SeaSick

[Robin7]

BTW since there's always a lot of experience and expertese on this board, do any of you fine folks know what religion all those people with patches behind their ears belong to?

 

 

I'm not sure, but I know if they don't wear them, they pray to the porcelain god. :D

 

On a more serious note (sort of), "Mythbusters" did a show on seasickness remedies recently and 'proved' that ginger, medications like Bonine and Dramamine, and the patch work, while the sea bands only provided a placebo effect. Of course their sample size was two, so make of it what you will.

 

I've had good luck with the Bonine/less-drowsy Dramamine/Meclizine (all the same active ingredient, I believe) but they do make me drowsy. (The active ingredient is an antihistamine, and I'm very sensitive to those.) I just combat the sleepiness with a healthy ingestion of Diet Coke. ;)

 

Robin

[AAAAmerican]

BTW since there's always a lot of experience and expertese on this board, do any of you fine folks know what religion all those people with patches behind their ears belong to?

 

 

 

Dear John, You get many of those letters too *S*

 

Isn't just faith not religion..in American waters there is still Freedom of Religon...

:D /)

[tarps14]

Cute, very cute! I also have to add my vote for the Bonine (meclizine). I tried the patch several years back and my experience was not good. I was taking antibiotics for a sinus infection at the time and the patch (scopalamine) caused the antiobiotics not to work effectively. Couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting better, went to the ship's doctor and the first thing he did was take off the patch. Felt much better within two days. Anyway, I have taken Bonine for the last few years and have had no problems. There is some slight drowsiness for some as previously stated, but taken before bed, you really don't notice. Another benefit is you need only take one every 24 hours, as opposed to Dramamine which must be taken every 4-6 hours to keep its effectiveness going. I usually start the night before we leave for the cruise and continue the length of the trip.

 

I haven't personally tried the ginger, but there are lots of people who swear by it. That would be a better alternative for those who don't like taking medication.

 

Happy sailing!

[vpoopsy]

boy, I'm glad I'm not the only one that's crazy enough to keep going on these cruises even though I get sick. I have a pretty weak stomach. You won't believe this, but I watched Speed II where they were on a large ship and got seasick watching it. There are certain things I can't watch on television without getting nauseous. I was watching a show one day after church and had a 1:30 flight to Milwaukee. I was deathly ill from watching the motion on the program and had to fly with my head in a barf bag. That was not a pretty sight.

 

Again, thanks for all your responses and I see hope for a porceline hugging free experience this time around!!!:p

[grannynurse]

Vpoopsy,

Is it possible that you have an inner ear problem? My daughter cannot watch movies with alot of motion or go to IMAX theaters.

She sailed with us and used the patch. For the first night leaving Port Canaveral she had some problems as the stabilizers were not out until we got into open ocean but was fine after that. She takes diuretics for the fluid problem in her ears that throws off her balance.

Try the Sea Bands they cost about $7.00 in WalMart, My DIL swears by them for nausea caused by migraines.

Don't lay down or stay in your cabin. Get the fresh air, and do eat. HAL has a room service sea sick menu.

Good Luck

GN

[arlenez]

I just tried to purchase Meclizine (not Bonine or Dramamine) at the pharmacy in my local supermarket. The pharmacist told me I needed a prescription for the Meclizine and directed me to Bonine. My question is, has anyone been able to purchase Meclizine without a prescription?

 

Thanks & regards,

[vpoopsy]

Grannynurse,

 

It may be an inner ear issue. My mom and sister are both like me, we used to wait to see who got sick first when we went through the hills of Arkansas!! I have the wristbands that I got from our TA when we went on our last cruise. I'll bring those along and make sure I stay "drugged up" too.

[Robin7]

I just tried to purchase Meclizine (not Bonine or Dramamine) at the pharmacy in my local supermarket. The pharmacist told me I needed a prescription for the Meclizine and directed me to Bonine. My question is, has anyone been able to purchase Meclizine without a prescription?

 

That's weird because Bonine IS meclizine!

 

Active Ingredients: Meclizine Hydrochloride (25 mg)

 

Inactive Ingredients: FD&C Red 40, Lactose, Magnesium Stearate, Purified Siliceous Earth, Raspberry Flavor, Saccharin Sodium, Starch, Talc

 

Maybe you need a prescription for stronger doses????

 

Robin

[fcorey]

Not meaning to sound condescending, but if you have a history of getting horribly seasick, why cruise again?

 

Unfortunately I fell into this category, discovered while in Navy that I get seasick, not all the time, but when the seas kick up I occassionally turn green as Kermit the frog. The patch became my friend :) Also was lucky in that my service once commissioned was aboard a submarine where you only feel motion on the surface or at very shallow depths.

I have never reacted well to dramamine, however can take Bonine, have no idea why, havent tried ginger capsules but will bring some with me on the trip just in case

[scott in maine]

I just tried to purchase Meclizine (not Bonine or Dramamine) at the pharmacy in my local supermarket. The pharmacist told me I needed a prescription for the Meclizine and directed me to Bonine. My question is, has anyone been able to purchase Meclizine without a prescription?

 

Thanks & regards,

 

Robin7 above is correct. They are the same thing. You might look in the aisle next to Bonine and Dramamine, etc, and see if the drugstore has a private label brand (RiteAid, CVS, etc) of Bonine equivalent. I assure you it will be the same stuff.

[scopewest]

I used to get carsick as a kid and didn't think about getting seasick! Luckily my first cruise was only a one-day cruise because I got seasick big time. Before we took our first 7-day cruise I asked for advice and Bonine was recommended. I swear by it. My DH who doesn't suffer from motion sickness on occasion has felt slighly "off" when the ship rocks while I sit there and calmly order another dessert. I highly recommend Bonine.

[sweetcat]

Seasickness is not "in the head" or psychological. It is a real inner ear issue for many of us. I have suffered with it for 50 years. I still flew and cruised. I am very lucky that the inner ear problem has resolved with age. I no longer get sick in airplanes (100% probability in my earlier years, or buses, or boats, or anything that went up and down and swayed). There were several flights and cruises that I have only vague memories of.

 

I recently took a two week cruise and had only one day that I felt I needed to stay in bed. But that was all. I was on no meds.

 

Would suggest the Bonine. It affected me less than Dramamine. Never tried the wristbands or the ginger caps but I am going to take some ginger with me for our next 11 day cruise.

[hugger]

I don't normally have a problem with motion sickness. However, year's ago while sailing on Cunard the stabilizer's went out on the ship - 100 miles off the eye of a hurricane. We were getting some very rough sea's and I was feeling a bit green. Having an inside cabin I knew I needed to get to an open area. Went to sit in the lounge. The bartender noticed my green tinge and told me he had something that'd fix me right up.

He called it a Stabilizer - it's half port wine and half brandy - you sip it slowly - it worked wonder's for me. Now you have to do this before you get to the point of vomiting ;)

 

If worse comes to worse you can get a shot from the doctor onboard. A friend of mine normally end's up having to do this on every cruise she takes. It works fast when nothing else will. And, last the rest of the week usually.

[jagsfan]

I am so prone to motion sickness I have been sick on glass bottom boats

and speedboats. I started taking meclizine when it was prescription, before

my first cruise in 1984. It finally was approved as an over the counter....

usually brand name Bonine. It was developed as anti-vert for people with

inner ear vertigo problems.

I chew one before I leave home day of sailing and another right before

sailing. If we hit rough water after the first night, I chew another. On the

QE2 once it was a rough March crossing and I took a lot of Bonine.....never

got sick. Sailing out of Florida, you hit the Gulf Stream at dinnertime. Results

in a lot of rolling, so that's the time people are most apt to get sick.

I have no problem eating (a lot), drinking a couple of drinks, and generally

doing anything I would normally do.........no nausea.

I've seen people after cruises get sick a couple of days later when they

used the patch....if you do use one, keep it on 4 or 5 days after.

I'm afraid to try ginger or sea bands because once the mal de mer starts,

nothing will help.

[amybeth601]

Does anybody have suggestions for after you get off the ship? Will taking Bonine after your cruise has ended help with feeling unsteady on your feet while your body is adjusting back to being on dry ground? I believe some call it sea legs....This discussion has given me good advice for feeling better during the cruise; now if I can only figure out how to walk around the house after I get back home without stumbling around like I've had one too many!

 

Amy

[TikiMeekie]

Scopace is the same drug that's in the patch, but in pill form so you can easily take smaller doses.

I ended up doing quite well with just candied ginger to snack on, the dried stuff with sugar all over it. I find it yummy, although my hubby thinks it's a little strong. I ate at least one piece a day, plus had some more one night that I was feeling bad - it helped right away - I had been starting to feel really sick, and after that one piece I was fine. I've also done well with the wrist bands on shorter trips - crossing the english channel on a ferry was easy with them - I took them off 3/4 of the way though to give them to my hubby since I was doing so well that I didn't think I needed them - I ended up almost not making it off the boat. I took them for tender rides.

[Sea King]

IMO, Sea Bands are an absolute "must" as others have posted .. the best part is they're not a drug; a small ball rests on a pressure point on the wrist like a tennis sweat band and controls motion problems

 

can't comment on various "drugs" be they prescription or not

 

when I first started cruising, used the Sea Bands .. never without them now although rarely if ever put them on unless it's hurricane-like

 

I'd ask my doctor for his suggestions also

 

good luck:)

[Mary Ellen]

I also think being seasick has a lot to do with a "state of mind" one is in. If they believe they are going to get sick, chances are, they will.

The mind is a powerful thing!

I thought that before my first cruise. Believe me, there are people who get seasick who had NOT even considered the possibility of getting seasick. Now, it is possible that one is more likely to get seasick if all they are doing is thinking about getting sea sick. Just because 'A' implies 'B', does NOT mean 'B' implies 'A'.

 

Ginger capsules work for me, and while 'the patch' helps a lot - it isn't perfect.

[EggDropErin]

I have done the ginger. It didn't work for me. Dramamine knocked me out. Last cruise, I would take 2 bonine about an hour before we set sail at each port. Worked like a dream. Had the patches for backup but never had to use them.

[Bohrski]

Another vote for Bonine - I sailed with a friend who gets sick on the dock!! She felt great all week, no drowsiness, no problems at all. She also wore SeaBands. I used Bonine on the first sea day that had many people queezy and I was fine.

[Sunshine91]

Bonine IS the trade name for meclizine. We have found it works best if we take it before we need it, regardless of the size of the boat. If we're just going out on a 1/2 day fishing trip on a head-boat, we still take a hit. On a cruise we'll take it when we arrive at the port, another tab later in the evening & maybe another one the next morning. After that it's pretty much on an as-needed basis. (I've never needed another dose. John, however, has a much more delicate constitution :D ). No sleepees. Meclizine is an anti-emetic (anti-nausea).

 

Dramamine is chemically closely related to benadryl (an antihistamine), which does tend to make folks sleepy. But if that works for you, why change?

 

The patch - well, it's a constant dose. If you don't need the meds anymore, you're still getting it. And I think you need an Rx. Maybe it varies by state?

 

We always choose a specific cabin rather than a guarantee. This is one of those reasons. We like to be mid-ship. And not too high. Anyone who experiences debilitating seasickness probably shouldn't book a guarantee. You just never know where you're gonna end up. :)

[HoneyGV]

Not meaning to sound condescending, but if you have a history of getting horribly seasick, why cruise again?

 

Cruising isn't necessarily appropriate for everyone, just as some folks don't fly or scubadive or go mountainclimbing.

 

Wouldn't a land vacation be more comfortable?

 

I get seasick at the drop of a hat and I've been cruising at LEAST 2 or 3 cruises, usually more a year for 30 years. I take less drowsey Dramamine once a day and never get sick. I couldn't imagine my life without cruising and I wouldn't let seasickness stop me ...unless there is no cure for it!:)

You know, "the spirit is willing..." and all that.

 

I have 2 friends who retired from the Navy after serving for 25 years and they both get seasick. :D

[HoneyGV]

My husband used to think my motion sickness was in my head, until our youngest son, many years ago, got sick on a flight. I recently read that motion sickness is hereditary. I take Bonine if I expect rough seas and I have also worn the Seabands. Luckily , except for one night on the way back from the Big Island to Oahu, our cruise waters have been very calm. (it was so bad the luggage that was left out in the hall to the next morining's embarkation was falling all over the halls) Precaution is the key. Good Luck

 

I don't get airsick, nor do I get seasick from rough seas..back and forward motion...but I DO get seasick if the ship is rolling from side to side...I can't take that. Bonine never helped me...made me too drowsy, but less drowsy Dramamine always helps...I even take it when in port.

[HoneyGV]

BTW since there's always a lot of experience and expertese on this board, do any of you fine folks know what religion all those people with patches behind their ears belong to?

 

 

Seasickism. :D