Bonine

[78232]

Has anyone ever gotten seasick while taking bonine?

I am looking at cabins on the Nieuw Amsterdam while waiting for them to open for booking. My first choice is a veranda on the navigation deck near the front elevators...but I did get seasick once. So I am wondering if bonine ever failed anyone when taken on a daily basis.

 

Thanks

Marcia

[perditax]

If you're asking can the OTC med 100% guarantee a favorable outcome, the answer is no. There are prescriptions and other home remedies you can try, but I've definitely seen stories of rough seas or other conditions that defeated meclizine.

[New Jersey Pat]

Bonine has worked for me in very heavy seas while on s freighter. I know not everyone may have the same outcome, but I do not cruise without it. Also take some ginger tablets with me.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You really should talk to your family doctor before taking any sea sick medication.

He knows you better than anyone on CC does. He knows if and what medications you are taking.

So Please -- talk to your family doctor as to what he recommends. What works for one person may not work for you.

[gwenmarie]

I used a constant intake of ginger capsule, chews (like candy) and ginger tea with great success. Just did a spring trip Hawaii/South Pacific of 34 days and did just fine.

[OCruisers]

Please don't assume you'll be seasick!

You might be amazed at how very many NEVER have been. ;)

[Daisyloo]

I once got "sea-sick" on a porch swing, and so far Bonine has not let me down on any cruise. I wouldn't want to cruise without it.

[AncientWanderer]

I'm extremely susceptible to seasickness on small boats, but have never been sick on a cruise ship (over 200 days at sea.) That said, I've taken Bonine about three times, when the seas were really high, and it did hold me together quite well. Your mileage may vary.

[senorjim]

I have used Meclazine provided free at the front desk on the ship. You only need to ask for sea sick pills. It worked great for me.

[POA1]

Bonine is meclizine. It's also sold as Antivert or the non-drowsy formula of Dramamine. It should work in most cases, but you want to take it prophylactically - before you need it. As a bonus, it helps to prevent hangovers.

[Vict0riann]

Bonine is meclizine. It's also sold as Antivert or the non-drowsy formula of Dramamine. It should work in most cases, but you want to take it prophylactically - before you need it. As a bonus, it helps to prevent hangovers.

 

 

Haha! So it would be great if it were supplied as part of the SBP!

[OlsSalt]

Agree, once you check with your doctor Bonine can be a good option. but it does have to be taken before you need it. Not after the fact once you feel sea sick. Preferably 24 hours before, so that is the down side. You can end up taking it and never need it if the seas stay calm. Of late, I now only take it once the captain announces there may be some turbulence ahead in a few hours. So far so good.

 

I still see a number of people with the scopolamine patches behind their ears which does take a doctor's RX and is far more powerful if you find the Bonine does not cut it. However, be aware some have noted a post-cruise experience with scopolamine patches that make you still feel like you are on a moving ship after you have already disembarked.

 

My concern with Bonine is it acts as a drying anti-histamine and "may' make one vulnerable to upper respiratory infections because of that mucous membrane drying effect.

 

Not sure if there is any proven connection, but if you do take Bonine I'd pay even more attention to the rule to scrupulously never put your fingers in your mouth, nose or eyes. Ever. We should never do this anyway. But while we all know that, habits are hard to break.

Edited August 12, 2015 by OlsSalt

[Keith1010]

Marcia, the key with Bonine is to take it before you become sea sick.

 

If in doubt we take it the first day and then we take it if the captain says there will be very rough seas.

 

If you wait until you are sea sick taking it can make you feel very drowsy.

 

Keith

[sapper1]

I used to take Gravol, which is the brand name sold here in Canada, for seasickness. It made me very drowsy so I tried the ginger pills also sold under the Gravol name. The ginger settled my stomach but also gave me heartburn.

 

On a whim I bought a pair of sea bands and very skeptically tried them, making sure to place them exactly as directed. They worked like a charm and I have been using them ever since. The way I look at it is even if they don't really work and it is all in my head that I feel better, I still feel better. :)

[LUPY48]

I swear by Bonine. I start taking it 3-4 days pre-cruise....every day that I'm cruising....and 3-4 days post cruise (to help with that rocking feeling). Zero side effects and hasn't failed me yet.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I'm extremely susceptible to seasickness on small boats, but have never been sick on a cruise ship (over 200 days at sea.) That said, I've taken Bonine about three times, when the seas were really high, and it did hold me together quite well. Your mileage may vary.

 

I'm the same way. I get queasy in small boats, but I've been seasick only once on a ship, and that was horrible bad weather in the North Atlantic during a transatlantic.

 

I found a chewable meclizine, Travelease, that I bought in England. I like it because it's like a gummy bear, and I can bite off a small amount. I don't have to take the whole thing, which will make me drowsy later. I suspect 1/4 of a tablet is more placebo effect than actual medication, but it makes me feel better if I'm going to be on a bouncy boat.

[HarR]

On our last cruise some semi rough weather was announced when leaving Bergen. A fellow passenger expressed her concerns, as she had gotten badly seasick before even when taking her tablets.

 

So I offered her my "Magic" Bonine.

 

That night the paper bags where placed near the elevators, and MDR and public spaces were noticeably more quite. Thanks to my Bonine I had a great evening. Not the slightest feeling of sickness. :D

 

Our fellow passenger? Had to skip dinner, and was still not feeling well for most of the next (sea)day.

 

So, Bonine has worked perfectly for me on several rough sea days so far, but apparently isn't guaranteed to be effective for everyone.

[wyobean]

I have had a problem with motion sickness my whole life. Took Dramamine for years. Have used the patch (it worked, but had side effects). The wrist bands did nothing for me. A couple years ago a friend recommended Cinarizina. I purchase it in Mexico. I split the pills into fourths. I take a fourth about every 8 hours. If the seas are rough I can increase accordingly. I have used it on bus tours, for flying and on cruises. I love it.

[JWinchester]

The rest of my family swears by the Australian Kwells, which don't do a thing for me. Bonine, otoh, works wonders. Even more so than the local brand, which should contain the same effective ingredient in the same amount (though it could also be my imagination at work :) ). So, yes, as others have said, you may have to experiment to find out what works for you.

[OlsSalt]

I have had a problem with motion sickness my whole life. Took Dramamine for years. Have used the patch (it worked, but had side effects). The wrist bands did nothing for me. A couple years ago a friend recommended Cinarizina. I purchase it in Mexico. I split the pills into fourths. I take a fourth about every 8 hours. If the seas are rough I can increase accordingly. I have used it on bus tours, for flying and on cruises. I love it.

 

More info to start with about WIKI about Cinarizina - like all medications, use with knowledge and due care. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnarizine Check the CDC and NIH website PubMed research links for more information about various travel sickness matters.

Edited August 12, 2015 by OlsSalt

[3rdGenCunarder]

Another reason meds work better sometimes than others is the kind of motion. DH is bothered more by pitch than roll. Rolling sometimes bothers me but pitching doesn't bother me at all. On our Alaska cruise, we had rough weather going down the Calif coast. It was all pitch, no roll, and I sat up at the Crow's nest, watching the bow go up and down. (DH took a nap.)

[OlsSalt]

Another reason meds work better sometimes than others is the kind of motion. DH is bothered more by pitch than roll. Rolling sometimes bothers me but pitching doesn't bother me at all. On our Alaska cruise, we had rough weather going down the Calif coast. It was all pitch, no roll, and I sat up at the Crow's nest, watching the bow go up and down. (DH took a nap.)

 

Good reminder. An on-board doctor claimed there were three types - (1) pitching, (2) rolling and (3) cork-screwing, which was both together.

 

For that he said there was nothing you could take that would help. That is when I take to bed and ride it out. And think about the HAL "High Seas" room service menu, but imagine the crew likes a break during that time too.

[jimmy2x]

I believe you mentioned getting a cabin near the forward elevators. My experience, including 20 years USN, is that there is far more motion in the forward areas. Mid-ships is best, but even aft is better. I have (luckily) never been sea-sick, but my wife has. She also swears by Bonine, and starts taking it the day before embarkation.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Good reminder. An on-board doctor claimed there were three types - (1) pitching, (2) rolling and (3) cork-screwing, which was both together.

 

For that he said there was nothing you could take that would help. That is when I take to bed and ride it out. And think about the HAL "High Seas" room service menu, but imagine the crew likes a break during that time too.

 

Corkscrewing is the worst! (But it does produce an interesting pattern in the wake) It's too many changes in motion all at once. That's when I take meclizine and try to think calm thoughts.

Edited August 12, 2015 by 3rdGenCunarder