Motion Sickness Symptoms, Prevention & Remedies

[goeva]

 

[the kids]

Thank you for putting this information together, it is very helpful.
Last cruise we used bonine for both adults and kids. It worked great. Now that bonine for kids is discontinued, we are trying sea bands. I will report back after our cruise.

 

[chemnerd09]

Thanks for putting this information all in one place. I am really excited about going on my first cruise but my biggest worry is getting sea sick. I've been on two research vessels which are small boats and have gotten quite sick without even leaving the bay. I'll be sure to take a few different remedies in case one doesn't work.

 

[asunutgirl]

The key is prevention. Once you are sea sick it is difficult to get rid of it.

We take Bonnie and start 3 days before we leave. The rest of my family stays on it while we are cruising. I switch to the patch when we are cruising. It does mess with my vision but I need reading glasses anyway... I am the most sensitive in the family and the patch really works well for me.

I can also recommend the green apple. Worked for me when I had an issue on an RC cruise several years ago.

We bought the ginger for our cruise this summer and frankly the taste of it was so bad that it turned my stomach. Personal preference here but it certainly wouldn't work for me for sea sickness!

 

[Niebz]

Our first cruise we did nothing to prevent. I drank alcohol at the sail away party and in the evening the boat got rocky and I felt like I was going to die from severe dizziness and nausea. I bought seabands and picked up some meds that they hand out at guest services but it didn't help much. I was on a low deck with no verandah. I felt better up on deck with fresh air.

My second cruise I started taking ginger pills the morning before we boarded and continued taking them every 4 hours for the whole cruise. I didn't drink any alcohol at all and had a verandah to get fresh air. Another rocky first night but it didn't affect me at all. I felt perfect the whole cruise. Ginger pills were my saving grace and I think avoiding alcohol was important too.

 

[daisydog2]

This wasn't mentioned above. But I went for acupuncture a few months before our trip and I didn't have any problems. I had been anxious for months prior to the cruise, and the acupuncture took that away too. We plan on a 2014 cruise and I'll be back at the acupuncturist again....

 

[gunka]

Can't say enough about Bonine. Took it the night before we left on the cruise and one every night before going to bed while on the cruise. Never had any side affects and did not feel one bit of motion sickness. I had only felt queasy in the past, but not this time - nothing. And we had some pretty good swells heading to SF from LA. Prior cruise felt funny while in the theater or closed in areas - again I felt nothing. It was awesome. Thank you Dis Boards

 

[jacob408]

Thanks for the information. It's very helpful.

 

[MAJPLO]

Homeopathic combination remedy "motion sickness" for myself and the kids. Any kind of ginger candies were too spicy for my daughter who gets motion sick regularly but they were semi effective for me. Peppermint gum or peppermint candies have always worked fairly well for me as well. Although at my worst I was eating the Life Savers brand Pepomints like pretzels. My doctor has also recommended benedryl for my daughter. While I haven't used it for cruising with her, it does work wonders on car trips and only sometimes makes her sleepy.

 

[JohnathanS]

For me, Scopalomine is the best and only solution. It did dilate my eyes, causing light sensitivity more than blurred vision. Also, it did dry out my mouth. Still, it has almost no sedative effect on me, and so I am able to be awake for my vacation. I don't use it on the cruise line (I don't get motion sickness on the big ships), but I do use it when I go sailing.

I have also tried:

Dramamine: knocked me out.

Bonine: knocked me out.

Sea Bands: Didn't work.

Ginger: Didn't work.

Phenergran: Not for motion sickness, but for nausea. Be warned, phenergran has a powerful sedative effect on a good majority of people. For me, it worked because I was sleeping while under its effect!

The important thing to note, however, medications can affect people in different ways. The only way to find out what works for you is to try them out until you find success with one or more of them. Best of luck!

 

[KingRichard]

MOTION EAZE!

We used it on 2 cruises and it works great and cost like $5!

Very bumpy Dream cruise with 40-45mph heads winds and the Hawaii cruise where lots of people complained that first night.

1-2 drops of oil behind the ear and safe for children and so easy.

Used it on our 3-4 year old daughter and the 2 teens and us of course.

Tested by me with scotch and cigars!

 

[MrsScooby]

Bonine works great for me. It starts acting pretty fast (within 20-30 minutes) so I don't need to take it in the days before the cruise, just the morning of embarktion works fine.

I have found for me that it doesn't make me drowsy and that I can also have a sailaway drink while on bonine no problem.
This might not be true for others though so I would see how your body processes it before your trip so you know what to expect.

I also tried ginger capsules one time after getting off the Star Tours ride at what was MGM studios (Now Hollywood Studios) and that works great after you get nauseous
I felt fine in a short time after taking the ginger capsules and it helped that they didn't have a strong taste or smell. I think the ginger candy would have pushed me over the edge with its strong taste. And I have no problem with ginger candy when I am not nauseous...



For the record, I have had years of problems with motion sickness...cars, planes, boats
Bonine really changed things for me

But I get complacent, and sometimes forget to bring bonine with me on excurions, like small boat excursions really don't like that stroll down memory lane...

 

[shiner6]

You may also purchase generic Meclizine 25 mg. at a greatly reduced cost. It works just as well as the brand name.

 

[kriswin1]

bonine says 1 or 2 tablets as the dose. which one do you do? also, do the sleepy side effects last the entire 24 hours? if we take it at night should we be ok during the day?

 

[MAJPLO]

bonine says 1 or 2 tablets as the dose. which one do you do? also, do the sleepy side effects last the entire 24 hours? if we take it at night should we be ok during the day?

I'm fairly petite so I take one. My husband takes two.

 

[goeva]

Thank you for putting this information together, it is very helpful.

Thanks for putting this information all in one place. I am really excited about going on my first cruise but my biggest worry is getting sea sick.

Thanks for the information. It's very helpful.

You are very welcome.

 

[the kids]

bonine says 1 or 2 tablets as the dose. which one do you do? also, do the sleepy side effects last the entire 24 hours? if we take it at night should we be ok during the day?

Both my dh and I take 2 tablets at night. We had no side effects. I am 5 feet 5 inches and 130 pounds. My dh is over 6 feet and 200 pounds and we took the same dose. Hope that helps.

 

[cruisecrasher]

Both my dh and I take 2 tablets at night. We had no side effects. I am 5 feet 5 inches and 130 pounds. My dh is over 6 feet and 200 pounds and we took the same dose. Hope that helps.

We're around the same size as y'all. It puts us out like a light and makes us need a nap every afternoon. I suggest trying it on a weekend before the cruise to see how it effects you.

 

[Hannah0811]

I get mild motion sickness (dizzy feeling and lightheaded, with mild nausea) Bonine has worked great for me, and has not left me feeling drowsy (generally if drowsiness is a side effect I feel it) I have taken it the morning of embarkation and it works pretty well. Generally it is just the first night that I feel symptoms, and after that it is smooth sailing.

Recently my sister has been experiencing motion sickness in the car, she uses the SeaBands wristbands and says they work wonderfully- I have not tried these, but she has had success with them.

 

[OurDogCisco]

I forgot to pack some medicine for last week so I went to the health center and got sea-calm. It worked for me within 20 minutes. It did not work on my daughter though. It says it is made with meclizine HCI 25 mg.