Best thing for Sea Sickness

[surferrat]

So..taking my wife on an anniv. cruise in July. This will be her 2nd cruise ever and her second DCL cruise. She is prone to becoming sea sick, so wanted to get ideas to make this trip a better one than the first.

Any ideas for the "BEST" thing to help her for sea sickness...

Last time she tried drammamine (sp?) and that did not go very well. She was not sick the entire cruise, but there were a few times she was turning green...

Thanks

 

[becca_n_wa]

I would like to say that my Mom and I tried "the patch" on our last cruise. Many people said they had used it so I thought it would be the easy option.

It was horriable! We both had severe sore throats (not dry mouth) sore throats to where we could no longer swallow. Also, by the first night, my eyes were so diliated, that you could no longer see the blue of my eyes! Very scarey....we both took those patches off that first night.

Many people on Dis boards have stated they used the patch but I would say, if she wants to try it, use it a day or so before the cruise. See how it affects her personally.

Mom used dramamine the rest of the cruise and she was ok.

Your other non-pre. options are the wrist band, ginger pills, ginger snaps.

 

[Par8hed]

Rum.

 

[zerog]

I get seasick if I just look at the ocean... Ok, not quite THAT bad.

We just sailed on May 27 and had rather rough seas the first day (10 to 12 feet swells). I didn't get dizzy, nauseous, nothing. I was "fit as a fiddle" as they say <pats self on back>! However, I witnessed and heard about others who did get sea sick.

Here is what I did:
1) I wore a patch; applied behind the ear at 11:30am the first sail day.
2) I ate a non-greasy breakfast. Nothing heavy; just oatmeal, banana, and
toast. No sausage or bacon or pancakes/syrup. No eggs.
3) I drank coffee first thing when I woke up. This was so I would stay as hydrated as humanly possible. (see #5 below).
4) I took 500mg ginger root capsules (the nite before the cruise, the morning and afternoon of day one). Now please understand, I don't even like taking aspirin when I have a slight headache. But here, I was desperate not to get sick.
5) I drank a TON of water before we set sail. I was milking water like there was no tomorrow. One hand always had a water bottle. No joke, I drank at least 3 full water bottles worth before we set sail. And yes, I did have to P a lot.
6) Upon boarding, we hit the buffet. I didn't eat anything too spicy/heavy. Again, I ate more bread/butter.
7) I stayed away from any alcohol the first day.

I'm not exactly sure which of the above contributed the most to my safe journey. Perhaps a combination of some things.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

 

[zerog]

PATCH:

Personally, I didn't notice any effect from the patch. Others, who complained of dry throat, perhaps didn't drink a swimming pool's worth of water like I did.

On the other hand, I did get tired just prior to the Hercules show. (We had late dining the first nite.) This could be attributed to the fact that I didn't sleep well the nite before (pre-cruise anxiety).

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I have read from many DISers that Bonine is the ticket. It is non drowsy and seems to do the trick by taking one or two per day.

That's what I'm going to take when I go on my cruise!

 

[zerog]

GINGER CAPSULES

I forgot to mention - if you take ginger capsules, by gosh take them with food. I took some capsules in the early afternoon and could taste them in the back of my throat after about a half hour. Yuckky!!

 

[becca_n_wa]

PATCH:

Personally, I didn't notice any effect from the patch. Others, who complained of dry throat, perhaps didn't drink a swimming pool's worth of water like I did.

Yes, we did drink a lot of water. I personally do not drink anything except for water or the water with the flavoring packets (which I took on my trip). We drank until we could no longer swallow which was that first night of the cruise and when the patch came off. The next day, no more sore throat!

Everyone is not going to react to meds. the same way. But, my mom and I had the same problems. That is why I said IF she wanted to try the patch try it a FEW DAYS before the cruise. We put ours on late the night before boarding.

 

[jhannah]

I think Bonine (generic name is meclezine) is great. Doesn't make you sleepy and works like a charm. Available, cheap, OTC at most every pharmacy.

Some people swear by the sea bands. These are wrist straps with small marble-like balls that apply pressure to the nerves on the underside of your wrist/forearm.

 

[surferrat]

Thanks for all the info. I think we are gonna corner the market on all the seasikness items and pack it in her suitcase.

INCLUDING the RUM!

 

[zerog]

Everyone is not going to react to meds. the same way. But, my mom and I had the same problems. That is why I said IF she wanted to try the patch try it a FEW DAYS before the cruise. We put ours on late the night before boarding.

Absolutely true about meds - they affect people differently. I've even heard they can affect the same person in different ways, on different days. Perhaps it all comes down to body equilibrium (i.e., what we ate and drank and how much sleep).

PS: My wife wasn't too enthused about me wearing a patch. She feared having to cruise by herself (with our 2 small children), while I slept off the medication. I explained that if I got seasick, she may be doing that anyhow.

 

[DznyDreams]

I think Bonine (generic name is meclezine) is great. Doesn't make you sleepy and works like a charm. Available, cheap, OTC at most every pharmacy. . . .

It doesn't make some people sleepy. I swear by the stuff too and have used it for years. I am so prone to motion sickness that I have to take it in order to ride things like Soarin' and Mission Space. I have never had a problem; however, my father, who is also bothered with motion sickness, took one in order to ride Mission Space in Sept of '05, and he slept for two full days after.

So, I suppose it would be a good idea to try any medication in advance because, as someone has already mentioned, not everyone has the same reaction.

 

[Pluto 2]

bonine thats all you need to know

 

[graysm]

I get extremely sick with motion sickness....I can't do any rides at the parks, or even ride in the back seat of a car. I used the patch during our last cruise. I applied it before I got on the plane, and was good the whole trip, plane ride, cruise and plane ride back home. No motion sickness at all...and absolutely no side effects for me. I've read on the board that some people cut their patches in half if they have any side effects. I thought it worked great!

Have fun your cruise!

 

[lovesthebeach]

I swear by Bonine too. You can usually get it from the Pursers Desk if you forget to pack it...

 

[hjensen]

I was really worried when we took our firsrt cruise. I had everything with me that you could think of....Dramamine, Bonine, wristbands and Ginger capsules. We started the ginger the day before the cruise and took 2 pills a day for the whole cruise. We felt great for the whole cruise!

 

[Luckymomoftwo]

I prefer the patch. There ARE possible side effects, but the only side effect I've ever had is blurred vision (only when trying to read small print). So, I had to have my hubby read me the daily navigators and some of the menus!!

I refuse to take Dramamine because it causes drowsiness and then I wouldn't be able to stay up to watch the shows on the ship!!

You're idea of bringing a little of all of the sea sickness remedies is a good one, that way your wife can find out which one works best for her!!

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[rgroves]

Non-Drwosy Dramamine for me. I take one about a hour or so before boarding and another one later in the evening and that is it.

I did take one later in the week on our 3rd cruise because we hit 15-18 ft seas, but it was mostly to make myself "mentally" feel secure. And it really was mental, because before I took it, I felt queezy looking out the windows at the waves and less than 5 minutes after taking it, I felt fine. :0

 

[lborne]

I've tried lots of things, as sometimes have to be on ships for work. Bonine works best for me. There is no harm in trying it before you leave to see if it makes you sleepy.

The bands with marbles or bumps only work if you believe in them - sort of like Wendy with flying.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Bonine (meclazine) is all that we take. It worked wonders during the rough seas of Hurricane Hillary!