Do PSI motion sickness wristbands work?

Unfortunately success is minimal, if any at all. Some people swear by them, so its worth a try (they're pretty cheap) but the evidence for effectiveness is poor. I get motion sick myself and have found little to help with the feeling aside from trying to get a window seat. Hope you manage to enjoy your trip despite the motion sickness!

They worked quite well for my wife. Pick up a pair and try them out at home prior to your trip.

I feel your pain, I too have suffered from motion sickness my whole life. I have noticed (at least for buses) if I sit close to the front so I can see out the front window and don't move my head too much, that really helps. My sister's daughter also has this problem and she has found a homeopathic remedy called "Hyland's Homeopathic Motion Sickness" - they are tablets you dissolve in your mouth. You can take 2-3 tables every 4 hours as needed (50 tablets come in a bottle). I bought some to take with me on my upcoming tour. They do not make you drowsy and if needed you can take them with other medications. I found mine in a naturopathic pharmacy here in Seattle, I'm sure you can find something similar in San Francisco (Whole Foods maybe?). I also am bringing the bracelets with me as well, just in case. Good luck!!

I use the SeaBand wrist bands for flying and they work great for me. My kids have worn them in the car with success as well. For actual rough seas, I find I need to combine the wrist bands and Bonine. Have you tried Bonine? I like that much better than Dramamine. Far fewer side effects IME.

I did a literature review, and it looks like one clinical trial (sponsored by a manufacturer!) found some benefit, and other studies published in aviation medicine journals found the wristbands to be no better than placebo, and inferior to standard medical treatments (scopolamine, diphenhydramine, promethazine, etc.). I would suggest you speak to your physician about this issue for recommendations. If excessive drowsiness is a problem, you may want to consider a scopolamine patch, which gives a very slow release of the medication. The drowsiness is sometimes counteracted with mild stimulants, like caffeine or pseudoephedrine. But once again, it would be best to speak to your own physician about appropriate treatments.

Carol, in addition to land touring, my wife and I love transocean cruising. We've tried all of the above and have had great success since we began using Bonine or its generic. No prescription necessary - you can buy it or its generic over the counter - they are inexpensive. 25mg with breakfast. Take it when you anticipate a problem - it's a preventive and won't be effective if you take it after you're ill. No side effects, no nausea ... all good!

My son told me that in hospitals they sometimes use fresh ginger as an anti-nausea remedy. Failing fresh candied ginger seems to work well (buy in the spice isle). There's actually some compound in ginger that settles your stomach. I've had great success with sucking on candied ginger. It's worth a try.

I agree that Bonine works well and this was recommended by 2 pharmacists golfing friends. Bonine causes mild drowsiness and I have used this since 2005 with good results.

If you have a strong belief that they will work, they will.

Depends on the person. My wife has tried them all, and all fail to prevent the technicolor yawn. Only thing that works - for a while - are prescription meds (scope patch), which do have some side effects.

I'm not sure what a PSI wristband is. However, I have used Sea-Bands wrist bands with great success for several years. I get very motion sick - it used to be I had to be the driver or else. And since half a Dramamine knocks me out for 8 hours, it's not an option. But now, with Sea-Bands (which are simply a plastic button inside a wrist band made of the same kind of knit that sweatshirt cuffs are made from), I can read in the car - both books & maps - and I can even do needle work while someone else drives. They push on an accupressure point on your wrist. I've used the bands in cars, on buses and on planes. I swear by them - they're the best! They haven't worked for me on boats, although my husband has a former co-worker who operated a charter fishing boat on Lake Superior & he gives them to all his passengers. I won't travel without them. And for the less-than-$10 cost, they're worth getting & trying. Drug stores have them, as do travel stores.

My wife and I did the wrist band thing years ago on our first cruise in and around the Hawaiian Islands. This was 20 years ago and it was a very old ship (didn't have elevator service between First Class and the rest of us in Steerage) the ship also didn't have stabilizers. Sooooo, when we were caught up the first night in El Niño with 35-40 ft seas, and the ship was rockin and rollin, we were two of a handful of folks on the ship that didn't have our heads in the toilet, and we avoided the pale green cast that was on most-everyone else's faces the next morning. The highlight of that first night in this seascape was watching the Ice Sculptures sliding the entire dimension of the ship from port to starboard, again, and again, and again. . .., followed in perfect rhythm by silverware and any food that had a spherical shape. If the bands didn't work, they were the best placebos ever.

Jon- LOL! Very vivid & hilarious memory! Thanks for sharing. So if I purchase them at $16 each, munch on ginger, buy some Bonine, consult my doctor about the patch, & say a few prayers then guess I'll have all bases covered! Just afraid to solely rely on them & then have to reach for the barf bag. Perhaps either myself or my daughter can experiment while the other takes the medication! Thanks to all for your helpful responses. Love this site.
Carol

And just a little extra goodie - I always travel with spearmint gum. I don't normally have trouble with motion sickness, but on winding roads (as a passenger), during air turbulence, etc., I can get queasy. It has, on occasion, allowed me to put back the air sickness bag I was clutching in my clammy palm... When I pass the gum out to others, they all report being very surprised at how much better they (unexpectedly!) feel. Its slightly minty, slighty sweet flavor helps with the whole saliva thing...that I don't need to explain...