cromette

We keep ginger capsules on hand all the time. You can even open a couple of capsules in a cup of hot water and drink it like a tea. It's also good for reflux, heartburn, indigestion, nausea in general..

notrichenough

Mythbusters did a segment on seasickness prevention.

They found that ginger worked, as did drugs (although with side effects), and surprisingly the placebo effect worked very well.

Annotated Mythbusters: Episode 43: Seasickness Cures, Finger in the Gun Barrel, Tailgate Gas Efficiency

calla1

I get drowsy with Dramamine. Bonine works great for me and our friends.

I'm not sure how much those large cruise ships are affected by surf size, but on smaller (two or 3-story) ships (eg. island shuttles), the upper decks wave around much more than the lower decks, so can cause greater seasickness.

YoHoYoHo

Meclizine (Bonnie) works the best for me and is less sedating (I take 1 tab instead of 2 to try to prevent sedation and take it just as you are boarding the boat (i.e. before you need it)). Dramamine is too sedating for me. Pressure wrist bands didn't work. I worry about Scopolamine patches and the risk of an attack of angle-closure glaucoma.

I've done the Carnival - LA to Mexico trip. People told me that the boat is big and I wouldn't get seasick, but since I get motion sickness on a SWING, I took 1 meclizine daily and had a grand time. The rest of the family usually didn't take it, and though weren't motion sick per se, they all felt just blah on the trip.

overseas

Ginger! It works, in capsule form.

Kvillemom

I've gotten motion sickness in cars, on piers, docks, even watching some movies. I've tried all the OTC meds, ginger, saltines, etc. The only thing that works for me is the patch. I've been able to go on three great cruises with no problems and no side effects. Also, large ships are still effected by waves. I always book cabins in the center of the ship, both horizontally and vertically. You definitely don't notice the movement as much.

marbling

Like Kvillemom, I have suffered motion sickness EVERYwhere--for 40+ years--and even throw up Dramamine. The only thing that has ever worked for me is Sea Bands. The box says they are good for up to three uses (or something similar), but that's not true. They are good indefinitely, as long as they don't get stretched out. I'm a believer! lol

rightfit

Try the Relief Band - its a more serious version of sea bands. It looks like a big wrist watch and it gives out a little shock that interferes with the nerve that goes to your stomach causing nausea. Chemo patients and pregnant women use it and it really works.

Benefits - no drugs and it works instantly. The patch can have side effects. You can share the relief band and give it to the person that needs it.

Cons - its harder to find now - try Ebay. They don't make the original model any more and its expensive. We have one and we've shared it with several people so its been worth the money.

jg0339

Bonine....ginger ale....saltines. An hour before sailing, I take a Bonine; no drowsiness problems here and I'm very susceptible to medication. Ginger ale and saltines help a tad too.

I've tried the various Bands; they make me feel unsteady.

lizard

I only got sea sick one time. Super early one New Year's Day I went on a party fishing boat with my cousins after celebrating New Year's Eve. We had a big breakfast before setting out on boat for a day of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a giant, big, stupid mistake! We weren't feeling too good before getting on boat, by the time we were a few miles off coast we all started turning green and tossed our breakfasts over the boat rail. Sea sickness seems to be contageous because others near us caught the sea sickness from us. It was horrible. I would have pledged the rest of my life's earnings if I could have gotten a helicopter to take me to shore immediately.

Returning from offshore, soon as I could see the coastline in the distance I felt better.

Kvillemom

One more thing..... If you are planning on trying to take a cruise look for a short one that stays near the coast. My first cruise was a 5 day trip that left from Ft. Lauderdale and had a stop the next morning at Key West. I figured if the patch didn't work I would get off there, rent a car and meet everyone back in Ft. Lauderdale. The patch worked perfectly, but I did notice many people using the sea bands. Some had the patch and the sea bands.

artloversplus

^^^ Exactly what I told my friends. Ensenada is only 100 miles of San Diego.. The boat leaves Long Beach at 5pm and arrives Ensenada at 9am, they can get off the boat if they really cannot heck it through.

thumper1

Which of these remedies can be used by folks with glaucoma?

lamom

The meds have anticholinergic activity which doesn't play nice with glaucoma. Best to check with dr that treats your glaucoma if you can handle the Bonine(meclizine) or Dramamine (Diphenhydrinate) or even Benadryl (diphenhydramine). Scopolamine patch is often used to dry up secretions, so probably has more anticholinerigic activity, I wouldn't try it with glaucoma.
Scopolamine patch shortages come and go, started even before the drug shortages.
I think Myth busters found ginger to help.

SherBear

thanks
i've been plagued for years