Seasickness - A few questions......

[donant98]

I am leaving in 2 days on my cruise. I have been on cruises before with no problem getting seasick. This is the first cruise for my husband and son. Should they take bonine the night before we leave for our cruise? Also does anyone have any suggestions about seasickness and how to avoid it.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I'm the one who has the tendency to motion sickness in my family. My daughter and hubby aren't affected at all. I knew that our Hawaiian cruise would involve crossing a heavy duty current so I brought candied ginger and ginger flavored Altoids. Many meds will make me drowsy (even the ones that most people don't have a problem with). But what's for me, might not work for everyone.

 

The best thing is to try out different remedies while on land ahead of time and then take two or three of those (that don't give you any side effects) with because you might not be able to tell what really works until in that situation. You don't really have that time. So get something OTC and a herbal remedy (like ginger in some form -- not recommended if someone is taking blood thinners, though). Some people will ask their doctors and maybe get a prescription for the patch. Or try the special wristbands (one of my tablemates had one).

[pspercy]

What is their history regarding motion sickness ? That's your biggest guide.

 

I have been susceptible all my life, about five miles in a car was my limit as a kid :(

 

Decades later I still can't read in a moving car tho' trains & planes are OK.

 

As for the sea, I spent time at sea for a living and got my sea-legs after a day or so to the extent the most violent of motion simply depressed my appetite.

 

I have seen genuine motion sickness but also folk getting sick because they somehow think they should (no kidding).

 

So, again, let their history be your guide.

 

Have a great trip:)

[carib123]

We were on a particularly rough cruise and one of the bartenders told us to eat a little and have something on your stomach as a way to avoid seasickness. I figured that if he had been at sea awhile he probably knew what he was talking about. Another old timer told me drink a beer for breakfast...hmmm :D

 

I cant testify as to whether eithe rof these remedies work as I have not gotten seasick..knock on wood

[Keith1010]

If you want to play it safe then take the Bonine just a few hours before the ship leave the port on the first night.

 

The key to Bonine is to take it before one feels sea sick and not wait till you are sea sick.

 

Keith

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

I had not gotten sea sick at all until I was on a cruise with very rough seas...many passengers were running to the side to lose their dinner...me included...my friend with me had never been on a cruise before and she had bought some stuff at CVS the night before the cruise...not sure what it was...maybe Bonine...and she took it as a preventative and wasn't sick at all...so next cruise I will be taking something even though that was my only time to be seasick...just as a preventative. I never thought it would be me, but I was proved wrong.

[MissRabbit]

 

The key to Bonine is to take it before one feels sea sick and not wait till you are sea sick.

 

Keith

 

 

So what do you take *after* you are sea sick? My hubby and I have been on 2 cruises and have never been sea sick but we've also never been on this long of a cruise (14 days). The meds i'm on now, do make me a wee bit queazy so i don't know how i'll be affected.

 

So, if i do start getting sea sick, is there something i could take to stop it? Or is this a matter of "once you're sick, you're sick and there's nothing you can do but to suck it up and live with it"?

[6rugrats]

So what do you take *after* you are sea sick? My hubby and I have been on 2 cruises and have never been sea sick but we've also never been on this long of a cruise (14 days). The meds i'm on now, do make me a wee bit queazy so i don't know how i'll be affected.

 

So, if i do start getting sea sick, is there something i could take to stop it? Or is this a matter of "once you're sick, you're sick and there's nothing you can do but to suck it up and live with it"?

 

You really should speak with your own doctor about this, especially if you are already taking medication. Suggest you call and ask your questions there.

[FINTUCKYFARMS]

So, how did it go?

[Kikkycat]

So what do you take *after* you are sea sick? My hubby and I have been on 2 cruises and have never been sea sick but we've also never been on this long of a cruise (14 days). The meds i'm on now, do make me a wee bit queazy so i don't know how i'll be affected.

 

So, if i do start getting sea sick, is there something i could take to stop it? Or is this a matter of "once you're sick, you're sick and there's nothing you can do but to suck it up and live with it"?

 

I don't take anything at all! When I'm feeling nauseated I will put on my SeaBands. That way I don't have any worries about medicines interacting badly with any of my other meds, or with alcohol, or whatever! The only "side effect" is they're not particularly attractive and they leave a little bruise on the inside of my wrists for several days afterwards.

 

I have worn SeaBands when not at sea. One time after a beer festival I was feeling the effects and put on the bands and the nausea went away. The headache didn't, but that was my own fault! :rolleyes:

[cruiseco]

So what do you take *after* you are sea sick? My hubby and I have been on 2 cruises and have never been sea sick but we've also never been on this long of a cruise (14 days). The meds i'm on now, do make me a wee bit queazy so i don't know how i'll be affected.

 

So, if i do start getting sea sick, is there something i could take to stop it? Or is this a matter of "once you're sick, you're sick and there's nothing you can do but to suck it up and live with it"?

 

A friend got a real bad case once. The ship's doctor gave her an injection of an anti-nausea medication (injected because she wouldn't have been able to keep it down if taker orally). She also got an IV of something because she was really dehydrated. It also knocked her out for about 18 hours. She felt much better when she woke up but weak from basically no food for anout 48 hours. I think that during the time she was sleeping her body naturally got its "sea-legs". However, I'd only recommend this as a last option. The meds are pretty heavy duty with side effects that she was warned about and it was expensive. I believe that it was close to $500 including one in-cabin follow-up and another in the doctor's office. Prevention is #1. Time and sleep are #2.

[MissRabbit]

so taking Bonine or any other OTC meds won't help seasickness once you've got it?

 

i'm not concerned with drug interactions with my other meds. I just keep reading all these posts on what to take as preventatives for seasickness, but nothing on what to do once you start getting sick.

[chipmaster]

There is no hard and fast rules here. I am one that gets sick very easily. As another poster suggested often just keeping the tummy full hepls and not a problem on the ship :D

 

This past cruise to Alaska I just loaded up on both having boninie and also pressure pads. Started all the high risk folks and those with no history the minute we boarded. You do need to take the meds BEFORE you get sick. Luckily we had calm seas., but even for me just looking out at the moving ocean during meals got me ill, but once I filled the tummy I was good, YMMV.

 

I am leaving in 2 days on my cruise. I have been on cruises before with no problem getting seasick. This is the first cruise for my husband and son. Should they take bonine the night before we leave for our cruise? Also does anyone have any suggestions about seasickness and how to avoid it.

[arlenez]

So what do you take *after* you are sea sick? My hubby and I have been on 2 cruises and have never been sea sick but we've also never been on this long of a cruise (14 days). The meds i'm on now, do make me a wee bit queazy so i don't know how i'll be affected.

 

So, if i do start getting sea sick, is there something i could take to stop it? Or is this a matter of "once you're sick, you're sick and there's nothing you can do but to suck it up and live with it"?

 

I have something called MotionEaze that I have used and it really works. I used it on a very small boat in Alaska on a whale watch trip when the boat was rocking and rolling and I was getting sicker and sicker until the captain of the boat gave it to me to try. It's an oil that you rub behind your ear and in 3-5 minutes you feel better. I never travel without it. You can find it on the internet at http://www.motioneaze.com/. Following is a description of it from their website.

 

In the past, if you forgot or weren’t able to take motion sickness medication before your trip, it was all over. But now there is an all-natural alternative that acts in just 3-5 minutes. Only MotionEaze will save the day by quelling your nausea and dizziness even after it starts. Whether you are experiencing problems from amusement park rides, video games, chemotherapy, fishing, scuba diving, playground equipment, on a cruise or riding in a car, train or bus…. Just a drop or two of MotionEaze rubbed behind each ear will save the day without the drowsy, drugged feeling of other products. Try it risk-free with our full money-back guarantee.

 

Good luck.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[cruiseco]

There is no hard and fast rules here. I am one that gets sick very easily. As another poster suggested often just keeping the tummy full hepls and not a problem on the ship :D

 

.

 

Be careful what you fill it with too. Sailors recommend things like saltine crackers or dry bread. Anything that's at all greasy or oily or fried will make it worse, not better.

[collegecruiser346]

I always take a 6 pack of ginger ale that has real ginger in it. Canada Dry usually does the trick.

[arizgirl]

I used Dramamine the entire cruise keeping it in my system. I never had any problems at all vs. severe seasickness before. My sister didn't take it regularly and only took it when she needed it, and it kicked in for her after 20 min. or so.

[sandramurphy]

Norovirus is a common type of illness that has been found in cruise passengers. There are simple tricks to avoid illness and enjoy a healthy cruise -

1. Washing your hands before and after eating and smoking

2. Use hand sanitizer often

3. Avoid an area where someone is sick

4. Drinking plenty of water

5. Resting and maintaining a strong immune system

6. Avoiding hand-shaking when there is an outbreak

7. Removing and cleaning clothing and linens that have been contaminated during illness

[collegecruiser346]

Just went to walmart last night and got 2 sea bands. They are braclets with magnets in them -- supposed to help with sea sickness. They were less than 10 each. I'll see how they work...

[robthens]

We take Bonine as a precaution on ocean cruises. The writs bands are inexpensive and will help.

 

DH was sick on one trip and since that time we invested in a Relief Band. It look like a watch & uses a battery. In addition to motion sickness, it is used for morning sicknes/chemo/etc smyptons. It is one of the few "devices" that will help after the fact.

 

We also have been told eating keeps the tummy full and helps avoid motion sickness. We are careful about what we eat when the seas are rough.

 

We highly recommend taking Pro-biotics. We start before & continue through our trips (especially when we are going to a foreign country). Culturelle is the brand we take.

 

Hope this helps someone.

[Classyndry]

I've had problems with motionsickness for as long as I can remember. For those that usually don't have problems, dramamine II less drowsy or bonine (meclizine) is what I usually recommend. These don't seem to bother many with side effects, and seem to be effective for a lot of people. You are not supposed to consume alcohol while taking meclizine, but it hasn't stopped me from having a few drinks.

 

I've tried the seabands, electric wrist thing, and ginger, but found each of these to be ineffective. They may help those less susceptible, but they do not keep me from feeling or becoming ill.

 

I've tried scopolamine, in the form of the behind the ear patch. I found that this made me feel uneasy while on land, and when on a 30 foot boat in 3 foot seas, I still became ill. I imagine this is as effective as dramamine, perhaps more so, but for severe motion, it was still ineffective for me. I would like to try the pill form of this drug, but I have not been able to yet.

 

I've also tried motioneaze, the behind the ear liquid that is basically just some essential oils. While skeptical, I was able to read 10 minutes in a car, and then walk around for about 30, and return to the car, and read for another 10 minutes until driven home. Once home, I felt dizzy, but not sick. Had I not used the motioneaze, it is very unlikely that I could have read the entire 20 minutes without having to stop. I am still skeptical, but I intend to test this product on my upcoming cruise to see if it is helpful to me.

 

The best advice I can give is to try dramamine II, or bonine. I seem to be particularly susceptible to motion sickness when I'm hot, and in the morning before, or right after breakfast. I do not know if these issues are common, but I try to stay as cool as possible, and make sure to eat something small as soon as I wake up (goldfish crackers are good, saltines, etc.).

[Bmac614]

So what do people think is better for motion sickness? Dramamine or bonine? I think we will pack both just in case

[mpace58]

Personally I've had great results with ginger pills. YMMV. :D