help with motion sickness

[starbrite911]

I have extremely bad motion sickness. Luckily I don't throw up ( yet) but I

am nauseated, light headed, dizzy and a zombie the whole day. This is for car travel, plane travel and boats. My first cruise was in September and it was a 4 day trip. The first day was brutal, the second day and third we were docked during the day so I was fine, and the last day was okay because we had arrived back. I notice if I am sleeping I can deal with the boat moving, but if it is moving while I am awake I feel so gross.

 

 

 

I take gravol every four hours, I have anti nausea arm bands, and I really take it easy. Despite that I still can feel the boat swaying and I stumble around and feel sick the whole time. If I eat my stomach gets upset.

 

I am now going on a 7 day cruise to Western Caribbean this last week of February with my family. 4/7 of the days is just at sea. What can I do to feel better?

[cb at sea]

Sounds like a doctor is what you need....they can perhaps give your a prescription for something that may work better for you!

 

I can think of little worse than being ill on a cruise!

[bamboozel]

My husband and I took ginger pills. We started a week before the cruise and took them twice a day. We had a great cruise.:)

[Talisker92]

My wife all her life has been carsick, airsick, seasick. I introduced her to Bonine, which I buy in 100 tablet bottles under the generic meclazine.

Since taking it, she no longer has a problem. BUT, it may not work for everyone. Some swear by ginger, some by seabands, etc.

[riffatsea]

We also use the generic Meclazine. It is what they would give you on the ship if you went to the doctor on board.

My husband needs to take 2 pills the first day and then 1 morning and 1 night after that.

I only take 1 pill unless the sea gets rough and then I take a 2nd one.

You should try it before your cruise. Take it and try sitting in a car as a passenger to see if it helps.

Ginger is harder to find the correct dosage but it does work for some people although I'd say it is not for those who get very affected by motion!

 

[melika091900]

meclazine for sure!!!i actually took them after i started feeling sick on a cruise and it took it right away ..

 

 

or get the patches prescribed by a dr, Transderm Scōp® patch

only bad thing is makes your mouth dry...

[YubaSutter]

I take Bonine. I start the day before the cruise and finish 2 days after the cruise is over. Doesn't make me sleepy like Dramamine and I can still drink, a lot.

[dolittle]

Seabands do not work try the others.

[bbwex]

Some background information will really help you before we get to remedies.

 

First of all, most people don't get seasick, and if you do, it almost always passes in a day, once you get your sea legs. Yes, I know, there are some people (a very small number) who seem to take several days to get over it. Given a couple of days, since you seem to take more time than most, it will generally pass, but the couple of days can be pretty miserable.

 

Seasickness is primarily caused by a conflict between the eyes (if they are not seeing the motion) and the inner ear which detect the motion. So, prevention is somewhat easy -- stay someplace where you can see the motion until you get your sea legs. Staying out on deck and watching the horizon is the cure, and the fresh air will help as well. If you are inside, stay near a window so you can see the horizon. If you are not feeling well, do not go inside and lose sight of the seas. The other thing is to eat normally. While this seems counter-intuitive, an empty stomach is not the answer. Keep away from greasy foods and don't overeat, but eat normal meals at normal times.

 

As for the remedies:

 

Ginger is clinically proven to dramatically reduce or prevent all motion sickness. You can take ginger pills (available in any drug store), eat candied ginger or ginger snaps, or drink real ginger ale (though you might need a lot). This is a natural remedy obviously, but proven to work. Start taking or eating it before you get on the ship, but you do not need more than a few hours' time for it to get into your system.

 

Some people, as noted in a previous post, swear by the seabands, others notice no effect whatsoever. Again, no medication, but not always effective.

 

Bonine and dramamine are OTC medications available everywhere. They will work for most people who get seasick. They should be started before getting on the ship. Ships also dispense generic forms of these pills.

 

For cases of severe seasickness where nothing else has worked, there is the patch. The most common side-effect is dry mouth, but there can be some serious side-effects up to and including hallucinations. If you know you are going to get seasick, and you have tried other medications without success, and your doctor recommends it, get the prescription filled in advance and try it for a week on dry land first -- you don't want to start hallucinating as you walk along the rail while you are at sea.

 

While your problem seems to be real, you should still relax about it. You can mentally make it worse than it has to be. Make no mistake, a ship moves in the water, and your body is going to notice. But the motion is nothing like the motion in a small boat or a car -- the motion on a ship is much slower and more gentle. You might need some help until you get your sea legs, but you will get them, and thereafter you should be fine unless you hit some really rough seas.

[riffatsea]

The medicine contained in Bonine and the medicine contained in Dramamine II(the NON drowsy form) IS the generic Meclezine. Those all contain the SAME ingredient.

The ingredient in the original Dramamine is the same as the one in Gravol-(Dimenhydrinate)

Only those of us who suffer from motion sickness can understand that it is real and NOT pleasant so preventing it by taking meds is the only way to be able to enjoy a cruise.

It doesn't really help us to say that "most people" don't feel ill or that "it will go away in a few days"!!

[mchelle77]

I don't think any of us are prone to motion sickness, but what are our options for our daughter just in case? I can't say I'd give her pills (she's only 6) ..

[starbrite911]

thank you everyone!!!!

 

UPDATE:

 

I went to the doctor and got a prescription for scopalamine patches. They are tan colored stickers in the shape of a circle that you put behind your ear/neck hair line. You put it on prior to travel, take it off after three days. You can swim, shower, etc. I was on a seven day cruise, so I went through 3 patches.

 

BEST THING EVER!

 

Like I said before, I get sick very easily. I haven't been at the point of throwing up ever, thank goodness but the nausea feels just as bad. I am in a fog when I go in a car, airplane or boat and I'm pretty much a sick person the whole trip- not fun.

 

These things made me feel like a normal person completely.

 

However, there was one day where the boat was at sea and it was a really bad storm going on. The captain advised everyone to stay indoors and avoid going on deck. Everyone in the ship was bumping around and stumbling, so my nausea was really bad. I had the genius idea of working out and got so nauseous that I laid down in the fitness bathrooms on the floor, (gross I know). That's how sick I got, but I don't think it was the patches not working just the boat being really bad that day.

 

Go get these patches, best thing in the world.