A friend cruising w/ me gets VERY MOTION SICK!! Help!!

[cruisin_cutie]

My best girl friend is cruising w/ me, my DH, and some other friends. Great, but one problem! She gets soooo motion sick! She has never cruised before, but she gets sick in cars, planes, amusement rides, anything and everything!! She really wanted to come, and what was i gonna say? No? I dont think so!

Anyway, what do you all recommend for her to do? I dont think that dramamine (sp?) will cut it. I know there are shots you can get on the boat, but are there any preventative measures she can get from a doctor before hand? Like a shot there that last a while, or extra strength meds?? Remember, she gets really sick! :(

[Cotton]

For most of my life, I have gotten carsick (backseat), seasick on smaller boats, amusement rides big no-no, but never air sick.

 

For cruises, I take Bonine (non drowsy). Works like a charm for me. I tried 'the patch' on my first cruise, but hallucinated. Bad move. Then I tried dramamine - made me fall asleep. BONINE is what I use now. I take one a coupla hours before boarding the ship. I then take one every evening just as I'm going to bed. I have had NO problems at all using this method.

 

Your friend could speak w/her doctor, but I think Bonine should work for her if it works for me!:) She can ask her pharmacist for meclazine (same stuff as in Bonine, but much cheaper).

[4merlurker]

BONINE!!!!

I AM your friend LOL! Never thought I'd be able to cruise. :( But....

I start taking bonine a day or 2 before the trip so that it's in my system, then 2 every night before bed while on the cruise. Works like a charm!!! Now I cruise, cruise, cruise!!!!!:D

~Connie

[LHP]

I would also recommend that she does a "practice" run with any medication she is planning to use to see how she reacts to it....before she cruises.

 

Personally, I take Bonine and have never gotten an upset stomach from it or been drowsy.

 

Best of luck for a wonderful (motion free) cruise!!

[JanineM]

I resisted cruising for EIGHT years because I, too, get sick everywhere - cars, roller coasters, ski boats, kayaks, even docks! So I paid a visit to my doctor and got the patch. Now it does not work for everyone, but it worked perfectly for me. There are side effects, but it is worth discussing with the physician.

 

In addition to the patch, I also carry Bonine (aka meclazine, Less-Drowsy Dramamine, Less-Drowsy Gravol), ginger tablets and ginger candies, and Sea Bands. I figure I can't be too careful.

 

Bonine makes me very sleepy. I have taken it before bed, even taken just 1/2 tablet before bed, and I am still knocked out the following day. So do suggest to your friend that they follow the advice of a previous poster and test it out in advance. If it makes her drowsy, well she'll certainly be rested during the cruise!

 

I was surprised at how smooth the ship was. I never felt any motion in our stateroom, and only occassionally felt motion when we were in the theatre at the front of the ship. Even then, with the patch I did not feel quesy or sick, just movement. We were on a big ship (Mariner), and I don't know if I'd feel comfortable on a Windjammer or other small ship.

 

You will want to have a cabin in the center of the ship, and not on the lowest level. The front and back of the ship ("fore and aft") have more motion. But here is how secure I feel with the patch - we're in an aft cabin next week!

 

Hope you can convince your friend to go - it is so worthwhile!

[anniecat]

stay up-wind;)

but seriously...have her contact her doctor and try the meds before hand to be safe

Bonine works for me..two days before at night, then nightly. I've had no problems with sleepiness during the day (at night I don't care). ALso continue the Bonine after the cruise to stop the sea-legs dizzyness (worse than the ship caused to me)

Also, drink very little alcohol or fizzy drinks if there's any motion, don't watch the sea if it bothers you, and eat low fat (you digest fats very slowly..and a full tummy....well, let's just say...don't go there.)

I'm even brave enough to try a 'around the horn cruise'..famous for rough seas.

[PrincessBride82006]

I'm a MythBuster junkie. On one episode, they tested out seasick remedies (I believe it is Adam who gets incredibly seasick) to see which remedy worked best. I can not remember all the ones they tried, but in the end, the one they felt worked the best was ginger tablets.

 

I think it depends on the person which thing works best.

 

I know that my aunt was sick on our cruise in August, and she went down to see the doctor, and he gave her a shot, sent her to bed for a few hours and she was fine for the rest of the cruise.

 

Good luck.

 

:)

[tvaud]

Ask your cabin steward to keep fruit in your cabin, especially apples. Eat the skin of the apple to keep your stomach settled. This is an old seaman's remedy for seasickness. If you already feel sick, stop drinking liquids. Eat dry crackers, toast, bread and don't stay in your cabin. Come up on deck and get as centered on the ship as you possibly can.

[Cotton]

I'll add a little to TVs post...

 

My uncle is an old sea captain. His best advice to folks prone to seasickness:

 

Do NOT go to your cabin and lie down. That's the worst thing you can do. Lying down and closing your eyes is going to add to the 'motion' you feel.

 

Go up on deck. Go to the frontmost part of the ship you can, and look up and straight ahead (never down at the water!), and take nice long slow breaths. Try to focus on something on the horizon, straight ahead - not to the sides. If there is nothing to focus on, just look slightly upward (again, never down at the water). :)

[Guest rfrenchbaxter]

WE were on the Splendor over Christmas last year. My first cruise and i too get motion sickness. But... all of my friends that were going including my DH all kept telling me MS is all in my head!!:cool: So I went unprepared:eek: . I was fine until I sat down for Dinner! The water was rough and the Captain even said it was more than usual! I really got sick when they served the food so I spent all evening going back and forth to the restroom. Finally after 3 visits I was done feeling that way so I went to see the DR. He gave me I guess it was Bonine and it put me to sleep and I was sleepy all the next day! We had 2 DR.'s sitting with us from Canada and they gave me a patch, I put it on and ditto "Cotton" plus my vision was blurry and I had a difficult time remembering things! So I went back down to the DR. and he told me to take 1/2 tab 2 times a day and that worked the rest of the 9 day cruise!

Is there a Bonine (Non drowsy)?

Rebecca

[Cotton]

Rebecca - Just for you, I took at look at my box of Bonine. On the front it says "Causes Less Drowsiness". On the back it says "Causes less drowsiness than original Dramamine". (It also says not to drink alcohol or take if using tranquilizers.)

 

I really haven't had any problems with Bonine, even though I have a few drinks-of-the-day, and wine w/dinner, and an after-dinner liqueur. Although I don't get sleepy during the day, I DO sleep really, really well on a cruise.:D

[survivor]

I too have a pretty sensitive stomach so I always take Bonine the night before we sail.I take it every night so it helps me sleep and I am never tired during the day.I also do drink alcohol (1-2 drinks) with the Bonine and no side effects for me. We have been on a cruise that has been rough at times and have never gotten sick.Have a great time:)

[PhoneGoddess]

I also suffer from extreme motion sickness and thought that I would never be able to cruise. Someone suggested to my SO that I take Bonine and wow! I take one in the morning and one in the evening. I have never experienced any side effects....no drowsiness, no upset stomach, and I've always been able to drink as much as I want.

I'm also very sensitive to medications (i.e. nausea or falling dead asleep) so finding Bonine was a true blessing!

I have had to use the wristbands as well during bad storms where the ship is rockin' and rollin', but this usually only happens on smaller ships.

[fivefoot4]

I too suffer from seasickness and get car sick. I found Bonine (the one that says its non drowsy) works for me. I take it the day before boarding and one every day until I get off the ship. The only side affect I have found is that on sea days I get a bit of diarrhoa so take something for that and im fine. The medication must be working hard on those days lol. Its worth taking something though because being sea sick make you feel pretty miserable and can spoil the cruise experience.

I think if she takes some meds with her, eat low fat, and if it doesnt work she can then go see the dr as her backup plan.

BTW I did a lot of research before cruising last time and found more people find this med is the one that works.

[Bax]

We have never tried the ginger remedies. I hear they work, though.

 

Relief Band works well for small boats, airsickness, and so on. It has a little watch battery inside, your friend wears it LIKE a wristwatch, and it delivers a small timed shock to confuse one middle ear into thinking the other is dominant.

 

My doctor, who was once a Navy Corpman, says tape an aspirin in the seasick-prone person's navel. I never heard that one anywhere else.

 

The wife used to get seasick, before she became a veteran cruiser. One night my parents, my wife, and I were at dinner, at the aft end of the ship, when she got queasy and had to excuse herself from the table. It was one of those nights when the passageway walls would move you first left, then right, like a pingpong ball. I got worried about her, and walked to the cabin (in the middle of the ship) only to find her dining alone on room service club sandwiches while watching TV. Like real estate, the key to seasickness prevention seems to be location, location, location.

[bigs2man]

does age play any role in seasickness? 25 years ago spent several days in 20 foot seas with no problem (290 foot coast guard ship--not cruise liner). didn't experience any seasickness at all (a little quesy once from the smell of vomit filling the passageways). Been on an LA to Ensenada cruise--sea was like glass, could hardly tell we were on the water. Many fishing outings on small fishing boats--never sick at all. Cruising LA to Hawaii next April, have no idea what sea conditions are that time of year. hoping that i'm one of those that just aren't affected. anyone know what "typical" sea conditions are that time of year enroute Hawaii from Los Angeles?

[bonitah69]

I too, am that friend. I get motion sick with anything that moves. The first couple cruises I used the patch, but had blurred vision & dry mouth. I started using Bonine & that works great. I use that all the time whenever I'm on/in something that moves. I also found a liquid at Wal Mart that seemed to work for my SIL. You put 3 drops on your finger & put it behind each ear. I was leary on trying it since I know Bonine works. Will have to try the liquid one of these times when I'm just going somewhere in the car. Most people can't believe I get motion sick since I cruise all the time. I hope your friend finds something that works so she can enjoy the cruise.

Just an fyi...I heard someone saying on my last cruise that they went to the Dr. onboard for a sea sickness shot & it cost around $300. Don't know for sure if that's what it cost, but you might want to keep that in mind.

Hope all this helps

 

Bonnie

[tentativesailor]

Next cruise I will again

wear my wrist bands (until I feel the boat is okay),

bring ginger candy, and have the doctor prescribe the patch (thankfully never used this)

MOST IMPORTANT, I will bring CHEWABLE meclizine based on the information below.

 

Found this on a site written by a sailing captain. http://www.curingseasickness.com/sickcure.htm?nexturl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.curingseasickness.com%2Fsickcure.htm

"chewable Dramamine or Meclizine, if chewed but not swallowed and then dissolved in the mouth, will be absorbed into the lining of the mouth and thence into the blood stream. It would appear from some reports that I have received that some Pharmacists and even some Medical Doctors have been telling people that Dramamine or Meclizine will not be absorbed in the mouth. See this link for reference to a clinical study which proves this is not so. Unless the medication makes it into the bloodstream there will be no effect. Pills swallowed, will often not get into the blood, because they never get out of the stomach and into the small intestine, where they can be absorbed. This technique will effect a cure in most victims. The other mistake in the literature is that it takes 2 full hours for the medication to reach maximum effectiveness, 1/2 hour or an hour as often suggested, will often not work. See the link above about the "clinical study" for details about the amount of time required. The study demonstrates that maximum effect occurs in 2.3 to 2.6 hours.

[cruiser22]

I also have lots of trouble with motion sickness. The only thing that works for me is Marazine. It is over the counter, but very had to find. If you ask your Pharmacist, they can usually get it for you. The best part is it does not make you drowsy and you can drink alcohol with it. I have been on 20 cruises and have made it through all of them except for the one leaving out of San Francisco. That was the roughest cruise I have ever been on and will never sail from there again. I have tried all the other suggestion listed and none of them have worked for me. Other suggestions are to get in the pool or hot tub when you start to feel dizzy.

 

Nancy

[bowandyale]

i have always used the patch and have had no problems except for a dry mouth- which a pina colada cures nicely!!

 

since this trip- i'm just getting over morning sickness- i can't use the patch or dramamine or bonine- i'm a little worried about getting seasick!!

 

i bought the acupressure sea-bands and ginger altoids have helped with my past morning sickness- unfortunatley thay taste like you would expect a ginger altoid to taste like

 

other than saltines... any other non-medicinal remedies???

(just in case?)

[gogomo]

Generic Meclazine or Dramamine or Bonine... The important thing is to start taking it a week before and continue through the cruise. My husband takes it for a few days afterwards til he gets his land legs back