Seasickness patch - what would you do?

[hungrygreenhippo]

I have some mild problems with motion sickness. Examples:
-I get queasy on rides like Star Tours and Dinosaur. I'm a little better on roller coasters, but my tolerance for them has gone down as I've gotten older.
-I'm generally fine in the car unless I try to read in the car, or on extremely windy roads, or bad stop and go traffic.
-It's been awhile, but I think I've been okay on larger ferry boats (like the kind you can take cars on), but I do have problems with smaller boats.

Anyway, I'm taking my first cruise in a couple weeks and not sure what to expect. I went to my doctor and she prescribed the patch for me but I'm undecided on whether to actually use it. Since it's my first cruise, I feel as though I might want to try it without any meds and see what happens as I think there's a chance I might be fine. I plan to take a lot more cruises so I feel like if I start using the patch then I'll never know if I'm okay without it or not and then I'll be stuck using it on every subsequent cruise. But on the other hand if I don't feel well then that could ruin my first cruise experience. If I go the route of not using the patch then I'll definitely pick up so Bonine to have on hand but I've read that it doesn't work for some people.

So just looking for thoughts on what you would do. Thanks!

 

[bafleyanne]

I'm in a similar situation to you. I used the patch and was very glad I did. Even with it I felt a little weird the first evening as I was adjusting to the movement. I have no doubt I would have been miserable without it.

 

[Gilland18]

I have similar mild motion sickness, especially on rides like you mention. I have never had problems on the ships. We've never sailed in stormy weather but have had high enough seas for the water to be sloshing out of the pools. The stabilizers on the ships seem to so a great job and I find the motion I feel to be enjoyable. Hope you have a great cruise.

 

[holula]

I have similar mild motion sickness, especially on rides like you mention. I have never had problems on the ships. We've never sailed in stormy weather but have had high enough seas for the water to be sloshing out of the pools. The stabilizers on the ships seem to so a great job and I find the motion I feel to be enjoyable. Hope you have a great cruise.

I feel exactly the same. I cannot ride anything that spins (see teacups!) and I feel queasy on some other rides. I get car sick if I am in the back of the car and sometimes if I am in the front and it's very windy roads. I do not get sick at all on the ships from the motion! I find it very relaxing.

 

[teaforgirls]

I have mild motion/air sickness but was concerned about being ill on a boat for our 14 day WBTA. I tried a Bonine at home before we left to make sure it didn't have side affects on me. It did make me a little drowsy so I made sure I started taking it a night or two before we left for our cruise (helped with the air sickness) and just continued to take it every night before bed while on the cruise. I did carry an extra tablet with me on excursions that required small boats but never needed it.

If you are hesitant to use the patch I would recommend starting out with something milder but make sure you take it with you on your cruise in case the milder stuff isn't working.

 

[Disworldluv]

I can relate to sea sickness and motion sickness in autos. The patch help me enjoy our cruises plus our room was mid-ship which helps lesson the effects of ship movements. Cabins on lower levels also experience less motion. Good luck and have fun.

 

[sayhello]

Just remember that once you are seasick, the meds aren't as effective. You need to take them before you start getting seasick for them to help. That said, if you spend a long day on shore, that could settle you back down, and then you'd need to be sure to take your meds or put on the patch before the ship sails.

My experiences with motion sickness are pretty similar to yours, although I've found I get really car sick on twisty-turny roads. (I made the mistake of forgetting to take anything with me to Scotland! )

Luckily, one of the Adventure Guides had Bonine, and I took it for overnight, and was much better the second day.

I always use the patch on cruises. I've found that even if I don't actually get seasick, my head & stomach just feel "off" the whole time if I don't use the patch. I had no issues the first couple of cruises I took, but as I've gotten older, I've had more and more issues. We had a lot of wind & rough seas on my Med cruise, and I had some issues even with the patch.

Also, I found that even the Non-drowsy Bonine makes me extremely sleepy. So I suggest taking it a bit before bedtime, and maybe do a dry run before the cruise, because I've found I can only tolerate half a pill. Otherwise I really feel drugged and sluggish the next day.

Sayhello

 

[asunutgirl]

Those rides make me queasy too. I always use the patch when I cruise. I figure if I'm paying that much money for a vacation, I don't want to feel terrible the whole time. And once the symptoms come on for me I have a very difficult time getting rid of them. I've tried the ginger gum and candy and that actually makes me nauseous!

I take Bonine a couple of days before. The longer the meds are in your system, the better they work. We sail on Monday and I am starting with the Bonine tonight. That way I'm also good to fly. Then I'll put the patch on Monday morning before we get on board.

You will be very thirsty with the patch so drink lots of water. I'm also bringing Biotene on this trip to see if it helps with the dry mouth.

 

[n2mm]

Add me too. I can't do anything that spins, no star tours or similar, I can't read while moving, but yet I can cruise without using anything. Like the op, I needed to know if I really needed anything. My first cruise I used ginger and Bonine, but wondered if I needed them, so stopped on the next cruise. I've cruised 5 times since and have not used anything and no problem. However, should the waters be rough I think I would have problems, so I do carry the ginger and Bonine. I used the patch many years ago and did not like the side effects of not being able to focus. Not sure if that's still a side effect now, plus dry mouth, but the drink of the day can fix that.

 

[pierresgirl]

Do it. You don't want to risk being miserable. My last cruise started out with the pools practically emptying bc it was so rocky. I was SO glad I took Dramamine AND Bonine AND the homeopathic drops behind the ears. You have to do them 24 hrs before so I would play it safe otherwise you might be playing catch up!

 

[bumbershoot]

-I get queasy on rides like Star Tours and Dinosaur. I'm a little better on roller coasters, but my tolerance for them has gone down as I've gotten older.
-I'm generally fine in the car unless I try to read in the car, or on extremely windy roads, or bad stop and go traffic.
-It's been awhile, but I think I've been okay on larger ferry boats (like the kind you can take cars on), but I do have problems with smaller boats.

You sound pretty normal to me. I wouldn't, and don't, medicate for those reasons.

If you're doing a Bahamas cruise from Canaveral, know that the first night is the hardest in general, as you cross the Florida Straits. (I have picked this up from CMs on the ships; I don't really know what those are) So you might think the trip will be miserable that first night, as you wobble around, but the next morning it will all be better and you might very well be fine.

 

[KingRichard]

http://motioneaze.com/

$5.00 you can get it lots of places.

Small drop of oil under ear when you get on board or even waiting to board and then repeat a few times and it works wonders.

No effects from using it.

We have had some bumpy rides(Alaska, waves/splash were on deck 4/5 and Hawaii when the pools were emptied from water splashing out of them).

We never felt a thing!

The bottle last forever!

 

[Capt_BJ]

patch can have strong side effects

ask your dr for a trial now, plan to stay home for 24 hours and put one on ....

My father acted like he was drunk out of his mind and does not remember the following night after his first try . . .

 

[sambycat]

put the patch on the morning of the cruise. yes, there are side effects. if that day you feel you don’t need it or side effects are bothersome for you, just take it off. bring all the other things along with you (bonnie or sea bands or magical herbs whatever). trying the patch on land isn’t going to give you a good idea of the benefits/side effect ratio since you won’t be having motion sickness on land.

 

[sambycat]

patch can have strong side effects

ask your dr for a trial now, plan to stay home for 24 hours and put one on ....

My father acted like he was drunk out of his mind and does not remember the following night after his first try . . .

this would be a super atypical side effect. i prescribe and apply these to people all day long and have used them. typically its dry mouth and blurry vision. now that i need reading glasses, the blurry vision is a way more noticeable issue for me. i’ve done well on cruises now that i do a sea band and maybe a bonnine the first day. YMMV but again, i don’t think slapping a scope patch on on land is going to give you a good idea of how it will work for you?

 

[chirurgeon]

There are also ginger pills. I have heard of people cutting the patch in half if a full dose is too much. I'm lucky, I don't get motion sickness. But I do bring Bonine with me just in case.

 

[M Mouse hunter]

I have spent much time on pontoon and pleasure boats and never had an issue until we took a whale watching tour in Maine a few years ago. Being stuck on the ship for a couple of hours with at least another 50 people with motion sickness was horrible. I had read a review that said 3/4 of people on the ship got sick and assumed that it was a lie or embellishment. Boy was I wrong!

I decided to not take chances when we started cruising the following year and used the patch. I had no side effects other than dry mouth. I recommend getting more patches than you think you need. I found that they would fall off sometimes after being in pool/hot tub/ or shower.

I felt a little ill even with the patch while on tender boats in rough seas.

 

[pillman]

I have had very good results recommending the patch! I would start out with one and take it off if any issues with side effects but most people I have talked to tolerate them quite well. Take a back up such as Bonine or Gravol.

 

[Purplejewel]

I also get carsick if I read anything in a car. My husband and I took our first cruise 7 years ago (kids were not with us) and foolishly I did not bring anything with me thinking that I would not get seasick. Once the ship set sail, I immediately starting feeling unwell and by the time our late dinner seating had arrived I was feeling so ill it was a concerted effort to maintain the appearance of being OK at a table full of strangers. I had to sit down multiple times on the way back to the cabin from dinner just to make it back to the cabin without throwing up. I was miserable until I finally fell asleep that night. The next day in port, I purchased bonine and starting taking that and was fine the rest of the trip but I still remember to this day how horrible I felt that 1st night on the ship. I always take bonine now each day when I cruise and it works great. I don't really feel sleepy when I take it because I am so excited and happy to be on a cruise that my adrenaline must counteract the effects that make alot people sleepy when they take bonine. There was one particular cruise where the ship hit VERY rough waters and I felt slightly unwell until the ship got into calmer waters even though I had taken the bonine. I was so happy I was taking bonine though because I can't imagine how horrible I would have felt if I did not have it in my system. You may have no problem though - some people don't. My husband and four daughters never get sea sick.

 

[MaMa3Princess]

http://motioneaze.com/

$5.00 you can get it lots of places.

Small drop of oil under ear when you get on board or even waiting to board and then repeat a few times and it works wonders.

No effects from using it.

We have had some bumpy rides(Alaska, waves/splash were on deck 4/5 and Hawaii when the pools were emptied from water splashing out of them).

We never felt a thing!

The bottle last forever!

we purchased Bonine, dramamine and motion eaze before we left. I get car sick if I do not pick my head up and look out every so often. I do not do any of the simulator rides or roller coaster as those make me sick!! I was skeptical of the patch so I decided to take the bonnie before we sailed. We sailed on another cruise line so we drove from Kissimmee to Miami.
Ok so the non-drowsy bonnie made me groggy and I could not shake that off until like 8pm on sail day. Ok that first day was kind of miserable. I decided against the bonnie and knew the dramimine would make me groggy too. The point is I was like if I did not get relief from motioneaze I am going to just go to ship doctor. Literally, like the package said within 5 minutes I noticed a difference. I wish i would have cut to the chaise and put the drops behind my ear first! I would put drops on to before I went to sleep because closing my eyes at night I would feel the ship moving even more. But as soon as I applied it I was able to sleep. I would put it on in the morning and I felt fine all the rest of our 7 days Eastern cruise!