they are over $20 for each patch:mad: good luck! try NON Drowsy dramamine,

[IDKaren]

The scopolomine patch is an anticholinergic medication, not an antihistamine -- it should not make you drowsy, bit of course, everyone is different.

It will, however, make your mouth very, very, very dry. (It is actually the same medication we give to patients preoperatively to dry up their oral secretions)

 

Mine caused not just dry mouth..it made my throat soo dry I felt like I was suffocating when I tried to swallow and drinking water made NO distance! It was scary!

[NoobCruise]

I used the patch on our last cruise. My dr had me start it 2 or 3 days before we boarded. It did not make me drowsy. It did give me a dry mouth. I ended up having to take it off because my eyes turned blood red, like stoned x1000, and they burned like crazy. The package says its a very rare side effect and to remove it immediately. I'll stick to dramamine or bonine in the future. Any of the motion sickness meds work better if you start them a few days ahead. They are more of a preventive then for acute treatment.

[Boozebabe]

Thanks everyone for helping me decided what I shall do regarding the patch....I did purchase them and I will see how it goes...If I do need the patch I am going to take the idea into consideration of cutting the patch in half... Now how I am going to get it cut in half on the ship.....LOL

 

I have a tiny sewing kit with scissors that are actually 2 inches long but they do the trick. They've never been confiscated yet. Hubby just reminded me that once I forgot the sewing kit and we used nail clippers. They are made from a very thin band-aid type substance.

[CPT Trips]

I may even try the 1/2 patch too if it comes down to me needing it, it sounds like a good idea to me

 

NO! NO! NO!

 

On my very first cruise I did get seasick, so i have used the patch on every cruise since (12) Maybe I wouldn't need them every time, but I feel like I can't take the chance. I do not get drowsy with them on, but I do sleep great at night. My doctor did tell me that it was OK to use 1/2 of a patch. I was surprised and said I thought it was one of those things you were not supposed to cut in half and he told me that it was absolutely fine to just use a half. I have never actually done that though. My insurance does not pay for them though and they are around $20 for each patch now. Each one lasts for three days. Anyway, just my 2 cents worth. I think they are great!

 

The physician gave you incorrect advice, totally the opposite of the instructions the manufacturer says should be told to patients. http://www.transdermscop.com/information-for-medical-professionals.htm

[JustCruiseMe]

NO! NO! NO!

 

 

 

The physician gave you incorrect advice, totally the opposite of the instructions the manufacturer says should be told to patients. http://www.transdermscop.com/information-for-medical-professionals.htm

 

 

Well what's the worse thing that could happen, they wouldn't work, right?

[Hlitner]

DW and I became very friendly with a Holland America ship physician (he is a Board Certified Emergency Physician who normally practices in Florida) and spent many meals with him and his partner. One evening our doctor friend (Jeff) entertained the table with stories about the unintended side-effects of Transderm Scop. Although not real common, some of the side effect can be very nasty and even dangerous. The funniest story was about an elderly lady passenger who was found wondering the corridors (late at night) totally nude. This was later attributed to the hallucinatory effects that the patch has on some users. DW used to use the patch but stopped because after about 2 days her vision was slightly blurred to a point where she could not read her books (a normal activity for her on cruises). But perhaps one could take a hint from the cruise ship physicians. They will never prescribe the patch to passengers because of all the potential side-effects. Their drug of choice (on nearly all ships) is Meclizine Hcl (its Bonine if you want the over-the-counter version or Antivert if you prefer to use a prescription). I personally used the patch a few times and the only side-effect was a dry mouth....which is not a bad thing on a ship where there is a bar around every corner.

 

For those who believe in the doctrine of "informed consent" here is a link to a page that lists some of the potential side-effects of Transderm-Scop:

 

http://www.rxlist.com/transderm-scop-drug/consumer-side-effects-precautions.htm

 

Hank

[CPT Trips]

Well what's the worse thing that could happen, they wouldn't work, right?

 

No, the problem is the possibility that rather than get low dose slow release as intended, one gets high dose all at once.

[Shmoo here]

No, the problem is the possibility that rather than get low dose slow release as intended, one gets high dose all at once.

 

Exactly.

[Mary Ellen]

I'm one who gets seasick very easily. Since I'd experienced limited 'success' with both ginger capsules and the patch (no dry mouth for me anyway), at the suggestion of my M.D., for our Antarctica cruise I used ginger and the patch in combination. That combination works wonders for me. We had over 45-ft seas from the Falklands to Antarctica and I was fine. DH was stunned that I was out and about. :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

You really should talk to your family doctor and ask what he recommends.

He knows you better than the people on this board. He knows what (if any) medications you take and what might react with them.

[CPT Trips]

You really should talk to your family doctor and ask what he recommends.

He knows you better than the people on this board. He knows what (if any) medications you take and what might react with them.

 

Actually, very few MDs or DOs really know these meds . . . ask a Pharmacist instead.

[NoobCruise]

Well what's the worse thing that could happen, they wouldn't work, right?

 

Wrong. The drug is sealed in a protective barrier kind of like rubber cement that allows a very slow constant release of the drug. When you cut it in half, you break that protective barrier, which can allow for a very large dose all at once. That may not be an issue for a large person, but could be a big problem for a smaller person.

[Lionesss]

We have always cruised with the scop patch.

We apply it on behind our ear when we get up in the morning and get ready for breakfast.

For us it seems we start to feel a dry mouth within about 45 min.

We eat a traditional breakfast and start drinking cool water.

Some old faithful remedies are making a come-back

And it seems Scop patches returned to the anesthesia practices with in the last couple years.

1. Scop patch 45 min. before general anesthesia (Ok at least 45 min before sailing).

2. Keep hydrated, try to tell patients for a couple days before surgery to drink alot of fluids, and try to avoid coffee, tea and alcohol. And as soon as possible get up and move, walk around.

3. Try to avoid alcohol or over eating.

4. Keep your options open, to other methods.

Bonine, dramamine, wrist bands if you suffer side effects from scop patches (too dry mouth, visual changes).

Good luck

Sea Ya

[foxcent]

Hello I am back from my cruise and I wanted to let everyone know that comment on me using the patch what happen and how my experience was with it....

I felt myself feeling like I was getting sea sick while during the Muster Drill which was located in the Dynasty lounge. We sailed away during the Muster Drill so we had begun our Journey..

I figure if I am already feeling loopy I better put the patch on so I wont continue this feeling seeing that I did not put it on 3 hours before hand as directed... (I wanted to see if I would feel sea sick before putting it on but did not take long for me to discover that this may be the case.) I still did not want to put the whole patch on (Did not want to feel drowsy either not using it before) so I went to guest services to use some scissors to cut the patch in 1/2...

I started out with 1/2 patch and felt better instantly, do not know if it was a mind trick because it says it takes 3 hours to kick in or what, but was just happy I was not feeling loopy. 1st dining room dinner and we sat by the window, noticed I could not look out the window at all at the water without getting dizzy so avoided that scene...

I was fine all the way until 2nd night was at the Comedy club and begin to feel sea sick this was around 11:30pm. Decided to go back to the room and put the other half on because I did not want to wake up sick. Glad I did felt fine just a little bit at breakfast but the patch kicked right back in. A lot of people were saying that the sip was really rocky that night and that morning so I am glad I put the other half on.

The side affects that I had was the dry mouth and itching behind the ear. I have oil in my hear so I scratched behind my ear a lot and it came off one time but I put it back on and no more problem of it coming off again. I did tend to scratch behind my ear a lot, forgetting that the patch was there but it never came off again and I found myself always feeling behind my ear to see if it was still on and each case it was..

The dry mouth was noticeable for my voice sounded as if my throat was dry and made me hoarse. My husband said I should have drunk more water I did keep hydrated but I am not really a water person so I did not drink a lot of water. Other beverages ...Yes .... I really did not care about that as long as I was not feeling loopy and I did not except for those few times and I enjoyed my whole trip with no queasiness at all.

I will definitely make sure I have the patch on my next cruise because I feel I am prone to seasickness. I did have 3 patches that is how they are prescribed but I only used 1, we only were on a 3 day cruise and you change them every 3 days. Do not know the shelf life, but if I need them again I will just have my doctor write me out another prescription. Thank you for your advise and time.....:)

[Lovefuninthesun]

Welcome back!

Glad you did so well!:)

[Boozebabe]

We always cut ours in half. I fell asleep the first time in the main showroom DURING the show. Don't usually use them unless we are expecting rough seas. Haven't needed one in years.

[foxcent]

Welcome back!

Glad you did so well!:)

 

Thank you soo much......I had a blast but I need longer than 3 day cruise....