Motion sickness

[Nelie]

Hi everyone.

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this but ill give it a go.

 

I love cruising and wanted to get my mum into it too. I always wanted to see Alaska and though a cruise would be great way. We had plans to do an Alaskan cruise but she chickened out. So we did another trip to the USA instead doing an escorted tour where everyone on tour told her she was crazy. Try cruising.

 

So my mum decided to try it but a cruise close to home in case anything went wrong. So we did a South Pacific cruise. Things didn’t go great. Although there was no vomiting she was nauseas the whole time. Light headed and dizziness.

 

So I kissed goodbye my dreams of Alaska. Yet a few months later my mum was eager to go.

 

So we did Alaska and she was fine. The whole time.!!!!!

 

We figured maybe first time jitters. She was sick on the first plane ride to USA.

 

So last yeah we decided to do the south pacific again.

 

Bam sick again. Same thing dizziness.

 

She still tries to have a good time and would love to cruise again but it’s not good if she is dizzy.

 

Any thoughts.

 

We assumed that the South Pacific was a more open water cruise so maybe it was rougher seas? To be honest apart from when we were running away from tropical cyclone Winston last year and had one really rough night I didn’t really notice much of a difference in boat motion on any of my cruises

 

Any ideas on how to fix, cure or help this issue. Anyone else the same?

 

I’d love to do South Pacific ,Alaska and Hawaii again. I’d love to do Caribbean and I know my mum would love Hawaii and Europe but not if she is sick.

 

Please help. She is my only cruising buddy.

[mom says]

Has she tried any of the over the counter motion sickness medications?

 

I'm not familiar with what is available in Australia, but her pharmacist (or her family doctor, if she has other medical problems) should be able to recommend something that she can safely try.

 

Sea bands (elasticized bands with pressure point buttons) are likely the least invasive. Some people get relief from them. Others use ginger in one firm or another (capsules, gum, or candied). Some swear by green apples. Common OTC meds in North America include Dramamine and Bonine (dimenhydrinate and meclizine are their generic names). The last resort is a prescription patch of Scopolomine; but it can have some very unfortunate side effects.

 

Have her discuss this with her pharmacist or physician. And if she's going to take any medication, she should try it at home first to ensure she doesn't have any side effects. Best of luck. I had to try a few things before I found the right product for me (Bonine).

[Nelie]

She took an OTC medication called Travel Calm. It comes in original and ginger, i think she had the ginger ones. She was also drinking ginger ale. Didn’t really do much. Wasn’t really sure if the sea sickness type medication would really do anything as although there was nausea no vomiting. And she was able to eat relatively normally without making it worse. Mainly dizziness that often led to a headache. She was generally ok in the morning but it got worse as the day went on. She went to bed early after taking pain relief.

 

Just wondering if anyone else got effected by this?

[moqui_girl]

There are over the counter medicines that can help with dizziness. There are several different types so speak with a pharmacist. There is usually no need to suffer unless you can't take certain things due to other meds etc. There are lots of things out there to help. I don't suffer terribly but normally feel a bit wobbly on the first couple of days. Some over the counter medication really helps until I find my sea legs.

 

 

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[sanger727]

Sea sickness medicines absolutely work. I get really bad motion sickness in cars, buses, trains, and boats but have never gotten sick enough to disturb my trip when on medicine. In the US we have a patch available by prescription calls transcopderm. It's easy to use because you only put a new one on every 3 days. It works pretty well for me but gives me dry mouth. There's also an OTC, generic is meclizine, and it's sold as generic, and under the brand names bonine and non drowsy Dramamine. It's a pilll and You have to take it twice a day, but for me it's more effective than the patch with no side effects.

 

No matter what, you have to take these as a preventive. Nothing will relieve sea sickness once it starts. Just have to wait it out. But if you start these meds before the cruise they will prevent the dizziness and nausea.

 

And yes, open waters will absolutely be worse than protected waters. I know I'm prone so don't ever not take it. But on our last cruise we had 2 days each way from Florida to the Caribbean with very rough waters and then 5 days in the Caribbean with very smooth waters. You could def tell the difference and many people got a little sea sickness during the rough waters. I prob would have been fine in the smooth waters, but it wasn't worth missing a day of the vacation to try it out.

 

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Edited January 29, 2017 by sanger727

[nightfire]

Sea sickness medicines absolutely work. I get really bad motion sickness in cars, buses, trains, and boats but have never gotten sick enough to disturb my trip when on medicine. In the US we have a patch available by prescription calls transcopderm. It's easy to use because you only put a new one on every 3 days. It works pretty well for me but gives me dry mouth. There's also an OTC, generic is meclizine, and it's sold as generic, and under the brand names bonine and non drowsy Dramamine. It's a pilll and You have to take it twice a day, but for me it's more effective than the patch with no side effects.

 

No matter what, you have to take these as a preventive. Nothing will relieve sea sickness once it starts. Just have to wait it out. But if you start these meds before the cruise they will prevent the dizziness and nausea.

 

 

 

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I second the meclazine. I get sea sick fairly easily and am a recreational scuba diver. I take Meclazine a day before I board any boat/ship. Once on board, depending on the sea conditions, I may add Zofran to it to prevent nausea. I continue to take these medicines throughout my cruise. While Meclazine is available over the counter in the US, Zofran is only available via prescription. I would never board any vessel without taking these medicines. I have been so ill, that it takes days to fully recover-words cannot describe how dreadful the feeling is. It is necessary to premeditate to prevent the onset in the first place. I cannot stress this enough. And yes, I have tried, ginger, lemon drops, Sea Bands, looking at the horizon, staying in the middle of a vessel, staying with the captain on small boats, etc.

 

Good luck!!

[Nelie]

Wow thanks so much for all your advice.

My mum was asking last night when and where we are going next and even brought up cruising Hawaii. :D

So i am glad she hasn't gotten despondent over cruising because she gets ill like so many others do.

 

Ill email her some of the names of medications and see if i can find if they are available in Australia or an alternative. She will be seeing her Doc soon so ill ask her to mention it to him then. i think she hasn't in the past as she thought of it as something minor and has only happened twice. Will see what advice he can give her.

 

Thanks for being Awesome

[SPacificbound]

I always bring Bonine which is meclizine, ginger capsules and ginger candy.

 

Neither of us have been seasick, but I'm not taking any chances. :)

[donaldsc]

Wow thanks so much for all your advice.

My mum was asking last night when and where we are going next and even brought up cruising Hawaii. :D

So i am glad she hasn't gotten despondent over cruising because she gets ill like so many others do.

 

Ill email her some of the names of medications and see if i can find if they are available in Australia or an alternative. She will be seeing her Doc soon so ill ask her to mention it to him then. i think she hasn't in the past as she thought of it as something minor and has only happened twice. Will see what advice he can give her.

 

Thanks for being Awesome

 

Best idea yet. None of us who have replied are physicians so we really do not know what we are talking about when we try to prescribe medicines over the internet. We have idea what would work best for your mother.

[nomadguy]

As a cruiser & fisherwoman, I've tried it all - Bonine, Dramimine, rx meclizine (better compound than those 2 OTC meds, ginger, ginger ale, rx Relief band (somewhat helpful), sea bands (worthless 2 me), rx transderm patches (somewhat helpful), pretzels, apples, continuous eating, u name it, I've tried it so as not to be chumming over the side of a fishing boat. Fishing in AK, I found Motion Eaze drops 4 behind the ear - recommended by the fishing store clerk (Amazon sells it). This was helpful for me but I have some rules I also follow when there's too much motion on a cruise ship:

- first sign of headache, take 2 ibuprofen & a nap

- no reading or writing

- descend from top decks to more center (deck 5ish)

- move midship if too forward or aft

- if I cannot find something entertaining when I feel punky, I go take a nap

 

Only the patch & Motion eaze work AFTER you start feeling ill. (I use both & follow my rules above.) The others you need to start prior to sailing.

 

DO Talk to your dr pre-trip about precautions and remedies best for your body.

 

(FWIW, I have noticed that my seasickness episodes have increased post menopausal! )

 

Good luck!

 

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[Slugsta]

For medical reasons I am unable to sit for more than a few minutes at a time, so travelling is very difficult for me. I am lucky that we are near enough to a port to make cruising possible :)

 

Unfortunately In have become increasingly travel sick (possibly due, at least in part, to other meds I take). I have tried pretty much everything - wrist bands, motion eaze drops, ginger, green apples and a whole range of tablets OTC and prescribed (including the Zofran that someone mentioned up thread) with little effect. It was starting to look as if I would have to give up cruising too :(

 

The only thing that works for me are the scop patches. Yes, they give me a dry mouth, but then so do my other meds. Fortunately, I don't have any of the other potential side effects from them. Thank goodness, I can still cruise! :)

 

I would recommend anyone who has travel sickness to consider the patches if other things fail to help. Of course you must discuss this with your physician first. I would also recommend trying them out before you travel - then you can deal with any side effects on home ground.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Slugsta
typo

[Nelie]

My mum had spoken to a few on board our last trip who had gotten sick and said they went to the doctor(on ship, eek $$$$$) and had gotten an injection. I thought perhaps that could have been for constant vomiting or the other end. She wasn't sure but was like i dont care what the cost mif it works . Anyone know what it might have been? Might be an option when we go on another cruise if the other options people have suggested don't work. I was like hey lets look at some different type of healing. Ive heard things about Reiki for motion sickness as well as like pressure point massages. Getting treatment in the weeks leading up to the cruise. Hey I am willing to try anything to help my mum travel. My dad doesnt travel. They do car journeys around the state but that's it. When i took her to the US in 2010 it was her first flight in 17 years. Since then we have done four holidays together and she has now started travelling with her sister and niece interstate without me. It has given her so much confidence i dotn want this to stop her.

 

Thanks again for the ehlp

[Dayenu]

1) Was the cabin location different? Were you in the lower middle part of the ship on all cruises? Location is important when you have motion sickness.

 

2) What type of cabins? People with motion sickness cannot be in an inside cabins, they need some type of a window. There is a connection between what the body feels, and the eyes see.

 

3) The bed is usually positioned "across" the ship, from door to window. Somebody here on Cruise Critic posted, her bed was positioned "along" the ship, from side wall to side wall, and this type of rocking at night made her sick.

 

4) A snack between the meals helps, especially apples with saltines.

[PJLoveToTravel]

I was seasick on my first 2 cruises. HORRIBLE feeling! Then I tried the patch behind my ear and haven't had a problem since. As someone else has posted, it can make you thirsty but I'd rather drink a lot of water than be sea sick. I start it 1-2 days before my cruise and change it every 3rd day. You need a doctor's prescription so he will evaluate if it is a good choice for you.

 

Ginger tea, ginger candy, wrist bracelets never worked for me. I tried OTC but they made me so sleepy I slept through the cruises.

 

I sure hope your mom gets some relief.

[easyboy]

My DW just use the Reliefband and effective for her.

[grnidlad8]

All I can say is get the RELIEF BAND! It cost about $60-$80 USD and has replacement button batteries. Check out Amazon.

It is a wristwatch kind of looking strap that has five settings that send electrical pulses and your fingertips will tingle ever-so-slightly.

BUT IT WORKS!! I have cruised over 25 times and still get seasick about half the time. For the first time, I just heard an ad for it on the radio station within the past week. All I said to that ad was "DUH!"

 

Even once you are ill, strap it on and within minutes you will feel much better. It has also help relieve any kind of nausea including menstrual cramping and headaches. I wear one and always bring a spare for others to use. And you know it...someone always needs it! All users agreed that it works!

[SuiteTraveler]

If you cruise the Caribbean from Florida, New Orleans, Galveston or Tampa, you are in sheltered water and most of the time (with the exception of during a tropical storm or hurricane), the cruise will be extremely smooth. Cruising the Med from Barcelona to Naples is also an exceptionally smooth cruise. River cruises have almost zero motion, btw - you should definitely give one of those a go as you see so much more and they are nearly completely all-inclusive.

 

As to medications: Meclazine (called Bonine here in the US and sold over the counter) for normal conditions to slightly rough and then Trans Derm Scop (Scopalamine) for high seas - requires a prescription from the doctor. The injection the doctor gives is promethazine (sold as Phenergan) which may leave the location of injection sore and it will make the patient sleepy but works if the patient is vomiting as they cannot vomit up the injection. Your mom will need to consult her physician to find out what may be best for her.

 

In regards to dizziness, it is best that your mom's cabin be from the middle to the mid-forward area of the ship and ask for a dining table that is not near the back of the ship as this area of most ships sometimes has that weightless feeling as it experiences motion and can contribute to dizziness.

 

Should your mother experience seasickness onboard the ship, it is best that she see the ship's doctor who can give her an injection. After that, she should not take other seasickness remedies until the doctor says she can - make him aware of what medication she has taken. Often going outside on the ship is helpful. If she is already nauseous, she should lie down and put something ice cold on the front of her neck. This should relieve the immediate need to vomit. She should continue lying down and concentrate on relaxing her body. In a short amount of time, she should feel better - enough to get her to the ship's doctor without vomiting - just take along the ice cold item on her neck.

[Mary Ellen]

Everyone is different and her M.D. is the best source of what would be best for her. Many here recommended meclizine. Even though it claims to be "non drowsy", it knocks me out. I do get sea sick very easily. Based on my Dr.s recommendation I use a combination, I wear the transderm patch and take ginger capsules. I'm sure it would be over kill for some, but it works wonders for me.

[cat-tav]

I don't have any problems with seasickness, but I have heard that acupuncture helps. My son is a doctor and when I asked him about it (fully expecting him to laugh at me), he said it works. Several years ago we took a cruise to Antarctica and the Drake's Passage crossing was somewhat rough (15 foot waves). They offered the acupuncture treatment on board and many passengers were taking advantage of it. I don't know what the cost of it was, but I would think that if it's anywhere near affordable and it works, it would be well worth it. Might be worth checking into before the cruise starts. I don't know how long the effect lasts though.