Best Motion Sickness Remedy

[mom says]

1 hour ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

there is a Canadian motion sickness medicine OTC called Gravol

Gravol is dimenhydrinate- the very same drug as the US brand Dramamine. 

[mrgabriel]

ACUPUNCTURE.

 

I get sick standing on a dock so it took a lot of convincing to get me on a cruise ship.

 

I used scopolomine patches for years and then switched to 1/2 Bonine before bed but acupuncture does the trick. I book a treatment for the afternoon we get on the ship - before we depart. If seas are really rough (like April in the middle of the Atlantic) I will take 1/2 a Bonine before bed. I NEVER nap when taking the Bonine at night. 

 

And yes, I enjoy plenty of cocktails on cruises. Even when I take Bonine. YMMV with drinking and taking Bonine but I never experienced a problem with liquor. 

[rdtpm64]

On 4/27/2022 at 11:32 AM, AnitaVacation said:

well.... I guess meclizine is out.... LOL

I drink a lot of alcohol while on meclizine (Bonine), and I take one every 12 hrs on a cruise.  Years ago I had an inner ear infection and was dizzy.  Doctor prescribed meclizine, one every 12 hrs, so that's how I take it.  Never get seasick, but I do know when it's getting close to the 12 hrs.  I start taking them the day before.

[*Miss G*]

On 5/15/2022 at 8:12 PM, Luckiestmanonearth said:

One sure fire way for us has been to simply go on a lot of cruises.  Not sure it’ll work for everyone but for us, it’s made us immune. I guess we’re just used to the motion now

 

Failing that, there is a Canadian motion sickness medicine OTC called Gravol that my wife swears by

 

+1 to both points!  I was actually going to post “More cruises!” as I’ve found the more I cruise the less I feel the seas.  Also, Gravol is my go-to anti-nauseant as well!

 

On 5/15/2022 at 9:39 PM, mom says said:

Gravol is dimenhydrinate- the very same drug as the US brand Dramamine. 

 

I am unable to take Dramamine without strong side-effects, but have no problem with taking Gravol.  As I am not a chemist or pharmacologist I can’t offer an explanation.  🤷‍♀️

Edited May 19, 2022 by *Miss G*

[bbwex]

Well, anxiety can be a big part of the problem, but let's talk a little bit about seasickness.

 

For most people, this does pass in a day, two at the most.  (Yes, I know, some people have it for longer, but the vast majority get over it fairly quickly.)  There are some things that you can do to minimize the sensation.  First of all, and this is counter-intuitive, you should eat normal meals, i.e. you should eat at normal times.  You want to avoid greasy foods perhaps, but you are better off with something in your stomach.  Secondly, until you get your sea legs, you should try to stay somewhere where you can see the horizon.  The current thought is that seasickness is caused by a conflict between the eyes and the inner ear, so that when you are inside a ship, your eye does not see motion, but your inner ear is trying to say you are moving.  Avoid the conflict by being somewhere outside or by a window where you can see the motion.  Once again, the vast majority of cruisers get their sea legs -- some immediately, some over the course of the first day or two at the most. 

 

As to remedies: there are the over-the-counter pills: dramamine, bromine, and others that work for many people.  You can also use ginger, either in ginger pills, cookies, or ginger ale (if it really has giner in it).  Some people swear by sea-bands, others see not benefit, so they work for some people but not all people.  Then, of course, there is the scopolamine patch --- "the patch."  While this has seemed to become some people's first option, it really is a last option.  It is a powerful drug, some people have adverse reactions including hallucinations, blurred vision, confusion and others.  If you are insistent on using the patch, I would strongly recommend doing it at home for several days to see how you tolerate it.

 

There are some other things you can do -- minimize the motion by staying towards the center of the ship, though that gets complicated.  If you are trying to minimize the pitching (bow and stern going up and down), then you want a cabin near the center (amidships).  This is best in the real center, which used to have people suggest staying as low as possible, but as ships have changed in design, the center is now somewhat higher than the lowest cabin deck, but pretty complicated to calculate.  Try to stay in what appears to be the center up and down and fore and aft.  As for the ship's rolling (side-to-side) motion, you would want to be in the center going from one side to the other, but that puts you in an inside cabin with no windows, and remember what I started out by saying --- be able to see the horizon.  An inside cabin is not for someone who is seasick.

 

Part of the issue, as I mentioned at the outset, is anxiety.  People get afraid that they are going to get seasick, and they essentially talk themselves into it.  I often think a prescription for Valium would be more helpful than anything else!   I have seen a sailor get seasick as we were leaving port, and frankly we were on an aircraft carrier in the harbor going maybe 5 knots, and if you did not look out the window you would never have known that we were moving!  He convinced himself that he was going to get seasick, and sure enough he did.  Yes, I know that some people really do suffer from seasickness, but the vast majority, and I mean the vast majority get over it in a day or less.  Millions of people wouldn't cruise if they all got seasick, but a very large number take a little time to get their sea legs.  Large cruise ships do move -- the ocean is really, really big folks -- but they don't move like a car or a small boat.  The motion is usually fairly gentle.  Usually doesn't mean always, the seas can and do get heavy and it can get rough out there, but generally it is not bad.

 

I hope this helps.

[lenquixote66]

On 4/27/2022 at 11:37 AM, AnitaVacation said:

On my very first cruise (many years ago) I had bad motion sickness and vowed to never sail without some kind of meds again.  Since then, we have been using the 'less drowsy' dramamine (meclizine).  On our last cruise, we noticed that we were still kinda drowsy and found ourselves taking long naps in the middle of the day which is a great way to spend a vacation, but.... 

 

What do you use??  Bands?? Patches??  We are ready to try something besides pills....  I've read that ginger does not last... true?? 

 

Let's hear your recommendations!!

Bonine ,the only thing that ever worked for me in over 70 years of travel

[Luckiestmanonearth]

On 5/15/2022 at 9:39 PM, mom says said:

Gravol is dimenhydrinate- the very same drug as the US brand Dramamine. 

Basically correct but they’re not the same. Dramamine contains Lactose which would make it very difficult to take if you’re Lactose intolerant 

 

Also Gravol has. ginger one that makes it easier to stomach