Motion Sickness Meds - What do you Recommend

What is your recommendation for the best meds or methods to hold off motion sickness! Thanks!

depends on how bad your condition gets

I find some ginger candy works for me or sip some ginger ale

some crew recommend sliced green apples

Stugeron works best for us. We had to buy it online as we could not find it in stores in the U.S. We usually take 1/4 - 1/2 of a pill when seas begin to get rocky. The plan is to take more if we need it and I can't recall a time when we needed it. It worked better for us than the commonly used over the counter medications like Dramamine, etc.

My DH wears an electronic wristband which is super effective (I can't use it because I'm allergic to metal and the backing of the unit is metal).

I pack a full kit of meds to use depending on how bad conditions get. Regular old fashioned dramamine, 1/2 pill before getting on a ship, 1/2 to 1 if I feel queasy or there are predictions of rough seas ahead. I take scopolamine patches which I use only when there is likely to be a longish period of rough seas, like going around the tip of South America. (Hint: Don't take the last patch off immediately. Let it wear down over 4-6 days so you don't get withdrawal symptoms.) I also have pfenergan, which is what the astronauts supposedly take, to add when all else fails. Also have ginger candy and ginger ale in my cabin. I worked this all out with my doctor. On Oceania cruises, I have never needed more than dramamine. In small expedition type ships, I often need more. Usually take 1/2 dramamine before a long tender ride if the seas look rough.

Other tips. Choose a cabin midship. I do better with an inside because watching the seas go up and down adds to the problem. Get a cabin where your bed is heading forward (if you are sitting up on the bed). In the dining room, I try to sit going forward and facing away from the window. Be aware of land sickness-that queasy feeling that you can get when you are off the ship and it feels like everything is moving. Dramamine helps with that too. Get out on deck in the fresh air if you feel queasy.

Have a great trip.

Mary

Chewable Bonine.

Non-drowsy Dramamine or the store brand equivalent.

Sailors Secret Premium Ginger - found these on Amazon. It's a pill and works within 20 minutes. I really put them to the test on a sea day on our recent Alaskan cruise on Regatta.

Chewable Bonine.

The best with fewest side-effects.

It's been about a zillion years since I heard/read that Bonine is superior to Dramamine, so that is what we take with us when we remember to purchase. But I always have ginger with me ... I have used those wrist bands fairly often but not recently. I think their benefit was more psychological than physical. But that's just an opinion!

Some years ago (maybe 10) I purchased some ginger pills in London that were perfection, but I don't remember the name.

I find that seasickness is not a problem until we are on a rough cruise where I take to my bed ... and then that affects the next few cruises, even if they are smooth. But as the years go by, I do better ... even when far forward on a smaller ship.

When we did the Galapagos (1989) on a 12 passenger motor cruiser (the crew numbered about 8) another passenger gave me some patches, which helped greatly. I was ill while in open waters, but fine once we weren't. This was rather different from even a 684 passenger ship, of course!

Thanks so much all. Will be well prepared!

Ever since my first cruise, when I had horrible seasickness, I've used SeaBands and have never had anymore problems, even in rough seas. I put them on before boarding and keep them on for about 2 days. If seas are mild or I'm on land, I take them off. If the seas start to get rough, I put them back on. I've had a couple cruises where I wore them for the entire trip. No sea sickness at all despite going through remnants of a hurricane and a severe thunderstorm.

They can be found at Walmart, Meijer, drug stores, etc. for under $10.

As mentioned twice above, Bonine. No side effects, so seasickness. Take one the morning of sailing and every morning of the trip.

My husband gets seasick looking at a toilet bowl.

STUGERON. Get it on line or when you are out of the country. It is NOT dangerous. In America they only use it for pregnant women. It is fabulous. We were on the ship during Sandy and he never missed a beat.

I believe we told TC about this.

Fabulous. Not dangerous and not expensive.

Also, no dry mouth and no drowsiness.

Take it if you THINK it is going to be rough. Do not wait too long. Take it to be sure.

Best preventative I've found, and done a ton of research, is Pure Ginger Root Extract by SOLGAR. 600 - 900 mg's starting 2-3 days before boarding. 600mg's a day for the duration. Clinical studies have proven it is more effective than Dramanine and no side effects.

I fish 10-19 days out of San Diego each fall on Long Range trips heading as far south of SD as 800 miles. The trip back is cruising 'uphill' or against the swell and current. I've litterally been at negative G's more than once in my stateroom bunk due to serious swells. Not much fun, but I have never been seasick!

I get terribly seasick. I have tried Bomine, Dramamine, ginger and wrist bands. None of these worked for me. In 2009 we went on a cruise to Alaska and I tried the Patch http://www.transdermscop.com which is a prescription. It was absolutely incredible! I did activities I could never do before....float planes, helicopter rides and we even went out on a fast boat that was a very bumpy ride. It was almost like being on a jet ski. Ordinarily these activities would have made me violently ill. So for me, every cruise I go on I get the patch (prescription from my doctor) and just don't worry about it. I guess I am lucky that I have no side effects except a dry mouth which I can deal with.

Was curious so looked up STUGERON, aka Cinnarizine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnarizine

It says it is not available in the U.S. and Canada and there can be side effects. See link.

Stugeron is the no.1 medication in U.K.for motion sickness. I always use it. I can drink alcholol, no drowsiness, no side effects. "Does what it says on the tin". J

Travel gum - recommended by a pharmacist in Italy.

Stugeron is the no.1 medication in U.K.for motion sickness. I always use it. I can drink alcholol, no drowsiness, no side effects. "Does what it says on the tin". J

Below are the possible side effects of Cinnarizine, aka Stugeron from Wikipedia website:

Side effects

Side effects experienced while taking cinnarizine range from the mild to the quite severe. Possible side effects include drowsiness, sweating, dry mouth, headache, skin problems, lethargy, gastrointestinal irritation, hypersensitivity reactions, as well as movement problems/muscle rigidity, and tremor.[13] Because cinnarizine can cause drowsiness and blurred vision, it is important that users make sure their reactions are normal before driving, operating machinery, or doing any other jobs which could be dangerous if they are not fully alert or able to see well.[3]

Cinnarizine is also known to cause acute and chronic parkinsonism[18] due to its affinity for D2 receptors, which strongly counter-suggests its actual usefulness for improving neurohealth. Cinnarizine's antagonistic effects of D2 dopamine receptors in the striatum leads to symptoms of depression, tremor, muscle rigidity, tardive dyskinesia, and akathisia, which are characterized as Drug-Induced Parkinson's disease and is the second leading cause of Parkinson's.[18] Evidence suggests that it is one of the metabolites of cinnarizine, C-2, that has an active role in contributing to the development of drug-induced Parkinson's.[23] It is also of note that an estimated 17 of 100 new Parkinson's cases are linked to administration of either cinnarizine or Flunarizine,[1] making cinnarizine and drug-induced Parkinson's a serious issue. Those people especially at risk are elderly patients, in particular women, and patients who have been taking the drug for a longer amount of time.[24] There is also evidence that suggests that patients with a family history of Parkinson's, or a genetic predispostion to the disease are more likely to develop the drug induced form of this disease as a result of cinnarizine treatment.[25]

In addition to antagonizing D2 receptors, treatment with cinnarizine has also been shown to lead to reduced presynaptic dopamine and serotonin, as well as alterations in vesicular transport of dopamine.[1] Terland et al.[1] have shown that chronic treatment with cinnarizine builds the drug concentrations high enough that they interfere with the proton electrochemical gradient necessary for packaging dopamine into vesicles. Cinnarizine, pKa = 7.4, acts as a protonophore, which prevents the MgATP-dependent production of the electrochemical gradient crucial to the transport and storage of dopamine into vesicles, and thereby lowers the levels of dopamine in the basal ganglia neurons and leads to the Parkinson's symptoms.[1]

Additionally, several cases of pediatric and adult cinnarizine overdose have been reported, with effects including a range of symptoms such as somnolence, coma, vomiting, hypotonia, stupor, and convulsions.[26] The cognitive complications likely result from the antihistaminic effects of cinnarizine, while the motor effects are a product of the antidopaminergic properties. In cases of overdose, the patient should be brought to and observed in a hospital for potential neurological complications.

These threads always worry me. I totally understand wanting to find out what other travelers have used for motion sickness, but getting medical advice from a travel blog is probably not a great idea.

As for potential adverse effects from various agents, you may be surprised that pretty much any therapeutic agent can cause a range of frightening outcomes. Just look at the package insert of any prescription or OTC medication you take. A health care professional (including pharmacists) can help you determine which adverse events might be of concern given your individual health status and medical history.

Your physician, or someone he/she refers you to, can perhaps individualize your approach to dealing with motion sickness better than a stranger on the internet.

I take 25 mg of meclizine (prescription Bonine, I think) prescribed by my doctor every morning while on a cruise. I also have ginger candy if the sea is really rough. I have a little drowsiness and some dry mouth, but that is preferable to being seasick.

Another UK Stugeron aficionado, available over the counter here. As others have said anything you ingest has side effects of one sort or another. Asking your pharmacist is good advice. But it is annoying when a proprietary over the counter remedy for minor things is not available in your own country and/or costs twice as much!

I drink Diet Ginger ale and rum, but I don't have any sea sickness problems. Only bothers me when really, really bad and laying down at night. It gets to my stomach but not my balance.

Everyone is different, but I was around water and boats from an early age.

Below are the possible side effects of Cinnarizine, aka Stugeron from Wikipedia website:

Side effects

 

Side effects experienced while taking cinnarizine range from the mild to the quite severe. Possible side effects include drowsiness, sweating, dry mouth, headache, skin problems, lethargy, gastrointestinal irritation, hypersensitivity reactions, as well as movement problems/muscle rigidity, and tremor.[13] Because cinnarizine can cause drowsiness and blurred vision, it is important that users make sure their reactions are normal before driving, operating machinery, or doing any other jobs which could be dangerous if they are not fully alert or able to see well.[3]

Cinnarizine is also known to cause acute and chronic parkinsonism[18] due to its affinity for D2 receptors, which strongly counter-suggests its actual usefulness for improving neurohealth. Cinnarizine's antagonistic effects of D2 dopamine receptors in the striatum leads to symptoms of depression, tremor, muscle rigidity, tardive dyskinesia, and akathisia, which are characterized as Drug-Induced Parkinson's disease and is the second leading cause of Parkinson's.[18] Evidence suggests that it is one of the metabolites of cinnarizine, C-2, that has an active role in contributing to the development of drug-induced Parkinson's.[23] It is also of note that an estimated 17 of 100 new Parkinson's cases are linked to administration of either cinnarizine or Flunarizine,[1] making cinnarizine and drug-induced Parkinson's a serious issue. Those people especially at risk are elderly patients, in particular women, and patients who have been taking the drug for a longer amount of time.[24] There is also evidence that suggests that patients with a family history of Parkinson's, or a genetic predispostion to the disease are more likely to develop the drug induced form of this disease as a result of cinnarizine treatment.[25]

In addition to antagonizing D2 receptors, treatment with cinnarizine has also been shown to lead to reduced presynaptic dopamine and serotonin, as well as alterations in vesicular transport of dopamine.[1] Terland et al.[1] have shown that chronic treatment with cinnarizine builds the drug concentrations high enough that they interfere with the proton electrochemical gradient necessary for packaging dopamine into vesicles. Cinnarizine, pKa = 7.4, acts as a protonophore, which prevents the MgATP-dependent production of the electrochemical gradient crucial to the transport and storage of dopamine into vesicles, and thereby lowers the levels of dopamine in the basal ganglia neurons and leads to the Parkinson's symptoms.[1]

Additionally, several cases of pediatric and adult cinnarizine overdose have been reported, with effects including a range of symptoms such as somnolence, coma, vomiting, hypotonia, stupor, and convulsions.[26] The cognitive complications likely result from the antihistaminic effects of cinnarizine, while the motor effects are a product of the antidopaminergic properties. In cases of overdose, the patient should be brought to and observed in a hospital for potential neurological complications.

Sounds like a lot of fun - maybe I should try it (or not) :D