Motion Sickness Meds

[Scotico]

Going to be traveling with a 4 year old, 8 year old and 2 seniors along with myself and wife.  Need some recommendations on motion sickness meds.  I do not get motion sickness.  The children and seniors have never cruised so I need to be prepared for them.  When do you recommend.

[TwoMisfits]

For the kids - Dramamine for kids.  It's chewable, not bad tasting, and you can take every 6-8 hours.  You'll need more than 1 box if you think your kids will get motion sick (since normal boxes only have 8 tablets).

[cruiseguy1016]

23 minutes ago, Scotico said:

Going to be traveling with a 4 year old, 8 year old and 2 seniors along with myself and wife.  Need some recommendations on motion sickness meds.  I do not get motion sickness.  The children and seniors have never cruised so I need to be prepared for them.  When do you recommend.

 

My wife uses bonine and it works great for her. She takes it on the morning we leave home to help with issues on the plane and then she takes one every morning on the cruise. Dramamine (supposedly) causes drowsiness and bonine supposedly does not. My wife has no drowsiness issues using bonine.

 

I'd like to give my opinion on the kids. For our first cruise with the kids, my wife insisted on giving the kids bonine because she didn't want to deal with them being sick. She assumed that because she gets motion sickness, the kids would get it, even though I never get it. I said how will we know until we try? On the second cruise she agreed to try it without giving the bonine to the kids. They had no issues at all. So, my recommendation is not to "force-feed" the medication until you're sure they're going to need it.

Edited February 9, 2023 by cruiseguy1016

[SG65CB]

A scopolamine patch is the one thing that worked for my wife. At first she was using a whole patch, later she only needed half a patch, but recently she has not been seasick and hasn't used it at all. There are side effects but they mostly disappear after a day or so, and are less apparent with half a patch. 

 

I don't know if kids can use this, maybe it's just for adults. You'll see people with a small round sticker behind their ear. 

[Scotico]

2 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

My wife uses bonine and it works great for her. She takes it on the morning we leave home to help with issues on the plane and then she takes one every morning on the cruise. 

 

I'd like to give my opinion on the kids. For our first cruise with the kids, my wife insisted on giving the kids bonine because she didn't want to deal with them being sick. She assumed that because she gets motion sickness, the kids would get it, even though I never get it. I said how will we know until we try? On the second cruise she agreed to try it without giving the bonine to the kids. They had no issues at all. So, my recommendation is not to "force-feed" the medication until you're sure they're going to need it.

I agree.  I will try out the kids for one day to see how they are.  Will also bring plenty of ginger candy for upset stomach.  Do the meds work during the day if you take it at bedtime the night before.  

[BirdTravels]

If you look at things like non-drowsy Dramamine, it is really just ginger. We carry regular Dramamine and a bag of sweet (not spicy) candied ginger from Trader Joe’s… just in case we have really rough seas. 
 

A patch from your doctor is really the best preventative med. 

Edited February 9, 2023 by BirdTravels

[Lady Hudson]

I agree, Bonine.  I also take a pill every day beginning boarding day.  No issues.  I once asked my doctor about a daily pill when going on a 52 day trip.  She said that it is an antihistamine — no issues taking daily.  If seas get very rough I will take an extra pill just to be safe.  Motion sickness on a ship is not fun!!  Katherine 

[Acruisingperson]

48 minutes ago, Scotico said:

I agree.  I will try out the kids for one day to see how they are.  Will also bring plenty of ginger candy for upset stomach.  Do the meds work during the day if you take it at bedtime the night before.  

I take one bonine the night before my cruise and then each night of the cruise and I've never had problems. I am extremely prone to motion sickness and I've never been sick on a cruise even in rough seas. I like to take it at night because I think it makes me just a bit sleepy for the first several hours after taking it.

[ARandomTraveler]

1 hour ago, SG65CB said:

A scopolamine patch is the one thing that worked for my wife. At first she was using a whole patch, later she only needed half a patch, but recently she has not been seasick and hasn't used it at all. There are side effects but they mostly disappear after a day or so, and are less apparent with half a patch. 

 

I don't know if kids can use this, maybe it's just for adults. You'll see people with a small round sticker behind their ear. 

I have the complete opposite experience with the patch. If I wear it for more than 2 days I get lots of annoying side effects (blurry vision, sore throat, dry mouth). Last time I wore it I broke out in itchy hives, which has never happened before, but they went away after 3 hours. 
 

Because of this, I put it on a few hours before my cruise, sleep with it one night, then take it off sometime before going to bed the next night. The medicine is still flowing through my body for another day or 2, and if I start feeling sick again after that, I can put on another patch (my doctor always prescribes me 3 at a time).
 

I don't usually need another one after that first patch because my body seems to acclimate pretty well nowadays (it didn't used to). I suggest sailing the southern route which has very calm seas, and lots of port days so you're not really on the ship for long stretches and it gives your body a break from any nauseating rocking. But this requires a flight to Puerto Rico to start your trip (the southern routes that start in Florida still require a couple days of sailing in rougher seas).
 

My last cruise was the western route and we had 4 port days which was helpful because I got off the ship a lot, and I think the highest waves we ever hit during sailing were a measly 5ft, so that was lucky. The worst sea sickness I ever got was on the eastern route.

[drjohn4]

As people age, they are more susceptible to side effects of medications.  I would advise trying non-medication ways of dealing with motion sickness and speeding up adaptation to the motion before using medications - 

• going out on deck or looking out a window where you can see the horizon (aids your body in recognizing that the signals from the eyes and balance system agree)
• Because alcohol leads to a disturbed visual suppression of vestibularly evoked eye movements, it is helpful not to drink alcohol to avoid motion sickness symptoms. (skip the unlimited drink package)
• eating frequent snacks is often helpful (easy to do on a cruise)
• acupressure (SeaBands) have mixed results in large studies, but many people find them helpful and there are minimal side effects

Distraction with music or conversation helps. (also easy to find on the ship) 

[shipgeeks]

2 hours ago, Scotico said:

Going to be traveling with a 4 year old, 8 year old and 2 seniors along with myself and wife.  Need some recommendations on motion sickness meds.  I do not get motion sickness.  The children and seniors have never cruised so I need to be prepared for them.  When do you recommend.

Even though I believe in being prepared, I hope the new cruisers will not be set up to expect to be seasick.  I think the power of suggestion can be very strong!  We started cruising before anyone talked about the possibility, so have never taken anything, and so far, 50 cruises, many with very rough seas, have had no seasickness.  

[dboff123]

If you go the Bonine route, I suggest purchasing a bottle of Meclizine Hydrocholoride. It is a lot cheaper (<$10 for a bottle of 100) than the Bonine pricing. They are both the same thing (25mg of Meclizine Hydrocholoride), but Bonine costs 2-3x more. We just take one each day while on the ship as a preventive measure since you never know when the ship will run into rougher waters.

[Toddcan]

I cannot find Bonine anymore, so I've been buying the Once-per-day LESS drowsy Dramamine.  As mentioned, the non-drowsy version is just ginger.   The good thing about a 24 hr pill is you can take it before bed, and forget about it for your day. I've had great results with this method. 

[FlGoodShips]

2 hours ago, Scotico said:

Going to be traveling with a 4 year old, 8 year old and 2 seniors along with myself and wife.  Need some recommendations on motion sickness meds.  I do not get motion sickness.  The children and seniors have never cruised so I need to be prepared for them.  When do you recommend.

 

2 hours ago, Scotico said:

Going to be traveling with a 4 year old, 8 year old and 2 seniors along with myself and wife.  Need some recommendations on motion sickness meds.  I do not get motion sickness.  The children and seniors have never cruised so I need to be prepared for them.  When do you recommend.

My husband even gets sick floating on a raft in our pool.😅

So...Seabands have worked since he tried them 10 yrs ago. 

Look on Amazon...they have kid sizes for seabands also. 

Last cruise ran into a couple and wife was seasick...i had extra pair of seabands and gave them to her. Days later, saw her again and she hugged me and said i saved her vacation.

Hope this suggestion helps.

[cruisin73]

I can't say enough good things about Bonine.  I take it the night before the flight and then every night of the cruise.  I like to take it at night just incase it does make me drowsy I wont feel it.  I actually take 2 one doesn't seem to work for me.   

My husband doesn't get seasick so we weren't sure about our son but he is just like his dad and doesn't get sea sick.  Apparently I'm the only one that gets sick. 

[mom says]

I'm another who has managed their motion  sickness  very well with nightly Bonine. I would never, under any circumstances recommend that a senior try using something as strong as the scopolomine patch without first getting approval from their doctor. 

I also wouldn't dream of recommending anything for the children. That advice should only come from their doctor. Adult Bonine shouldn't be given to children under 12. There is a children's chewable Bonine, but it is not the same active ingredient, and I've no knowledge of its efficacy or side effects. 

[buckeye7]

I know everyone is different, but do be aware of the patch. I wore them for several cruises with success. But then I wore them for a 12-day cruise. When I removed them, I thought I had a virus. Vomiting and so sick and it lasted MONTHS. My doc couldn’t figure it out. Didn’t make the connection. The next summer I took another long cruise, and got horrible vertigo for a month after removing them. I then made the connection. I just rely on Bonine and an electronic pulse watch now. Here is an article about a woman with a similar experience to mine. 

[GeezerCouple]

10 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Even though I believe in being prepared, I hope the new cruisers will not be set up to expect to be seasick.  I think the power of suggestion can be very strong!  We started cruising before anyone talked about the possibility, so have never taken anything, and so far, 50 cruises, many with very rough seas, have had no seasickness.  

 

I *strongly* recommend that you have everyone try any new medication at home well before the trip.  That way, you'll know if there are any dramatic side-effects and can consult with a physician about how to handle that or what to use instead.

 

And especially with children, I also suggest NOT letting them "know about seasickness" any more than they may have picked up elsewhere. 😉 

If it happens to them, it happens.  "Suggesting" this possibility might complicate things, etc.

 

Enjoy!

 

GC

[Elaine5715]

10 hours ago, Toddcan said:

I cannot find Bonine anymore, so I've been buying the Once-per-day LESS drowsy Dramamine.  As mentioned, the non-drowsy version is just ginger.   The good thing about a 24 hr pill is you can take it before bed, and forget about it for your day. I've had great results with this method. 

Ask the pharmacy for the Rugby brand.  They keep it behind the counter.  

[Elaine5715]

10 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Even though I believe in being prepared, I hope the new cruisers will not be set up to expect to be seasick.  I think the power of suggestion can be very strong!  We started cruising before anyone talked about the possibility, so have never taken anything, and so far, 50 cruises, many with very rough seas, have had no seasickness.  

 

51 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

I *strongly* recommend that you have everyone try any new medication at home well before the trip.  That way, you'll know if there are any dramatic side-effects and can consult with a physician about how to handle that or what to use instead.

 

And especially with children, I also suggest NOT letting them "know about seasickness" any more than they may have picked up elsewhere. 😉 

If it happens to them, it happens.  "Suggesting" this possibility might complicate things, etc.

 

Enjoy!

 

GC

I agree.  Many times "sea sickness" is more constipation due to changes in diet, dehydration and "loss of home field advantage" (yes, it is a real thing).  Others also get their sea legs quickly.  

[wcook]

If you don’t see generic meclizine in your pharmacy, you can get it from Amazon. Works wonders for me. 

[sandym718]

surprised by the posters insinuating that seasickness is not real, is “in people’s heads” or is really another issue (constipation?).  I assure you that many people truly do get seasick and often have motion sickness in many other areas of life.  It is actually insulting to suggest that people are talking themselves into it.  I have dealt with severe motion sickness my entire life, some of my earliest memories involve getting carsick. Most amusement rides were never possible, even a playground swing makes me dizzy.  As another poster said…floating on a raft in a backyard pool. Lazy rivers I have to have my feet touching the bottom. Cannot ride in the backseat of a car, buses are bad.  I have to look out the windshield of any vehicle at all times.   I also had hyperemesis gravidarum during both my pregnancies and had to be hospitalized/medicated, seemed to be related.  None of this is in my head, it’s a physical ailment and is for so many others as well.   count yourself lucky if you do not suffer from it instead of not-so-subtly degrading those who do.  We know what it is. You clearly do not.  
 

That said, Bonine is wonderful and has allowed me to cruise! 

[mom says]

2 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Ask the pharmacy for the Rugby brand.  They keep it behind the counter.  

The poster you replied to is from Canada. Meclizine ( generic or by any brand name) is not approved here. It is not available anywhere in the country. In the US it should be available OTC in any pharmacy; just ask the pharmacist. 

[mom says]

For those of you who can't tell the difference between motion sickness and constipation-

According to the Cleveland Clinic:

the symptoms of motion sickness

• Cold sweats.
• Dizziness.
• Fatigue.
• Headache.
• Irritability.
• Inability to concentrate.
• Increased saliva, nausea and vomiting.
• Pale skin.

Symptoms of constipation include:

• You have fewer than three bowel movements a week.
• Your stools are dry, hard and/or lumpy.
• Your stools are difficult or painful to pass.
• You have a stomach ache or cramps.

 

Not a whole lot of similarity that I can see. There shouldn't be a lot of confusion as to which is which.

[Elaine5715]

9 hours ago, mom says said:

The poster you replied to is from Canada. Meclizine ( generic or by any brand name) is not approved here. It is not available anywhere in the country. In the US it should be available OTC in any pharmacy; just ask the pharmacist. 

They can get in here on arrival.  Can be ordered on Amazon, eh.