Sea sickness 'patches'

[yoj13]

Hi,

We are going to be doing a transatlantic very soon and I am trying to be 'better safe than sorry' beforehand. Could anyone give me the name of the small 'patches' that I saw my American friends wearing last time I did a transatlantic. I don't know whether you would be allowed to give the name of an online pharmacist on the boards but this info would also be appreciated. Thank you

[EileenN]

We use the Scop Transdermal Patch which is gotten with a prescription from our family doctor. It is best effective when use just prior to boarding. Each patch is effective for 3 or 4 days and then needs to be changed. They come four in a box. Hope this helps.

[pieshops]

when we change the patch we switch the ear as we seem to get a mild irritation where the patch is

[Lionesss]

We get the Scop patches from our family doctor also.

They worked for us, but just so you know every drug has a side effect, and this one gives you one heck of a dry mouth, also it dialates your pupils and your eyes could be a little light sensitive.

[npb1894]

I used this patch last year and it made me feel so weird. I could not get enough to drink, I literally drank gallons of water and it still was not enough. I also felt very dizzy and lightheaded. When I finally got tired of feeling this way, I took it off and within minutes, I felt 100 times better. I would not recommend this patch to anyone.

[Sugar13]

Everyone reacts differently. DH had no problems with the patch though others have told us of side effects. Some people are just more sensitive to medication. I know my sister always has to take the lowest dose possible of whatever is prescribed as she is very susceptible to any side effects. It would probably be best to talk to your doctor, who should know how you react to meds.

 

Have a great cruise!

:)

[nlvc12]

That is the proper name of the product, which used to be sold by my employer.

 

It is true that some people have "bad reactions" to the product; you only find out by trying it.

 

By the way, you're not supposed to wear them throughout the cruise; I believe you're only should use them the first few days of sailing.

 

If you don't want to use patches, you could try the wrist bands or the "pills".

 

Good luck.

 

Nancy

[yoj13]

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to reply. For some reason, I thought it would be available 'over the counter'. As far as I am aware, it is not available here in the UK and in view of the comments re dry mouth.dizziness etc., I am going to stick to the bands and Stugeron which has on the whole really good feed back. Thank you all so much.

[ukchris]

I have been at sea for many years now (maybe too many:D ) and (fortunately) have never suffered from sea sickness. The best cure, i am reliably informed is to stand on the outer decks with fresh air blowing in your face and look at the horizon. Worth a try, personally, i wouldn't recommend the patches, i have heard a lot of bad things about them, side effects etc.

[lady-in-waiting]

My best friend got sea sick on a cruise without any patches or pills. The doctor on board told her to eat green apples which the kitchen brought to her room. (she didn't want to take meds). It worked for her. Also they brought her some ginger tea and dry toast.

[Lainy67]

I always have the. I only had to use them once - on our first cruise, which followed a front out of the Gulf of Mexico. UGH. The ship ran out of dramamine, and half the passengers and almost 1/3 of the crew was sick.

 

I started feeling a bit queesy and put it on and went an dlaid down for about 2 hours. Was fine after that. Not a problem and didn't replace the patch.

 

Now I carry them just in case. Our next cruise is in a couple of weeks in Hawaii. Since it will be heavily port intensive I will probably use it again as a just in case, and only put it on if I feel sick.

 

Dramamine knoxks me out, and I cannot stand things on my wrist tight, therefore the writsbands - NO way for me.

[Sugar13]

Has anyone tried Bonine?

[redjellybean]

if your head is affected by the patch, put it on your bum. When I put the patch behind my ear, my head feels like it is full of mucus.

I put it on my bum and have no side effects....but!

It may not last 3 days due to lotion, oil, massages, etc. I have my doctor prescribe 1 per day at sea not 1 per 3 days just in case

[Maryfrei]

Has anyone tried Bonine?

 

Bonine is the same active ingredient as Dramamine II, the generic name is Meclezine. I buy a jar of 100 on Amazon for about $6 and take one in the evening so that if I do get drowsy it isn't a problem. This is also the same medication that they give out on board in those little packets if I'm not mistaken.

 

If you do decide to use a medication you haven't used before consider a trial run at home ahead of time so that you can assess the side effects. I tried the patch this way and found I had severe dry mouth, blurred vision and vertigo. I'm really thankful I knew this before I sailed. Meclezine works really well for me as a preventative with no noticable side effects.

[momofteens]

on a cruise in the Atlantic I ws wearing my Scopolamine Patch and met a couple on their honeymoon. The bride said her husband was so seasick he hadn't left their room. They had tried all the usual remedies. I gave her one of my patches (I know it was prescription and you're not supposed to share but....) The next day they sent flowers to my room thanking me for "saving" their honeymoon. I guess different things work for different people. My husband never gets seasick no matter what the conditions. I'm woozy in the back seat of a car.

[arby70]

We used the patch on both cruises we have taken. I have used bonine and it works "ok" for me when I fly, but failed me miserably when I went whale watching. I would never rely on bonine for my cruise, but the patch works great for us. My husband can't drink (other meds he takes) and I only have 1 or 2 drinks at most, so I am not affected by the alcohol problem using the patch. I don't think it's recommended to drink alcohol while on the patch. We did not have any of the negative symptoms that others speak of with the patch. On the other hand, many swear by bonine as a great preventative to sea sickness.

[katiel53]

I have used the patch for years and have the same side effects every time. I get the extremely dry mouth and each day my arm needs to get a little longer to be able to read the menu.

 

Now, if it's windy or if I think there could be a problem, I put it on and then usually, the next morning I take the patch off and leave it off unless the weather is supposed to be rough again.

 

If I don't use the patch I use the meclazine. It doesn't make me drowsy and works fine. I also bought some Altoid ginger tablets. I kind of like the taste so I pop one a day. They will probably last me forever, lol.

 

The one thing I recommend if you are going to take meclazine/Bonine/non-drowsy dramamine is to take one the night BEFORE you sail. That way you will have some in your system at sail away time and you will feel better than taking it an hour before sailing. Taking them at night seems to work best, just in case I feel tired after. At least, that's been my experience. YMMV.

[jdarch]

My sympathy for those who are susceptible to motion sickness - odd how absolutely miserable you can feel while others around you have no problem. When we decided to go to Bermuda, my M.D .suggested the Scop patch as more effective than the pills. I used it then and again this year. Despite some side effects - I felt a little out of synch, but I don't remember the dry mouth (but I was at the bar some... ;)) - the benefits were worth it; I ended up using half a patch most of the time and it wasn't too bad. Once docked you likely won't need it - except for some of those bus rides :eek: (jes kidding -they are a real treat).