but I and my husband both have had TERRIBLE experiences with the patch! My suggestion to you would be to try it out BEFORE you leave on your cruise. I was allergic to it as was my husband but me more than him and it dialated my pupils and made me deathly sick. I had a major headache, dizzy, nauseated and once I went and spent a fortune at the ships doctor (norwegian norway) and took the patch off I started to feel better but I lost about 4 days of my 7 day cruise just feeling really crummy! I would suggest you try whatever method you are thinking of BEFORE you go so you know what to expect! I read from someone before my Carnival Cruise that she didnt realize she was allergic to Dramamine and broke out in huge hives on the airplane and had to have an escort off the airplane before it took off and she headed to the ER so my advice would be make sure you are ok to take it! The patch is iffy in MY opinion however and after reading their website cautions it really freaks me out. Here is what I copied and pasted from their websiste at
http://www.transdermscop.com/site2/view-insert.html#precautions
DO NOT USE TRANSDERM SCOP IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO SCOPOLAMINE.
TRANSDERM SCOP SHOULD NOT BE USED IN CHILDREN AND SHOULD BE USED WITH CAUTION IN THE ELDERLY.
How the Transderm Scop System Works
A group of nerve fibers deep inside the ear helps people keep their balance. For some people, the motion of ships, airplanes, trains, automobiles, and buses increases the activity of these nerve fibers. This increased activity causes the dizziness, nausea, and vomiting of motion sickness. People may have one, some, or all of these symptoms.
Transderm Scop contains the drug scopolamine, which helps reduce the activity of the nerve fibers in the inner ear. When a Transderm Scop patch is placed on the skin behind one of the ears, scopolamine passes through the skin and into the bloodstream. One patch may be kept in place for 3 days if needed.
It has been suggested that Transderm Scop, when used to reduce nausea and vomiting associated with surgical anesthesia or analgesia, acts on the same nerve fibers that are affected when the product is taken for motion sickness.
Precautions
Before using Transderm Scop, be sure to tell your doctor if you:
Are pregnant or nursing (or plan to become pregnant)
Have (or have had) glaucoma (increased pressure in the eyeball) or a predisposition to glaucoma
Have (or have had) any metabolic, heart, liver, kidney, or other serious medical conditions
Have any obstruction of the stomach or intestine
Have any trouble urinating due to prostate enlargement or any bladder obstruction
Have any allergy or have had a reaction such as a skin rash or redness to any drug, especially scopolamine, or chemical or food substance
Any of these conditions could make Transderm Scop unsuitable for you. Also tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines.
In the unlikely event that you experience pain in the eye and reddened whites of the eye while wearing the patch, which may be accompanied by widening of the pupil and blurred vision, remove the patch immediately and consult your doctor. As indicated below under Side Effects, widening of the pupils and blurred vision without pain or reddened whites of the eye is usually temporary and not serious.
Transderm Scop should not be used in children. The safety of its use in children has not been determined. Children and the elderly may be particularly sensitive to the effects of scopolamine.
Side Effects
The most common side effect experienced by people using Transderm Scop is dryness of the mouth. This occurs in about two thirds of the people. A less frequent side effect is drowsiness, which occurs in less than one sixth of the people. Temporary blurring of vision and dilation (widening) of the pupils may occur, especially if the drug is on your hands and comes in contact with the eyes. On infrequent occasions, disorientation, memory disturbances, dizziness, restlessness, hallucinations, confusion, difficulty urinating, skin rashes or redness, temporary changes in heart rate such as palpitations, dry itchy, or reddened whites of the eyes, and eye pain have been reported. If these effects do occur, remove the patch and call your doctor. Since drowsiness, disorientation, and confusion may occur with the use of scopolamine, be careful driving or operating any dangerous machinery, especially when you first start using the drug system.
In addition, if you plan to participate in underwater sports while wearing the patch, you should discuss with your doctor the potentially disorienting effects of scopolamine.
Eye Effects: Temporary blurring of vision and dilation (widening) of the pupils may occur, especially if the drug is on your fingers or hands and comes into contact with the eyes. Dry, itchy, or reddened whites of the eye and eye pain have been reported infrequently. In the unlikely event that you experience pain in the eye and reddened whites of the eye, which may be accompanied by widening of the pupil and blurred vision, remove the patch and consult your doctor promptly. Widening of the pupils and blurred vision without pain, or reddened whites of the eye, is usually temporary and not serious.
Drug Withdrawal/Post-Removal Symptoms: Symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, and disturbances of equilibrium have been reported by some people following discontinuation of use of the Transderm Scop patch. These symptoms have occurred most often in people who have used the patches for more than 3 days, and frequently do not appear until 24 hours or more after the patch has been removed. These symptoms may be associated with adaptation from a motion environment to a motion-free environment. It is recommended that you consult with your doctor if these symptoms persist.
Also you need to be religious in making sure you dont touch your eye if your finger or hand come in contact with the patch and if they do make sure you wash them in very warm water BEFORE you touch your hand to anywhere near your eye!
I am sure it works great for people but I would really recommend you try it before you leave just to make sure! I wish I had listened to advice like that before we went on the Norway...could have saved myself $$$$ at the doctor and time spent in bed feeling like crap!
JMHO
Heidi
