Seasick = no cocktails?

[moore523]

I've read a lot to be careful about consuming alcohol on the cruise ship--as it doesn't really help you if you're prone to seasickness. I'm a bit sensitive, so I just plan on taking bonine the whole time, just in case. BUT, Mama wants a cocktail!!

So anyone prone to motion sickness and do okay with cocktails, too?!

*Please say yes!*
*Please say yes!*
*Please say yes!*

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've read a lot to be careful about consuming alcohol on the cruise ship--as it doesn't really help you if you're prone to seasickness. I'm a bit sensitive, so I just plan on taking bonine the whole time, just in case. BUT, Mama wants a cocktail!!

So anyone prone to motion sickness and do okay with cocktails, too?!

*Please say yes!*
*Please say yes!*
*Please say yes!*

I would say, if you're taking medication to control your seasickness, that you shouldn't be combining it with alcohol, sorry.

 

[moore523]

I would say, if you're taking medication to control your seasickness, that you shouldn't be combining it with alcohol, sorry.

Oh, but I read Bonine is safe with alcohol?? I didn't even think that was an issue.

I should add, on that note, lol, I'm not looking to consume large amounts! Just want to try one or two of the yummy cocktails people talk about on the boards.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Oh, but I read Bonine is safe with alcohol?? I didn't even think that was an issue.

I should add, on that note, lol, I'm not looking to consume large amounts! Just want to try one or two of the yummy cocktails people talk about on the boards.

Bonine and Alcohol (Ethanol)

Moderate Drug Interaction
GENERALLY AVOID: Use of anticholinergic agents with alcohol may result in sufficient impairment of attention so as to render driving and operating machinery more hazardous. In addition, the potential for abuse may be increased with the combination. The mechanism of interaction is not established but may involve additive depressant effects on the central nervous system. No effect of oral propantheline or atropine on blood alcohol levels was observed in healthy volunteers when administered before ingestion of a standard ethanol load. However, one study found impairment of attention in subjects given atropine 0.5 mg or glycopyrrolate 1 mg in combination with alcohol.

MANAGEMENT: Alcohol should generally be avoided during therapy with anticholinergic agents. Patients should be counseled to avoid activities requiring mental alertness until they know how these agents affect them.
http://www.drugs.com/food-interactions/meclizine,bonine.html

 

[chudson98]

Last cruise I took Bonine at night before I went to bed and then the next day had a cocktail (or 2) with no problem. Have a fun cruise.

 

[texasgirl73]

I took Bonine every day of the cruise (took it in the morning, it does not make me sleepy.) The first night I had several strong cocktails (4 I think) and spent the next morning vomiting- probably a mixture of seasickness and over-indulgence. I even had to cancel Palo Brunch ! But I was fine the rest of the cruise. One day I even had Champagne pairings at Remy Brunch, followed by Mixology tasting. I think, the key is to start out very slow and don't go overboard like I did. My body wasn't used to the ship yet and I shouldn't have had more than one or two cocktails that first night.

 

[dallastxcpa]

Bonine and Alcohol (Ethanol)

Moderate Drug Interaction
GENERALLY AVOID: Use of anticholinergic agents with alcohol may result in sufficient impairment of attention so as to render driving and operating machinery more hazardous. [/URL]

Okay, so look here missy.... No helping the captain drive the cruise ship while you are mixin your bonine and booze.

 

[lucyem]

I take bonine daily on a cruise. I will also have at least a drink or two every evening. I never knew there could be an issue. I never had a problem.

 

[gotomu212]

My sea sickness is slight, but for me drinking on the ship is like drinking in high altitude. The first day in Colorado the drinks hit me a little harder than at home and I need to moderate a bit. Same in the ship, the first night I might just have one and maybe just one during the day on the second day, but after that everything's "adjusted".

 

[k3chantal]

I've read a lot to be careful about consuming alcohol on the cruise ship--as it doesn't really help you if you're prone to seasickness. I'm a bit sensitive, so I just plan on taking bonine the whole time, just in case. BUT, Mama wants a cocktail!!

So anyone prone to motion sickness and do okay with cocktails, too?!

*Please say yes!*
*Please say yes!*
*Please say yes!*

Have you been on a ship the size that you are about to cruise on? I bought EVERY remedy for sea sickness for our first cruise because I was frightened that someone in my family, if not myself, would feel sick.

It was not until the very last night, when I swear they sped up the boat and the wave were larger, that I did not feel so good.

So yes, I drank. My husband and I really enjoyed all the tastings and we brought a bottle of wine to each dinner (enough that the assistant server by night 5 said, "From your wine cellar again?")

I can't knock you for being preventive. You know yourself best. But you may want to find out if the normal motion bothers you before medicating yourself. I do strongly advise you to be careful that last night. I do think they pick up speed and that does make 'things' more 'bumpy".

 

[ColonFamilia]

Ever try sea bands? I would have never believed that they would be effective until I tried them. They seemed to work for me. My first cruise was on the Allure of the Seas. I didn't think I would be prone to sea sickness so I went unprepared. No meds. Nothing. I ended up bumming dramamine from guest services the entire cruise. I also consumed a lot of adult beverages to help settle my stomach. Seemed to work

Been cruising DCL ever since and wearing sea bands. Haven't felt a lick of sea sickness on any of the cruises where I wore sea bands.

 

[Jareds_mommy]

tequila cures everything

 

[TLSnell1981]

tequila cures everything

 

[moore523]

Have you been on a ship the size that you are about to cruise on? I bought EVERY remedy for sea sickness for our first cruise because I was frightened that someone in my family, if not myself, would feel sick.

It was not until the very last night, when I swear they sped up the boat and the wave were larger, that I did not feel so good.

So yes, I drank. My husband and I really enjoyed all the tastings and we brought a bottle of wine to each dinner (enough that the assistant server by night 5 said, "From your wine cellar again?")

I can't knock you for being preventive. You know yourself best. But you may want to find out if the normal motion bothers you before medicating yourself. I do strongly advise you to be careful that last night. I do think they pick up speed and that does make 'things' more 'bumpy".

Thanks everyone! I think I'll just take it slow and enjoy a sip, or a gulp, here and there!

As for cruising-- we have never cruised at all--on any ship! I LOVE the idea of a cruise and just decided to bite the bullet and hope for the best! I can't even ride a carousel, lol, without getting a little dizzy. But, I do okay flying, I do okay on boats--like on a lake, etc--so I'm hopeful this won't bother me! I've just read that if you THINK you might get sick--go ahead and take the meds--as if you wait until you are sick--they don't work as well. ?? Our cruise is only 3 days--so we do stop a lot! I was just going to start taking the meds the night before our cruise and do it every night!

As for the bands, I had heard of them and read some good reviews and some bad--so I got nervous about using them. Bonine seems to have pretty good reviews all around.

 

[whitfive]

Just remember to drink plenty of water as well....you will be fine to have a cocktail!

 

[Princess Sleepy]

I get seasick just looking at a picture of the ocean and I loved my first cruise! I took Bonine and felt just fine the whole time except the first night. Apparently it was unusually rough, though. They had to close the pools because the water kept sloshing out and the deck chairs were flying across the deck. That was the only night I felt ill, although I took Bonine the whole time. I also had several cocktails over the course of each day and usually a glass of wine with dinner. I did not attempt to drive while I was indulging.

 

[lbgraves]

Okay, so look here missy.... No helping the captain drive the cruise ship while you are mixin your bonine and booze.

I was going to say the same thing. I don't drink often and most medications put me to sleep. I'm a lightweight when it comes to that. However, I take Bonine every morning on the ship and the only time I usually have a glass of wine is on the cruise. I have never experienced any problems with either.

 

[ilovetexas]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll just take it slow and enjoy a sip, or a gulp, here and there!

As for cruising-- we have never cruised at all--on any ship! I LOVE the idea of a cruise and just decided to bite the bullet and hope for the best! I can't even ride a carousel, lol, without getting a little dizzy. But, I do okay flying, I do okay on boats--like on a lake, etc--so I'm hopeful this won't bother me! I've just read that if you THINK you might get sick--go ahead and take the meds--as if you wait until you are sick--they don't work as well. ?? Our cruise is only 3 days--so we do stop a lot! I was just going to start taking the meds the night before our cruise and do it every night!

As for the bands, I had heard of them and read some good reviews and some bad--so I got nervous about using them. Bonine seems to have pretty good reviews all around.

I get sick just thinking about a merry go round! Anything that goes in a circle, backwards or upside down will have me doing the technicolor yawn. I also get carsick and seasick. All that said, I love cruising and it rarely causes me problems.

I take Bonine EVERY day starting the morning of the cruise prior to boarding the ship (yes, I drink when and if I want to). Minor seasickness seems to be taken care of by the Bonine but if we are REALLY moving (major storms or Gulf of Alaska after Labor Day) nothing helps but staying in bed until we are in calmer waters.

Schmoo is right, there are interactions between certain drugs and alcohol and you need to understand their impact on you prior to your cruise. You don't want to spend half of a three day cruise asleep because you wanted a glass of wine. Test it out before hand and then enjoy!

 

[Buckeye218]

tequila cures everything

In just three words you have imparted perhaps the most sage advice I have ever read on these boards. Truer words have never been spoken!

 

[klepton]

I generally don't get seasick, so take what I say with a grain of salt...

I would stay away from mixing Bonine and alcohol. That can cause stomach problems by itself. One guy I met on a cruise was constantly feeling nauseous, and just thought he was prone to motion sickness. About day 5 of the cruise he mentioned, while guzzling down his 5th or 6th beer at a port bar, that he had been taking bonine morning and night, so couldn't understand why he was still getting seasick. I told him to not take bonine for the next 24 hours, and sure enough the rest of the cruise he felt 100% better. Turns out the combination of bonine and alcohol is what was making him sick, but he thought it was motion.

It's my opinion that drinking alcohol when you don't feel the effects of motion sickness can actually deaden your senses a bit, and you won't feel the effect as much. I have cruised in some very rough seas, where everyone around me was having a very tough time. I attribute my resistance to the fact that I got to a slightly buzzed state before hand, and kept it until I passed out. In some cases, it may have been more than a slight buzz...

If you get sick before you've consumed any alcohol, you won't want a drink anyway; but even if you do I'd stay away from it. Go out on deck, or your veranda, feel the breeze, and look out over the horizon.

Best advice I've seen on this thread, and this is true no matter what else you do, drink lots of water. It's way easier than you'd think to get dehydrated on a cruise. Dehydration will make your stomach upset, cause vomiting, etc. I'm sure many people who claim to get seasick were really just dehydrated. My rule is one glass of water between each alcoholic drink.