sea sick tablet or injection

[godenzi1712]

We are sailing next year going a Mediterranean cruise from Athens to Rome.  My cousin gets sea sick very easily and sufferers from anxiety, can anyone tell me if she can go straight to medical staff  on the ship to get an injection?

[Essiesmom]

Certainly, but there are many other preventives and remedies to try before going to the medical center for a (probably) high priced shot.  EM

[pmac5005]

My wife get's motion sickness in the car, ship, plane and on rides. She went to her primary care physician and asked about the shot. He gave her a prescription for promethazine(anti-nausea/motion sickness), it is not available over the counter,  however, It works wonders for her, total relief of symptoms. She start's day before cruise and ends on disembarkation day for car ride home. As I am not a Doctor,  not sure if this is a good option for anyone who suffers from such, but hopefully something for you to ask your Doctor about. Be well, safe trip and enjoy. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by pmac5005

[leaveitallbehind]

Just to echo what @Essiesmom said, if you go to the ship's medical facility for this they will charge you up front the full amount for their services and medicine, which by comparison will likely be much higher than any home based medical options.  You will then have to seek reimbursement from your medical insurance when you get back, which may or may not cover it.  The ship's medical service is primarily for emergency medical use, not routine services.  I would avoid that option.

Edited April 28, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[chengkp75]

What drug are you expecting to take by injection?  If dimenhydrinate, this requires reinjection every 6-8 hours, from what I see.  Can she not  take medications orally?  The main use of the injection is if the person cannot take the drug orally.  This drug is available in tablets, as are most motion sickness meds, and this gives the flexibility of stopping and starting doses as needed, over going to the medical center repeatedly for an injection.

[#1TravelMom]

I get extremely motion sick on land and sea. I begin taking meclizine(Dramamine Less Drowsy) the morning we fly and take it faithfully until the last day of the cruise.  I used to get a prescription,  but now it's over the counter.   Make sure it is meclizine.   The other types of Dramamine do not work for me.  Just my opinion.  I get more motion sick than anyone I've ever known.

[Nas1861]

I use ear patches.  Put them on behind your ears an hour before you sail.  Keep them on the whole time and take them off after you get off.  They last for 2-3 days so on longer cruises, you need to change them out half way through the cruise.  If you swim a lot, you may need to change them out more.  My first whale watching trip in Hawaii 20 years ago, the captain told me to put an ice cube behind my ear and it really helped.  Now there are patches that do the same thing.  There is an acupressure point behind your ear that helps with nausea.  No drugs, no drowsiness, no shots.  Also, my first cruise, I only had 1 patch on behind one ear and was feeling sick still.  I put the second patch on behind the other ear and felt much better about 10 minutes later. 

[chengkp75]

23 minutes ago, Nas1861 said:

I use ear patches.  Put them on behind your ears an hour before you sail.  Keep them on the whole time and take them off after you get off.  They last for 2-3 days so on longer cruises, you need to change them out half way through the cruise.  If you swim a lot, you may need to change them out more.  My first whale watching trip in Hawaii 20 years ago, the captain told me to put an ice cube behind my ear and it really helped.  Now there are patches that do the same thing.  There is an acupressure point behind your ear that helps with nausea.  No drugs, no drowsiness, no shots.  Also, my first cruise, I only had 1 patch on behind one ear and was feeling sick still.  I put the second patch on behind the other ear and felt much better about 10 minutes later. 

Are these the scopalomine patches?  If so, you are definitely not supposed to use two of them, and I'm surprised you didn't start hallucinating.  But, you are talking about "no drugs", so what kind of patch is this?

[Nas1861]

No, they are over the counter herbal treatment, not prescription. 

[mom says]

OP, I note you are in Australia, so I assume your   cousin is too? Some of the treatments mentioned by PPs who are US based  may not be available there. But the information given about relying on the Med Services was spot on. Your cousin  should discuss her problem (s) with her primary health care provider,  get their recommendations, and then try them out BEFORE leaving for her trip, to make sure there are no untoward side effects.

[cruiser3775]

A common one in use in Australia is Phenergan. You can get it from a pharmacy without a prescription.

[bbwex]

Well, the anxiety can be a big part of the problem, but let's talk a little bit about seasickness.

 

For most people, this does pass in a day, two at the most.  (Yes, I know, some people have it for longer, but the vast majority get over it fairly quickly.)  There are some things that you can do to minimize the sensation.  First of all, and this is counter-intuitive, you should eat normal meals, i.e. you should eat at normal times.  You want to avoid greasy foods perhaps, but you are better off with something in your stomach.  Secondly, until you get your sea legs, you should try to stay somewhere where you can see the horizon.  The current thought is that seasickness is caused by a conflict between the eyes and the inner ear, so that when you are inside a ship, your eye does not see motion, but your inner ear is trying to say you are moving.  Avoid the conflict by being somewhere outside or by a window where you can see the motion.  Once again, the vast majority of cruisers get their sea legs -- some immediately, some over the course of the first day or two at the most. 

 

As to remedies: there are the over-the-counter pills: dramamine, bromine, and others that work for many people.  You can also use ginger, either in ginger pills, cookies, or ginger ale (if it really has giner in it).  Some people swear by sea-bands, others see not benefit, so they work for some people but not all people.  Then, of course, there is the scopolamine patch --- "the patch."  While this has seemed to become some people's first option, it really is a last option.  It is a powerful drug, some people have adverse reactions including hallucinations, blurred vision, confusion and others.  If you are insistent on using the patch, I would strongly recommend doing it at home for several days to see how you tolerate it.

 

There are some other things you can do -- minimize the motion by staying towards the center of the ship, though that gets complicated.  If you are trying to minimize the pitching (bow and stern going up and down), then you want a cabin near the center (amidships).  This is best in the real center, which used to have people suggest staying as low as possible, but as ships have changed in design, the center is now somewhat higher than the lowest cabin deck, but pretty complicated to calculate.  Try to stay in what appears to be the center up and down and fore and aft.  As for the ship's rolling (side-to-side) motion, you would want to be in the center going from one side to the other, but that puts you in an inside cabin with no windows, and remember what I started out by saying --- be able to see the horizon.  An inside cabin is not for someone who is seasick.

 

Part of the issue, as I mentioned at the outset, is anxiety.  People get afraid that they are going to get seasick, and they essentially talk themselves into it.  I often think a prescription for Valium would be more helpful than anything else!   I have seen a sailor get seasick as we were leaving port, and frankly we were on an aircraft carrier in the harbor going maybe 5 knots, and if you did not look out the window you would never have known that we were moving!  He convinced himself that he was going to get seasick, and sure enough he did.  Yes, I know that some people really do suffer from seasickness, but the vast majority, and I mean the vast majority get over it in a day or less.  Millions of people wouldn't cruise if they all got seasick, but a very large number take a little time to get their sea legs.  Large cruise ships do move -- the ocean is really, really big folks -- but they don't move like a car or a small boat.  The motion is usually fairly gentle.  Usually doesn't mean always, the seas can and do get heavy and it can get rough out there, but generally it is not bad.

 

I hope this helps.

[broadwaybaby123]

Dramamine always works for us and is available either at Customer Service or the onboard pharmacy. However, I would NOT take it until it's absolutely necessary, otherwise it could cause motion sickness (counter-intuitive l, I know!)

[lenquixote66]

On our first cruise in 1973 the only thing available was an injection from the ships doctor .The cost was $5.00.The only thing I have ever taken recently that worked was Bonine.

[fshepinc]

I actually got seasick on the Queen Mary tour. Never a good sailor. On my first cruise I had the brilliant idea that since the ship sailed at midnight, if I went to bed early I would somehow get my sea legs during the night and be okay. I woke up in the morning on the floor of my cabin, clutching a trash can. I literally had to crawl down the corridor to the purser's desk. The woman there looked at me and pulled out a basket of tiny envelopes. Prescription meds from the ship's doctor. She said that I needed to put my name on the envelope at some point to make it legal. I said she should just shoot me and throw me overboard. The drug was meclizine, and it worked so well I was actually able to eat breakfast! (It's one of the few remedies that actually works after you get sick.) I never sailed without it again -my doctor gave me a prescription. Lo and behold, it has since gone over the counter at the same dosage as the prescription version. It's sold everywhere under the brand name Bonine. It has never failed me. Best of all, it doesn't have the side effects of all those other drugs!

[carlmm]

On 4/27/2022 at 1:28 AM, godenzi1712 said:

We are sailing next year going a Mediterranean cruise from Athens to Rome.  My cousin gets sea sick very easily and sufferers from anxiety, can anyone tell me if she can go straight to medical staff  on the ship to get an injection?

In my experience the answer is yes. A friend of mine does this all the time. On her first cruise she went seasick, got the injection, rested for a while and was fine after that.

 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 4/26/2022 at 7:28 PM, godenzi1712 said:

We are sailing next year going a Mediterranean cruise from Athens to Rome.  My cousin gets sea sick very easily and sufferers from anxiety, can anyone tell me if she can go straight to medical staff  on the ship to get an injection?

The patch or Dramamine. Simple and effective. Tablets available at Guest Services. No cost.

[cruiserking]

The shot should be your last resort. It really knocks you out and you won't feel alert for a full 24 hours.

 

Try the over the counter methods first. Maybe your cousin will be so excited about the cruise she'll forger about her sea sickness.

 

Jonathan 

[urbanhawk]

I cannot speak for anyone else, but for me, it works, as I am very prone to motion sickness.  I use meclizine (generic bonine), and ginger capsules. Both of these are otc, so no rx needed. I don't  use dramamine, because it makes me sleepy. . I start a day or 2 before the cruise starts. Meclizine in the a.m., and the ginger capsules at mealtimes.  I have never had any ill effects, even after having 2-3  adult beverages a day. Always talk to a medical professional 1st. And have a happy (barf-free) cruise!😇

[9tee2Sea]

I get dizzy just looking at rollercoasters.  I use chewable, non-drowsy Dramamine ( comes in a small tube that you can cary around).  Takes about 30 min to kick in. This will seem weird, but when sitting at a table ( either dining or just at a lounge), I try to face the direction in the way the ship is moving.  If by chance, I look out the windows, My brain seems to think I'm moving in the right direction and I don't get queazy.  Also, DO NOT look out ANY windows if the seas are rough.  I have sat many times with my back to the window on purpose just not to be able to see white water caps or the up/down movement of the ship.   If feeling ick, try to get as much cold air as possible.  Its scary when you start sweating and have to make a mad dash out of the dining room to get fresh air.  Cold air really seemed to help.

[aj1998]

When reading the instructions of many of the recommended remedies, they say to avoid alcohol.  On a cruise ship, I expect to be drinking some form of alcoholic beverage every day.  Also, drowsiness seems to be the common side effect.  Is there anything that can be used safely with alcohol that won't put me to sleep?  I actually normally do fine on a ship/boat, it's off the ship that my body still thinks I'm moving and when I feel queasy.    

[mom says]

3 hours ago, aj1998 said:

When reading the instructions of many of the recommended remedies, they say to avoid alcohol.  On a cruise ship, I expect to be drinking some form of alcoholic beverage every day.  Also, drowsiness seems to be the common side effect.  Is there anything that can be used safely with alcohol that won't put me to sleep?  I actually normally do fine on a ship/boat, it's off the ship that my body still thinks I'm moving and when I feel queasy.    

That would be an excellent question to ask your care provider or pharmacist. We can tell you what works for us, individually. But others may have quite different responses to the same medication. In my case I take Meclizine every night at bedtime and don't have any daytime drowsiness. And I  an enjoy a few adult beverages with no extra side effects. But that doesn't mean you would have the same result.

[WESTEAST]

Personally found that travelling with Gravol and Gravol Ginger very helpful. However, since 2018 always travel with the Reliefband and it is the best solution for all types of motion sickness. It is a non drug and side effect free solution: https://www.reliefband.com. 

Edited August 22, 2022 by WESTEAST

[Slugsta]

20 minutes ago, WESTEAST said:

Personally found that travelling with Gravol and Gravol Ginger very helpful. However, since 2018 always travel with the Reliefband and it is the best solution for all types of motion sickness. It is a non drug and side effect free solution: https://www.reliefband.com. 

 

You might think that this is the best product for you, but not everyone is the same. I have found the bands to be utterly useless.

[WESTEAST]

12 minutes ago, Slugsta said:

 

You might think that this is the best product for you, but not everyone is the same. I have found the bands to be utterly useless.

Agree everyone is different. However, to clarify this band is not the flexible sea bands you see many wearing on each wrist; did try them and they are useless. This one has science behind it and is FDA approved and works for me and many others. It is battery operated wrist band that delivers a pulse on the median nerve.