Pediatrician says no meclizine for kids???

[abitjaded]

We asked our pediatrician about using meclizine for our kids, 6 and 9 on the cruise, should they need it. He said no, it was not good and suggested benadryl if they need it, but said to make them do without anything, that they shouldn't need anything. Even my mother's Dr (she is 85 and taking all kinds of other stuff) said it was O.K. for her. Since we are cruising in October, I want to be prepared. Dosing kids with benadryl and just putting the little stinkers to sleep doesn't sound so good to me (plus it never worked for our older son on non-boat trips, he would just fall asleep AFTER the sleep would have helped. Not looking to circumvent their Dr's advice, but what advice have you had?

 

[disneyholic family]

there are 2 kinds of dramamine.....original dramamine and dramamine 2....
dramamine 2 is meclizine (and i think on the box it says for ages 12 and up)...
original dramamine is some other drug (that i don't recall as it's been years since my daughter took it)......on the box it says it's ok for kids under 12....my daughter started taking it around the age of 6 (when her school went on long bus trips.....it was that or else not be able to go at all.....she used to get seriously car and bus sick)......
the only problem, the original formula can cause drowsiness (though it never did in my daughter)....

bottom line, check into original formula dramamine.....
by the way, we didn't need anything on our cruise, but we had very calm water....in any case, it's best to be prepared...

 

[Michelle]

Your doctor is correct, meclizine (Bonine) is NOT for kids under age 12.

I don't give my daughter ANYthing on the ship, she has been perfectly fine for her four cruises so far. I DO give her dramamine, however, if we do a boating excursion and I think the seas may be a little rough (which they were last year on our catamaran to St. John).

Honestly, unless your kids are very susceptible to motion sickness I wouldn't give them anything, they will be fine.

Enjoy!

 

[CRB#33]

Just out of curiousity, did your DR say why? I mean any other reason besides age? Or why it is a problem for under 12s?

I vaguely remember being told that I could give half a 12 year old dose, but maybe that was dramamine original.

 

[prymsu]

our doctor tells us to use dramamine. Dakota has cruised four times now, and he has never had a problem with sea sickness, and we are very thankful for that.

 

[mcnuss]

Meclizine is an anti-histamine, just like Benadryl, so it would likely cause the same effects.

It is not approved for children under 12; this usually means that it has not been tested for side-effects in this age group. If you DR says not to give it, you really shouldn't, just as you would not give your child other meds meant for adults.

For more information, check out http://my.webmd.com/encyclopedia/article/1830.52229#uf4454

 

[ASFCurly]

I can't remember if it is Dramamine, or some other motion sickness product, but I do seem to remember something for children.

 

[TootyJane]

You may want to ask your local pharmacist since they are most knowledgeable about medications and side effects.

 

[hydster]

our doctor recommended starting with ginger capsules. If that didnt seem to help he recommended Dramamine regular (NOT Meclizine or Dramamine 2) but he recommended buy some nonprescription Dramamine at your drugstore. Dramamine comes in 50-mg tablets and a 15-mg/teaspoon liquid. The dosage is 1 teaspoon of liquid Dramamine for children 2 to 6 years old, 1 tablet for children 6 to 12 years old, and 2 tablets for children over 12 years. Give the Dramamine 1 hour before traveling or going to an amusement park. The tablets give 6 hours of protection and are very helpful.
I still have the prescription paper he wrote this on so I know I wrote it down right. None of our kids have needed any yet but my soon to be 9 year old is starting to suffer with car sickness so we will probably have to give her something but my boys seem to be ok. I do know I will have ginger tablets or candies and also dramamine with me.

Heidi

 

[tezb]

I have also heard it's okay to give benadryl instead of dramamine...they are both antihistamines so basically do the same thing. I also heard someone on this board say their doctor said to give their child 1/2 a bonine if they're under 12. I haven't done it as my 2 of my kids are teens. My youngest is almost 11 and I have given him 1/2 dramamine as a precaution...just to see how the seas are, etc. So far he has been fine and I haven't needed to keep dosing. By the way, I read once that motion sickness w/ kids usually can start at age 9 and go to age 13 or 14....then subsides...if they are going to be prone.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

My DH swears by Ginger Snaps - the cookies! He spends quite a bit of time on the water (Lake Michigan) in the summer and many times he is not really moving, rather sitting and the boat bobbing as he patrols some event. Those are the times he has learned from experience might be a problem. So he keeps a tupperware of ginger cookies on board. Stouffers and Archway both make a very gingery version. His theory is that the combination of the ginger and the sugar offset the nausea. (Hey when you have morning sickness and get a little into your stomach it often settles so it might make sense!)

In any case it really can't hurt, has worked for him, as well as several of his cohorts! So I thought I'd pass it along.

Deb

 

[tgj]

My pediatrician even checked with the pharmacists at Children's Hospital of WI and they indicated that I should NOT give Dramamine 2 to my son. Reg Dramamine is OK at the dose on the package.

 

[phxjj05]

We cruised two years ago with the kids for the first time. We decided to get some kids dramamine. We waited until about a half hour before our first dinner and gave one to my 6 yr old and one to my 10 yr old, both very prone to motion sickness.

Well they both fell asleep at the dinner table and we could not wake them up. After that we went and purchased the wristbands on the ship, they worked fine the rest of the trip. The wristbands are available at Walgreens for about $8.00.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

phxj05 - what kind of wrist bands did you get???

 

[phxjj05]

They are basically sweat type bands with a metal snap or button that applies pressure, similar to accupuncture. Apparently there are many skeptics regarding the effectiveness, but they seemed to work for us. I was even feeling queasy at one point and I put them on, I felt better in a few moments. Maybe it's all in the head, but neither son complained the rest of the trip. Each one gets car sick as well after only 10 minutes into a drive, we use them for long rides too.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

I'll have to get a set - my DS 12 gets motion sick very easily so maybe these would work well for him. I'd hate to have to keep him on dramamine the entire time!

 

[joyebean]

Ginger Ale, Crystallized ginger, Ginger Snaps...all sorts of ginger are natural remedies for motion sickness. The crystallized variety is most potent, followed by the snaps and ale. These work great for a lot of people, and don't cause any drowsiness. Ginger tablets also work for people who can't stand the taste of ginger.

Benadryl and Dramamine are very similar chemically (just as Sominex has the same active ingredients as Benadryl). Some kids don't get sleepy on Benadryl, so it would be a good motion sickness remedy for them. Dramamine original (active ingredient Dimenhydrinate) can also make some people sleepy, but it's the only commercial medicinal remedy that's safe for kids under 12.

Wristbands work great too, but don't waste money on the $70 battery-operated ones--the $9 terry cloth with a snap ones work just as well, in our experience.

Hope this helps!

 

[abitjaded]

Is there gingerale on board? If so, drink stations or just the bars?

 

[Michelle]

You can order ginger ale from the bars.