Seasick relief bands

[Sally of the Sea]

I went waaaayyy back on the forums to read about the seasickness remedies. This is our first cruise for our 20th anniversary, so I definitely do not want to have any seasickness. I do have motion sickness so I know I have to do something. We are going on the 11-day Hawaii Wind Cruise in Feb. After reading all the reviews, I have decided (I think) on purchasing a seasick relief band. It seems this works the best of all remedies. :confused: Can any recent "prone-to-motionsick" sailers comment please. Thanks a bunch:rolleyes:

[Arwenmark]

If you are referring to the electric Relief Bands then Yes I can comment, I am very prone to sea sickness and I use them every cruise with great success. They are a bit pricey, I got the kind that have replaceble batteries, I have used them through several cruises and will be using them when I go on the Norwegian Sun on Feb 4.

Only problems I have had is a bit of wrist irritation after a few days use. Not enough to keep me from using them though. I also use them at home if I have a stomach bug etc or with medications that cause nausea, which in fact was what they were originally designed for.

[Sally of the Sea]

Yes I was referring to the battery type band. Thanks for your quick reply. Yes, I think I will definitely will be getting one. No matter the cost if it works. Anything not to get sick on my dream cruise!!!!!!!!!! LOL.

[Arwenmark]

Here is a good site

http://www.aeromedix.com/index.php?_siteid=aeromedix&action=sku&sku=rbel

they seem to have the cheapest price get an extra gel and batteries too. you can also get them at CVS.com but they don't seem to have the gel and batteries.

[Smleonard5]

What about the plan wrist bands that look like sweat bands you use when working out???

[cchickenh]

I can tell you how my friends experience was....she is very prone to seasickness, got those bands and they did not work. She also took with her non-drowsy dramamine and the ginger tablets. She said was very sick with the bands and had to switch over to the ginger tablets, and she was also taking the non-drowsy dramamine. That combination worked for her. I think the key is that different things work for different people and that you should take a couple different remedies with you in case one is not working, and start taking/wearing before you get sick. Bonine and Non-drowsy dramamine are the same, both meclazine 25mg...Happy Cruising....I am leaving on a cruise in 2 days and my husband is very prone to seasickness and we are bringing lots of stuff. I will let you know what worked!

[Smleonard5]

Yes let me know. We leave on the 28th on the Star. I normally dont get motion sickness but want to be prepared. Thanks.

[Sally of the Sea]

Thanks much Arwenmark. Definitely will get extra gel and batteries. Also like the bands because you don't have to wear them all the time(unlike Bonine or Dramamine which can cause drowsiness all day).

[Arwenmark]

exactly and unlike the non electric pressure bands, which are very uncomfortable by the way, you don't know with them if they are in the right place with the Relief band you should feel the tingle in your middle and index finger, if you don't it is not placed right or turned high enough if you do you should be ok.

[Dolphins]

Take Bonine (generic Meclizine 25mg) BEFORE you sail and following morning if seas are rough. Take ginger capsule at the first sign you feel queasy. The non-electric wrist bands work for some people but not for others. If you wear them, they might help and they won't do any harm. Try to walk on the outside decks when underway to get your sea legs. Smooth sailing.

[CRUZIN TOM]

Transderm Scop, or Scopolamine patches work the best for seasickness. They just go behind the ear. They are a prescription from you local physican. Most will just call in at the pharmacy.:)

[richtersl]

The Relief Band is the only thing that has helped me. None of the medications have worked. My criteria is if I can stay awake and not feel nauseous then the remedy works and so far the Relief Band is the only thing on the market that meets it. ;) I once loaned mine to someone for whom Bonine just wasn't cutting it. Instead of spending her time throwing up of the back of the boat on our return from Stingray City, she was able to rejoin her friends.

 

There are some tricks to its effectiveness:

1. It absolutely, positively must be positioned correctly -- you need to feel that tingle from the bottom of your palm to the tip of your middle finger. If you don't feel that tingle you're going to feel sick.

2. Don't be afraid to adjust the band accordingly.

3. Don't be afraid to adjust the strength accordingly.

 

The plain bands (called Sea Bands) are also effective, but they too need to be properly positioned. There is no adjusting them and mine got very uncomfortable so I ditched them in favor of the Relief Band.

[Maryfrei]

I agree that there is no single right solution. I am prone to seasickness, and a combination of the elastic sea bands and Meclizine works for me.

 

I recommend that if you want to try meds, experiment at home before you leave. I tried the patch and had unbearable side effects:eek:, but was fine with the meclizine:). So glad I found that out before I sailed.

 

Have a great trip!

[Arwenmark]

Transderm Scop, or Scopolamine patches work the best for seasickness. They just go behind the ear. They are a prescription from you local physican. Most will just call in at the pharmacy.:)

 

Scopolamine patches can be highly dangerous for many people anyone with high blood pressure for one. It can cause life threatening reactions as well. and you take serious chances if you use them and drink alcohol at all.

Also Scopolamine makes you even more sleepy than meclizine.

 

I think the reason the original poster asked about the electric relief bands is she wanted something that had no side affects and only needed to be used if and when needed the rest of the time there is no affect what so ever since you don't take anything.

[swoosh2005]

I am a big advocate of the RELIEF BAND-I always travel (cruise) with it and always take extra batteries.

Our cruise that we just left I did need it the first night as it was so rough-I was also already a bit queasy after watching "mythbusters" on tv the night before we left. The band din't work for them but it always has worked for me and anyone I've lent it to.

If you have time you may also find them on ebay 'new in box'.

I got mine at http://www.drugstore.com

there is also a user's review there-mostly positive, but there are some negative.

I think the cruiseline should stock them in the store.

Denise

[snorkelhead]

I don't want to sound like a broken record so please click on my name and look at the compilation of studies that I have previously posted in other threads about seasickness. In a nutshell....

 

1. Meclizine is a non-drowsy med that is over the counter in Canada and the US (Bonine or Bonamine).

2. Several other medications also work well including ginger capsules or dramamine/gravol

3. Scopolamine has been reported to have significant side effects and is not recommended as a first line treatment by most physicians

4. There is no evidence to support the bands you are talking about. Mesmer was the first to suggest that magnetic fields could be used for health effects and Benjamin Franklin (yes, the one you are thinking of) was the first to discount his claims after studying their effects.

5. Doing the Chicken dance on the Promenade wearing purple socks will cure a certain number of people with raging sea sickness. This is called the placebo effect. Beware of testimonials. This may be the person who has a significant placebo effect -- notice that a lot of these simple cures are almost too simple.

Always talk to your physician if you have any medical conditions or concerns before taking any medication.

Tom Lacroix, MD, CM, FRCPC

[richtersl]

...4. There is no evidence to support the bands you are talking about..

Then why is it available by prescription to treat the nausea caused by chemotherapy?

 

From: http://www.reliefband.com/answers.html:

 

Q: Why do I need a prescription to get a ReliefBand for nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy and postoperative nausea?

A: There are three main reasons why these indications require a prescription.

1. Because these conditions are always managed by a physician, the ReliefBand Device must be prescribed to assure that it can work to its full potential as part of an overall treatment regimen.
   
2. The prescription ReliefBand Device has a higher power output.
   
3. Your doctor will need to assess your vomiting symptoms as an indicator of a more serious health condition.
   

There must be "scientific" proof out there somewhere if doctors are prescribing it. ;)

To my understanding there is no magnetic field involved. It generates a physically felt pulse that blocks some nausea signal between your brain and your stomach.

 

But regardless -- for my own personal use, it works and I no longer have to vomit on planes or ships.

[BarbCT605]

I was on the 1/2-1/12 Dawn sailing (the one with the Gale force winds & for a few minutes, hurricane force winds).

 

I had on my Relief Band overnight during the "rockin' & rollin" of the ship. In the morning, I said to my DH, "What is this thing (Relief Band) really doing for me?" and took it off.

 

It took about 5 seconds for me to start feeling seasick. You should have seen me try to place the metal pads on my wrist fasssst! I found the spot (with the tingling) and then strapped it on my wrist.

 

No drugs, just batteries required ;)

 

It does take some practice to find the right spot -- tingling should be in the palm and/or 1 or 2 middle fingers. If you buy the Relief Band, be sure to practice first -- on terra firma!

[IrishKathy]

In following on with previous posters, one reason I love my Relief Band is that you don't have to put it on at the beginning of the cruise and wear it night and day. I have given mine to fellow cruisers that were in the midst of a horrible bout of seasickness and it worked immediately.

 

Also it works for land-based car sickness, too. I have two friends that now swear by the Relief Band and take a trip in their cars without it.

[CSM]

The Relief Band works for me when nothing else does. I got mine on www.drugstore.com, but a fellow CC'er on one of my cruises got hers on E-Bay for a whole lot less. Just make sure you have spare batteries.

[barante]

I am prone to sea-sickness. The first day on a big body of water, be it the Atlantic or Indian Ocean, I turn green, even if the waters are totally calm. I have had great success with the non-electric acupressure wrist bands that retail for about $8. Highly recommended.

[snorkelhead]

In response to richtersl's post:

 

The FDA approved device is safe except for skin irritation which may occur. However, this does not equate to it working on motion sickness. Both of the following studies compared it to placebo and found no difference in either group.

 

 

Aviat Space Environ Med. 2004 Mar;75(3):227-34.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15018290&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum

 

Aviat Space Environ Med. 1991 Aug;62(8):776-8.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1930060&query_hl=5&itool=pubmed_docsum

 

In chemotherapy and postop environments, it is licensed only as an adjunct therapy. This means that patients receive the often powerful medications and then have this supplement these drugs. The main improvement in studies of these patients was in the sense of increased satisfaction with the hospital experience rather than an actual reduction in vomiting.

 

I could only find one study that claimed benefit in motion sickness done on 9 patients (an extremely small number of subjects). There was not a placebo group (it was a crossover study). Both of the larger studies mentioned above could not reproduce the findings of the above study.

 

Positive effects can also be obtained by slow breathing, biofeedback, and numerous other things that capitalize on how you think you will feel out on the open seas. This is probably the much more important factor than any of the things we are talking about.

 

Tom Lacroix, MD, CM, FRCPC

[richtersl]

I'll have to check those links out in detail when I get home tonight. Because I am so prone to motion sickness these interest me.

 

I'm familiar with those techniques you've mentioned and several more that you did not mention. For me they just don't work. I've tried many. Planes are worse for me than ships. Landings are absolute agony. :( The patch just makes me drowsy and has other side effects that I don't care for.

 

To tell you the truth, I was skeptical of both types bands until I tried them. I was shocked that they actually worked. :eek: I loaned my Relief Band to my sister after she had some shoulder surgery. She was doing OK until she had a very strong wave of nausea hit her and ran to the bathroom. I followed her in, knelt down beside her as she was beginning to vomit, grabbed her wrist and cranked the band up to full strength. She popped her head up and gave me one of those ***** looks, got up and went back into the living room as if nothing had happened.

 

Some people also can't tolerate the pulse. But I find it preferable to the alternative.

 

I don't know what kind of a placebo one could provide for a Relief Band, though. I guess I'll have to read those links. ;)

 

You can give me a sugar pill, dramamine, or bonine and with any of them I'll sleep fine on the plane and then when the attendant wakes me up for the landing, I'll still throw up. :D

[Floyd's]

I have used the patches beghind the ear and had GREAT SUCCESS! I was on a very small craft in the Galopagos Islands...I would have died without it, I'm sure.

 

I have just booked a family affair (inlaws) on the WIND for March 3rd and after booking and paying realized that it included 5 days at sea! My husband says (over and over again) that I get sick if there is a splash in the bathtub..... m aybe he's right:rolleyes: BUT...I agreed to do the cruise becaue it was wha the majority of the family wanted. NOW I'M SCARED! I have a baby who I will still be breastfeeding...so that rules ou the patch.... I can not even imagine being sick and having my little guy want/need my attention...not to mention love!

 

I am going to drugstore.com NOW and ordering those battery opperated w/ gel writbands! I pray they work!

 

I've always stayed away from cruises because of this fear...... I hope I am wrong!

[Surfgirl]

I went waaaayyy back on the forums to read about the seasickness remedies. This is our first cruise for our 20th anniversary, so I definitely do not want to have any seasickness. I do have motion sickness so I know I have to do something. We are going on the 11-day Hawaii Wind Cruise in Feb. After reading all the reviews, I have decided (I think) on purchasing a seasick relief band. It seems this works the best of all remedies. :confused: Can any recent "prone-to-motionsick" sailers comment please. Thanks a bunch:rolleyes:

 

I'm super lucky as I've never been seasick.. yet. (They say there are two types of sailors.. those that get seasick and those that will!)

 

I sail on tall ships. You wanna bouncing up and down? I've sailed in force 9 gales. We tie ourselves in to bed at night so we don't fall out (I'm not kidding).

 

The best thing to do is to take Bonine. You only need it once a day-- and-- despite its claims of "non-drousy" it does tend to make you sleepy... so take it before you go to bed. Take it BEFORE you think you'll need it-- in other words, the night before your cruise and every night thereafter on your trip. Once you get seasick, it's not going to help.

 

Now.. another tip from the tall ships. Buy some candied ginger OR better yet... buy REAL ginger ale. Read the ingredients.. not the flavored kind, but with REAL ginger in it. You can find it at Whole Foods. It's the cure.

 

Good luck and have a great trip!