Sea sick patches

[hms1016]

I have question. On my last cruise a few years ago on the Wonder I was extremely nauseous on the first and last day of the cruise. It was in December and for me the water was choppy. I am going on a 3 night cruise on the dream on October 16 and wondering what to do. I had the prescription patches the last time, but ended up not using them because I was worried about the side effects. I had taken ginger gum, Bonine, and the wrist bands on the last cruise, but may have started using them too late. I had my dr call in a script for the patches again and had planned on trying one patch ahead of time to see how I feel. I was surprised that this script carries a $50 copay, so before I picked the. Up wanted to get others opinions. Have you tried the patch, did it work for you and what side effects did you experience? I have heard a common one is dry mouth.

 

[lorimay]

I swear by Bonine. I take one the night before we sail and then one every night before bed and I have not suffered sea sickness again.
I sleep really well on cruises, which is also an added benefit.

 

[kandeebunny]

I use the wristbands, I put them on as we arrive at port and I've never had a problem. (I also used them for my morning sickness.) My Mother has used the patches, put them on the morning of the cruise and by the time we were eating lunch on deck she was feeling motion sick and we weren't moving. Within about an hour of removing them she felt great. It was the strangest thing. If you have any cardiac issues do NOT use the patches, it is dangerous. Another thing I have used, and others in my party have are Preggie Pops (and the drops) they are made to help with nausea and work wonders. If you get the organic ones it is all essential oils and sugar, both which help with seasickness.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have question. On my last cruise a few years ago on the Wonder I was extremely nauseous on the first and last day of the cruise. It was in December and for me the water was choppy. I am going on a 3 night cruise on the dream on October 16 and wondering what to do. I had the prescription patches the last time, but ended up not using them because I was worried about the side effects. I had taken ginger gum, Bonine, and the wrist bands on the last cruise, but may have started using them too late. I had my dr call in a script for the patches again and had planned on trying one patch ahead of time to see how I feel. I was surprised that this script carries a $50 copay, so before I picked the. Up wanted to get others opinions. Have you tried the patch, did it work for you and what side effects did you experience? I have heard a common one is dry mouth.

My husband used the patch on our first cruise (he's has serious motion sickness issues). They worked well for him. But he did experience the extreme dry mouth problem.

He used them again on our second cruise. By the third cruise we took, he was having problems with more of the side effects, dry mouth, a bit of confusion, and blurry vision. He stopped using them and was fine. We're unsure if the extremely calm seas on that voyage contributed to him not needing the patch. He switched to using sea bands for the more extreme sea days on subsequent cruises and has done quite well.

But he still brings them along on cruises. We also bring along Bonine as an interim step up from just using the sea bands, if necessary, before going for the patch.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Always take advice from a medicailly trained person, your doctor or pharmacist, what may work for one person may not for another and can cause side effects.

 

[TAK]

Always take advice from a medicailly trained person, your doctor or pharmacist, what may work for one person may not for another and can cause side effects.

Good advice, definitely.

The thing is, though, my doctor is happy to recommend/prescribe all of them -- the pills, the bands, the patch, as well as homeopathic remedies -- and say "see what works". He said the same thing, "What may work for one person may not for another, and what may work one time may not work for you another." Super helpful! </sarcasm> But I get his point, nevertheless.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

I put on the patch the morning of the cruise. (Have worn the patch every cruise since 2005.)

I agree with "what works for one may not work for another." That said, they work great for me. I never have noticed 'dry mouth,' as I drink water throughout the day. My blurry vision goes away after 2-3 seconds (when reading menus.) Drowsiness? I used to not wear the patch, and was still every bit as drowsy from the rocking motion of the ship. The great thing about them (IMHO,) I DON'T get sea sick when the water is 'choppy.'

Example, we experienced just one night of choppy water during our July 2013 Fantasy cruise. Our teen daughter's BFF didn't come to the dining room that night because she was too sea sick. At her request, we gave her a patch. The next day.."thank you for the patch, I feel much better now." We still felt the motion, but weren't queasy.

That's just our experience. Our family (except me) usually doesn't wear them, but I always have them on hand.

 

[UCFGrad01]

I used them on my last cruise. The only side effect I noticed was very dry mouth the first day. It wasn't bad after that one day.

 

[HarperCruisers]

I have serious motion sickness problems and always use store brand non- drowsy Bonine. I take one each night, starting the night before my cruise, and haven't had any problems.

 

[CEGrant]

On our first cruise we took along patches because my husband was very concerned about getting seasick. I told him he was an idiot and he'd be fine.

Karma has an excellent sense of humor. He was fine. I got sick the first night and started using the patches. On that cruise (4 nights), the only issue I had was slight dry mouth. Nothing to cause a problem.

Our second cruise was three nights, and I started wearing the patch 24 hours prior. Again, slight dry mouth.

Third cruise was four nights, slight dry mouth. I put on the patch a day ahead of time so I had it on for five days. This time, on day five I started having blurred vision, but only for close up (reading). I could only read with one eye closed, LOL. This lasted for about 48 hours.

For me, they made a HUGE difference. I spent much less queasy-in-the-bathroom time with them on.

I agree that different things work for everyone, but I think $50 is a small price to pay. It sucks to spend a cruise you spent thousands on puking in the bathroom. So if it were me, I'd take them along.

 

[storknurse13]

I have terrible motion sickness, and I begin using Meclizine 2 days before the cruise departs. Never had a problem, until our last cruise. I switched to the patch.... BIG MISTAKE! I put on the patch 24 hours before boarding and by day 2 of the cruise I was violently vomiting! Not from being seasick, but from the patch! After 3 days of vomiting I had to go to medical for IV hydration and a prescription for phenergan. Also got an injection of phenergan too. MD said the patch was too strong and it was a side effect. Ugh! Patch came off that day and in 12 hours I was a new girl! Never again will I wear it! Love bonine for motion sickness.

 

[jkluttrell]

Can you buy the wristbands and/or patches over the counter or do you need a prescription for those?

 

[CEGrant]

Wristbands are over the counter. Patches are prescribed.

 

[TAK]

The hard thing for me is that I suffer from dizziness only, and not nausea at all. It seems like all of the motion sickness medicines are geared towards preventing nausea, so I'm still unsure what to take next time. (Again, the doctor had no specific advice other than to advise me what the various options for seasickness meds were.)

 

[Bdunn]

The scopolamine patches can be effective for nausea (not dizziness). They are of a class of medications called "anticholinergics". They frequently cause dry mouth because saliva production is limited by anticholinergics; the blurred vision and light sensitivity happens because your pupils become dilated and cannot constrict. Part of the way we focus up close is by pupillary constriction, or accommodation. When used as directed, potential cardiac effects (rapid heart rate) are minimal.

Bonine is low-dose meclizine and is frequently used for vertigo. It is an effective drug for dizziness and up to 50 mg per dose can be taken. It can cause some drowsiness and dry mouth at that dose.

For those who can't/don't want to use scopolamine patches, the combination of meclizine and ondansetron (Zofran) can be very effective. The meclizine helps with dizziness, and zofran is an excellent anti-nausea drug that does not cause drowsiness.

I can't comment on the wrist bands, as there are no studies that demonstrate their efficacy.

FWIW, I'm an emergency physician.

 

[bradleyc]

Is Zofran an over-the-counter drug?

TIA!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Is Zofran an over-the-counter drug?

TIA!

Looks like it's a prescription drug:

http://www.drugs.com/zofran.html

Interesting tidbit about it:

Zofran is not for preventing nausea or vomiting that is caused by factors other than cancer treatment or surgery.

 

[Starwind]

Sea-Bands ( http://www.sea-band.com/us/ ) are available over the counter at many/most pharmacies and stores with pharmacies (e.g. WalMart, Target...) as well as from online retailors.

Sea-Bands DO have studies backing up their use: http://www.sea-band.com/for-medical-professionals

I use Sea-Bands for nausea that is not caused by motion sickness on a regular basis, so using them for motion sickness was a no-brainer for me.

For my first cruise, I used a combination of Dramamine Less Drowsy (meclizine; same active ingredient as Bonine and the motion sicksness med they hand out on the ship for free, but there are no artificial sweetners (i.e. aspartame) in the Dramamine) and Sea-Bands. I also had original Dramamine/Gravol as a back-up, but since it makes me really drowsy I didn't want to take it unless I was desperate and I never got that desperate.

An important point about using Sea-Bands: it is very important that they are placed in the correct position. Their website has excellent info about how to do this.

I find sometimes if the placement is a bit off they dont work as well as usual or at all -- if I find myself wearing them and they are not working, I adjust their placement and it usually solves the problem.

Also, sometimes I find they do not get rid of 100% of nausea; sometimes they take it down a few notches to a level that is tolerable even if it may still not feel great -- e.g. from "i am going to imminently throw up, so don't mind me as I sit on the floor beside the toilet waiting for that to happen" (i.e. basically nearly incapacitated) down to "my stomach has disowned me and is telling me this, but I am just annoyed with it and so can carry on my day pretending the stomach still likes me" (i.e. annoying and it is still there, but it isn't limiting functioning; and, sometimes, it makes it go away completely ).

-SW

 

[Snowwhyt]

The scopolamine patches can be effective for nausea (not dizziness). They are of a class of medications called "anticholinergics". They frequently cause dry mouth because saliva production is limited by anticholinergics; the blurred vision and light sensitivity happens because your pupils become dilated and cannot constrict. Part of the way we focus up close is by pupillary constriction, or accommodation. When used as directed, potential cardiac effects (rapid heart rate) are minimal. Bonine is low-dose meclizine and is frequently used for vertigo. It is an effective drug for dizziness and up to 50 mg per dose can be taken. It can cause some drowsiness and dry mouth at that dose. For those who can't/don't want to use scopolamine patches, the combination of meclizine and ondansetron (Zofran) can be very effective. The meclizine helps with dizziness, and zofran is an excellent anti-nausea drug that does not cause drowsiness. I can't comment on the wrist bands, as there are no studies that demonstrate their efficacy. FWIW, I'm an emergency physician.

Wish you were my MD! Cause affect efficacy.. I would love to have a doctor that spelled everything out about medicine. So many times a doctor will offer me a medicine and do not know how it affects the body and has no clue what side effects are or even how to find what side effects are possible.

 

[Barbydoll8]

I will not get on the boat w/o the patch. I get sick in the car if you go in reverse too fast. My first cruise I spent most of it in bed and that was with the pills and sea bands. Both were worthless for me.
The second cruise I got the patch. I didn't feel that boat move. I was concerned about side effects and did feel some but they weren't anything I couldn't deal with. I was extra dry. I had to drink WAY more than normal or chew gum. Because I was so dried out, I did have slightly blurry vision but nothing that a few extra blinks and tears couldn't fix.
Once the cruise was over and I took the patch off, those went away. I also did not experience "sea legs" after the cruise and I think it was due to the patch.