Seasickness medications for kids and adults

[Jillikins]

I'm traveling with my husband and 4-yo twins on a cruise (Fantasy/western Carribbean) in February. We have cruised before and haven't had issues with seasickness, but the twins were much younger. A friend of mine advised me to take medications with us because they went on a Carribbean cruise last month and said they had rough seas, and the whole family was sick.

With that in mind, how are you supposed to take the medications to make them most effective? I've read on these boards to start taking them the day before the cruise, and that if they make you sleepy to take them at night. If we don't usually get seasick, should we bother doing these, or just wait to take them if seasickness hits?

Also, how/when do you give these to kids?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[asunutgirl]

Anything that moves makes me sick. I use the patch for cruising. It does mess with my vision a bit the longer I wear it but I've never had issues using the patch while I cruise. A bit blurry vision is worth it to me. I start with Bonine and take it two days before we get on the ship. Then I put the patch on before we board.

My kids both get motion sick but not as bad as I do. They are now 12 and 16 but have been taking Bonine to travel since they were little. I'd check with your pediatrician - you make need to cut them in half since they are so young. Bonine does not make any of us sleepy but taking at night is a good idea.

Starting before you are sick is the key. Once you are sick, it is difficult to get rid of it. If you are feeling sick, sprite and a green apple, plus fresh air is the way to go. Good luck and have a great trip.

We were on the Dream for NYE and it was very smooth.

 

[taylor3297]

My dd uses Seabands. Works for her.

 

[jcoyne4781]

I'm traveling with my husband and 4-yo twins on a cruise (Fantasy/western Carribbean) in February. We have cruised before and haven't had issues with seasickness, but the twins were much younger. A friend of mine advised me to take medications with us because they went on a Carribbean cruise last month and said they had rough seas, and the whole family was sick.

With that in mind, how are you supposed to take the medications to make them most effective? I've read on these boards to start taking them the day before the cruise, and that if they make you sleepy to take them at night. If we don't usually get seasick, should we bother doing these, or just wait to take them if seasickness hits?

Also, how/when do you give these to kids?

Thanks in advance!!

I'm traveling with my 19 month old and 4 year old. I've purchased Dramamine Chewable Tablets for my kids to take. It has on the box how much to give them according to weight. It also states every 4-6 hours and recommends giving it to them the morning of the cruise so that it's in their system and they won't experience any motion sickness. I'm not taking any chances with one of them getting sea sick. I would hate to have a vacation filled with throwing up or any other sickness.

 

[ImDMous]

I'm not sure if we get sea-sick or not because we always start taking Bonine the day before we leave. Like someone else said, if you wait until you are sick it's too late, you'll never feel 100% even if you take something then.

We just take one Bonine every night and we've been fine on all our cruises, including some rocking and rolling seas when others were noticeably absent from dinner.

 

[Zandy595]

I will not get on any kind of boat/ship without taking Bonine first. I've been seasick many times and I would much rather prevent it than try to treat it. I take one pill the night before and then one every night of the cruise. If the seas are rough and you start to feel nauseous, you can take a second pill. Bonine is for ages 12 and up.

 

[bliscum]

Play it by ear. If the weather looks like it is starting to get tough go ahead and use the medications. Check with your pediatrician. If it is not rough then do not use. I hate using meds if you do not need them.

 

[The Sasquatch]

we have used Childrens Dramamine multiple times and our 7 year old has never had an issue. I think its 1 dose twice a day. I want to say it was those melting strips.

 

[momof2tx]

We had a prescription for the patch (Transderm Scop) for all 4 of us (husband, myself, 12 yr old daughter and 14 year old son). Pediatrician recommended we cut with scissors patch in 1/2 for kids so they wouldn't get too sleepy and that worked perfect! Patch medication peaks in bloodstream 24 hrs after application and starts tapering down from there over next 48 hrs. I also took along less drowsy, non-drowsy, and regular Dramamine and sea bands along with a prescription for zophran. Didn't want to risk anything. I agree with what other posters have said, once it hits it is very difficult to get a handle on seasickness and get it controlled. Be proactive & you shouldn't have a problem. I don't think you can use patch on 4 year olds so maybe just give them the non drowsy or small strength less drowsy.

 

[tankin]

I had issues on my first cruise many moons ago and dramamine meant I got to sleep a ton. Before my next cruise, one of the guys that I worked with who had been in the Coast Guard recommended Ginger pills. Since then, I take one before breakfast every morning were on the ship (starting on the way to the dock) and haven't had a single bout of sea sickness (knock on wood). In really rough seas, I take a second dose prior to dinner.

 

[intertile]

We did the Fantasy Eastern Cruise for New Years the past 2 years.

The 2012/2013 cruise, my DD was 5 and the weather was unbelievable. The boat really didn't rock at all and we had no issues.

The 2013/2014 cruise, my DD was 6 now and the weather was warm, but very high winds. The boat was rocking on a few occasions, especially the last night. My wife and I were unaffected, but my daughter on the very first night started complaining. We took her back to the room, and she ate in bed and fell asleep. The morning she woke up, she was still a bit sea sick and was complaining. Now my daughter has a history of motion sickness with planes and buses, but we had never had an issue on the cruise so we didn't bother with medication.

Guest services gave us Dramamine with instructions from the on duty nurse. Half a tablet every 6 hours. They also mentioned that if the child/adult already had symptoms of nausea to order sliced green apples and saltines from room service first, and then take the pill. Within 20 mins of eating and taking the medication my daughter was solid. For the remainder of the cruise we gave her medication only on Sea days every 6 hours, and/or at night as the boat pulled out of dock.

 

[Pinmaniac]

I've been on several Disney Cruises. On all except the last one I used the patch and never had a problem. On the last one (a 7 day) I decided to see if I would be fine without the patch. I wasn't. I felt slightly sick for the first couple days of the cruise, but I had patches with me. A couple hours after putting the patch on I was back to feeling normal.

 

[EmilyJ517]

So I took a Bonine before bed the other night to make sure I wouldn't have a problem taking it on the cruise if I needed to...I could barely roll out of bed and even with THREE cups of coffee I was dragging all day!! Even today I got only 4 hours of sleep last night and don't even feel close to that tired!

Is there anything I can take?? Bonine says its a less drowsy formula, but holy cow - I don't think I can handle it!

 

[gritz]

Just got off the Wonder and had a rough sail from Cozumel back to Galveston. My young kids wore seabands and it worked well for them. It was a very rocky ride for at least 12 hrs too!

 

[Mom323]

We had a prescription for the patch (Transderm Scop) for all 4 of us (husband, myself, 12 yr old daughter and 14 year old son). Pediatrician recommended we cut with scissors patch in 1/2 for kids so they wouldn't get too sleepy and that worked perfect! Patch medication peaks in bloodstream 24 hrs after application and starts tapering down from there over next 48 hrs. I also took along less drowsy, non-drowsy, and regular Dramamine and sea bands along with a prescription for zophran. Didn't want to risk anything. I agree with what other posters have said, once it hits it is very difficult to get a handle on seasickness and get it controlled. Be proactive & you shouldn't have a problem. I don't think you can use patch on 4 year olds so maybe just give them the non drowsy or small strength less drowsy.

DO NOT cut the the patch in half! The patch is made up of several layers. The medication Scopolamine is in a small resevoir within the patch. Cutting it will cause the medication to leak out and not be absorbed at a controlled rate.

http://www.transdermscop.com/transderm-scop-patient-information.htm
How to Use Transderm ScMp

For the prevention of motion sickness, plan to apply one Transderm ScMp patch at least 4 hours before you need it. If the patch is to be used in conjunction with scheduled surgery, it is applied the evening before surgery. For cesarean section, the patch is applied one hour prior to surgery to minimize exposure of the unborn child to the drug. Wear only one patch at any time. Do not cut the patch.
Select a hairless area of skin behind one ear, taking care to avoid any cuts or irritations. Wipe the area with a clean, dry tissue.
Cut along dotted line to open the pouch and then remove the patch (Figure 1).

 

[wrighter]

So many options!

Where does one purchase sea bands? Need to do some research on how they work ....

 

[Minniemiss]

So many options!

Where does one purchase sea bands! Need to do some research on how they work ....

I'm not sure where you can purchase them, maybe amazon?
They work using acupressure.

 

[wrighter]

Has anyone used seabands and found them to not be effective?

 

[Vertigo127]

Has anyone used seabands and found them to not be effective?

They worked well for us on calmer seas in a bigger ship. We were on the Wonder ride Cozumel-Galveston, and used sea bands, bonine, zofran, ginger gum, green apples, and saltines... all to no avail for 2 of us. The other 4 family members were unaffected and used nothing. Of course, I came by the name Vertigo honestly!
Sea bands are available at most pharmacies near the Dramamine!

 

[jaimeadk]

We were on the Wonder roller coaster ride that just returned from Cozumel. I never imagined how rough it could be. At the first hint of sick, we all went horizontal (lay down) and stayed that way for 12 hours until it smoothed a bit. I know fresh air is best but all the decks were closed and we didn't have a veranda. As long as we were laying down, we were great. Siting up or walking around made us sick. The adults had patches, Bonine, and a dose of Benadryl. Our kids had half a Bonine each night.