sea sickness

[carol5553]

my daughter gets sick when we drive the winding roads to the mts so im afraid she might get sick going on a cruise. my question is do you get those sea sick patches that you wear from the DR or just a store like Wal-mart or a pharmacy; or just take some dramamine(SP?) any body ever use this stuff

[romy]

I saw the doctor and got the patch. They are only available by Rx. Dramamine is available at any pharmacy.

 

Good luck, she'll probably be just fine.:)

Happy Sailing!!!

Romy

[LARGIN]

how old is your daughter?

[Ellya]

For a child you should definately chat with your doctor about the best methods. Some people get results from non-medical methods like sea-bands (you wear them on your wrist). The next step up is dramamine (child's or adult's versions are available). There are two kinds, one which does cause drowsiness in some people and the other which does not. A better (for most) people over the counter Bonine which you only have to take once per day and works very well with little or no side effects. If those don't work, some people obtain a patch from their doctor which must be worn continuously. Some people find them very effective but they have some serious potential side effects and some people are sickened worse from the patch than from the motion of the boat! So, you'd want to try that out ahead of time to make sure it agreed with you. My advice is to pack a non-prescription medicine such as Dramamine or (better) Bonine. I would be very hesitant to use the patch on a child unless it was definate that it was safe and needed.

[Coolmama_1]

You can also buy ginger capsules in a health food store. They are all natural and work well. We had one night where I was feeling a little queasy and it did the trick. We also took bonine at night before bed as a precaution.

[carol5553]

thank you all. shes 15 yrs maybe i'll take bonine with me just in case. i didn't know the patch had side affects she probably won't need anything but just in case. we leave in 15 day can't wait:) :)

[pvangordon]

I get sea sick pretty easily and have tried sea bands which didn't work, so last year before my first cruise, I got a prescription from my dr for the patches (scopamine). They come 4 to the box and last about 3 days. Just stick one behind your ear and forget about it.

 

The first couple days, I didn't feel a thing and it was great. The third day when the winds were strong, I definitely felt queasy despite the patch. I couldn't tell how much the patch was really working because I could easily attribute the change to the weather. It's possible I could have been a lot more sick without it, but it was simply not possible to tell.

 

Also, there are definite side effects. My vision was blurry, for example when reading, and my mouth would get all cottony. You have to wash around the patch too and it gets itchy. Nothing significantly dangerous that affected my mobility or awareness, but it felt uncomfortable. As with many medications of this nature, always try them out beforehand to see if any side effects crop up.

 

This year I'm bringing the extra patches in case, but I'm planning to try out a wristband I saw at the pharmacy a couple months ago. It looks kind of like a big digital watch and emits an electronic pulse. The band is expensive, around $80, so I'm hoping it's worth it.

[LARGIN]

thank you all. shes 15 yrs maybe i'll take bonine with me just in case. i didn't know the patch had side affects she probably won't need anything but just in case. we leave in 15 day can't wait:) :)

Buy Meclizine.. It is the generic form of Bonine. Bonine costs around $8 for 10 pills. Meclizine costs $5 for 100 pilles at Costco and around $11 for 100 at your local pharmacy. No prescription is needed..

[Shelli]

This year I'm bringing the extra patches in case, but I'm planning to try out a wristband I saw at the pharmacy a couple months ago. It looks kind of like a big digital watch and emits an electronic pulse. The band is expensive, around $80, so I'm hoping it's worth it.

This is called a Relief Band (available online at http://www.reliefband.com). I bought one for my husband--who is very prone to seasickness--before our cruise last year, but he never needed it. I used it once when I had... errr... overindulged. :) And it worked great for that! I've heard very good things about it preventing and/or curing seasickness as well.

 

As a preventative, though, my husband swears by meclizine-- start the night before you cruise, taking one pill before bed every night. He's tried ginger and those elasticized Sea Bands, but neither one ever did a thing for him.

 

I tried the patch on my very first cruise 17 years ago-- it made me feel like I was coming down with the flu, so I took it off and was fine afterwards.

[HollyT]

The patch from the doc!!!

 

My first cruise back in the 80s was on NCL's infamous Norway ... I was completely sea-sick for the first three days. In bed, nauseous ... wanted to fly home immediately. I FINALLY got my sea legs, but those first few days were completely horrible.

 

For our 10 year anniversary last year we decided to do NCL's Star in Hawaii - my DH thought I was completely nuts and he'd have a horrible time because of me. (He knew about my bout with sea sickness on the Norway and on our honeymoon in Cancun I got sea sick on the "booze cruise" - in hindsight, I can't believe he agreed to cruise with me. Heck, I can't even watch the Love Boat on t.v. without getting a little bit dizzy - honestly!)

 

I got the patch and put it on the morning of our cruise - and was completely fine. DH got a little woozy (LOL!) but I was COMPLETELY AOK!! Even on the bumpy choppy tenders in close quarters it was smooth sailing!

 

Definitely do a trial run if you decide to go the patch route to see if she experiences any side effects ... but I'm a firm believer in the patch. I had absolutely no side effects whatsoever.

[lynwar]

The pharmacist I asked before my first cruise in 1998 recommended Bonine. I never needed it, although my cruising friend who was a veteran cruiser turned green a couple of times and could have benefitted from it! LOL

 

When I lived in Canada in my early years, I rode the trains a lot since I had relatives who worked for the railroad. I've trained my mind to think I'm on a train when the ship lurches. I just pretend I'm going around a corner. If the seas are more choppy during the day, I stay in the middle of the deck somewhere.

 

The one time I did feel queasy was during a Scrabble game with my husband and we kept looking down at the board-with some choppiness.I sucked on ice cubes and water, then afterwards went down to the ship's store and bought some Tums. They did the trick and I was fine.

 

I hope your daughter has a good cruise and doesn't experience any tummy upsets. Lynne

[Charlene]

Bonine works great for me, and I get motion sickness riding in a car. With bonine I never have any problems!! ;)

[pvangordon]

Thanks for the info, Shelli. I'll check out the website if my local pharmacy doesn't have one in stock.

[romy]

I'm trying to cover all bases. I got the patch and Bonine in case the patch makes me feel a little hinky.

 

Happy Sailing!!!

Romy

[LindaKE]

Whatever you get, try it at home first! Meclizine DOES have side effects in some people. DH learned the hard way.

[DeckCadet]

On Paradise they had a bin full of seasickness meds just outside the infirmary for free.

[lcdmartin]

I get sea sick on small fishing boats and used to get car sick. I did not get sick on my last and only 3 cruises. My daughters went on a cruise this summer (8 & 11), we spoke with the doctor and got a patch for both of them (perscription). Both have gotten car sick in the past. The patches worked fine no side effects and they did not get sick. They have taken childrens dramamine and it makes them very drowsey (great for a car trip but not great for a cruise). What to choose? It really depends on how medicine effects your daughter.