Comfort Quest anti-nausea band review for motion sickness

[chabs]

So I pretty much get sick on any ride that requires you to watch a screen and move at the same time (Simpsons, Forbidden Journey etc.) and found something that worked for me while we were away over Labor Day and thought I would share. In the past I would have taken Bonine and used my sea bands, but they just weren't cutting it for Universal anymore. I bought a Comfort Quest band from West Marine (sells boat supplies). I found it online through Google and went into my local store and the sales person said that people swore by it for seasickness so I thought I would give it a try. It looks like a watch that sends an electrical pulse to the nerve in your wrist. It doesn't hurt and you can't really feel it-you can adjust it to the level that you need. I have to say that it cost about $100 and I was hesitant to spend that much but it really did work. I would turn it on right before I got on the ride and immediately after and I never felt dizzy or lightheaded ever and I went on most of the rides twice in a day. Before I would have been done for the day after the Simpsons or FJ.

There are two different versions on the market-I chose this one because it had replaceable batteries and you did not have to use a gel under the band (the other brand you throw away after the battery dies). Sea bands did kind of work for me but they were never tight enough for me to work properly and I still felt woozy after a ride. We spent 4 full days at the Universal parks and I felt fine the entire time-in fact, I couldn't believe how remarkable well this thing worked.

The one thing I have to say is that it will demagnetize your Universal gift cards though. Several times I had to go to guest services to get mine fixed but it wasn't a big deal and when I finally realized what the problem was-I just had my husband carry them. All of my credit cards were fine though-just the Universal GCs seemed to have a problem.

 

[mrsabbott]

Thank you for the review!! I noticed that I got sick on the rides as well and was looking into some different options to keep the motion sickness at bay.. I hate to take a pill because anything that "may cause drowsiness" is guaranteed to knock me out cold and I don't think sleepwalking through the parks would be all that much fun.. or sleeping through all the rides!

I will look into this!

 

[chabs]

I am the same way with the pills and I was really hesitant to spend $100 on something that I was not sure would work. This was by far the best trip that I ever had to Universal. I did close my eyes on some parts of some rides-like I can't watch the Simpsons or Despicable Me where you ride the roller coaster, but other than that I felt nothing. I kept waiting to feel dizzy and lightheaded but it never happened. I really can't say enough good things about it.

 

[dedex13]

My big problem with motion sickness is the nausea, did it help with that also?

 

[chabs]

My big problem with motion sickness is the nausea, did it help with that also?

Yes-I did not feel nauseous at all. I usually am dizzy and lightheaded after the first ride, nauseous after the second and done for the day after the third. Seems like the motion sickness just builds for me until I'm done with rides for the day. I probably rode 8-10 rides per day for 4 days and never felt the effects of any of them.

 

[CJK]

Oh my gosh, thanks so much for the review!! Dh has such severe motion sickness, that he no longer enjoys going to Universal. There's very little that he can do there without feeling really sick. He has tried literally every product out there and nothing has worked. We are desperate at this point because I love doing all of these thrill rides and dh hates just watching. I wonder if they ship to Canada???

 

[dedex13]

Unfortunately, I was unable to find this item (it apparently has been discontinued due to alleged patent infringement or something like that). I was able to find this (ReliefBand Voyager Motion Sickness Band):

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LMNGW8/ref=pe_385040_30332200_TE_item

(I hope it's okay to post a direct link to Amazon)

The lack of a replaceable battery in such a costly item is regrettable, but it's worth the $120 to me if it works! No anxiety about getting sick on a ride = priceless! I will report how it worked for me after my trip. Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[duranasaur]

Unfortunately, I was unable to find this item (it apparently has been discontinued due to alleged patent infringement or something like that). I was able to find this (ReliefBand Voyager Motion Sickness Band):

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LMNGW8/ref=pe_385040_30332200_TE_item

(I hope it's okay to post a direct link to Amazon)

The lack of a replaceable battery in such a costly item is regrettable, but it's worth the $120 to me if it works! No anxiety about getting sick on a ride = priceless! I will report how it worked for me after my trip. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I have the older Relief Band with the replaceable battery and I can say that it definitely works wonders! I get seasick really bad and I have used the Relief Band numerous times and it's amazing! No nausea, dizziness, or anything! I could even eat which used to be rare for me on a ship since the seasickness would usually make all the food come up instead!

I did sometimes get a minor rash on my wrist, though, probably from a reaction to the metal. But a little lotion/cream and it cleared up right away. A minor thing to deal with cause I'll take the small rash over motion sickness any day!

Sad to see that they don't make the replaceable battery version anymore but it's still worth it cause like you said, not getting sick on a ride is priceless!

 

[pigletto]

You've definitely got my attention!! Dh is exactly the same with motion simulators. He gets really really ill. He also can't handle going backwards. It's disappointing because he is a thrill ride fan and it's limiting his enjoyment of the parks sometimes. He does use bonine and prefers it to anything he can get commercially here but it leaves him feeling depleted and with a chemical haze that he doesn't like. It's not awful but he'd love something natural.
So I will be looking into this because it sounds like a great solution!

 

[clsteve]

Quick question - do you know if it's "kid-friendly..."?

 

[chabs]

Quick question - do you know if it's "kid-friendly..."?

It should be fine for kids-although the size might be too big for a kid's wrist if they have small arms. The only thing that I felt was a little buzz if I picked it up and moved it on my arm. Not a shock or anything that hurt, but you could feel it was there.

 

[chabs]

Unfortunately, I was unable to find this item (it apparently has been discontinued due to alleged patent infringement or something like that). I was able to find this (ReliefBand Voyager Motion Sickness Band):

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LMNGW8/ref=pe_385040_30332200_TE_item

(I hope it's okay to post a direct link to Amazon)

The lack of a replaceable battery in such a costly item is regrettable, but it's worth the $120 to me if it works! No anxiety about getting sick on a ride = priceless! I will report how it worked for me after my trip. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Yeah I lucked out when I found that at the West Marine store. I just walked in and they had one with replaceable batteries left, so I bought that one thinking that it would save me money in the long run. I would try calling around to any boating supply stores in your area to see what they have in stock. I just got it in August, so there may be more still around at other stores. The only ones that I could find online were on ebay.

 

[sdomino11]

Thanks for this! I get super sick during rides with screens and I've been worried about not getting full enjoyment out of our first WWOHP visit. But this seems like an excellent option!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Thanks for the tip!

 

[dedex13]

To the OP (and anyone else who has used one of these devices)... I tried on the Relief Band today to make sure it wasn't doa or anything and am not sure if I had it on correctly. The directions said you should feel a "tingling" in your palm if it was positioned correctly. I couldn't really tell if I felt anything in my palm, but had a strong almost muscle-spasm like feeling at the base of my wrist. And since I wasn't doing anything that would make me motion-sick I can't judge if it actually worked. That was on the lowest setting, I turned it up higher to see if I felt anything in my palm and ended up with a numb hand. Very disconcerting! Not sure if that's the way it's supposed to work... but if it is, hopefully I will be able to get used to it.

 

[chabs]

You can definitely feel it if you turn it up too high. My strategy that seemed to work was to turn the device on low about 5 minutes before the ride (while I was in line). Then turn it up a couple of clicks as soon as I boarded the ride. After I got off, I would turn it off immediately to save the battery. I never used it at the highest setting but I did turn it all the way up to try it and it will give you a weird feeling in your hand. It didn't hurt or anything but the higher you turn it up, the more you notice that you are wearing it.

 

[Janed]

OP, thanks for sharing your experience. I had a terrible experience on Spiderman during our last trip. Tried the less drowsy stuff but it knocked me out in the afternoon. Haven't been able to ride Star Tours in years and never tried Mission Space. This coming trip I am determined to be able to ride HPFJ, Despicable Me and other motion sickness trigger attractions.

My MD gave me a script for meclizine - worried about drowsiness with that med. So I have been doing research and came across the Reliefband which I understand to be the same as the ComfortBand. Found one with replaceable batteries on ebay. It came with the contact gel. Quite expensive, but will be worth it if I can enjoy attractions with my family

Your review gave me lots of hope that it will work! Glad you had a good time.

 

[chabs]

OP, thanks for sharing your experience. I had a terrible experience on Spiderman during our last trip. Tried the less drowsy stuff but it knocked me out in the afternoon. Haven't been able to ride Star Tours in years and never tried Mission Space. This coming trip I am determined to be able to ride HPFJ, Despicable Me and other motion sickness trigger attractions.

My MD gave me a script for meclizine - worried about drowsiness with that med. So I have been doing research and came across the Reliefband which I understand to be the same as the ComfortBand. Found one with replaceable batteries on ebay. It came with the contact gel. Quite expensive, but will be worth it if I can enjoy attractions with my family

Your review gave me lots of hope that it will work! Glad you had a good time.

I see you are in upstate NY (I am too-near Albany). Check around and see if you have a West Marine. I got mine there on clearance. It has replaceable batteries and doesn't require the gel. I also found that it helps to close your eyes during dizzy scenes-which to me is where you swoop down a cliff or ride a roller coaster. Anything that makes me feel like I'm going downhill is bad news for my motion sickness.

 

[dedex13]

Thanks Chabs, I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will keep the motion-sickness at bay. And thanks for relaying your strategy for use... I hadn't thought of turning it up a little after boarding the ride.

 

[dedex13]

Sadly, the Reliefband did not help me with the rides. It did, however, help with the plane ride. I was able to read with no discomfort at all, even through a somewhat choppy flight home.