Has anyone NOT had good results with relief bands?

[luv2travel2beaches]

In getting ready for my first cruise I am considering buying the relief bands (electronic) as I tend to get very motion sick. Has anyone NOT had good luck with these and if you didn't have luck with them, did anything else work better? I plan to pack every remedy available, but I want to know if I should spend the $$ to try these. Thanks for your help.

 

 

Can't wait till 5/19/04 on the Wind

[Florida Beach]

I just came back from the Eastern Caribbean 7-day cruise. Since I am prone to motion sickness, I brought the ReliefBand (electronic), Sea Band (wrist pressure) and Bonine with me on the cruise.

 

The ReliefBand will "zap" your wrist every second for 2 seconds long. It works, but it is anoying since every time you get "zapped" you will feel like your hand is going to sleep.

 

I switched to the Sea Band pair(bought at Walgreen for $11), and they are also work. I also took Bonine the day before we embark, and everyday onboard.

 

I had a great trip, I wish I had known about the Sea Band before I invest almost $100 on the ReliefBand.

 

Have a good time. We did.

 

March 28, 2004 - Mariner of the Seas

[dogladyjw]

I bought an electronic band and it only zapped me as long as I held my arm up like I was getting ready to arm wrestle. I use the patch for almost everything (reason I got the band was so I wouldn't have to take more drugs). I get motion sickness standing on a floating dock! The first time I used the patch I took the Maid of the Mist at the base of Niagara Falls. That is the choppiest water I have EVER been in and the patch was terrific. I now use it for taking land trips, going to amusement parks, flying, cruising. I would not be without it.

 

nitl My Sovereign Of The Seas Cruise to the Baham

 

msStatendam,Alaska,8/2003

[RCCruisin]

The sea bands work just fine. I would not waste the money on the electric band.

 

Best bet is ginger pills and gingerale and no side effects.

 

Just my 2 cents

 

RC

[sappy]

I have had good luck with the Sea Bands, but my uncle who suffers horribly from motion sickness, only found relief with the zapping ones.

[wieslaw]

We have two of them, we had them 'on' the highest setting that was still comfortable (4) and could not tell that they did anything to relief the motion sickness. On a cruise to Hawaii, wife ended up in the medical facility to get some medicine in the injection form.....the ReliefBand was not doing its advertised 'relief'.....so do not depend on them too much. I have read on these boards that they do 'wonders' for some but nothing like that happen to us.

Wes

[pd9845]

Are these products usually available on board as well?

 

Mariner of the Seas - August 29th 2004

[wieslaw]

Originally posted by pd9845:

"Are these products usually available on board as well?"

 

Which products are you asking about?

The ReliefBand ?

Wes

[Mysteryreader]

Are the seabands adjustable? I have small arms and wrists--the drugstore blood pressure machines can't tell I'm there. In fact, I've been informed several times I'm dead. <vbg> If they're one size fits all, they probably won't fit me.

 

M/R

[twostacys]

I purchased the "Relief Band" last summer for fishing. I tend to get sea sick. It zapped me every few seconds. You could adjust the strength depending on how sick you were. I found that it did not work for me. It became painful after a while of wearing the band and I was still sick. The patch worked great, but leaves you with bad cotton mouth. Remimber this was my experience. The band may work for you.

[wieslaw]

Hi M/R,

The "seabands" are elastic and one size fits all, when they are new they will fit small wrist, after while they will stretch.

The "ReliefBand" (a completely different thing)has a strap with number of holes in it, so it can be adjusted.

Wes

[Mysteryreader]

Thanks, Wes.

 

My dh and I were discussing this just last evening. I outlined my battle plan for him. Since he believes he's immune, he thinks I'm engaging in overkill--I think I'm just being prudent. If there's such a thing, I may receive the Passenger With the Most Seasick Remedies award. ;-)

 

M/R

[njreindeer]

Hi all --

 

About the patches and OTC meds like Dramamine, Bonine, etc. - It's been a long time since I've taken seasickness meds, do they make you drowsy? I remember years ago taking Dramamine before a flight and sleeping over four hours straight on a plane, something I never do. Do they still do that?

 

Also, does anyone know if there are any contraindications for taking the pills, like hypertension?

 

Thanks very much for your help!

 

Time 'til Mariner on 8/29/04 -- our first cruise!

[joyyak]

Bonine causes fewer problems with drowsiness than Dramamine. Most people are not affected with drowsiness. It should be taken with caution if you have glaucoma or asthma. It is not contraindicated with hypertension.

 

I intend to "trial" it in a couple weeks to be sure it doesn't affect me adversely and then will take it 24 hours before flying out and daily at bedtime.

 

Dawn Princess - Alaska

 

[belle42118]

I get motion sickness very easy. Before my cruise last month I went to my doctor and got the patch. I put it on 24hrs before we set sail. I also took Bonine with me in case the patch didn't work. At first I thought the patch was amazing, but on the second evening we were on the ship, I got severely sick! Threw up twice and went to my cabin to lay down. I changed the patch (They recommend changing it every 3 days) and took one Bonine. I slept all through the night and when I woke up the next morning, I wasn't sick anymore! Every day after, I took one Bonine and changed the patch every 3 days and was fine for the rest of the cruise.

njreindeer - Dramamine has made me drowsy also. I even took the non-drowsy formula and still was sleepy. I wasn't sleepy at all with the Bonine.

[luv2travel2beaches]

ok...since I started this topic I want to update everybody on my experience. I went on our first cruise with every possible motion sickness preventative available. I used the relief band and it seemed to work ok while riding in the car (and reading). Before going on our helicopter ride I decided to use the patch. It worked great on the helicopter and riding in the back seat with my brother-in-law driving (CRAZY DRIVER) and then on the cruise. It worked GREAT. One evening I was starting to feel a bit nauseated and realized the patch was about to run its 3 day limit and the seas were VERY rough. I changed the patch and that corrected the problem. During the really rough sea days I took a bonine a couple of times just because I was feeling a little more woozy than before. Between the patch and bonine I was able to eat every meal and I never once got ill...just a little woozy. For anybody wondering, this was my first cruise, the seas were quite rough at times and I DID feel quite a bit of movement and I felt a bit drunk during a good portion of the trip (I did get my sea legs a little bit towards the end of the 10 days). The patch never gave me dry mouth or blurry vision as I have heard it can do. I would highly recommend the patch.

 

 

Can't wait till 5/19/04 on the Wind

[fiona508]

I read some research in the UK that said that the bands were placebo effect only - ie if you think they will work then they will work (probably). They don't work for me and I have tried everything (I get sick on trains!) Real ginger works for me and so does Avomine. It'as a trade name in the UK - dont know the name fo the drug. It has an acclimatising effect and if you take it the night before the cruise and the first couple of days then you may be able to tail off the dose. Drinking alcohol with it makes you ill.

[ejhall]

I hadn't even heard of electronic bands but I'm not likely to spend the money after reading the posts here. I get motion sickness very easily. The regular sea bands didn't do me any good. The patch does work very well for me, but on one very rough night of my first cruise, I wasn't able to finish my meal and had to go back to my cabin to lay down (and darn-it, I missed the flaming baked alaska!). I intend to get my patch again for my cruise in Sept and also try the Bonine, after reading this thread.

 

Thanks to all who posted!

 

Celebrity Infinity 9/5/04 (I can't wait! Woohoo!)

Celebrity Mercury 6/12/98

[Shelli]

On my first cruise, I was worried so I wore the patch. By the 2nd day, though, I felt as though I were coming down with the flu-- feverish, headachy, and sore throat. I took off the patch and slept for about an hour... and then I was fine! I never did get seasick.

 

My husband, though, is very prone to any motion sickness. For his first cruise, I packed him ginger tablets, candied ginger, and seabands. None helped-- the nurse at the dr.'s office gave him Dramamine and that helped, but did make him drowsy. On subsequent cruises, he's used Less Drowsy Dramamine (same ingredient-- meclizine-- as Bonine), and it worked like a charm for him.

 

Last year, before our most recent cruise, I bought him a Relief Band... just in case. He never needed it. However, about 6 months back, I used it after... er... overindulging and feeling the need to worship the porcelain god. It worked like a charm for me! Then a couple of months ago, when my daughter was in the first trimester of her pregnancy and sick as a dog, she got her doctor's ok to use the Relief Band and tried it for that-- and it didn't help.

 

I'm taking it along on our next cruise, though-- you never know!

 

The Ultimate Cruise Kit

 

Coming up: Caribbean Princess - September 2004

 

[njreindeer]

Thanks for the info everyone on Bonine vs Dramamine vs the Bands vs the Patch. I've been seasick once in my life - the time I took Dramamine and slept the whole way home from Grand Cayman - and it was one of the worst feelings ever. We've already bought Sea Bands (not the electronic ones, the less expensive ones), and we'll probably try Bonine AND get a prescription for the patch too. We want to have our bases covered and enjoy every minute of this cruise! :)

[chellbird]

I know this sounds silly, but for some reason I thought I was too cool to wear the patches I brought with me. Needless to say, I ended up wobbling back to my cabin right after I ordered dinner. My husband brought my dinner to me in a box, and I was only able to eat it hours later (after I'd been pretty sick). I wore patches the rest of the cruise and experienced no more nausea. The problem I had was trying to stay awake even for the shows in the evening. I missed all the late night buffets (except I had my husband wake me up for the Chocolate!:D ) Has anyone else experienced extreme drowsiness with the patch? I literally had to concentrate to keep my eyes open! From what some of you have mentioned, I'm thinking Bonine might be the way to go for me on this next trip.