Seasick prevention - the patch....

[runnerchick]

I spent hours researching how to avoid getting seasick and wanted to share my experience. Hope this helps!

When I was a child, I would go fishing with my Dad off the Gloucester coastline. And I would get seasick often. It was awful! I was also prone to getting car sick and air sick. I also had "morning sickness" throughout my entire pregnancy.

I have always wanted to try cruising but worried that I would spend my entire vacation sick in my cabin. I just decided it was not going to stop me, booked our 4 day cruise and the research began

For me seabands are simply bracelets - not at all effective. I have not taken any meds in over 10 years...but felt I needed something so I would not get sick. I had a long conversation with my doctor and decided to use the patch. I applied it the night before our cruise. When I woke up in the morning, I felt off balance. I had to hold onto the wall to walk at first. After about 30 mins I got used to the feeling and was able to easily walk, but did feel a tad dizzy.

On board the ship, I never felt sick. That was such a relief! Thrilled to be cruising!!!

Okay, now for the downside and these are risks I knew about but still made the decision to use the patch. I could not read any of the menus, see clearly through the view finder to take a pic, read the navigators, etc. My up close vision (and only up close) was terrible - completely blurry (which is a side effect noted on the medication warning). Also, my mouth was very dry - like I had a sore throat.

If I had to do it again I would not have used the patch. The ship was very stable - never felt much motion at all. I really think I would have been okay with the patch.

My daughter, 10 years old, is also very prone to getting motion sickness - any car ride over an hour, she is usually sick. She also gets motion sickness in the movie theater. Well I had every remedy for her in my bag. She had one Children's Dramamine before we boarded and she was completely fine the entire trip, never felt queasy at all!!!

The stabilizers are amazing. I think the fact that we were in port every day helped (although we pretty much stayed on board in Nassau). The weather was calm, so that also helped.

Obviously talk to your doctor and your pharmacist. If you are on the fence on whether to use the patch, maybe this will help make that decision easier. Happy Cruising!!!

 

[Partyof4LA]

I wore a scopolamine patch on my last cruise. It made my mouth so dry it was miserable. No matter how much water I drank, didn't help. And I found it made me groggy/sleepy. I didn't feel safe drinking any drinks with alcohol in it because of this. Next time, I think I will take my chances and bring Dramamine only.

 

[MelInAZ]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I also get car sick quite easily - little things make me dizzy (video games, some movies, etc) and of course dizziness leads to nausea. I was also hesitant about taking a cruise but gave in to familial peer pressure and went on a 3-day in March. I took one meclizine (generic Bonine, less expensive) the night before our cruise and another one the morning of - about an hour after we left port the ship really started to rock. They took all of the deck chairs off of deck 12 (Dream) and made the AquaDuck double-rider only. Shortly after that, they closed it down completely due to wind (it was gusting up near 50 mph - lots of white caps in the open water). I took another meclizine at this point, put on my Sea Bands and took a nap. I awoke from my nap and tried to get ready for dinner, but I was too dizzy. Even though I was dizzy, I wasn't nauseous...not even a little bit. I don't know if the Sea Bands helped the meclizine or not, but I do know that I was fine the rest of the trip.

When we went down to dinner on night 2 our servers told us that second seating was quite empty because the rough seas and a lot of people called it an early night. So this was my first cruise, I get dizzy/motion sickness easily, and I was not alone in my uneasiness. The point of this long story is to say that there's a good chance you will be fine with just dramamine if you ever decide to cruise again runnerchick (since we sound like we have similar motion sickness histories). Same for you Partyof4LA.

We go on our next cruise in March 2016 - I'm excited to see how I fare without near 50 mph wind gusts (I'm being optimistic!).

 

[lorimay]

I am a sicky on cruises without my bonine.
My regimen works so well for me.
I start one bonine at bedtime night before we sail and one each night at bedtime. Works like a charm for me and I sleep so well.
Our last cruise in Feb. was a 4 nighter and it was rough the first two nights. I felt the boat rocking and I was fine. My son who is just like me but said he did't want the bonine was not so great, he went to the cabin super early. Next time he should listen to his mother and take it just in case.
We pulled into Nassau the night before we were suppose to dock because the seas were so rough, when I tell that ship was rocking.... OMG that was the worst I have ever felt it in 12 cruises. The TV in the cabin was actually moving back and forth. My 4 yr old granddaughter was watching it in awe LOLOLOL

 

[sambycat]

I had a long conversation with my doctor and decided to use the patch.

Great description of your experience. As others have noted, the medicine as called Scopolamine.

 

[cheermom2four]

I'm following as my DD4 will be 5 on the first cruise she takes and she gets motion sickness and wears sea bands on her wrists which have helped when it comes to car and bus rides at her preschool. Any suggestions for her on a 7 day cruise? Not sure a patch can be used on kids and I dont want her on dramamine the entire time (she was on it once and it makes her so groggy for some reason ,then again anything non drousy does which is weird)

 

[Barbydoll8]

And for me, the only thing that works is the patch. I don't get groggy but I do get dry mouth. I found a dry mouth mouthwash and used that and kept a drink with me. The minor inconvenience of this compared to being so sick I'm laying in bed wanting to die (which is literally how I get), is worth it. I can not fly with out it either. I get sick in the car if you go in reverse to fast so anything to stop that sick feeling. I've done the over the counter stuff, sea bands, apples
The good thing about the patch is that if you take it off the side effects go away. Everyone is different and different things effect people differently. I would highly recommend it to people who are very sensitive to motion sickness. Like I said, you can take it off and it wears off fairly quick. I'd much rather have it then be stuck in the middle of the ocean with out the option of having it.
Everyone should ask their doctor if the patch is a good choice. I'm very sorry I cruised the first time w/o it. I missed a huge part of the cruise cause I was sick even after dramamine/bonine pills.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

For children, I would talk to their pediatrician. Mine recommended Benadryl at bedtime. Basically sea sickness preventatives are just antihistamines. Personally, I swear by Bonine (meclizine).

On one of our cruises, the stabilizer wasn't working and the ship was really rocking, but I felt fine on Bonine.

 

[krisinparis]

I am a sicky on cruises without my bonine.
My regimen works so well for me.
I start one bonine at bedtime night before we sail and one each night at bedtime. Works like a charm for me and I sleep so well.
Our last cruise in Feb. was a 4 nighter and it was rough the first two nights. I felt the boat rocking and I was fine. My son who is just like me but said he did't want the bonine was not so great, he went to the cabin super early. Next time he should listen to his mother and take it just in case.
We pulled into Nassau the night before we were suppose to dock because the seas were so rough, when I tell that ship was rocking.... OMG that was the worst I have ever felt it in 12 cruises. The TV in the cabin was actually moving back and forth. My 4 yr old granddaughter was watching it in awe LOLOLOL

This is pretty much exactly what I do-- take one the night before and one every night. Also, if the seas are rough, I avoid the top decks because I can feel the rocking up there.

 

[ptcbass]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I always say approach these patches with caution since they do cause side effects in a lot of people and sometimes the vision can take weeks to clear up. Some need them and I understand that but if you haven't tried other things like Bonine I say try them first. And also always try whatever you plan on using BEFORE the trip. Some people can't take Bonine. It is best to know before your expensive vacation than during. I also take some ginger ale and ginger pills.

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

ptcbass,
Where can I pick up ginger pills?. TIA.

 

[ptcbass]

ptcbass,
Where can I pick up ginger pills?. TIA.

They make ginger pills, lozenges, mints, gum, cookies, etc... I picked mine up from Whole Foods (I think) but they might also have them at Walgreens or Target. Watch out for the chews cause sometimes they are REALLY strong and can cause heartburn. The pills and cookies are usually ok though.

 

[runnerchick]

Cost Plus - World Market has ginger hard candies and chews - made by Gin-Gins.

 

[ahain]

DH and I both use Scopolomine patches. We wait to put them on the morning we embark. Yes, we both get dry mouth and sometimes dry sinuses, but it seems most noticeable at night time. We don't drink alcohol, so so issues with drug interaction/drowsiness there. We've never had ANY vision issues, but i know that the instructions caution that you must wash your hands very thoroughly after applying the patch because if you touch your eyes with any of the medication on your fingers, you WILL have vision problems. We take the patches off at bedtime the night before we leave the ship. Dramamine puts me to sleep within a couple of hours of taking it. Bonine works pretty well, but also makes me drowsy.

 

[NCConch]

A word of caution with the patches... My DW is susceptible to motion sickness and as an international traveler, she relies upon the patches. They have a limited effectiveness and need to be replaced on long trips. The first time she used the patches, she simply removed the patch when she returned home. Big mistake! The withdrawal was worse than being seasick.

I, on the other hand, simply use ginger ale - with a strong dose of rum - to ward off seasickness.

 

[runnerchick]

Hi! Just want to post that I was super careful washing (scrubbing!) my hands after applying the patch. Careful not to touch anywhere near my eyes...still have vision issues.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experience.

 

[artnerds]

Scopolamine is no joke. Side effects are common and can be very bothersome.

I always encourage people to try other measures first. Bonine tends to be very well tolerated and is strong enough for most people who need medication for motion sickness, especially if started 24-48 hours before sailing.

For some people, though, scopolamine is the only thing that will mitigate their motion sickness. For those who have dry mouth, which is the most common side effect, many find that Biotene mouthwash helps significantly.

 

[mevelandry]

I don't know about patches and stuff.

I used "Gravol Natural Source" (Ginger) and it saved my trip. LOL

 

[bumbershoot]

Scopolamine is no joke. Side effects are common and can be very bothersome.

You said it. I remember learning about it and its uses in a Neuro class.

For me seabands are simply bracelets

They have to be uncomfortably tight bracelets to work; if yours weren't tight they probably weren't actually given the chance to work.



The first night out of Port Canaveral is very bumpy. On a normal-water cruise, it calms waaaaay down after that first night.

My mother in law was starting to get sick the first night of her Alaska cruise. Her dining room server noticed (before she did) and brought out a bowl of sliced green apples with a small bowl of salt. Told her to dip the apple in the salt and eat it. Worked beautifully. With all of her various drugs, finding something for her to take wasn't easy, so she had nothing with her.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't know about patches and stuff.

I used "Gravol Natural Source" (Ginger) and it saved my trip. LOL

So (looking it up) that's JUST ginger. Interesting.