Dramamine/Bonine... use it everyday?

[mama2twocuties]

We are cruising on the 11 night Explorer next month... do I need to take the meds every day, or can I skip days we are mostly docked?

[Steviewonder1]

It will depend on where you are going. We have done all of the Carribbean, Alaska, New England and never felt the ship leave the port much less sailing. Only issue was once in New England we went thru the tail of a Hurricane on the east coast with 8-15 foot seas and it was not really an issue. Once you get your Sea Legs after a few hours on the ship, it is not really an issue. If you need more Bonnie they have it in the Gift Shop. We've never taken it or needed it in more than 10 Cruises.

[cruiserking]

I would take any of those drugs as needed. They make you very drowsy and you will end of snoozing through your entire voyage. You might only need it if the weather is rough.

 

Try sea bands, they seem to help and they're better than being unconscious the whole time.

 

Jonathan

[pbnjrockette]

Bonine is the ONLY thing that helps me without making me totally drowsy (as the Patch does) but I only take it as needed. Never on "shore days" and I like to check/listen to the Captain's report on the "seas"... anything over 3 foot seas and I take the pills. (I tend to get seasick/carsick easily). Bonine has been a life-saver on the last few cruises. (wrist bands have never worked for me :(

[Keith1010]

We take it the first day and then only if the captain says we will have rough seas.

 

Keith

[Talisker92]

My wife used to get car/sea/air sick until I introduced her to Bonine. Now she can fly with me in light aircraft. I buy the generic meclazine for a 10th the price of Bonine. She takes the first one before boarding and then once a day during the cruise.

Edited October 8, 2013 by Talisker92

[ger_77]

As someone who has been a Bonine user since our first cruise in 1989, I recommend you take it at night. That way you don't have to worry about wasting your cruise sleeping, because you just sleep the effect off by morning. You my find you only need half a tablet (as I do) to keep sea-sickness at bay.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[joie1016]

Try ginger capsules. Stay away from the "patch" as those can actually make you seasick. Ginger capsules work well . Or eat a green apple, not red, it actually calms the stomach. You don't want to "sleep" thru your cruise with the drugs.:)

[hladygirl]

Take one Bonine every morning on a cruise. Never made me sleepy. Never got sea sick and we have had some really rough seas. Why take the chance of even one day of your cruise being miserable?

Edited October 9, 2013 by hladygirl

[ShellLoves2cruise]

For me, I begin taking Bonine the night before I sail and then every night before bed while on the ship and have not had any issues with ever feeling queasy, even a few times when other people were feeling the rocking more than usual it never bothered me so I swear by the stuff!!

[kskmlk]

Good advice! Buying mine this weekend!

[Keith1010]

For anyone who has not taken bonine or dramamine before you need to figure out the best approach to taking it. I see that someone said they take it in the morning and don't get sleepy while someone else takes it at night. For some they will get sleepy and while others won't so you need to figure out what works best for you as we do. So my advice is to read the package carefully and then to test it out at home to see if you have any of the side effects. Don't wait for the cruise.

 

It is a drug so do read the directions carefully.

 

Keith

[mama2twocuties]

Great suggestions!! Happy to know lots of you don't have to take everyday... The stuff gets pricey when buying for an 11 night cruise for 4!

 

I went to Target and picked up non-drowsy Dramamine and it has the same active ingredients as Bonine (which they did not have). I will check to see if they have generic elsewhere- the only generic they had was the original Dramamine formula- which makes you sleepy 😟

[mama2twocuties]

Take one Bonine every morning on a cruise. Never made me sleepy. Never got sea sick and we have had some really rough seas. Why take the chance of even one day of your cruise being miserable?

 

Great point!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Not knowing if you have any other health issues or if you are taking any other medications, this is a question you should ask your doctor -- also what medication he recommends for you for sea sickness.

[Keith1010]

Great suggestions!! Happy to know lots of you don't have to take everyday... The stuff gets pricey when buying for an 11 night cruise for 4!

 

I went to Target and picked up non-drowsy Dramamine and it has the same active ingredients as Bonine (which they did not have). I will check to see if they have generic elsewhere- the only generic they had was the original Dramamine formula- which makes you sleepy 😟

 

Try Walmart.

 

Check expiration dates.

 

Remember it is highly doubtful that you or the others will need them everyday. Most people do not take them each day.

 

Generics aren't always so good on these from my own experience.

 

Check prices on Amazon as well.

 

Keith

[wap0003]

I know it affects everyone differently, but Bonine made me extremely drowsy. I ended up sleeping a lot the first sea day. I started taking a half pill at night, and while it helped me sleep, it made it hard to wake up.

 

I'm going to try seabands and ginger pills on the next cruise and bring Bonine as a last resort if those don't work.

[Keith1010]

wap0003, you are correct.

 

Each of us is different and therefore some things work well on one person and not on the other.

 

It's a reminder that it's often a good idea to try something such as Bonine or Dramamine while at home to get a sense of what the side effect will be like.

 

Keith

[joie1016]

GINGER CAPSULES AND/OR GREEN APPLES....not drugs and no side effects. Much cheaper:)

[JSWalk]

I use Meclazine or Bonine. As others have said it does make me drowsy so I take it before bed starting 2 days before the cruise and continue until the cruise is over. I have stopped in the middle of a cruise and had rough seas and gotten very seasick. Once you are sick it is really hard to get over it even if you start taking the meds again. One trick I did learn is that if you are seasick get in the pool. For some reason it makes the queasy feeling go away. I love cruising but I do get seasick easily so for me it is better to be safe than sorry.

[bowbiter]

I use ginger pills. The only time ice really needed it was after a heavy night of drinking. That being said I have given it to others who were seasick and most told me it helped. If you aren't sure how you will react you could take it on a weekend to test it.

 

Also, some lines offer it for free at the customer service desk.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

[wassup4565]

OP, do you even know if you are prone to seasickness on a cruise ship? You can't extrapolate - I get carsick, but so far never a problem on a ship even in pretty rough water. Hubby gets sick on small boats and aircraft, but no problem on cruise ships so far.

 

I wouldn't start dosing myself with a drug until I knew there was a problem.

[Landlocked_N_Texas]

I have motion sickness in a car or plane, so when I went on our first cruise (a 4 day) my family physician recommended I start taking Meclizine 2 to 3 days before sailing and once a day during. (I can't do the patch...long medical story). Well, knowing what I know, I didn't fill the prescription and bought the over-the-counter version (generic Bonine) in a lower dose. I figured at half he dose, I could do 1 in the morning and one at night.

 

I think I was high on the adrenaline rush of loving cruising, because I wasn't tired at all...until Day 4. We arrive at WDW, and I lie down waiting on the laundry at our hotel...and slept...from 10am until the NEXT MORNING!!! But it's nice to know that my family was so concerned that they went to Epcot without me ;)

 

The next cruise, I did Bonine again (the OTC dose), but 2 days prior, then once a day, evenings only. This was a 7 day and that worked perfectly. It worked on our last cruise as well, even with a bit choppier seas.

 

I do recommend to my patients to start taking their medication 2-3 days before. This also gives them a chance to see how it will affect them and adjust their routine accordingly. But keep in mind that these patient (and I myself) have been diagnosed with a vestibular disorder of some sort. It's hard to say if you would be sick on a ship or not. As a PP said, even seasickness on small ships doesn't necessarily equate to seasickness on a ship. Cruise ships have stabilizers!

 

My advice for the average person would be that if you are prone to motion sickness, use whatever works for you when you get motion sickness. Start taking it (Meclizine or Dramamine) 2 days prior to sailing (probably at night) and travel with it. Wait and see how you feel, then take it as needed. If you feel fine once on board, leave it in the bag! But you'll have it in case you need it.

Edited October 11, 2013 by Landlocked_N_Texas

[kcwingwalker]

OP, do you even know if you are prone to seasickness on a cruise ship? You can't extrapolate - I get carsick, but so far never a problem on a ship even in pretty rough water. Hubby gets sick on small boats and aircraft, but no problem on cruise ships so far.

 

I wouldn't start dosing myself with a drug until I knew there was a problem.

 

Have to agree!

 

My SIL has had problems with small boats and was concerned about cruising. He has now been on 2 cruises with 1 that had rough weather and never a problem.

 

You really won't know until you cruise so it would be a good idea to be prepared. But why take any medication until you need it. It would be shame to spend your cruise sleeping in your cabin.

[navybankerteacher]

GINGER CAPSULES AND/OR GREEN APPLES....not drugs and no side effects. Much cheaper:)

 

Or crystallized ginger from a grocery store. If you always take Bonine daily, you will probably always need it. If you can get through your first cruise withount needing meds, you will probably be fine on subsequent cruises: getting your sea legs is real.