motion sickness patch question

[HarleyGirl]

I know, I know. Ask the doctor--but she will say no. Can you drink with prescription motion sickness patches? Doctors always say no, so I just wanted to get opinions from those who have done it--and I know some of you have! Do these patches make you sleepy? I was just planning on using bonine and ginger but everyone that's been getting off the Fantasy the past couple of weeks has been saying it rocked bad, even those who don't normally get seasick say it's bad for some reason. We just heard from someone who is on it today and they said it was like they were in a storm but they werent. I dont want to sleep through my cruise, nor do I plan to stay totally sober either! Help!

[GoinCruisin]

The paches (transderm) made me sick, so I couldn't tell you... it screwed with my eyesight and I had a terrible bout of nausea, so I took it off and never tried it again. I would go with whatever your doctor says, but I would try the patch a few weeks before the cruise to see how you will react to it... it has more side effects than any of the others out there

[Bunkie103]

I've never considered the patch since it contains scopalamine which is a pretty heavy-duty medication. Have you considered wearing "sea bands" which utilize accupressure to counteract motion sickness? My DS who has always had motion sickness issues wore them on his Princess and Disney cruises and had no problem at all. You can purchase them in Walgreens, or Walmart. I would also consider using ginger tablets as many on this board suggest.

 

We had no problem on the Fantasy in May. Good Luck!;)

[Spikesgirl]

Okay, from a former patch user. Yes, you can drink with it, but I would limit your intake until you see how it and the medication play together. I had to pick a different form of sea sickness prevention because of nasty side effects.

 

Also, I heard from another thread that it is getting increasingly difficult to find a pharmacy that actually has any in stock. For some reason, they are sending it to Iraq. I know that it is a seriously heavy duty med used to fight the side effects of chemo, but I'm not sure why the manufacturer is sending all their supplies there (this has actually been confirmed by the manufacturer).

 

You might want to think about using Mecclazine, which is the essential ingredient in all the OTC anti sea sick pills. Getting it in this form seems to really eliminate the sleepy side effects - at least for me.

 

Hope this helps a little,

 

Charlie

[micro yaya 13]

i 'm just off the miracle used the patch all week i don't know what's worse being sick or the patch. we have been jon 19 cruises and i always use the patch, but lately i have dry mouth blurred vision, and general slowing down of my body., but on the bright side when everyone is getting sick i'm not. i usually have two days off the patch before i feel normal. i think next time i'll try ginger and i definetely DO NOT DRINK. GOOK LUCK:p

[Cruzfan34]

I felt like I had a constant hangover on the patch. Dry mouth, extreme drowsiness....and the blurred vision....OY!!! I had a few drinks while on the patch, although most of the time I didn't feel like drinking because of the side effects.

I'lll be taking Bonine next time.

[HarleyGirl]

I hadn't heard the horror stories about the patches! I will try a combo of the sea bands, ginger and finally Bonine (meclazine) if needed. Don't you hate it when the side effects of a medication are worse than what you're taking it for in the first place? Thanks for the help!

[Hollyann]

I guess I'm in the minority. I have read that if a smaller woman - say 110 lbs wears it she may want to cut it in half. (Not a worry for me - let's just say I'm below 200)

 

Anyways, I've worn it on the last 4 cruises and a couple of times I felt the motion - but not in my stomach. I was SOOO glad I had it on.

 

I've drank 4-5 bourbon and cokes without a problem.

 

I got patches for my cruise this month at CVS within a day.

 

It is VERY important when you put them on to wash your hands thoroughly. If you touch your eyes after putting it on, you will get blurred vision from what I hear.

 

Personally, I'd never cruise without it. We are on the Pride this month which I've read can be quite rocky. I'm thinking of taking ginger tablets in addition to the patch to make sure I don't get sick.

 

You get 4 patches in a box. I'd suggest trying one before to see your reaction (1 lasts 3 days so you only need 3 for a trip).

 

Holly

[bphman]

I became friendly with a ship's doctor and asked him what the most frequent visit to the infirmary was and he told me passengers with scopalamine patches who choose to drink. They can get quite ill.

[pathiggy]

I cannot use the patch either because of all the side effects. For some reason I have not gotten sick on the last 3 cruises not sure if I just gotten ajusted to the motion or what. I get very car sick easily. Going on the Miracle in January and we have not cruised that time of year so I may think about taking some Ginger just in case.

[barefootsailor]

The patch is the only thing that works for my seasickness. Even if there is no dectible movement onboard, I will get sick, regardless of the boat's size. I have never had a problem wearing the patch and drinking, but I do get a "metal mouth" which makes food taste a little off.

 

If you put the patch on the night before you depart, you will sleep like a baby, but most of the tiredness will be gone within 24 hours. Remember, the patch wears off after 3 days and then a new one must be applied. Try wearing 1/2 first and see what happens, as everybody reacts differently to the medication. Good luck.

[steel123]

I also had a terrible time with the patch. I am a small woman and I had most of the side effects listed with the medication--dry mouth, dilated pupils, blurred vision (it was so bad I could barely read the menus!) and I was very lethargic. I called the infirmary while on the cruise and the nurse mentioned they actually don't recommend the patch to passengers because of the side effects. She said I should have just taken the sea-sickness tablets. I wish I had known this prior to my cruise because using the patch really put a damper on it!

[Summersky]

I used the patch 2 years ago and never had any side effects. I will be wearing it again this time. The only thing I'm confused about is that I heard you should put it behind your ear. If I remember correctly, the last time I put it on my stomach area where it wouldn't show.

[onmiown3]

I wore the patch for the first time on our Dec 24 Destiny cruise. I had all the bad side effects (blurred vision, red eyes, drowsiness, dry mouth). The 6th day of the cruise, I switched to prescription Meclizine tablets (brand name Anivert) and had no problems. I even had two drinks one night with no ill effects.

 

The only issue with the tablets is that if you are really seasick, you might have a hard time keeping them down. For my next cruise, I plan on starting the tablets right before we board so I won't have any issues with that.

 

Good Luck!

Kim

[mrdood]

The question isn't can I drink alcohol with the patch, the more important question is, can I use the patch with my alcohol....;)

 

...much easier to decide which one to toss out...:)

[GoinCruisin]

I used the patch 2 years ago and never had any side effects. I will be wearing it again this time. The only thing I'm confused about is that I heard you should put it behind your ear. If I remember correctly, the last time I put it on my stomach area where it wouldn't show.

 

You are definitely supposed to wear it behind your ear... the scopolamine actually works on the nerves near your ear, and the part of your central nervous system that is responsible for nausea/vomiting... so for the best effect, you should definitley wear it behind your ear. They gave it to me before 2 different surgeries, as I have an allergic reaction to anesthesia... the side effects were worse than the reaction, so I never tried it again... You will see PLENTY of people with the patch behind their ear... unless you are looking for it, it's hardly noticeable. The scop is released gradually, so I don't know that I would want it releasing into my stomach, or anywhere other than where it was intended without discussing it with a doctor...

[Timmys_mom]

I used a scop patch during the "Tour de Wilma". I decided that I would rather arf than sleep through my cruise. Drowziness combined with the UNBELIEVABLE dry mouth convinced me to take that patch off and take my chances.

 

BTW - after I took the patch off, I never arfed.:D

[JudyKa]

I'm with Charlie.....the Meclazzine(sp?) generic form that you ask for directly from the pharmacists is the best method for us. We have been starting it about a day before sailing and take it during the cruise before going to bed each night. It works great for us! Not that it is very wise probably, but we even partake of the "firewater" without problems with this medication. Of course, meds don't react the same on all people; so, I would test it first before the cruise. Not a doctor here, but it works great for us without drowziness or any side effects.

 

We were on the Fantasy last Dec. 2nd and had maybe one day of rocking....no biggy. Most ships usually do have a rocky day out of the several days of cruising.

[Scooter-n-GB]

The patch gives me dermatitis something awful. So bad that my skin will crust and weep for a week. Sorry for being gross about it. This time around I'm using Scopace which is the pill form of the patch.

 

Benefits to the pill version:

Doesn't take 6-8 hours to begin working.

Stops working shortly after you stop taking the pill so the side effects won't linger.

Works much better with much lower and flexible dosing (recommended 1-2 tablets, 3x day), meaning you can tailor it to your body mass. Cutting patch in half is not recommended. :)

[FriedPickle]

I didn't have any problems with the patch. Thankfully I had one. I drank a lot of alcohol on my cruise...also had a few red bulls...no problems there either.

 

It may effect each person different. My shipmate was using OTC pills and did just fine..once she ran out she got some from the pursers desk, those knocked her out for about 6 hours.

 

Each person is different..If you can try both to see how each effects you before your cruise.

[showe0208]

I get sick even on fishing charter boats so I thought I should try the patch. It was 14 years ago and it was terrible. My husband had to escort me out of the restaurant. I hadn' even had a drink yet? I couldn't walk, talk or see the menu. :eek: I took it off and took 1/2 bonine every morning since and never have been sick. Good luck with whatever you try.

[Cardinala]

3 cruises now. Used the patch on each(just as pre-cautionary measure). My wife and myself never once got sick. We ate and drank like pigs. We probably had a different version of the patch, since we bought them in Canada, but, we never had any side effect of any kind.

[lemonhart1]

I cannot understand why so many people who are prone to seasickness go on cruises. We live on an island where we have to take a ferry to the mainland. This can get quite rough and at times you can not stand up. The gentle movement of the crusie ships should not be a real problem. Perhaps it is in our minds. Just walk with your feet a little farther apart than normal and you should walk the staright line. A few drinks of black rum will also help with the walk. Anyway we just returned from 2 weeks on the valor, the first week was a little rough according to the captain, 12 foot seas, but we could not even notice it most of the time.

[peanut561]

I wanted to share with you that instead of taking the patch, dramamine or bonine, Ginger root works the best and it is all natural. I am sure you can drink with an all natural pill. My husband and i just got back from the NCL Jewel for 7 days and he took the ginger root with breakfast and dinner and felt fine. Try it someone told me about it last year and i didn't believe them until my husband tried it. Have FUN :)

 

NICOLE

[GoinCruisin]

I wanted to share with you that instead of taking the patch, dramamine or bonine, Ginger root works the best and it is all natural. I am sure you can drink with an all natural pill. My husband and i just got back from the NCL Jewel for 7 days and he took the ginger root with breakfast and dinner and felt fine. Try it someone told me about it last year and i didn't believe them until my husband tried it. Have FUN :)

 

NICOLE

 

That's what I've taken for years... Many people here swear by it, as do I.... You should check with your doctor, especially if you are on any blood thinners as all natural doesn't mean healthy and safe, not all people can take ginger... but it is the best for me... it also beat out the OTC's on the Discovery Channel seasickness challenge... great stuff... I only take it on sailaway day, and then as needed... it works fast. I also take it when I have the flu, hungover, etc. Love the stuff...I always take a bottle of 500 on the ship, and end up giving out at least a couple hundred, LOL