Sea sickness pills/patch

I have had very good luck with OTC Bonine recommended by my physician.

My best test was in Australia - Great Barrier Reef. Quite rough, trip delayed and almost canceled. I was one of the very few who was not vomiting or nauseous. I am typically very prone to seasickness including a mild day of sailing on Lake Michigan.

Hopefully he has fair seas but it is wise to be prepared. I find all seasick meds make me feel worse than seasickness itself, but whatever route he chooses I'd suggest testing it before he leaves so he knows how they make him feel. Also might also want to check out SeaBands or one of the non-drug remedies as well, though I very rarely get seasick I have worn those as a precaution.

mikliz97, my daughter has motion sickness and takes dramamine. But keep in mind that most motion sickness remedies (both Rx and OTC) require that you take it before you show symptoms, and can have side effects. The only reason I mention this is that I have been on a multitude of boats in my lifetime and in all kinds of choppy weather; cruise ships, fishing boats, ferries, yachts, etc. I have never once been seasick. I think there are people that are just not affected by motion sickness, so if I were told to take something, I might be hesitant.

That said, it makes sense for him to bring something, but he might want to consider bringing something that is not too strong with milder symptoms. Anyway, these are just my thoughts and obviously he should do what he feels comfortable with. Regardless, I'm sure he is going to have a fantastic time on the expedition!

I'd suggest the scope patch(es) since that keeps a consistent level of the meds in the system. I used these recently and had no side effects. The waters we were in were mostly calm but had several flights in-between and wanted to also avoid any issues with potential turbulence. I'm always elated when I can get through a journey without motion sickness!

I know people who swear by Zofran, a prescription anti-emetic, for car-sickness. I've seen it stop someone from suffering within minutes of taking it.

Thank you all!!! Yes, we were talking about him trying out some of this before he goes to make sure there are no bad side effects. The scope patch is what I use before any surgery (learned the hard way), so I am hoping that will be one item in his arsenal;) I had not thought of Zofran, which I also have fro the surgeries, but those can cause constipation as a side effect, so not sure if he will go for that, lol.

Thankfully he can spot sea sickness in others right away, but of course it is always harder to tell on yourself for things like this. He knows exactly what to do though, as being on ships for many years.

There will be only 12 people on the boat. It is a working expedition, so he needs to be able to hold up his end on this. I will check out all of this and we will start exploring, and he will message his doctor as well. I am super excited for him for this, and hopefully he has calm seas!

If I am going to be on open water, I use a scopolamine patch. For me, it works better than pills.

I remove it when it's not needed (on-shore).

I get motion sickness (never did grow out of it) so I’ve tried quite a few remedies. Original Dramamine works best for me in most situations, though I’ve used the Scope patch with good success, including on a whale watching trip in Hawaii. Normally I cannot do boats without getting terribly sick so that was a win. Bonine works fine for me i mild situations, as do ginger chews (Chimes brand). Hope your husband finds something that works well!

Generic Meclizine (OTC) works fantastic for me. It's cheap, has no side-effects (at least for me) and works fantastic.

-- Mike Beebe

I'm a terrible sailor. I use SeaBands and put them on usually the morning I know I am going to be on a boat. The stimulation of the accupressure point also helps with anxiety pre-trip which your husband is not going to have. Like Meg, I've also used Ginger chews. I've found them recently in the regular grocery store pharmacy section - not the brand she uses but mine are a Dramamine brand but no dramamine in them...just herbals. I put a few in my pocket so they are easily available.

I’ve got history with motion sickness and have relied on a rx (Meclizine) in recent years with much success. It makes me a bit drowsy, but last summer’s boat ride in rough waters in the Cinque Terra proved it effective. I try to take it a half hour before travel commences.

As this will be a working expedition cruise, it will be essential that he tries any remedies before embarking. He will need to avoid anything that could cause drowsiness or impaired judgement. Dramamine can cause this. Bonine (Meclizine) when taken as recommended) is less likely to cause a problem. As for the scopolomine patch- discuss the risks with your DHs doctor, Blurry vision is a common side effect. Hallucinations are not uncommon in seniors. If your DH was career navy, and didn't have problems with sea sickness, hopefully he will be fine. But better to be prepared, just in case. As someone who can get motion sickness on just about anything that moves, I always travel with Bonine.

In twenty years of powerboating on the Great Lakes my wife never had a moment of trouble once she found Seabands. Just put it on forget it and have a good time. Much better than some of the meds that can make it worse if taken incorrectly.

Because most men weigh more than most women, the drugstore dose of meclizine is not that likely to impair a man who is not even driving a car. That's my vote, because it's good "all night" (You don't need it while on a shore excursion.) It can affect men with BPH, but doesn't cause a problem for me in one week of use - nights only. Since doctors can Rx a half of the OTC dose, you could experiment with cutting meclizine in half, if you oppose medication in general. Note that chewable meclizine MUST be chewed, not swallowed. And vice versa.

I got my doctor to give me a trial dose of Scopalamine patch, and I'm glad he did. Both my wife and I felt like we were sleepwalking on the bottom of a swimming pool. Unusable for us!

Clean--That's just it, he has to be able to pull his weight. I did not know about those side affects of the patch, but I have only used those after knee surgeries, so I am out of it anyway;)

I really appreciate everyone's help. Yes, 20 years and many deployments, and he was fine, but we know full well that things change. So he has to be prepared, and hopefully he won't need anything!

I also recommend Seabamds and ginger chews.
I used to take dramamine but manage with out now.

Another side effect of the scopalamine patch is dry mouth

I have a whole 'sick kit' I travel with. Sea bands, dramamine, ginger chews and jordan almonds. For some reason the sugar in the almonds settles my tummy. OH, and if you can sing Hakuna Matata from the Lion King that helps too!

Update. My husband spoke to his doctor and he now has the scope patches for his trip. I threw out all these ideas to him, and he is a minimalist, so only wants the ginger gum. So hopefully between those two, he will be set, and if not then oh well;) We both really appreciate all of the suggestions!

Glad you have this figured out. Didn't see this in the suggestions but in case anyone else searches this thread, we've used a Relief Band (Emetreme..spelling?) also sells one that is an electrical medial nerve stimulation. Wife used it for extreme morning sickness as well. FDA approved for nausea in chemo patients. I bring it up because we do know some people who get too sleepy to function on the meds but for whom the Sea Bands just aren't enough.

My husband decided to skip on the bands since they interfere with his sailing gloves which are tight fitting.

I wanted to give an update. My husband used the scopolamine patches and those worked like a charm. They had very rough seas, so much so that they were stuck in a few ports in Iceland for an extra 4 days as they would try to get underway only to get turned back. A fellow shipmate asked him if he had extras, which he did, and my husband shared. He never needed the ginger gum or anything else. He did say the side effect of the patch was extreme dry mouth, so he used a carabiner and just attached his water bottle to his suit. I don't remember what that suit is called, but basically it kept him warm, had his life jacket in it and they were tethered to the boat. So he had his water bottle literally on him when he was on deck.

He also took lidocaine patches as every once in a while he will tweak his back. He never needed those, but another shipmate did tweak her back and my husband offered that. He was the only American on this voyage, so the lady was funny and said she was so thankful for the patch that she took back her nasty American comments, lol. They were not bad, it was all in fun, but you get the idea.

He will do this expedition again, so today he is writing down exactly what all he took and what he can leave behind next time. Both the scopolamine and lidocaine patches are on the "keep" list.

Thanks for circling back with an update! Sounds like a real adventure! I'm glad the scope patches worked well for him!

Thanks Pam:) He had the time of his life, and I am sure his photos did not do it justice.

Very good. My two favorite ways to manage dry mouth is peppermint gum or lifesavers, or lemon drops. Tho the ginger gum might work for him