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Seasickness


Shirleygibbs
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Hi, Shirley! How wonderful to be looking forward to your first ocean cruise! As a veteran (?) of two cruises now ( Alaska on HAL and Viking Homelands) and one who gets seasick easily on smaller boats, I'll say that you are much less likely to experience seasickness on these ships than small craft. However, leaving nothing to chance, I go equipped with (1) ginger capsules, (2) seabands that you wear on your wrist, and (3) Bonine (meclizine) . I take a ginger capsule every day, wear the seabands, and take half a Bonine the night before we are due to sail in more open seas, since even a little makes me somewhat sleepy. Haven't had a problem at all, even when the ship was rocking and rolling! Both of our cruises have been mostly through relatively sheltered waters, so I haven't had a severe test yet, but so far, so good.

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Hi, Shirley! How wonderful to be looking forward to your first ocean cruise! As a veteran (?) of two cruises now ( Alaska on HAL and Viking Homelands) and one who gets seasick easily on smaller boats, I'll say that you are much less likely to experience seasickness on these ships than small craft. However, leaving nothing to chance, I go equipped with (1) ginger capsules, (2) seabands that you wear on your wrist, and (3) Bonine (meclizine) . I take a ginger capsule every day, wear the seabands, and take half a Bonine the night before we are due to sail in more open seas, since even a little makes me somewhat sleepy. Haven't had a problem at all, even when the ship was rocking and rolling! Both of our cruises have been mostly through relatively sheltered waters, so I haven't had a severe test yet, but so far, so good.
A crew member on P&O told me eating green apples is a crew secret for seasickness.
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Had never gotten seasick in almost 40 cruises. Last Feb however suffered inner ear infection which left me with occasional vertigo so asked doctor to prescribe patch for upcoming cruise. Sure enough, first night started feeling wobbly so put patch on. Miraculously it took effect in under an hour and had no recurrence of dizziness. Prescription patches which last 3 days each were not covered by my blue cross plan but weren't very expensive. Now carry them just in case.

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My two senses....the patch is referred to scopolamine and is an anti-cholinergic agent. Thou the do work, the side affects of dry month is problematic to many. The old standards of ginger, apples and wrist bands seem to work for many. Personally to get the best bank of buck , I would just stick to OTC Meclizine.

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I can get nauseous floating on my back in the ocean. First ocean cruise last year and I took sea bands for both myself and wife. I wore mine all the time and when we did get into some rough weather in Alaska and when others were seasick or feeling very uncomfortable I was just fine and eating normally. Wife was very iffy and I asked her why she wasn't wearing her sea bands. Because I had one on each wrist she thought I was wearing hers. An hour after she put hers on she was feeling better. Just a couple of weeks ago our daughter did a whale watching trip in a Zodiak. She's even worse than me for getting seasick. She used sea bands and was a very happy sailor in some rough water. I also ate some ginger candy from time to time.

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We’re on Viking Orion now, for an 8 week cruise from Venice to Hong Kong.

 

Have had some rough water where guests and crew were sick.

 

Before leaving, researched a bit and bought DW a ReliefBand. Developed by big pharma company. She has always had a proclivity for motion sickness. But this device seems to work great!

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DW has issues with motion sickness.

 

When cruising she always takes her seabands - just the cheap wrist bands available over the counter. Should be aware that correct placement is critical. She wears these anytime we get a little movement.

 

When we get into heavy weather she applies a Scopolomine patch behind her ear, about 6 to 12 hours before hitting rough seas, provided they were forecast. In Canada these are available over the counter, but are by prescription in US & UK. Side affect can vary; fortunately DW has no side affects.

 

Your other options to manage ship motion is to avoid cabins at the extreme fwd & aft ends of the vessel and higher deck cabins. A midships cabin on a lower deck will experience less motion. During the day avoid the Sun Deck, try staying on a lower deck, closer to the ship's centre of gravity.

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I had no problems on our first Mediterranean/Adriatic cruise, but our next one passes through the Bay of Biscay, which I gather can be more problematic. Can someone tell me if ginger candies and ginger capsules are equally effective? Also plan to take sea bands and meclizine, but I'd prefer to avoid the drugs unless really needed.

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Huge fan of meclizine. We take it whether or not we need it. We were on a Disney Panama Canal cruise and a hurricane changed it's path in the middle of the night so we ended up having to ride huge swells during the night and into the next day. The waves were covering our porthole. Many crew members and guests were sick. With zero warning people didn't have a chance to take anything in advance. Even people with the patch and ginger had trouble. We on the other hand had a blast. Like all medication it takes time to get in your system so we were ok from the get go because we take it whether or not it's needed. It does not make us sleepy. If you have any questions about the side affects take it at home just to see. That's what we did years ago.

 

 

 

HAL actually kept green apples in our stateroom and we didn't know why until we asked. Thought it was a great idea for others.

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I asked at Wal-Mart pharmacy today if they had scopolamine patches in stock. I go do doctor next week, prep for Sept 30 cruise. Pharmacist said their supplier no longer provides them, that I should try Walgreens. I had read of this issue on CC in the past.

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I asked at Wal-Mart pharmacy today if they had scopolamine patches in stock. I go do doctor next week, prep for Sept 30 cruise. Pharmacist said their supplier no longer provides them, that I should try Walgreens. I had read of this issue on CC in the past.
Pharmacy's use different suppliers so another pharmacy might well stock them.
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Hi All,We are taking our first ocean cruise. Can anyone recommend any patch for seasickness? Hoping we don't need any, but I would rather be prepared.

Thanks in advance

Shirley

 

I am very prone to seasickness. I have tried "everything" from Bomine to wrist bands. Nothing worked for me until I got the patch, which is a prescription. I get them every time I cruise and don't worry. There can be side effects but I have not experienced any, other than some dry mouth. It is so worth it to be able to cruise and not have to worry about getting sick. This year we went on a cruise to Antarctica and it even worked going through the Drake Passage, which can be the most turbulent conditions. That is why the chairs are tied down in all the restaurants when you cruise there. With the patch, get enough to cover the length of your cruise. Put the first one on before you get on the ship and change them every 3 days. Check with your doctor.

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IF you decide to use "the patch" (which is by prescription in the US and presently has a supply issue due to a recall of several lots)

 

I HIGHLY recommend doing a 'dry run' b4 the cruise to see how your body reacts to 'the patch' ... the side effects mentioned are just a subset of what's possible. These hit some folks like a ton of bricks. I know from experience!!!!

 

Be very cautious with ANY alcohol when using the patch and consider this a part of your practice run ..... my story

 

A few years ago: Father was prone to sea sickness but really wanted to cruise being Merchant Marine during WWII (as a teen). We'd gifted a cruise and he got a 'scrip for the patch and off they went. The cruise had free wine at dinner and he remembered the first glass ..... and nothing for the next 24 hours. BTW he was normally a 2 martini b4 dinner drinker who'd not had them that day. Normally quiet, he became 'the life of the party' ..... Many other details of the story but suffice to say he did NOT tolerate the patch well! In retrospect it is amazing he didn't become a man overboard story!

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IF you decide to use "the patch" (which is by prescription in the US and presently has a supply issue due to a recall of several lots)

 

I HIGHLY recommend doing a 'dry run' b4 the cruise to see how your body reacts to 'the patch' ... the side effects mentioned are just a subset of what's possible. These hit some folks like a ton of bricks. I know from experience!!!!

 

Be very cautious with ANY alcohol when using the patch and consider this a part of your practice run ..... my story

 

A few years ago: Father was prone to sea sickness but really wanted to cruise being Merchant Marine during WWII (as a teen). We'd gifted a cruise and he got a 'scrip for the patch and off they went. The cruise had free wine at dinner and he remembered the first glass ..... and nothing for the next 24 hours. BTW he was normally a 2 martini b4 dinner drinker who'd not had them that day. Normally quiet, he became 'the life of the party' ..... Many other details of the story but suffice to say he did NOT tolerate the patch well! In retrospect it is amazing he didn't become a man overboard story!

 

Good idea to suggest trying it before the cruise to be sure there are no side effects. I drink (not a lot - mainly wine with dinner) and have had no side effects. Getting seasick is absolutely the worst experience and for me the patch has enabled me to go on lots of cruises with the only side effect being a little dry mouth. I first used it in Alaska and going on helicopter rides to the glaciers and on float planes would normally make me very ill but the patch worked and has enabled me to enjoy cruises and all the adventures. It even worked in the Drake Passage when lots of other passengers on the cruise were very sick.

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Myth Busters tested all known seasickness remedies by spinning the subjects in a motorized office chair and timed them until they hurled. Ginger capsules won hands down.

 

Unfortunately, ship motion is not that simple. Might work for a motorised office chair, but having spent 40+ years at sea, my experience with real life situations, just doesn't agree that this is a reasonable and scientific study.

 

While I have not yet experienced a ship movement that makes me seasick, the same cannot be said for DW. Ginger did not work for her in the slightest and I have seen many other passengers taking ginger that didn't fare too well.

 

In my experience, different remedies work for different people and the remedy that works in one sea condition will not necessarily work in another sea condition. Although not overly applicable to modern passenger vessels, the way a ship is loaded also affects the movement. I have seen people coping in one condition of loading with whatever remedy they are taking and then unable to control the different motion in a similar sea condition, but different state of loading.

 

Unfortunately, ship motion is a little more complex than rotating a chair.

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Unfortunately, ship motion is not that simple. Might work for a motorised office chair, but having spent 40+ years at sea, my experience with real life situations, just doesn't agree that this is a reasonable and scientific study.

 

While I have not yet experienced a ship movement that makes me seasick, the same cannot be said for DW. Ginger did not work for her in the slightest and I have seen many other passengers taking ginger that didn't fare too well.

 

In my experience, different remedies work for different people and the remedy that works in one sea condition will not necessarily work in another sea condition. Although not overly applicable to modern passenger vessels, the way a ship is loaded also affects the movement. I have seen people coping in one condition of loading with whatever remedy they are taking and then unable to control the different motion in a similar sea condition, but different state of loading.

 

Unfortunately, ship motion is a little more complex than rotating a chair.

 

Thanks for the really good analysis, supported by my experiences on land - a car doesn't make me sick, nor an amusement park ride like that drops like an elevator, but a merry-go-round will do me in.

 

Our first cruise was fine, but our second has some potential areas that could be a problem. I'll take sea bands, ginger, and meclizine and use them in combination if needed.

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I agree ... I can handle 'roll' well (side to side), but 'pitch' can do me in (front to back)!

 

side story

 

On one of our early cruises we were seated at a large table ... 8 couples. We got along fine and had wonderful conversation each night ... except one guy who was very quiet ..... His wife mentioned every night how well her 'patch' was working as she's always been seasick b4 .... she was THRILLED with the wonder drug!

 

The last night of the cruise she excused herself (for personal reasons) and as soon as she was gone Mr broke out in laughter ..... He apologized and shared he was supposed to get the patches the day b4 they left for the cruise but forgot .... so he'd put a round band-aid behind her ear .....

 

A lot of sea sickness is in the head . . . NOT ALL ..... but a lot.

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I asked at Wal-Mart pharmacy today if they had scopolamine patches in stock. I go do doctor next week, prep for Sept 30 cruise. Pharmacist said their supplier no longer provides them, that I should try Walgreens. I had read of this issue on CC in the past.

 

I had this issue at my pharmacy. The generic patches are not available and had been on back order for months. The name brand patches are available. The doctor issuing the prescription just has to say no generics. And my insurance did pay.

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I had this issue at my pharmacy. The generic patches are not available and had been on back order for months. The name brand patches are available. The doctor issuing the prescription just has to say no generics. And my insurance did pay.

Thank you ☺

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I had this issue at my pharmacy. The generic patches are not available and had been on back order for months. The name brand patches are available. The doctor issuing the prescription just has to say no generics. And my insurance did pay.

 

 

 

I know you guys probably won’t believe me but insurance companies do keep track of what generic medicines are in back order and update their system accordingly. I have worked in pharmacy for 15 years. Most of the time a doctor stating no generics isn’t even needed most of the time. But of course better safe than sorry.

 

The pharmacy I work at is a specialty pharmacy and right now it does not show any generic Transderm patches available. But hopefully it will be available again soon.

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