Bonine vs Patch

[karenmax]

This will be my first cruise (Sea Princess on 5/2) so I just want to be prepared. I got a prescription for the patch for seasickness. A lot of people on this site talk about bonine.

 

I also hope it's OK to have a 'few' drinks while using either one...

 

Any advise on which worked for you or someone you know.

 

Thanks in advance,

Karen

[rjack22]

Be very careful with the patch. There can be some serious side effects such as blurred vision.

 

I have always used Bonine with great sucess. I take one each night at bedtime. I am not a big drinker but I have had one drink a day while on the Bonine and have had no problems.

 

If you go with the patch I would have some Bonine on hand just in case you find you need to discontinue using the patch.

[Toto2Kansas]

Be very careful with the patch. There can be some serious side effects such as blurred vision.

 

I have always used Bonine with great sucess. I take one each night at bedtime. I am not a big drinker but I have had one drink a day while on the Bonine and have had no problems.

 

If you go with the patch I would have some Bonine on hand just in case you find you need to discontinue using the patch.

 

Although some seem to be able to use the patch with only minor side effects, others find the side effects from the patch about equal to seasickness. I have noticed over the years we have seen fewer and fewer passengers with the patch now, and I am sure for the reason that the side effects are causing.

I agree with the above, be very careful using the patch. Try it at home before using it on a cruise, just so you know for yourself if you may suffer from the ill effects they can cause.

 

Bonine on the other hand can be taken at the very first sign of 'queasy' and it much more effective (for many) without all the nasty side effects.

 

Best of luck on your first cruise and have a wonderful time. :)

[GTO-Girl]

I tried using the patch on my first cruise and took it off after 2 days because of the side effects.

 

I also use Bonine that I take a couple of nights before the cruise, 1 each night during the cruise and 1 for a couple of nights after I return to keep from getting the post-cruise dizzies....

 

Happy Sailing...

[sloney]

I would take both with me. I wouldn't use either on a crise ship, only small yachts in rought weather, but there are advantages to both:

 

The patch (scopolamine sp?) is something you can put on if you are feeling sick and it will work relatively quickly)

 

Bonine (Bomanine in Canada) has few side effects but will take longer to work. I would take it the night before a voyage in rough weather so its IN my system

 

You could also try Sea Bands, many people SWEAR by THEM, They work by applying pressure to a certain point on your wrist. I personally would start there and remain drug free unless I REALLY needed something.

 

The patch can cause extreme side effects in a very few people. Minor effects include blurred vision.

 

Most people won't experinece any side effects from Bomanine but personally makes me a bit drowsy (like gravol)

 

Half of sea sickness is mental so try not to stress about it. If you start to feel ill don't go to your cabin, go outside and try to face forward. I liken it to riding in the back seat of a car IMHO

[Andy]

Hi Karenmax !

 

I tried the patch once, and all I can say is... never again. Most Cruisers prefer Bonine, as it has less side effects, though as other said, it can cause drowsiness.

 

My personal favorite is Sea-Bands I always use them, and never have problems.

 

As always, before taking any medications, you should speak with your family physician. Enjoy your Cruise !

[Guest kwaichang]

This will be my first cruise (Sea Princess on 5/2) so I just want to be prepared. I got a prescription for the patch for seasickness. A lot of people on this site talk about bonine.

 

I've used the patch for decades, but then I get motion sickness easily. On the one cruise I forgot to bring the Trans derm Scope patch, I quickly bought some Bonine and it worked great. So now I carry that in case my wife gets sick (she never does) but make sure I wear my patch. I guess I'm lucky as I've never had a side effect other than dry mouth and we do have at least one drink at dinner each day.

 

Good sailing.

[jhannah]

Another vote here for Bonine. You can get the generic drug, Meclezine, that is a good bit cheaper. I've only used it a couple of times. I took it at the first sign of that queasy feeling and it knocked it right out.

[jagsfan]

I started with Bonine when you had to get a prescription for meclizine (1984). I take

one before I leave home and one right before the ship sails. That usually does it for

me unless we hit really rough water. I also take it when going to a theme park, as the

simulator rides and anything that goes around or up and down make me really

seasick. There is even a children's dose now. Great stuff!!

Mimi

[happy flamingo]

I find that ginger pills work for me. I start taking them a couples days before the cruise and then continue taking during the cruise - absolutely no side effects - no matter how many frozen cocktails I have:D

[LARGIN]

Dramamine Less Drowsy, Bonine and Meclizine HCL

Average cost:

Dramamine Less Drowsy: $4 for 8 Pills

Bonine: $7 for 16 pills

 

Meclizine HCL: $7 for 100 pills ($6.25 @ Costco)

Active Ingredient in all three: 25mg Meclizine Hydrocloride

Drug class: Antiemetic, antihistamine, anti-motion sickness.

Uses: Prevents motion sickness and treatment for Vertigo.

What the drug does:

Reduces sensitivity of nerve endings in inner ear and blocks messages to brain’s vomiting center.

Skin and sunlight: No problems expected.

 

As you can see, Dramamine Less Drowsy, Bonine and Meclizine HCL are identical. You are paying for the “Brand” name. Buying the generic Meclizine HCL will save you a whole bunch of money.

[Aquarian]

I use the Scopolamine patch with absolutely no problems. I have been using them ever since I started cruising with no side effects. We were going to be on the Ruby Princess March 21-28 and this would be my first cruise since being diagnosed with heart problems. I was concerned because I had read on these boards about all the side effects and I looked in a PDR for side effects also. For that reason, I phoned my GP, my cardiologist and my pharmacist and they all told me I would be fine to use it. I even have an irregular heartbeat and the Scopolamine did not affect that in anyway. I drank one or two alcoholic beverages a day and that caused no bad interaction either. I would advise you to have a conversation with your doctor and take his advice.

[Coolmama_1]

I find that ginger pills work for me. I start taking them a couples days before the cruise and then continue taking during the cruise - absolutely no side effects - no matter how many frozen cocktails I have:D

 

I like the ginger pills too but people need to check with Dr. before taking them. They do mess with some meds. My DH cannot take them.

[chasinraynbowz]

Since I am allergic to adhesives (bandaids are always fun :cool:), I use Bonine and have had no problems at all. I start by taking one the night before and continue to take one each night at bedtime. I suffer no drowsiness at all.

 

I also use Bonine before going to theme parks, train rides, plane rides, etc... since I get sick on anything that moves :rolleyes:.

[Cozzette2]

I use Bonine at bedtime and the ginger pills in the AM and it works really well for me. I have really bad vertigo sometimes and it helps alot with no side affects.

[JinxyB]

I am very prone to motion sickness and tried the Scopolamine patch for the first time on my recent CB cruise. I have tried meclizine in the past and did not like the way it made me feel. I loved the patch and had no problems, even in rough sailing conditions on a sailboat excursion! I did experience a dry mouth, but that was better than being nauseous. I also drank (alcohol) pretty heavily each night and had no extra side effects.

 

The transdermal patch takes a few hours to get into the system so I put it on the day of embarkation.

[Guest kwaichang]

The transdermal patch takes a few hours to get into the system so I put it on the day of embarkation.

 

Yep, the directions on the individual packets say to put in place at least 4hrs prior to the need. I put one on before we head to the airport and keep changing every 72hrs until we're home. It has worked for me every trip.

[shipsealand]

The patch vs Bonine vs sea band - each person is different and will have different experiences. Depending on the level of sea sickness, make decision to bring all 3 or just 2. Try sea band first since it has no side effects and can be removed with no residual effects if it causes probs and does not work. Next try the patch. If probs, it can be removed also but there likely will be some leftover residual effects. Lastly try Bonine but note that it remains in your system til it wears off.

 

My DW is very prone to sick and did not want to try the patch since we heard that it affected someone we know. Our friend said that her vision was affected and had to wear glasses after that.

 

So my DW brought Bonine w/ her in case she needed something stronger but tried the Sea Band first. She wore it prior to getting on the ship and it worked even when we felt ship motion. In fact it worked so well that she did not need to wear it all the time. Note that you need to wear one on each wrist w/ the bump on the band at the acupressure point as described in the instructions.

[DesrtDrmr]

I, too, am very susceptible to motion sickness and use the transdermal patch. It has been wonderful for me, and I have had no side effects other than dry mouth. If your doctor gave you a prescription for the patch, he/she must feel that it is a suitable choice for you. If you know you have serious problems with motion sickness, my suggestion would be to try a patch before your cruise, while your doctor is available, and see how you do. I would also ask your doctor about drinking alcohol while on the patch.

My DH does not take anything for motion sickness and he is fine. I think it depends on how you react, not how everyone else reacts, or what everyone else uses. You and your doctor are your best advisors on this matter. :)

By the way, meclizine works for me for most auto trips and airline flights, but not for cruising..........must be a different motion. I, too, like an above poster's DH, cannot take ginger because of an interaction with one of my other prescribed meds. I tried the sea bands on the one cruise I took when the transderm patch was being reformulated, and off the market............they didn't work, meclizine didn't work, I was sick. Remember too, that the ship's doctor can give you a shot if you are really sick, which will help you get over sea sickness, and make you sleep for a day or so. It will be at a charge to you, but if you are that sick, it would be worth it.

On top of all that, I'll bet that 75% of all cruisers do not need any medication.

I hope you have a great first cruise.............that always seems to be the very best one!

[Host CJSKIDS]

I have used the patch for over 10 years now and it works great for me. The only side effects that I have is a slightly dry mouth for the first day and some minor drowsiness. I drink alcohol while on the ship and have never had a problem. Bonine does make me drowsy even though it's not supposed to so I much prefer the patch.

 

My suggestion, try the patch at home for a day or two and see how you handle it. I had my daughter try it prior to a long flight to Europe and she got really dizzy so she doesn't use it.

[BoPippy]

I use Dramamine when needed and not the patch.:)

[jrw]

Remember too, that the ship's doctor can give you a shot if you are really sick, which will help you get over sea sickness, and make you sleep for a day or so. It will be at a charge to you, but if you are that sick, it would be worth it.

 

The shot at the infirmary is excellent. My mom had it and said it was well worth the cost. It only caused her to be sleepy for a couple of hours (certainly not even close to a day). If you get the shot, try to go during the "open" hours, as it will be more during "off" hours. Mom was so sick that she didn't care about the cost, and went during the off hours (on-call nurse met us there). Total charge was $101 (Sept 2008). I think if she had gone during the open hours, where you can just walk in without calling, it would have been only $25 (if believe that is what the nurse stated).

 

BTW, the patch had been taken off the market for a few years due to the side effects (which my mom suffers from greatly).

[blindrid]

This will be my first cruise (Sea Princess on 5/2) so I just want to be prepared. I got a prescription for the patch for seasickness. A lot of people on this site talk about bonine.

 

I also hope it's OK to have a 'few' drinks while using either one...

 

Any advise on which worked for you or someone you know.

 

Thanks in advance,

Karen

 

We're big fans of scopolamine i.e. patches. We had a tough time finding them for our last cruise and we had a local compounding pharmacy put the scopolamine in a gel form and rubbed it on our wrists twice a day. I liked that method better as you could reduce the amount used or as we normally do, start with it the first day or so and normally forget and (knock on wood) have never had any problems.

 

As to the alcohol concern, I drink plenty on a cruise and have never had ill effects. Some people do but I haven't know many people that have had problems. Just remember each person is different so you might test them before you leave.

[Host CJSKIDS]

The shot at the infirmary is excellent. My mom had it and said it was well worth the cost. It only caused her to be sleepy for a couple of hours (certainly not even close to a day). If you get the shot, try to go during the "open" hours, as it will be more during "off" hours. Mom was so sick that she didn't care about the cost, and went during the off hours (on-call nurse met us there). Total charge was $101 (Sept 2008). I think if she had gone during the open hours, where you can just walk in without calling, it would have been only $25 (if believe that is what the nurse stated).

 

BTW, the patch had been taken off the market for a few years due to the side effects (which my mom suffers from greatly).

 

The transderm scop patch was stopped voluntarily here in the US in to correct a manufacturing problem back in the mid 1980's. You were still able to get it outside this country and I had my girlfriend who was a flight attendant pick it up for me during the short time frame it wasn't available.

 

Interesting to note that some of the astronauts actually use the patch.

[jrw]

The transderm scop patch was stopped voluntarily here in the US in to correct a manufacturing problem back in the mid 1980's. You were still able to get it outside this country and I had my girlfriend who was a flight attendant pick it up for me during the short time frame it wasn't available.

 

Interesting to note that some of the astronauts actually use the patch.

 

It was stopped in the US voluntarily (yet available elsewhere) because the FDA would have pulled it otherwise. The "manufacturing problem" was related to the time-release aspect, which increased the side effects in some people (due to increased dosages in shorter time periods). It was pulled in 1995 (not mid-1980s) and it took several years to be re-introduced in the US (1998) -- 3 yrs to figure out the proper time release.