Anti seasick preferences???

[cruisegirl1219]

Alaska is VERY calm waters, been there 4 times, always calm.

 

The very first cruise I went on I got terribly seasick. I had never suffered from motion sickness before. I was crusing with BFF. Her first cruise too. We were doing western carribean out of Tampa in Oct. First day out no problem. The next morning we both woke up with headaches.(learned from asst. maitre D this is first sign). BFF suffers from migraines and took her med. I took some Tylenol. She got better I got worse. It was captain's dinner night and we were not going to miss it. We got all dressed up and off we went. When we got to our table the waiter said "oh,oh" looking at me. He brought me ginger ale and crackers. Not much of an appetizer but I could not have eaten. The busboy was keeping an eye on me too. Suddenly he came running over with the bin they use for clearing dishes. Thank goodness he did. I started throwing up. They got me a wheelchair and to the infirmary I went. The doctor gave me a shot of compazine. What a liifesaver. The vomiting eased up then stopped. He sent me back to my cabin to sleep(compazine puts you out)and gave me some pills to take for the rest of the cruise. They were phenegren. It's a med given for vomiting usually after surgery, chemo, etc. but it's also precribed for motion sickness. I took one in the morning one at night no more sickness.

 

After that I went to my doctor and asked for a prescription because I was crusing again. He had never heard it being used for motion sickness, but he looked it up in PDR and then he gave me my prescription. It can cause drowsiness but it has no effect on me even with alcohol. BFF zonks out. Go figure. Major drugs she takes for migraine pain(talking narcotics) do not knock her out but one phenegren and she's gone. You take one pill every 12 hours. I have cruised over 20 times in some of the worst seas. Never got sick but must take pill 2 hours before cruising otherwise disaster could happen.

[catugirl]

I have used the patch, which made me "high," disoriented, and created short-term memory loss! As soon as I took the patch off, I was fine again. Since then I've taken Bonine, which works like a charm and doesn't make me drowsy. My DH had no trouble with the patch, but he's much bigger than I am!

[Texas_Diver]

I have horrible seasickness and have used every product available. What works best for me are the Transderm patches (scopolamine). This drug does have side effects and is contraindicated for some people. But for me, it's a perfect solution.

 

D.

[Harry and Lucille]

Many people suffer from motion sickness. This is a fact.

 

Many people are borderline. More than you might think.

 

If you have that problem. Take a pill early on.

 

The mind is a crazy place. Just take the time to think about sickness and in all likelihood, you can be sick.

 

There are many remedies. Pills, patches, foods, herbs. What ever works is great. Just don't think about it too much.

 

When you start to think about getting sick - - - it's too late.

 

Take your insurance relief early, forget about it and enjoy your cruise.

[Mary Ellen]

Alaska is VERY calm waters, been there 4 times, always calm.

We've been several times more than that and can not agree with this statement at all. We ecountered 40-ft seas coming out of Sitka on our first cruise. A lot also depends upon the itineary. A cruise out of Seattle has much more potential for rough seas than one sailing out of Vancouver. Even sailing from Vancouver it can get pretty rough crossing Queen Charlotte Sound. I can not imagine ever making a blanket statement that Alaska has VERY calm waters.

[justcruisinacross]

As a retired pharmacist I always recommended STUGERON ( Cinnarazine ) for my UK customers. I have always found it effective and it has never made me drowsy, or given me any undesired side-effects.

On a lighter note, many years ago a doctor writing in a Yachting Magazine suggested tinned pineapple - he claimed it was the only thing that tasted the same going down as it did coming up. :)

Have just returned off Oceania Nautica having cruised around the British Isles and to Iceland and Greenland ( Viking Expeditions ).

Whilst the UK suffered unrelenting rain and gales we had nothing but calm seas, and amazing sunny days in Iceland and Greenland.

[maygrovecruisers]

Some years ago I was sailing around Australia and across the Tasman Sea (which can get very rough). A fellow passenger gave me the following advice - place an ear plug (or a piece of cotton wool) into ONE (1) ear. I was amazed to find it works every time for me. Before this I had tried lots of remedies but was averse to using chemicals. I cruise up to 6 times a year and have had to use my ear plug quite a few times and it has always worked. I carry cotton wool balls on my person all the time while on a ship. When I feel the ship starting to move a bit I put a piece in 1 ear. I believe it helps with the inner ear balance. I also enjoy eating ginger and drinking ginger ale so I use them as additional help. I have told many people and every one has found it helped them too. On one ship I was termed a Hero by the crew as they used the ear plug for the first time and found it worked for them and enabled them to work better in rough seas. The only down side is that you cannot hear out of the blocked ear. It does not matter which ear you block and you do not need to use it until the ship's motion increases.

[ksqueak]

Does anyone have a preferred "anti-seasick" method? Transdermal patches, dramamine, bracelets? We are cruising to Alaska in a few weeks and I am a little afraid that the Pacific ocean may be rougher than the Caribbean.

 

 

Ginger capsules are awesome!

[Sparkle144]

Does anyone have a preferred "anti-seasick" method? Transdermal patches, dramamine, bracelets? We are cruising to Alaska in a few weeks and I am a little afraid that the Pacific ocean may be rougher than the Caribbean.

 

The University of Utah at Salt Lake did a study some years ago on the use of ginger vs. other remedies in common situations. They found it worked better than other (at least OTC, as recall) with no side effects. When my wife and I cruise we pack ginger capsules, available any health food store. Ginger tea could work but probably a lesser amount than the capsules.

Sparkle 144

[Luckynana]

After cruising during a hurricane that followed us during a 12 day cruise from Key West all the way to Curacao, I found the bracelets are the way to go. People were in the infirmary, taking pills, using barf bags...you get the idea! We even had 20-ft. waves one night. I was fortunate to get the bracelet on board the first night of the hurricane. That was over 13 years ago. I don't travel without the bracelet in my toiletry bag. It's worked every time! You can also buy them in drugstores for around $10.00 or so, and it comes in a little plastic storage box. Enjoy your cruise!

[kidsouttime2cruise]

i have used dramamine, but found it makes me drowsy...so I switched to bonine and that works much better without the drowsy side affects. Ginger Ale might work too. Mint gum...they do not sell gum on the ship..mints. We sailed to Alaska last August and the ride was awesome...there was ONE day/night that was rough due to a storm that went thru but the rest of the time was the best smooth sailing ever. We actually watched the employee just get finished squeegy-ing the deck and the pool overflowed onto the lido deck at breakfast time. we felt bad for the guy but it only happened that one time. good luck in your search. YOU ARE GONNA LOVE ALASKA!!! We bundled up when we went thru the fjords and we saw the glaciers. Otherwise it was pretty reasonable during the day...I swam...well actually spent more time in the hot tub. they swept the ice from the ice sculpture into the pool ...brrr it made the pool water a bit brisk for me. we went dog sledding and over dressed... I believe the top of Denver Glacier in Skagway was hoodie temp...we were dressed for the arctic...ha ha ha and didnt need our gloves or scarves.

[mtstranscribe]

I have horrible motion sickness. Dont let the first day fool you or the fact that you cant feel the motion, which I did presume and didnt take anything the first day. Got up the next morning, and the room began spinning, I couldnt stand up straight and kept falling over. Ive never experienced anything like it in my life; I have always just had severe nausea. Someone, thank goodness, had the transderm patch. I cut it in half and used it behind my ear. It was like a miracle and I enjoyed the rest of my cruise. It is better to be prepared for the worst, so I will always bring a patch from now on. I dont want to invest that much in a trip and spend all of it in bed!

[Royal24car]

We take a Bonine each day at dinner. Never had a problem even in rough seas.

[mtab]

The first 2 cruises we took I believed death would be a welcome relief. Didn't know anything about seasickness then. Didn't cruise again for years. Well, near 20 cruises later, including Alaska, I've got it down. Every evening around 10 pm (in the event it makes me sleepy) I take one non-drowsy Bonine or Dramamine. At dinner, I take a ginger pill. If I feel any motion, I slap on my wrist bands which I always carry with me. I carry the patch but my doctor advised me not to use it so I haven't. If we are going to be in port next morning, I only take 1/2 a pill at night tho I'm sure some would recommend taking the whole pill. In between, I drink ginger ale. Worse that's happened since is I've needed a nap but not been sick. It's important your cabin is located lower mid ship. I always book well in advance just so I can pick the best location for me. Best part of that is, they are usually cheaper tho they're starting to charge extra for midship.