Motion sickness! help?

[boscoj]

I know this may sound weird, but a natural solution that seems to work for motion sickness, sea sickness, even nausea from a hangover is eating a granny apple (the sour, green ones).....i don't know why, but this was introduced to us by a maid on an Alaskan cruise and it hasn't failed me since...

 

[jheigl]

I am also prone to motion sickness. Even riding in the back seat of a car can do it to me. But, I love rollercoasters, go figure!
The ups and downs don't bother me, just the spinning. I bought the generic "motion sickness" medicine from Wal-Mart (equate brand, 100 tablets, 50mg of Dimenhydrinate) and while I can't remember how much the bottle cost exactly, I'm pretty certain it was less than $10.
I take these in the morning with breakfast (very important to eat!), and not have a problem the rest of the day. It did make me a little drowsy, but nothing bad.
I also find that I'm more prone to get sick if I haven't eaten recently or if I don't drink enough water.

What are these "Seabands" you speak of? Where can I get them, how much do they cost? Have they worked for you?

Seabands are wristbands that youcan buy at any local pharmacy. They look like athletic wristbands, but on the bottom side of it they have a plastic ball. This ball, when the bands are worn in the correct position on your wrist, pushes against a pressure point on your wrist, which is supposed to eliminate motion sickness while wearing the bands.

I have tried these and for the most part, they did work while I was on a boat in the lake. However, it was not a night and day feeling that I had. It kept me from getting the nausea, but I still got the headache that usually comes with motion sickness, at least for me, and I still felt just a hint of nausea. I would most likely attribute that to the fact that I probably was not wearing them in the 100% correct position...the directions show pictures, but since I don't know exactly where that pressure point is, I probably missed it a hair...or the band slipped or moved after a bit..not sure. I think they cost between $7 and $15, depending on where you shop.

 

[hmschlmomof2]

Thanks for the info on the Sea Bands. I think I may try them this coming trip. Has anyone had any success with kids using them, as my son is also prone to some motion sickness (We've nicknamed him "'Uker"? (We'll also take the Benedryl just in case)!

 

[mjp12831]

Meclazine works pretty well for most people. It is sold over-the-counter in boxes with labels that read "Bonine" and "Dramamine" and many other names. Flip the boxes over to see which are meclazine. Make sure you don't have some condition with which you shouldn't take it and then get the cheapest meclazine you can find.

BUT, it makes almost everyone who takes it very sleepy.

Your choice - be sick or be asleep. Most people choose sleep.

Doctors prescribe meclazine and other meds. If it's really bad, see a doc.

I took some meclazine once because my Godson REALLY wanted to ride Mission Space and not ride it alone. Prayed it would help and figured I could fight through the tiredness. Fell asleep on Ellen's Energy Adventure......and those seats weren't built for comfort.

BINGO - choose sleep or sick!

AM emh at AK last week - walk on cycled EE 3x at request of our kids and felt nausious - didnt want to deal with it all day so picked up some dramamine in one of the park stores.

I figured it would make me a little drowsy but the excitement of being at WDW would make it almost unnoticeable. WOW does it make you tired - spent the next 6 hours really fighting to stay awake.

If your motion sickness is only mild I'd try without the pills.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Thanks for the info on the Sea Bands. I think I may try them this coming trip. Has anyone had any success with kids using them, as my son is also prone to some motion sickness (We've nicknamed him "'Uker"? (We'll also take the Benedryl just in case)!

Not sure about kids, but I used Seabands on a recent airplane trip and had success. I was careful to follow the instructions, but I also have very small wrists so I think the pressure points got hit just because my wrists are so small.

I really, really like the idea about taking something the night before, then sleeping and it still working the next day. I think these things have a half-life of about 8-10 hours so it really could work for me too! Exciting!

 

[shaniadobie]

Bonine for sure !!!
works GREAT

 

[benolathe]

Hey all my dad and my brothers suffer from motion sickness. (they completely die after star tours, EE, ToT, etc..)

Sorry, no advice here. But I did laugh read I read that "they completely die" after rides. Guess after ONE ride, then you don't have to worry about that person anymore.

No offense meant - just thought it was a very funny exaggeration.

 

[matu8063]

I used the behind the ear patch on our 7 day cruise last year. I would say that I had blurred vision the first morning on the cruise but it went away. The ship was rocking but I was fine. It was really easy to get in the US, I just called my doctor and told her that I wanted it and it was ready to be picked up a couple hours later. It was expensive even with insurance but it was so worth it and will do it again in a heartbeat. I take dramamene to the parks and have used it a couple times.

 

[Sarah7401]

I don't get markedly drowsy with the ear patch... it is a prescription, though.

I used to get motion sick on plane rides, in the backseat of car rides... that's about it. I rode the spinning side of Mission Space 3 years ago. I got horribly sick. Since then, I cannot even ride a carousel without wanting to throw up. It completely changed something in my inner ear that does not allow me to ride anything that spins at all.

 

[rosiep]

I'm really encourage to read that there are people who are very sensitive to motion yet still cruised. Please keep the encouragement coming!

 

[nessz79]

I use meclizine but I take it at night before the activity that will make me sick (cruise, rides, etc.) so the drowsiness doesn't bother me and the medicine works all day the next day. The key is to take it BEFORE you get sick otherwise it takes much longer to treat yourself to get over the sickness rather than prevent it in the first place.

For cruises, I take Meclizine (Bonine) the night before. Any drowsiness I feel doesn't matter since I'm sleeping anyway. I only take the one 25mg dose at night. I did it twice a day for a very rough cruise and was kind of sleepy as a result. Better than totally sick, though.

 

[acc82]

I'm really encourage to read that there are people who are very sensitive to motion yet still cruised. Please keep the encouragement coming!

this is so true!! I love cruising so much that I won't let anything stop me!! There are drugs that are avaliable that make it okay.

I DO however sometimes get sick on small boats such as tender boats, water taxis/ferries, etc.... SO....be careful about booking excursions on the cruise. Make sure you know what kind of boat you will be in. I recently went to the mainland from cozumel and that required a water ferry. I got so incredibly sick! Terrible! Never again! Cruise ships are big enough that I can do with just a meclizine but those smaller boats require more!

 

[MrsToad]

I also depend on the Transderm Scope scopolamine patches. I've used them for close to 20 years. I change them every 3 days, as directed. I do get dry mouth and blurry vision (with small text only) around day 2, but I do not have any drowsiness at all. The dry mouth isn't so bad since I drink a lot of water during the day. Even with the blurry text, I can still manage to read my Kindle, though I do set the text to be a bit larger. The dry mouth and blurry text are a fair trade-off for me to be able to fly and ride the attractions, Disney buses, Disney boats, taxis, etc.

On a side note: An interesting tidbit I learned after outpatient surgery is that those who have motion sickness issues tend to also be patients who wake up from anesthesia feeling sick to their stomachs. This was a real problem for me until a kind nurse recommended wearing the scopolamine patch the night before and during my last procedure (with the doctor's permission). The anti-nausea medication they can add to the anesthetic on the day of a procedure was never enough for me. What a difference the patch made!

Good luck with your trip - I hope you find a solution that your family members are comfortable with.

 

[Junebugwv]

On a side note: An interesting tidbit I learned after outpatient surgery is that those who have motion sickness issues tend to also be patients who wake up from anesthesia feeling sick to their stomachs. This was a real problem for me until a kind nurse recommended wearing the scopolamine patch the night before and during my last procedure (with the doctor's permission). The anti-nausea medication they can add to the anesthetic on the day of a procedure was never enough for me. What a difference the patch made!

I recently asked my husband (anesthesiologist) about a scopolamine patch for our son's upcoming honeymoon cruise and he said they keep stacks of the patches in the ORs.

 

[acc82]

On a side note: An interesting tidbit I learned after outpatient surgery is that those who have motion sickness issues tend to also be patients who wake up from anesthesia feeling sick to their stomachs. This was a real problem for me until a kind nurse recommended wearing the scopolamine patch the night before and during my last procedure (with the doctor's permission). The anti-nausea medication they can add to the anesthetic on the day of a procedure was never enough for me. What a difference the patch made!

Good luck with your trip - I hope you find a solution that your family members are comfortable with.

I also did the sco patch before my surgery to reset my broken arm. It was the only time I didn't puke from anesthesia. So, yeah, it definately works.

 

[bennifer]

Thanks for the info on the Sea Bands. I think I may try them this coming trip. Has anyone had any success with kids using them, as my son is also prone to some motion sickness (We've nicknamed him "'Uker"? (We'll also take the Benedryl just in case)!

My son has been using sea bands since he was 8 and they work for him!

 

[shyjade]

When we go to Disney I take the 24-hour Dramamine (generic version from Walmart is WAY cheaper) every night before bed, and I experience no drowsiness the next day. I also take a ginger pill every morning and night while at Disney. (Regular Dramamine knocks me out, so I never take it anymore).

I'm not sure which helps me most or if it's a combination of the two, but I'm not taking chances since it works for me. Normally, I cannot read on a plane but when I start the above the night before we fly, I have no problems reading while on the plane.

My DD15 suffers from backseat and sometimes even passenger seat motion sickness in the car so she carries SeaBands in her purse at all times and slips them on as needed.

I will admit I still avoid the "motion sickness" rides at Disney but this year I plan to finally try Star Wars.

 

[BuzzBelleMom]

My ENT wants to send me for vestibular therapy before I go and then maybe a bit of valium for when I am in the park...

 

[shyjade]

On a side note: An interesting tidbit I learned after outpatient surgery is that those who have motion sickness issues tend to also be patients who wake up from anesthesia feeling sick to their stomachs. This was a real problem for me until a kind nurse recommended wearing the scopolamine patch the night before and during my last procedure (with the doctor's permission). The anti-nausea medication they can add to the anesthetic on the day of a procedure was never enough for me. What a difference the patch made!

That's amazing! I've always gotten very sick to my stomach after being "put under" for surgeries. I will definitely ask my doc about this if I have to be put under again someday.

 

[Cherinva]

thanks for the replies guys! whats the thing that you put behind your ear? does it work better?

It's a patch that is prescribed from your doctor...I got it when we went on a Disney Cruise...worked like a charm for me and I didn't notice any side effects....good luck