Suggestions for preventing seasickness

[Happyladi]

My 16 year old son tends to get carsick so I am worried that he might get seasick, too. I am also a little concerned for the rest of us. The over the counter stuff works but makes him sleepy, which isn't good for the daytime.

 

What suggestions do you have? Is something from the doctor recommended? Can you buy anything on board?

[kalliea]

I also get carsick/seasick I have been on over 10 cruises and for years used pills, I finally decided to try the seabands and I am so glad I did. We just returned from an Alaskan cruise and 1 night was very rocky they had Seasick bags strapped to every staircase and there were many empty seats at dinner. I just put on my seabands as soon as I started felling the motion and had no problem at all. I have seen them sold onboard everyship I've been on. I was also talking to a lady at the show and she said her Dr. had told her they were a waste of money. All I know is they worked great for me. I would definately give them a try. They work by putting pressure on a point in your wrist and I found them to be very easy to get used to. I even slept with them on. I can't recommend them enough, I'm so glad to not have to be groggy on bad sea days.

 

Kallie

[vbmom87]

there are several threads already on this topic. if you do a search, you will find a lot of information..for what it is worth, I have saved alot of comments that I collected from these other threads. I will paste them below. It is probably more than you care to read. As you will see, what works for some, doesn't work for others:

 

For Sea Sickness:

 

We use meclizine, which is also marketed as Bonine in the US, when needed. Since I dislike taking medicine, I usually rely on ginger from the Yum Yum man at dining room exit - so far so good

 

Start taking meds. about 2 days before you sail to make sure you can tolerate it and also to see if it will cause you to be drowsy. I use Bonine and I also get prescription for motion sickness form DR. One last thing, if the above does cause you to be sleepy cut the pill in half and space the dose. Works for me.

 

My wife read about Ginger as a remedy for sea sickness. We went on our first cruise (a 7 day) and took a Ginger pill every morning and didn't have any problems. One night there were 18 foot waves and we didn't feel any sickness at all.

 

We take Bonine and even though it doesn't make me sleepy, we take it before we go to bed at night. It stays in your system for 24 hours

Bonine works best for me. The patch makes your vision blurry. I've had no side affects with Bonine.

I swear by Ginger. While on the Hawaiian Cruise I took it every morning(Always with Food) and some nights. I had no stomach problems and it cured my seasick feeling within minutes.

 

I have also taken Dramamine- non drowsy and it worked pretty good.

 

I refuse to take Bonine ever again. I had the worst side affects with it - My sister had the same reaction to it so maybe it's just something in our genes since others like it so much??

 

 

Ginger is the best thing I have ever taken and I am extremely sensitive to motion sickness. I can't ride simulators or watch movies like "Blair witch" without getting Dizzy. Even flying makes me queezy. Now that I have discovered Ginger I can even ride in the backseat of a car and be OK!! I love it--

 

My husband swears by Ginger root pills after watching Mythbusters on Discovery Channel:

Patch for me. No side effects at all.

Bonine makes me sleepy and after drinking, I barely made it through the shows.

 

I buy ginger root pills at the health food store and took them each morning and again at night if needed. My husband is very motion sensitive and in very rough seas last Christmas, ginger wasn't enough. But, I had bought an electronic wrist band called Relief Band on ebay, which was the only thing that worked for him. I had read about it on CC. They sell it in the Magellans catalog. It's not cheap, but I did pay less on ebay and as far as my husband was concerned it was worth every penny

 

Firstly, on the balcony and look at the horizon. Works almost instantly.

 

 

I decided to try the Bonine to try and avoid the side effects from the patches. I started taking it the night before we boarded the ship, and then nightly at bedtime. I never had a problem, not even sleepiness. One night in the Med, there was a really rough night due to wind (it was so bad that the ship had to change course!). I was absoutely fine, while other people looked green. I still did feel like I was cruising for a few days afterwards....I've read on the boards that you should still take the Bonine for a few days after getting off the ship. I'm going to try that next time

 

Ginger capsules from the health food store, bonine, careful eating--follow as close to home diet as possible, avoid overeating, and no alcohol at all, and easy on the caffeine works for me--i also have heard of many adverse reactons with the patch, so i have not tried that.

 

Some additional things I learned: You can get over-the-counter seasickness meds at customer service or the purser's desk. Free, dispensed a couple of tablets at a time. Also, if you see that they are doing a Internet class, you an get free internet for 30 minutes (you just have to sit though the class). I didn’t see that happen during this cruise though. Since it’s so expensive, this would be worth it. If your mom easily gets seasick, likely which boat she took wouldn't matter.

 

I suggest she take a medication recommended by her pharmacist about an hour before she gets on the boat, and she should be okay. If she doesn't take it until after she starts feeling nauseous, it's too late and won't help.

If she starts to feel ill anyway (and probably the only time that would happen is the several minutes spent in open ocean rounding Aialik Cape), she can go out on deck into the fresh air, and either keep her eyes closed or focus them on the horizon. If it's too chilly to be outside, have her put her head on the table and close her eyes. Have a couple of little bags along just in case (you can get them on the plane flight). Also she might try taking some ginger along, since that does appear to help some people, but personally I rely on the pills.

[Hoyaheel]

Have you tried non-drowsy stuff? I use meclizine (it's the active ingredient in Bonine and non-drowsy dramamine) Doesn't make me sleepy. It's over the counter--I have a big bottle from Costco I take wherever I travel.

 

I also drink ginger tea.

[Italy52]

I am also very sensitive to medication making me sleepy. When I cruise I take my Bonine the night prior to my cruise and then each night during my cruise. By taking the Bonine at night I am able to sleep better and work through any drowsiness that might occur and I wake up without any side effects.

[Splashduo]

A previous post recommended "seabands". If you go to http://www.travelsmith.com item #9554, you can see them---I'm considering them, even though I have never been seasick---we're doing a floatplane tour, and I'm not thrilled with flying but don't want to miss that! They're just $10 for two bands---and I'm sure other carriers like L.L.Bean have them (maybe for less).

[MercedMike]

My DW is the expert on seasickness, because for about our first 20 cruises she got it almost every time! She tried everything -- prescriptions, patch, ginger, meditation, seabands ... none of them helped a bit.

 

Finally she found the ReliefBand. This is an FDA approved medical device. It looks like a wristwatch. You wear it so it is on top of the acupuncture point, and it puts a small electric current into the point. DW says she can feel her fingers tingle when it is working.

 

It is an absolute miracle for her! She can stand seas that would have had her moaning before! It even works after you begin to feel queasy.

 

Different things work for different people. However in controlled tests the FDA found this one to be effective.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[qiangf2]

My 16 year old son tends to get carsick so I am worried that he might get seasick, too. I am also a little concerned for the rest of us. The over the counter stuff works but makes him sleepy, which isn't good for the daytime.

 

What suggestions do you have? Is something from the doctor recommended? Can you buy anything on board?

 

Happyladi, in addition to medicine, I would suggest you and your group try to book midship cabins if possible. When sea is rough, go to lower level atrium to enjoy some music as that is right in the middle of ship, hence the least amount of movement.

[copmom]

Definitely get the wristbands!! We just got back from a 7-day cruise to Alaska. I wore a patch, but also bought the wristbands because other people on this board recommended them. Well, on day six, it got rough and I got sick. I slipped the bands on and I didn't throw up again. In fact, I was able to eat and felt fine, even though I could still feel the ships movements. I now swear by the bands. I got mine at Walgreens in the section where they sell motion sickness medication.

[Cathy8090]

Mike, regarding your post about your wife...is there any problem using the band if you take prescriptions for heart or diabetes conditions? I called my husband's dr to see if it was ok for him to use Bonine or something similar and they said that was alright...but didn't ask about a wrist band.

[wickedwitch1]

My husband and I swear by the Bonine. I had bought the Sea-Bands and Bonine for our Caribbean cruise two years ago. It was right after the horrible hurricane and the seas were still rocking. One of the couples that we sat with were veteran cruisers and a Navy man to boot. He actually got sick at the table (discreetly) and my husband and I were fine the whole trip with the Bonine. No drowsiness and I gained tooooo much weight on the cruise so no problem with not being able to eat! I never broke the seal on the Sea-Bands and they were returned to Walmart when we got home.

Since we are going to Alaska in a month or so with the kids, I have been stocking up on Bonine. Everytime I go to Walmart, I pick up a box.

[cjnky]

My Doctor recommended the Scopopolene ear patch, and I got the prescriptions filled - but I've read about too many of the side effects in this forum - so I'm also stocked up on meclazine, motion-ease, and sea-bands!! If one doesn't work, surely another will! :D

[Warrior1]

I have never gotten seasick when taking Bonine. It works, but it does make me sleepy. I like the idea of taking it before you go to bed.

[MercedMike]

Mike, regarding your post about your wife...is there any problem using the band if you take prescriptions for heart or diabetes conditions? I called my husband's dr to see if it was ok for him to use Bonine or something similar and they said that was alright...but didn't ask about a wrist band.

 

It is sold OTC and I don't see any warnings about any medications. It might be wise for your DH to check with the doctor. Actually there is a prescription version of ReliefBand and sometimes if your doc prescribes it your insurance will actually pay for it! (The first approval it received was as a treatment for morning sickness!)

[anick]

Is it better to purchase the medications/bands listed in this thread before getting on the ship, or get them on the ship (I think I've read they dispense some of these for free?)

[Hoyaheel]

Is it better to purchase the medications/bands listed in this thread before getting on the ship, or get them on the ship (I think I've read they dispense some of these for free?)

 

I bring stuff with me--don't want to depend on whether something might be available or not. HAL will hand out meclizine (and ginger after dinner:D ) for free but other lines charge for it.

[pompylil]

I've suffered forever with motion sickness and have found Triptone to be really good, I buy it at the dive shop (we divers use it as it doesn't make you sleepy) I have also used the patch which works great except it does make you REALLY thirsty which can become a real pain (literally). I have actually thrown up at least once on every cruise ship I've been on with the exception of a Windjammer which is surprising 'cos that baby was rocking! They say ginger works too but I'm skeptical if you suffer from hardcore motion sickness - I'd get both Triptone & the patch just in case as there is nothing worse than the feeling & it will ruin your trip & his.PA Don't wait fro the sickness to start, once its got a hold it's too late to do anything. Prevention is definately the rule here. Good Luck