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Bonine vs Dramamine

supernanny

By supernanny,
in Ask a Cruise Question

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supernanny

supernanny

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I have seen a lot of posts about Bonine making people drowsy. If this is the case, is there any difference in it and the Dramamine other than the dosage being 2 x a day? I am trying to decide which would be better for my 14 yr old to take and he has taken the Dramamine before. Which one would work faster if he was already sick? We also have the seabands but have never tried them. Any suggestions from someone who has tried both?

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bobandkelly

bobandkelly

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I have used both and prefer Bonine. The Dramamine made me feel very drowsy. I have no side effects from the Bonine. I like only having to remember to take it once a day. I am not sure about taking it when you are already sick. I don't want to chance it so I take it before I get on my first flight and take it all the while I am gone. I get motion sickness easy so it is not worth chancing for me.

Kelly

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supernanny

supernanny

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Thanks for the replies. I guess it is really different with everyone. We will just have to try it and see what happens. I guess I hadn't read the boxes very well and didn't realize that these medicines were antihistimines. We all take prescription allergy medicines. I wonder if this is even ok to take with that, I guess I better call the dr and find out! My husband was prescribed the patch and they never said anything about interaction with his meds. Better to be safe and check on it. I wonder if this could be why they make some people so sleepy?

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JerseyGem

JerseyGem

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Supernanny- Definitely talk to your son's doctor, since you should never expect competent medical advice from Cruise Critic-we're cruisers, not doctors and pharmacists. That said, DD is a Pharmacist, so I will tell you that none of the drugs mentioned so far will cure sea sickness. They are all seasickness preventatives, not seasickness treatments. If you do get seasick (and not just the slightly queasy "am I seasick or did I drink too much" feeling), you need to see the ship's doctor for a treatment medicine (like phenergan or Zofran, etc). Although this does cost you, it is well worth it!

 

As far as my personal opinion, we use meclizine, which is the generic drug in Bonine and, apparently, in the non-drowsy version of Dramamine. (The regular version has a different drug in it, so they are not the same). I had a bad reaction to the patch; others love it. Since you already take other medications, I suggest letting your doctor decide which to try (and at what dosing, etc). As you said, this could be why some people are sleepy on these meds!

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supernanny

supernanny

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Ok so I did some checking on these medications and it seems that indeed the non-drowsy Dramamine is the same ingredient as in Bonine. However, they are both antihistamines. I also found out that Benadryl is supposed to have the same effect, but does make many people sleepy.

The scopolamine patch works in a similar way, but is not an antihistamine which is the reason our Dr. recommended it. I will be getting the patch for DS also but still taking the Bonine and Dramamine just in case some of our group needs it. I also have phenergan pills which I will take just in case as I am sure they would be expensive from the ship Dr. if needed.

I am hoping that the kids will take more after me than dad as I hardly ever get any motion sickness. I won't say never because I don't want to jinx it! LOL

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Nliedel

Nliedel

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The VERY BEST I can give about the Bonine is to take it, BEFORE you think you will need it. It has taken me, literally, dozens of cruises to figure out that I get seasick no matter how mellow the seas, or large the ship. If I want to make dinner the first night, I need to take Bonine the night before. If anyone in your group has ever had an issue with motion, have them take Bonine the night before, even if they think the won't need it.

 

Also, you are not supposed to drink alcohol when you are wearing the patch. You're not supposed to down much of it with any motion sickness med, but with the patch you get very dizzy. If you're a non drinker then the patch is the way to go. If you're a light to moderate drinker I don't know. Some people can drink with it, some can't. If you plan to whoop it up, maybe there is another choice.

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Spikesgirl

Spikesgirl

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Nliedel is right - start the Bonine or mecclazine before the cruise. I usually start the day we fly in, which is usually two days before the cruise. If I get a little sleepy, it's on the plane and I sleep, no harm done. By the time we board, the meds are working and it's all good. I am extremely prone to seasickness and the mecclazine workds for me - I need two a day, about 12 hours apart, but that's just me.

 

Do make sure that you bring along an alternative to the patch as some folks really have bad side effects from it. I can no longer tolerate it since they reformulated it (in the early(ier) 2000's). Your DH might need something else in case the patch makes him wonky.

 

Charlie

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kruisecat

kruisecat

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one more post about starting any of these meds early. we always start the night before the cruise and then take one Bonine every night. Don't know if it makes me drowsy or not because I'm in bed ;) But by morning I'm wide awake and ready for breakfast. And that's another point. Try to eat a little something very frequently. On our first cruise, because I had never had any motion sickness ever, I was not prepared with Bonine and while I was just mildly effected I found that as long as I didn't let my blood sugar drop to low I was able to ward off any more of the queasies. Hope that helps!

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CPT Trips

CPT Trips

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Good old Walmart sells the non-drowsy Dramamine.

 

As does the competition - Target ;)

 

To the OP - FWIW, I would suggest anyone who plans on wearing the scopalamine patch try it out at home first. Then, if you get side effects - drowsiness, disorientation, dry mouth, blurred vision, dilated pupils, confusion

hallucinations, difficulty urinating or rash - you can go to your own physician. "Scop" can be nasty stuff, so be sure to follow all the directions for use, don't just slap on a patch.

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supernanny

supernanny

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DH used the patch on our last cruise and didn't have any problems except that he got a little dizzy when we were in port and after the 2nd day he took it off and was fine. We realized it was only when he was OFF the boat that it bothered him, overkill I guess. I am taking other meds as well so if he has any problems with it this time he can remove it and try the bonine instead. Dr thought this would be the best for him as his first cruise he was deathly sick for the first day and night and had to get something from the doc onboard. Hopefully all will go well with him.

As for my DS I think we will stick to the bonine with him and start it the night before.

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Shelby23

Shelby23

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I have seen a lot of posts about Bonine making people drowsy. If this is the case, is there any difference in it and the Dramamine other than the dosage being 2 x a day? I am trying to decide which would be better for my 14 yr old to take and he has taken the Dramamine before. Which one would work faster if he was already sick? We also have the seabands but have never tried them. Any suggestions from someone who has tried both?

Ginger pills are really the way to go! I have also tried Bonine and Dramamine and hated they way they made me feel! I was told to try Ginger and it worked great! I will never use anything else!!

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Net_Di

Net_Di

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While I'm not a heavy drinker I certainly intend to enjoy a few glasses of wine on the ship. Can you still have a drink with the Ginger pills? It sounds like you should have any alchool with the other alternatives ...

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wieslaw

wieslaw

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DH used the patch on our last cruise and didn't have any problems except that he got a little dizzy when we were in port and after the 2nd day he took it off and was fine. We realized it was only when he was OFF the boat that it bothered him, overkill I guess. I am taking other meds as well so if he has any problems with it this time he can remove it and try the bonine instead. Dr thought this would be the best for him as his first cruise he was deathly sick for the first day and night and had to get something from the doc onboard. Hopefully all will go well with him.

As for my DS I think we will stick to the bonine with him and start it the night before.

 

 

Hi, I can understand your concern for youd DH and DS - I have gotting seasick more than once, ...... I also agree with CPT Trips about scopolamine patch, I had bad reaction too, and it was not on the very first usage.

Wife and I use the generic Meclizine - she takes 12.5 mg (she is smaller person ) , I use 25 mg. Perhaps you need to look at the dosage of the pill that you intend to use.

 

Wishing you a good 'motion free' cruise ..... lucky are the ones that never get sea sick.

 

Wes

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  • 3 weeks later...
galaxrex

galaxrex

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We discovered "Scopace" a few years ago. It is a tablet form of the Scopolomine "Patch". It is only available by prescription. It DOES NOT make us drowsy--just a little dry mouth for a while. Have experienced no other side effects. Scopace really works for us. My wife has real seasickness issues and it limited us from going on many cruises. Not any more. We take it an hour before disembarkation lasts for eight hours. Take one in the morning if you are at sea and there is some rocking. If you wake up in port you don't need to take one so the drug is not constantly in your system.

You can look on websit under a search for "Scopace" for more info.

We've recommended this to others and they have been pleased with the results.

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