Motion Sickness help

[bjkj]

I have been to Disney many times on my own and avoid the motion simulator rides like the plague! They get me every time!

This year, is the first time I'll be going with my family, DH, DD9, DS6. (I haven't gone with them before because I have always been down to for schooling.) I would love to experience all of the rides with them but do not want to spend the entire day feeling green. I have tried Dramamine before but it made me feel really funky and didn't really seem to help. Maybe I didn't take it right or something???? I would also love to try Mission Space!

Does anyone have any have any great tips on how to avoid this. If there is no solution, what are the must avoid rides?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ugadog99]

We use Bonine which is similar to Dramamine but doesn't make us sleepy. We have good luck with it except for riding Dinosaur. We had all taken our Bonine, but we still were sick after that ride. There was just too much of the jerky motion.

 

[babyblue61]

I take Dramamine II, the nondrowsy formula, and have never had a problem. I wonder if you felt "funky" because you took it on an empty stomach. It's best to take it with food. The only rides I still cannot ride are the teacups, Primeval Whirl, Body Wars, and Star Tours, although I have yet to try Dinosaur so I may be adding that to the list based on the comments of the last poster.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I still had a patch on after the Disney Cruise, so I tried Space Mt. It did not work. I got queasy and barely made it off the ride. I now just accept the fact that I will never to Mission:Space (darn!!), Space Mt, BTMRR (did that one and had to go back to the room to lie down), RnRC, Body Wars, Star Tours. I do Dinosaur okay, not that great, but I survive. I have done ToT and Test Track, but don't care for them that much. The 360 movies also are bad for me, so I guess I won't be doing Soaring either.

 

[SRUAlmn]

I still had a patch on after the Disney Cruise, so I tried Space Mt. It did not work. I got queasy and barely made it off the ride. I now just accept the fact that I will never to Mission:Space (darn!!), Space Mt, BTMRR (did that one and had to go back to the room to lie down), RnRC, Body Wars, Star Tours. I do Dinosaur okay, not that great, but I survive. I have done ToT and Test Track, but don't care for them that much. The 360 movies also are bad for me, so I guess I won't be doing Soaring either.

I second the 360 movie thing, which stinks at Disney because so many rides/attractions are like that. I get a little motion sick, but mostly it's virtual reality/360 movie stuff that really gets me feeling sick. It's not even a tummy sick, it's a feeling like I'm going to pass out from dizziness- it's awful. I also tried drammamine and it didn't really help. Maybe I'll try the Bonine? Anyone else have any suggestions? I sat outside a lot of rides while DBF went in (he didn't want to leave me there, but I didn't want us both to miss out on the fun ) and I want to be able to enjoy everything!

 

[momsgoofy]

Go with the Dramamine or Bonine...I think they work best! I actually buy a bottle of 100 at WallyWorld for about $5. I did this for our Disney cruise last Thanksgiving and it worked great! I also had the patch, which I wore the first day, second day and by the morning of our third day (Sea day), I had the WORST vision and my mouth didn't feel like a cotton ball it WAS a cotton ball. I am nearsighted, but on the third day I could see fine at a distance, but could not read a menu or anything within 3 feet while I was wearing my contacts. I actually freaked a bit that morning at our character breakfast and went to the restroom, yanked off the patch, scrubbed where it had been with the antiseptic wipes, washed my hands and removed my contact lenses. I could actually see better without them. Afterward I ended up staying in the room until I felt better...when my vision wasn't so funky...by the fourth day morning I was recovered and swore off those patches.

I think it is important to take the dramamine with food...not a big meal, just have something in your stomach. I also try to avoid riding anything I know might trigger the motion sickness if I have eaten a larger meal or failed to eat a meal...best to keep a wee bit of food in there. I take dramamine while in the parks like clockwork...for both simulator and rides with actual movement. I managed Mission Space with it back at Thanksgiving 2003, when MS was apparently a rougher ride than now. Plus, I tend to avoid those that I know will be excessively annoying to me...the tea cups!

Some people on the cruise boards have mentioned SeaBands...or something of that sort of name...they are bracelets you were that have hit on pressure points to ward off the motion sickness...some sort of accupressure. Others suggest ginger as a natural anti-motionsickness. I've never tried either, but do know that Mom used to give us ginger ale and 7up/Sprite as a child for upset stomachs...usually warm...don't ask why? I just assume there is something in it that helps settle the stomach better.

Hope you find something that works!

 

[HockeyChick]

Dramamine, Bonine and the Scopalamine patch are all anti-cholinergics. We have a little funny rhyme about the side-effects of anti-cholinergics: can't see, can't pee, can't spit, can't sh*t. Your not being able to see while on the patch was a completely normal side effect (which your Dr and or pharmacist should have warned you about) but it's certainly not one I'd want to walk around with, either.

Anyone who can take a Dramamine and still walk around the parks all day has my greatest admiration! They knock me out. Bonine (and the anti-drowsy form of Dramamine....they are the same thing....both meclizine) isn't quite as sedating. Taking it with food can help if it makes you nauseous.

I wouldn't recommend the patch to anyone in Disney simply because when you get hot, the blood rushes to the surface of your skin and therefore you absorb more of the medication. Those side effects are not fun anyway and especially so when you get too much of the drug in your system.

I've seen ginger recommended for nausea but not to actually prevent motion sickness. There is no actual clinical data that shows that ginger does a thing for nausea but I know some folks swear by it, though it requires large doese (like a gram) several times daily. There are some side effects with ginger, believe it or not, so please talk with your pharmacist before trying that one.

My advice, is try some Bonine and see how that does for you....if it makes you too drowsy or sick. Unfortunately, you'll never know about the motion sickness until you're in the situation and for some folks, there is just no help!

Good luck!

 

[Dopey Sharon]

Try taking Bonine about an hour before you go to bed. It works for 24 hours. If it's going to make you drowsy, you won't know it. By the time you wake up, the drowsiness should have worn off, but the pill is still working.

Good luck!

 

[MrsToad]

I think this thread is doing a good job of showing how we each react differently to various remedies. I know the patch is getting a lot of negative comments however, I've been using it since our first trip in the early 90's (except for a short period of time it was off the market - I think the Dr. told me they had a manufacturing problem) and have had very little trouble with it. I do have the dry mouth issue but I just keep mints with me and drink water throughout the day. That is a small price for me to pay so that I can ride everything in the parks without a problem (though I do still avoid the teacups). I would do a practice run with some of the choices a few weeks before going and see how the various products make you feel (not all at once, of course )...at least you'll know if you can handle the side effects. Good luck!

 

[bjkj]

Thank you all so much! It looks like there are a lot of options out there, and no "one size fits all" answer.

I appreciate all of the comments.

One more question, if you do find something that works without side effects. Can you still do most of the motion simulator rides? Or is it designed more for actual motion.

I don't have a problem with roller coasters and such. It's more spinning rides. The absolute worst is the simulators!

Thanks again.

 

[HockeyChick]

Motion sickness happens because the visual cues your eyes are sending to the brain aren't matching up with what your inner-ear is sending to your brain....your eyes think you're moving one way, your ear thinks you're moving another. That makes your brain queasy. From my understanding the effects of the anti-cholinergics (Dramamine, Bonine and the Scop patches) are for the inner-ear problems with motion sickness. They block the vestibular pathways to the brain. I'm pretty sure that actual movement induced motion sickness is the same thing as simulator motion sickness, though it may be that a simulator makes you sicker than an actual car would and therefore it might be more difficult to treat or prevent.

Also, that's great if some folks have had their Dramamine or Bonine work for 24 hours but I don't believe it's the norm. It's recommended that you take it 1 hour before your "exposure" to get the best effect. Unfortunately, the effect that causes the drowsiness is also what causes the pharmcological effect that you want.

If you find that it's really interfering with your fun you could talk to your doctor about it. There are some prescription drugs that have been used to treat motion sickness that you might try. One comes to mind but it's probably the drug that makes the most people on the planet sleepy (promethazine/Phenergan), lol.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

IThe only rides I still cannot ride are the teacups, Primeval Whirl, Body Wars, and Star Tours, although I have yet to try Dinosaur so I may be adding that to the list based on the comments of the last poster.

Oh, do try Dinosaur. However, sit in the FRONT of the car. It's much less rough.

Ditto with Star Tours (and many other rides). I get sick sitting in the back, but handle the front row just fine.

If you tell the CM you'd like to wait for the next car/etc. so you can sit in the front so you don't vomit, I'm sure they will accomodate.

The only rides I don't do at WDW because of motion sickness are the teacups, M:S, and Primeval Whirl. Everything else I can handle perfectly as long as I sit in the right area.

N.E.D.

 

[aubriee]

If you find that it's really interfering with your fun you could talk to your doctor about it. There are some prescription drugs that have been used to treat motion sickness that you might try. One comes to mind but it's probably the drug that makes the most people on the planet sleepy (promethazine/Phenergan), lol.

Before I left for WDW in January I spoke with one of the doctors I work with and asked for something for motion sickness. His suggestion was to 'just avoid those rides'. I told him I was taking my 8 y/o GD and knew she would want to ride everything, so skipping them was not an option. He said if people think they're going to get sick, then they will. He told me to eat a banana prior to riding, to take ginger twice a day, eat ginger snaps prior to and after riding, and then wrote me prescriptions for scop patches and meclizine (same thing as antivert or bonine). He then said if I felt sick after getting off the ride to sip ginger ale (or else eat the ginger snaps). He said to just try and see what combination worked for me.

Using just the ginger capsules I had no trouble with Star Wars, the movies, or Dinosaur. Thankfully just before we got in line for Mission Space, three teenage boys came off the ride. All three were losing their cookies. My GD decided to think a little longer about riding it and we never made it back over there.

 

[eeyore45]

I did the Bonine and ginger capsules, you can find a candy like 'crystalized' ginger that also helps...

I did Splash, and the BTM roller coasters, a few 360 movies, but I nearly lost it during Star Wars simulator, and I do know that when I get motion sickness, all I have to do is stare at one non moving object, and get control back... 8 years ago I was able to do the Star Wars similuator by just staring at the edge of the seat, knowing the movie was nothing more than that, I watched the chairs move up and down, and it worked... NOT this past summer!! I couldnt get off that simulator fast enough!! AND it took me a good hour or two to regain my composure!

I am hoping to find something that will work, I plan on doing RnR, and Space this Oct! I've always always done and LOVED roller coasters... why do I have to get 'old'? Roller coasters never bothered me before..

 

[BCKatie02]

One more suggestion to add to the rest...motion sickness bracelets. They sell them at CVS or any drug store (can't remember the brand name). My sister gets terrible motion sickness and she used them on our trip last July (she also took Bonine) and she was able to do Star Tour, Rock-n-Roller Coaster (multiple times) and even Mission Space!

Hope this helps!

Katie

 

[bjkj]

Thanks everyone!

 

[neffy]

Im so glad youall posted the different pills out there....I get motion sickness so bad but i want to experience everything...First time WDW.

 

[daannzzz]

I would experiment with the pills first. I have tried Dramamine 2 and Bonine (which are both mechlazine) and both have made me extremely tired and sleepy...to the point where I have had to leave the parks and go sleep. I have tried taking them for a few days before my trip to, hopefully, get used to them and still it made me sleepy. It also didn't quite keep me from getting sick in some things so I have given up on those pills. This may not happen for you though so give them a try but do it a few weeks before your trip so you know ahead of time.

 

[Rhonda922]

I have been to Disney many times on my own and avoid the motion simulator rides like the plague! They get me every time!

Oh my goodness, me too!!! I can't stand them. I think I turn 3 shades of green when I'm on those types of rides. Even if I were to take Dramameine, I'd still be a little nervous about going on those rides.

 

[DreadpiratK]

I tried Bonine last time we were at Disney, and it helped, I think, I don't always get motion sick. I did make the mistake of trying a Norwegian Beer while eating lunch in Norway (fantastic buffet), and then slept right through the American Experience. Too bad too, because it was the week of 9/11, and very emotional. A few minutes outside in the sunshine and I felt fine after, better even for the nap!

whatever you try, Don't mix it with Alchohol!