Motion Sickness Secrets?

[tinacaplan]

I get pretty bad motion sickness...almost always throw up on airplans, for example. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts about what works at Disney...what about those wrist bands? I wouldn't want to run around on Dramamine because it makes me sleepy, or at least it did the one time I took it! Any tips would be much appreciated!

Thanks!-

[3_disprincesses]

I have always taken Dramamine but it doesn't make me sleepy or anything. I have friends that used the wristbands on a cruise in some very rough waters...they found them to work really well for them. Speak with a pharmacist for some other options that are available.

[IamErica]

talk to your doctor about the motion sickness patch. I used it on my last trip to Disney and it worked awesome!!.. I get sick just floating in the water...riding in the car, plane, boat. etc.
I also have meclazine (like dramamine) but that one doesn't make me sleepy
I was able to go on every ride I wanted. The patch goes on the back of your ear and stays there for a few days. My only side affect was a little dry mouth. Good luck:-)

[Judy in Texas]

Originally Posted by IamErica

talk to your doctor about the motion sickness patch. I used it on my last trip to Disney and it worked awesome!!.. I get sick just floating in the water...riding in the car, plane, boat. etc.
I also have meclazine (like dramamine) but that one doesn't make me sleepy
I was able to go on every ride I wanted. The patch goes on the back of your ear and stays there for a few days. My only side affect was a little dry mouth. Good luck:-)

I second this. The Transderm Scop (pronounced scope) patches are awesome. I didn't have the patches on a whale watch trip several years ago. I didn't see a thing because I was hanging off the back of the boat throwing up. I went to Alaska the next year and took a day cruise on a catamaran out of Seward. The harbor was fairly calm but when we made the turn into the Gulf of Alaska we had at least 15 foot seas. We were on the second deck and the waves were hitting the windows. Lots of people who had never been sea sick before were miserable. With the patch behind my ear I was just fine. I will never go on vacation without a patch.

[dissybroad]

howdy! i have a parallel thread running singing the praises of the scopolamine patch. i always had to keep my eyes straight ahead on the attractions, but i did everything with no problem. i did have candied ginger which i gnawed on between rides just in case. again, check with your doctor to make sure there are no interactions with any prescription meds you're on. i also suggest getting an extra one to try before you go if you've never used it.

[Glencora]

I've had problems tolerating the patch, and am also looking for a good solution. I know a lot of people on the DIS have recommended taking ginger pills. I think I'm going to try this next, because the Dramamine and the patch both knock me out. HTH

[HsvTeacher]

I used the Transderm Scop patch for the first time in October and loved it! I was able to ride all the rides I can ride using Dramamine, without all the drowsiness.* I was also able to do the teacups and sit through Mickey's Philharmagic without getting sick.

*My only problem was when the patch fell off at the beginning of the 3rd day. I didn't read the directions and put on a new patch on the same side as the old one. Big mistake! You're supposed to alternate sides. I ended up getting really, really sleepy, and my eyes stayed dilated for about 24 hours. (Not good during a super sunny heat wave!)

[jiminyfan]

When I was younger I could ride anything now almost anything gets me ill. I read about this after trying Bonine and Dramamine (both made me too tired to enjoy myself and still left some affects). I was very skeptical as MotionEaze cost around $4 at Walmart.

I was amazed how well it works. I live near Hersheypark and I used it as instructed (this is the great part). I put a few drops behind each ear shortly before riding a ride called the Howler (it basically is Teacups on steroids) which spins in a tight circle while you can spin the 4 seats around as well. Earlier in the Summer I tried this ride after taking Bonine and still had to make a beeline to the nearest trash can. This time, after MotionEaze, I not only spun the seats as fast as I could I got off the ride and felt ZERO issues, my son who never gets sick felt woozie! Chalk one up for DAD!!!

We then immediately got in line for Fahrenheit, a coaster with loos, vortex and a once again no sweating, no problems. I rode every and any ride all day, just kept reapplying a few drops every hour or so. I cannot say enough for this product.

It also states that if you do start feeling sick, just apply it and the feeling will go away. I tried this and it too worked. The worst went away within minutes and after about 20 minutes or so, I felt normal. I did notice taking a little smell of it, like smelling salts, also helped settle the stomach.

It is a lot cheaper than the patches and at least for me, worked wonderfully.

Sorry, if I sounded like a commercial, but I am sold on this stuff.

[marmar]

I get seasick snorkling, and cannot ride on circle rides (carousels make me nauseous... so to me Dumbo is a thrill ride).

I had a bad bout of vertigo several months ago where even laying on my back in bed would make my head spin. My doctor perscribed the drug that goes in bonine in massive dose (2 tabs 6 times a day vs normal 1 tab every 12 hrs). The pharmacist pointed out that OTC Bonine would cost less than her filling the rx. I have found that the brand name version is nicer because it is orange flavored and can be chewed (tastes like baby asprin from when I was a kid). The store brand generic tastes nasty and needs to be taken with a water. It does not make me or any family member drowsy.

[dissybroad]

also, take a tip from operating room and oncology nurses and carry those little alcohol saturated wipes like they use to swab your arm before a shot. if you open the foil packet and hold it under your nose, it can help relieve nausea.

[trac96]

my dad swore by the patches. not sure which one he would use but he was a big time fisherman and was out on some big waters at times and always used the patch.

eating ginger also will help. so even if your doing the patch it wouldn't hurt to have some ginger cookies or ginger flavored candy handy to eat.

[tfoster]

I get motion sickness too. I take Bonine the morning of plane trips and I'm *okay* (in that while I don't get sick, I still can't do simple things like bend over to get something from my bag on the floor). We went on a whale watch a couple of months ago and I took the full dose of Bonine that morning. OMG - I was soooooo sick anyway. I knew I wasn't going to die, but boy, was I hoping that I just could.

At the end of the trip, one of the workers came to check on me and said that the secret is to take the full dose the day before going and then again on the day you're going. I'm going to try that for Disney and hope it works.

I've tried the wrist bands for riding on the city bus and they didn't help much.

A co-worker and her family took Dramamine before a whale watch and she said their friends have pictures of them just sitting on the bench with their heads back, sound asleep!

[tinacaplan]

Thanks...this is a problem for so many people and I really want to avoid a prescription! And after the first few posts about dramamine I was beginning to think that I was crazy for it to make me so tired...but I guess not.

[brerdawg]

I used Dramamine on our trip last November and felt okay. I took the tablets twice each day in 6 hour intervals. On the EMH days, I took another dose just to be safe.