Pill to prevent from seasick?

[louisaho]

please recommand one for me please

 

[coriedorie]

I would highly recommend Bonine. We had a pretty rough cruise last month and I had no problem whatsoever. Cheap at WalMart, and only have to take one every 24 hours.. Congratulations and best wishes on your upcoming wedding...

Corie

 

[DFiore1]

Anything with Meclazine HCL in it will take care of that yucky feeling! Bonine is one name, DramamineII, or just straight Meclazine. Ask your pharmacist to hook you up! All three of those are fairly cheap. I went with the Bonine this trip just because it was cheaper than DramamineII. I usually use the brown lable stuff, marked Meclazine HCL, but they didn't have it at Walmart, and I didn't feel like driving accross town to the Rite Aid.

 

[aprilgail2]

I also agree with Bonine...I get motion sick in cars LOL...I take Bonine starting the day before I leave on the plane to Fla and then every day thereafter and have not had a problem with seasickness or drowsyness.

 

[SeaSpray]

aprilgail is right! Start taking meclazine (Bonine/Dramamine II) the day before your trip, and take it each day during your trip. The point of doing this is to prevent seasickness because it's easier to prevent it than to try and treat it once it hits you.

It didn't have any side effects that we (myself, DH, 2 DSs) noticed, but you might want to try taking it for a day or two before your trip, to see if it makes you drowsy at all. We take ours each day at breakfast, but some people like to take it at bedtime.

Have a great trip!

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Another vote for Meclazine (bonine). I agree with the others, take it before the cruise, during the cruise, and a few days after the cruise.

 

[mom_rules]

Is there a non-drowsy version available?

 

[jrabbit]

Motion Sickness Information

This information was posted by Hydster 9/20/2004. It is the most complete information that I have seen (and I agree with all of it - especially the part about trying the meds out at home BEFORE you leave on your trip)
__________________

So I revised my motion sickness stuff and added a few tips given from WVMD (it was his idea and a darn good one at that)and so now here is the new REVISED motion sickness information.

Sea Bands and Relief Bands

Sea bands are a terry cloth type band that you wear on your wrist. It has a white knob that if positioned correctly CAN put pressure on the wrist pressure point. Here is a website with a picture of a Sea Band

http://www.etravelergear.com/noqmotdiswri.html

These bands are very cheap but beware that since they rely on hitting a specific spot in your wrist it is possible that they will not work very well. They did not work well on me or my husband as our pressure point is too deep. The spot it is supposed to sit on is called the NeiGuan Pressure Point (P6) if you want to research that pressure point.


The Relief Band is a sort of watch looking contraption that actually shocks your wrist with a shocking impulse that is supposed to help with motion sickness as well. It is quite pricey and in the same sort of category as the Sea Bands where if they work I hear they work great but if they don’t work well you hopefully have another method with you. Here is a website with what these are:

http://www.reliefband.com/

We found them at a local store for about 70 dollars but ended up returning them as they didn’t work for either of us.

These two options are nice if you don’t want to take any medication but please beware that there is a chance that they will not work and make sure you have a backup method.
__________________

The Transderm Scop patch is a patch that contains scopolamine and you put it on behind your ear and wear it continually for 3 days at a time. Can have irritating side effects but, most people complain of a dry mouth. Wear the patch for a day or two prior to going on the cruise to see if you can tolerate it. It is a prescription only medication. Drug clears rapidly from the system - hence the need to wear the patch - so side effects should be resolved in 4-6 hours after removing the patch. You MUST be diligent about washing your hands after they come in contact with the patch and if you accidentally touch it and touch your eye(s) they can dilate your pupils and give you symptoms much worse than seasickness alone! These patches work well for some but have a higher rate of allergic reactions than other forms according to my pharmacist (take that for what it's worth). Their website is http://www.transdermscop.com/site2/
I would suggest that you read the side effects in the patient information section. I didn’t try this out at home before we left on our first cruise and I ended up in the cabin sick with a nasty headache, upset stomach, dizziness, dilated pupils and miserable. Turns out I am highly allergic to scopolamine and didn’t know it! I would suggest if you plan on using this you try it out at home first to make sure that you are not allergic to it. I have also heard that there is a new scopolamine product called Scopace that gives the same benefit as the patch but with fewer side effects. Ask your doctor if you want to go this way if they think it is good for you and your body.
__________________

Then there are the over the counter drugs like Dramamine, Dramamine Less Drowsy, Bonine and the active form of Bonine and Dramamine Less Drowsy which is Meclizine.

Dramamine is a dimenhydrinate and it has the ability to make you really really sleepy! I'd suggest trying these methods out at home before you go as well to see how they react especially if they make your extremely tired and if you drink how you react with alcohol. Original Dramamine can be used in small children although not under the age of 2 but can make them extremely tired and agitated. Here is their website
http://www.pfizer.com/do/counter/di..._dramamine.html


Dramamine Less Drowsy and Bonine are actually Meclizine. You can generally buy Meclizine over the counter (although some pharmacy's keep it behind the counter) but without a prescription and the Meclizine is generally cheaper. We get 100 Meclizine tablets for 8.00 where we get 12 Bonine for 8.00 so the difference is a big deal to us! Meclizine, Bonine, Dramamine Less Drowsy are all antihistamines such as Benadryl. We usually start taking this medication 2-3 days before we leave and continue to take 1 pill every morning until we have been home for at least 2 days. Our pediatrician told us we could give a 1/2 of a 12.5 mg pill to our older kids and my dd needed it but my 2 boys did not. They didn’t suffer from motion sickness at all but my 9 year old did suffer. I would also suggest trying this out at home before you go as well. Better to lose a weekend than a whole trip! Here is an online pharmacy (prices are outrageous) but it has some good information on Meclizine http://www.online-health-pharmacy.c...y_meclizine.php

Antivert - Prescription version of Meclizine - no difference in strength/ingredients - just price!

Claritin = Loratadine - Not as effective for most people - makes very few people drowsy

Any antihistamine has the potential to help with seasickness. Remember if you are already taking an antihistamine - start at the lower doses of meclizine - as there can be an additive effect

Alcohol can intensify the side effects of all of these medications!
__________________

There are also Ginger tablets or candy that you can take with you to help with nausea and generally you can buy them in any health food store. As with the relief bands since they are "natural" and not a drug it would be hard to try them out before you go so make sure you take a backup method as well. Also some people find that mint is helpful as well. I believe these are in the same kind of category where ginger and mint have a calming effect on the stomach. Another short term trick is to eat a green apple. Our servers told us this on one of our cruises and it did help when I was already feeling ill. It kept my stomach somewhat calm UNTIL the meds took effect.
__________________

As you can see there are many ways to combat seasickness but you need to make sure that you pick the right one for you!! I honestly can’t say this enough but make sure you try whatever medication you can out at home before leaving on your trip so that you can deal with the side effects at home. A trip to the ships' doctor is quite costly and MOST insurance require that you pay for the treatment up front and then submit a claim to get reimbursed. I know my one trip to the ships doctor cost me over 200 dollars because I had to get an anti-nausea shot, diagnosis, more medication and I lost 3 days of my trip! Remember it is a lot easier to prevent sea sickness than it is to cure it.
__________________

 

[PoohJen]

I was on a rocky Magic last month (withCorieDorie!) and am pleased to tell you the Bonine worked perfectly.

It is nondrowsy. There is also a non-drowsy Dramamine available.

I took one bonine/day, almost every day. I hadn't intended on taking beyond the first day, but we were noticeably rocking the whole week, so why take chances!

And, yes, I did take one the day before sailing.

My DH took the freebie stuff they gave out at the ship's health center; they were purportedly "drowsy" type, so he took one at night - he had no problems.

Finally, my 7 year old twins felt queasy the first day; after one threw up I gave them Benedryl and they felt fine. I think I only gave them Benedryl one other time that week.

Good luck!

 

[pppiglet]

I just read that there is a new gum called "anti nausea ginger gum" that is available on seaband.com. I am a constant gum chewer, so this might be good for me. It's new though so don't know how well it works. If anyone has tried it..let us know! I just read it in the new "prevention magazine"

 

[TheWog]

another vote for Bonine and the non-medication Sea Bands. DW loves them.

 

[two-foxes]

Whatever they had at Medical on the ship worked like a charm for me....

The patch worked great for the first 5 days, then on day 6, my vision really goofy and I got pretty dizzy (not so easy to deal with during step class on a moving ship!) I went down to medical, she said "get that thing (the patch) off RIGHT NOW!" I did, waited 12 hours like she said, took the free stuff and was set for the rest of the trip! It works awesome, even on Ms. Motion Sickness Herself (that would be me!)

 

[aprilgail2]

Whatever they had at Medical on the ship worked like a charm for me....

The patch worked great for the first 5 days, then on day 6, my vision really goofy and I got pretty dizzy (not so easy to deal with during step class on a moving ship!) I went down to medical, she said "get that thing (the patch) off RIGHT NOW!" I did, waited 12 hours like she said, took the free stuff and was set for the rest of the trip! It works awesome, even on Ms. Motion Sickness Herself (that would be me!)

My firend used the patch and by the 2nd night his vision was so blurry he couldn't even read...it took him a good 24 hours to feel better after taking it off. That can have some horrible side effects. Anyone that is planning to use it should try it at home for sure before using it for hte first time on a cruise!

 

[ashtravel]

One of the crew members said they eat an apple and crackers when they feel sick and that really helps them. They don't want to take medicine every week so this is a natural approach that seems to work. My 9 year olds ate a green apple every day and didn't have a problem .

 

[GrayFal]

I would highly recommend Bonine. We had a pretty rough cruise last month and I had no problem whatsoever.
Corie

Same Cruise, Same Solution! We were REALLY rocking and rolling and it worked great