sea sickness

[My2Kitties]

My wife will second that. She swears by her wristbands. You may need to accessorize to match them to your attire.

 

 

I wear these...there are supposed to be new ones out made of plastic but I havent tried them yet...

 

I also bring ginger tea but rarely ever needed it...just enjoy it...

[sr4mjc]

I lost an entire day in bed sleeping after taking whatever they handed out in the infirmary while on the Mariner. I barely got up medicine-heady that evening and made it down to dinner. Then right back to bed, I was still fuzzy the next morning.

 

So, never again for me. Seas got pretty rough in the Med on the Splendor but I just wore sea bands, tried to find a center deck with no windows. The casino seems to help :D

 

Never needed anything on the Oasis or the Allure, or in Alaska, smooth as glass. Hoping for smooth sailing on the Serenade. We're doing a snorkeling excursion, I hope the small boat doesn't bother me too much. And the ferry to The Baths.

[HockeyRules13]

I have always been sick one day on each of my previous cruises. I had read on these boards about taking a Bonine at night (starting the night before boarding) and a ginger capsule in the morning (starting the morning of boarding). I tried this last week and while others in my group were feeling ill, I was fine! My first cruise with no issues. I will definitely be doing the exact same thing next April.

 

Robin

[teddie]

I consider the scopolamine patch to be the drug of last resort, kind of like taking morphine for a headache. The side effects can be just awful and sometime make you think the patch is not working because you still feel ill. I have seen this many times. Some people do need to use it if they get severely seasick with any ocean motion. If I were one of those people I would stay on dry land. LOL! I was seasick once in heavy seas and it was not pleasant so when I feel lots of motion I take a Bonine just in case and have not had a problem again. I actually enjoy feeling the motion in most cases. Many people recommend ginger products, ginger ale, ginger candy. Please try some of these remedies before you just slap on a patch.

 

The drug of last resort for you is an absolute godsend for me. It's a very individualized response.

 

The choice of best remedy is individualized, and should be decided between patient and physician. If you truly have a serious case of lifelong motion-sickness, home remedies and over the counter meds may be plain ineffective.

 

I agree that if there's something you've never tried before , try it out before you sail. And if you are prone to motion sickness, be prepared, no matter how big the ship is, or how reassuring someone else's experience was.

 

Teddie

[lori450]

my wife is looking for something for sea sickness and someone told her to eat a green apple from the cafe before and during sailing. has anyone ever heard of that or what would be a good medication for it? she's tried a couple in the past but they put her to sleep.

 

I'm sorry if I am repeating anything that has already been said, but I am VERY prone to seasickness and this is what I have found: I start taking ginger capsules a week before the cruise and continue to take them during the cruise. When I board I take meclizine Hcl (it is the only medication that I have found to be effective without drowsiness or nausea). Dramamine makes me sick. I have used the patches, but they make me sleepy and I have accidently gotten it in my eye once - it was weird and scary but not dangerous.

[dz9yvr]

Most of the benefits come from believing the wristband, ginger or whatever will work. If you tell someone that wearing a pink hat will prevent motion sickness and they belive it, it will work most of the time. I'd say, try the ginger because it will have the fewest side effects. Whatever you pick, I guarantee will work. Now go and enjoy your cruise.

[teddie]

Most of the benefits come from believing the wristband, ginger or whatever will work. If you tell someone that wearing a pink hat will prevent motion sickness and they belive it, it will work most of the time. I'd say, try the ginger because it will have the fewest side effects. Whatever you pick, I guarantee will work. Now go and enjoy your cruise.

 

Your position suggests that motion sickness is "mind over matter".

 

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

 

Please don't minimize this very real physiologic problem that many of us have. Feel fortunate if you can "will away" seasickness and Please, please, do not try to tell me otherwise.

 

Teddie

[critterchick]

Not everybody should even take ginger - it slows blood clotting, so if you're taking some kind of blood thinners, it could interact with the drug. I recommend that you talk to your doctor about anything you're thinking of taking (or at least check out WebMD):).

 

Pre-change, I took ginger and wore Seabands (the wristbands you see in the pictures). Now I need something stronger and find that Bonine, or the CVS generic, works like a charm. Most "less drowsy" meds knock me out, but the meclizine (almost spelled that one wrong:p) does the trick and lets me keep functioning normally.

[dz9yvr]

Yep that's right it's mind over matter, I've seen it numerous times. You may be in the minority.

[teddie]

Yep that's right it's mind over matter, I've seen it numerous times. You may be in the minority.

 

No point in trying to get you to understand something that you are clearly uneducated about. There are physical reasons for severe motion sickness. Not sure how you can say I am in a minority, or a majority, for that matter. Please stop, as you are bordering on insensitive and intrusive when you choose to comment on my health issues. Thanks.

 

Teddie

[BND]

Not everybody should even take ginger - it slows blood clotting, so if you're taking some kind of blood thinners, it could interact with the drug. I recommend that you talk to your doctor about anything you're thinking of taking (or at least check out WebMD):).

 

Pre-change, I took ginger and wore Seabands (the wristbands you see in the pictures). Now I need something stronger and find that Bonine, or the CVS generic, works like a charm. Most "less drowsy" meds knock me out, but the meclizine (almost spelled that one wrong:p) does the trick and lets me keep functioning normally.

 

Less Drowsy Dramamine and Bonine are meclizine-all the same thing. Exactly the same. Original Dramamine knocks a lot of people out. Sea Bands never worked for me.

 

As for Mind over Matter-absolutely not true. I hate when someone who has no clue, has never been seasick, comes on a thread like this and spouts that crap. First cruise I absolutely believed I would be fine. I wasn't. We hit the jet stream off FL 3 or so hours out of PC and I was sick. Please don't talk about something you have absolutely no idea about. It doesn't make you look good.

 

Motion sickness is caused by your inner ear, not your thoughts. BTW, everyone can get seasick. You just have to find the motion that will be a problem for you. NO ONE is completely immune.

[BND]

Yep that's right it's mind over matter, I've seen it numerous times. You may be in the minority.

 

You don't know what you're talking about. You're in the minority if you believe that. Just ask my DH, US Navy Captain. I think he's probably seen just about every kind of seas you can and what makes people sick varies, but it's all physical, not mental.

 

You're assuming that people who get sea sick, get sick no matter what the sea conditions. WRONG. Most get sick with specific conditions, those specific to their inner ear. Most don't get sick at all when the seas are in a good place for them.

[teddie]

You don't know what you're talking about. You're in the minority if you believe that. Just ask my DH, US Navy Captain. I think he's probably seen just about every kind of seas you can and what makes people sick varies, but it's all physical, not mental.

 

You're assuming that people who get sea sick, get sick no matter what the sea conditions. WRONG. Most get sick with specific conditions, those specific to their inner ear. Most don't get sick at all when the seas are in a good place for them.

 

BND, you sound as ticked off as I feel. Thanks for your input. And Yes, I have been diagnosed with a middle ear disorder. But I love cruising, and I use what works for me as prescribed by my doctor.

 

The nerve of some people!

 

Teddie

[BND]

BND, you sound as ticked off as I feel. Thanks for your input. And Yes, I have been diagnosed with a middle ear disorder. But I love cruising, and I use what works for me as prescribed by my doctor.

 

The nerve of some people!

 

Teddie

 

It just seems that every thread about sea sickness, someone posts the same mind over matter thing. Of course, they are the ones that haven't been sick... yet.

[joand452]

I have to go with the Bonine or a generic. But I take mine at night, since even though it's non-drowsy, it knocks me out.

 

I start the night before I board the ship and every night of the cruise. I'm on a number of other medications, and this is what my doctor recommended for me.

 

I forgot to take it the night before our second cruise. Within 30 minutes I was so sick, I had to go back to the cabin and spend the rest of the night there. Took two Bonine, slept it off and was fine the next morning.

[Woe is me]

A Lite Beer from Miller does it for me.;)

[Mango Tango]

But fyi there have been recorded medical studies on "natural remedies/prevention" and the only proven product is as many people have mentioned ..ginger.

 

A matter of fact Myth Busters did a controlled study (as controlled as those guys get anyway) and found that their test groups got the best results from ginger even when they didn't know what they were given. They spun them around while they tried to read books...pretty funny but not so much for the guys given placebos..they chundered all over.

 

I saw this particular episode of Myth Busters...and thank goodness I did! I get very seasick. On my first cruise in 1992, I wore the patch with disastrous results. I was terribly sick from the side effects. Since I saw Myth Busters prove that ginger pills work for motion sickness, I have taken them on every cruise since. They really work! I start taking them a day or two before we fly and take them every day of the cruise (two in the morning and two before dinner) and then I take them for a couple of days after we return home. Also, if we're going on an excursion on a small boat, I also take a Dramamine for a little extra insurance. If it wasn't for ginger pills, I would not be able to cruise.

[pilotboy1985]

I got really seasick on my first cruise... to the point that when I reached my first port of call I had "land sickness". I still felt the earth was moving even when I was solid land. it really messed me up. Some american on our tour gave me this Drapermine thing and it worked well. We can't get it in Canada but we have Gravol. I find Gravol makes me fall asleep so I can't take it. However on my second cruise I started taking Gravol Ginger lozenges. I found they worked well for me.

 

I'm taking my third cruise this Sunday and I have 20 ginger and 10 original Gravol, just incase.

 

As you can tell by my screen name, I'm also a Pilot. I fly four-six seaters and I've flown in some bad weather... I've had my head pressed against the ceilings many times...yet I never get sick when flying.

It only seems to be a sea sickness, not a general motion sickness.

[Kellie Poodle]

My wife will second that. She swears by her wristbands. You may need to accessorize to match them to your attire.

 

 

 

My DH used to get sea sick the first day out. I bought him some of those wrist bands. He has never gotten sea sick since them. He has never opened the package of wrist bands, either.

 

Evidently just purchasing them is enough. :D

[insley]

I am really prone to nausea and seasickness. I can get vertigo just pushing a cart in the grocery, looking up and down the shelves!

 

I once tried the patch and it affected my vision so that I could not read. Bummer since I always enjoy a good book on a cruise. I don't use the patch anymore.

 

Here is what I do in combination:

Take 2 ( one am and one PM) ginger tablets for a week prior to cruise and continue doing so throughout the cruise.

Wear my seabands throughout the cruise just because I have them.

Take one bonine ( non drowsy) tablet prior to embarking. Even the non-drowsy makes me really sleepy so I don't take more unless absolutely necessary.

Eat crackers every morning prior to getting out of bed.

 

My husband who really doesn't get seasick took the ginger just in case and later realized that he wasn't experiencing the gerd/acid reflux that he often experienced on cruises. Now he takes ginger all the time and has pretty much cured his acid reflux problem.

[dz9yvr]

If you believe any of these approaches will work, they most probably will be effective.

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Your right, it all depends on where you hit water that will make you sick. I got seasick on our Alaskan cruise, when we were just sailing the inside pass. I ate ginger cookies and took it easy was fine within a few hours...

 

and your also right, sometimes the smaller boats will do it. Once at a stop in Grand Cayman a poor Asian woman got real bad sea sick (poor woman was leaning over the boat getting sick) on our tender as the water was pretty rough. I also felt sick and immediately went into a store and bought a ginger beer. I was feel after drinking it. (kinda spicy but some effective than just ginger ale, but you can't hardly get them in USA... got to look real hard)

[BND]

If you believe any of these approaches will work, they most probably will be effective.

 

Get over yourself. Everyone, please ignore.

[sarafinadh]

The drug of last resort for you is an absolute godsend for me. It's a very individualized response.

 

The choice of best remedy is individualized, and should be decided between patient and physician. If you truly have a serious case of lifelong motion-sickness, home remedies and over the counter meds may be plain ineffective.

 

I agree that if there's something you've never tried before , try it out before you sail. And if you are prone to motion sickness, be prepared, no matter how big the ship is, or how reassuring someone else's experience was.

 

Teddie

That pretty much covers it.

 

And as far as it "being all in your head"

 

HA.

 

Of course it's in your head, that is where your middle ears are as well as your aural and optic nerves and the neural network that ties it all together.

 

For the first 35 years I sailed I had little or no problem with seasickness. Ginger in various forms and acupressure (bands are a form of this but you can do it with your fingers as well) eased any discomfort when I had to go below during heavy seas.

 

That changed when I took up sailing again after a ten year hiatus. I am now VERY prone to motion sickness. Which truly sucks. Truly. But the fishes must love me chumming over the side... : -P

 

For me these days the patch is the deal that meets my needs. I have few to no side effects. Keep in mind if after you try the less drastic remedies unsuccessfully, with your DR's approval, you can TRY the patch. If you are unlucky then TAKE IT OFF. If you aren't then cool, you're golden ; -)

 

Most sailors will tell you that after you have been aboard for 3 days your ears and eyes and brain will have come to an understanding and except for REALLY bad seas, or really extreme cases, you should find you don't need any help after that.

 

For those of you who find the bands efficacious, but hate wearing them, these might make you happier;

 

[teddie]

That pretty much covers it.

 

And as far as it "being all in your head"

 

HA.

 

Of course it's in your head, that is where your middle ears are as well as your aural and optic nerves and the neural network that ties it all together.

 

For the first 35 years I sailed I had little or no problem with seasickness. Ginger in various forms and acupressure (bands are a form of this but you can do it with your fingers as well) eased any discomfort when I had to go below during heavy seas.

 

That changed when I took up sailing again after a ten year hiatus. I am now VERY prone to motion sickness. Which truly sucks. Truly. But the fishes must love me chumming over the side... : -P

 

For me these days the patch is the deal that meets my needs. I have few to no side effects. Keep in mind if after you try the less drastic remedies unsuccessfully, with your DR's approval, you can TRY the patch. If you are unlucky then TAKE IT OFF. If you aren't then cool, you're golden ; -)

 

Most sailors will tell you that after you have been aboard for 3 days your ears and eyes and brain will have come to an understanding and except for REALLY bad seas, or really extreme cases, you should find you don't need any help after that.

 

For those of you who find the bands efficacious, but hate wearing them, these might make you happier;

 

 

Thanks, Sara,

 

I wish my ears and eyes and brain would come to terms with each other after three or so days (sigh). To those who may be interested:

 

I've done transatlantics beginning at the age of ten years, sailed the smooth waters of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea all the way to Australia and back. Over the years, it has worsened to include motion sickness while flying. Like you, Sara, a long period of time elapsed before I boarded a plane, and the results were horrible. That's when I tried the Scop patch, which changed everything for the better.

 

Four years ago, out of nowhere, I developed severe vertigo, and went to my doctor, who prescribed antivert (meclizine). This helped a tiny bit, but did nothing to correct the problem.

 

I was encouraged by my boss to be examined by a Certified Vestibular Therapist. I work for a large rehabilitation hospital in NJ, and our outpatient department provides this service. I was diagnosed with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), and some simple interventions straightened it all out. Not all types of vertigo respond to this treatment, but to anyone with vertigo problems, you may want to consider visiting a vestibular therapist for an evaluation.

 

That being said, the therapist was not surprised at all to hear of my motion sickness history, considering his findings.

 

This time, I will try the ginger capsules and see if they help, but I will have my scop patch ready. I will also bring The Reliefband, which is an electronic version of the wristband. It's not pretty, like the pic you posted; it looks like an ugly wristwatch, but it's great. My DH who never gets motion sick, had to use it after riding "Body Wars" in Walt Disney World. He was amazed when his symptoms were completely gone in a matter of minutes.

 

Happy sailing, everyone! And a Happy Thanksgiving to all US people.

 

Teddie