How to best combat motion sickness/post-travel discomfort?

[omni550]

I am VERY motion-sensitive. Most everything -- from top-of-the-roof revolving restaurants, cruise ships, long car drives on silky-smooth interstates...and most-recently, those popular fidget-spinner toys -- makes me feel queasy.

Luckily, I don't have any motion issues from flying.

In December, I'm taking a 15-day cruise with relatives and am now regretting/dreading the whole event. On the two prior week-long cruises I took, I wore prescription transderm scop patches behind my ear. The cruises were smooth and I didn't get sick, but I sort of felt "not myself" and seemed to get sleepy very early (thus missing out on some of the fun of being on a cruise). Plus, for almost a week afterwards, I would l feel ill/like I was moving while I was standing still.

When I do extended (4hrs.+) car rides, I wear tight acupressure wrist bands that are supposed to reduce motion sickness. (I haven't gotten car sick in years but after long drives and I'm back to terra firma I often feel discomfort as though the floor/bed/chair is vibrating/moving -- and this can be for up to 12 hours!)

I'm wondering if any here have any tips/tricks for combating motion sickness and the post-travel discomfort I feel?

I know some Canadians swear by Gravol. Any comments?

omni

 

[braumeister]

When I was a kid, deep-sea fishing was the biggest recreation opportunity available, so my father took me with him whenever he went. I would get violently seasick every time and spend most of the day huddled amidships over a bucket.

This went on for years until one day another fisherman told me his "secret" method for avoiding seasickness.

You simply keep your stomach full. I know it sounds completely counterintuitive, but it works. I made it a practice to eat a huge breakfast (not that easy at 5 am) and brought a bag full of sandwiches with me, which I munched on all day.

The method worked beautifully, for me at least. I never had another seasickness experience again.

Years later, in the Air Force, I would sometimes find myself in situations where airsickness was an occupational hazard, so I used the same technique.

I have no idea whether the "keep your stomach full" method would work for others, but it certainly has for me.

 

[FIREmenow]

Have you tried ginger? DW needs it sometimes on the boat and it seems to work well.

 

[Just_Steve]

Have you tried ginger? DW needs it sometimes on the boat and it seems to work well.

My DW swears by ginger for chronic car sickness.

 

[rayinpenn]

I wouldn't want to discourage you but no method I've seen ever works.

More then a few years back my late brother and I boarded the Speedy out of Captree near jones beach -all set for a day of October blue fishing. I got to talking to a fisherman at the who explained if you want to catch a tuna get a tiny hook and bury it in a small spearing. Hearing this I jumped off the boat and procured the necessary bait and hooks. The speedy lived up to its name and we were offshore in no time. The boat was packed - maybe 50 people. We met a young fellow out for his first bluefishing trip. I cautioned him to avoid the teeth. He introduced me to his uncles who were sporting anti seasickness wrist bands. We caught quite a few fish but after an hour or two my brother, another fisherman and I were alone at the rails. A trip to the men's room confirmed the situation. The 47 other fisher people where in the cabin in utter misery. The accompanying mess was everywhere.. To this day I can still hear the moaning and I remain terrified less I succumb to the mal de mar. Buy now the seas had built to the point where standing at the rail at the back of the boat was difficult. Brother Bruce, the other fisherman and I still managed to catch our first tuna that day. I witnessed the newbie catch his first bluefish - he jumped to get away from those teeth. The bands didn't help his uncles... I heard them praying for death. As big as the speedy was the ride back was painfully slow - up and down those monster waves.
So many people, so very ill.

No I take Dramamine even though I've never needed it...
Do get a good nights sleep the night before
Do avoid alcohol the night before
Do take Dramamine
Do Eat normally
Do Stay out of the cabin and avoid diesel fumes generally in the back of the boat.

Oh if it's ruff - don't go.
Best line of the trip "if this captain was a decent human being he'd take us back right now"

 

[Nemo2]

I recall going over on the ferry to Tangier....1969.....it got a little choppy, as it is wont to do in that area.

People throwing up everywhere.....my first wife was sharing a waste basket with another girl, (all the sinks/toilets in the women's washroom were in use for the same activity).....I was forced to get myself a beer and a pork sandwich and stand outside the open door to keep watch.

One woman said she was so sick she wanted to jump overboard.

I'm very thankful that it's something I've (thus far), been unaffected by.


(DW, who's very mildly vulnerable to it, uses the little pressure wristbands and says that they're somewhat effective.)

(I read, years back, that Lord Nelson suffered from it for a couple days every time they put to sea.)

 

[kaneohe]

...................................

No I take Dramamine even though I've never needed it...
Do get a good nights sleep the night before
Do avoid alcohol the night before
Do take Dramamine
Do Eat normally
Do Stay out of the cabin and avoid diesel fumes generally in the back of the boat.

Oh if it's ruff - don't go.
Best line of the trip "if this captain was a decent human being he'd take us back right now"

Good advice from rayinpenn. One thing you might consider: we used to use dramamine as directed by instruction. Take hr or two before trip. That worked for most trips alltho I do remember some of the side effects you mentioned (drowsy/land rocking after you back on land, etc. Considered those minor and the price of not getting seasick.

In AK we met a person who told us he started the dramamine the night before in addition to the instructions on the box. Tried that in AK and it worked great.....so much so that we ate lunch on the boat and enjoyed it. Might not be such a good idea if you are driving but if being driven.............

 

[MRG]

I wouldn't want to discourage you but no method I've seen ever works.

No I take Dramamine even though I've never needed it...
Do get a good nights sleep the night before
Do avoid alcohol the night before
Do take Dramamine
Do Eat normally
Do Stay out of the cabin and avoid diesel fumes generally in the back of the boat.

Oh if it's ruff - don't go.
Best line of the trip "if this captain was a decent human being he'd take us back right now"

Good advice!

I suffered from a weird kind of vertigo for over a year. I learned valium is very good for vertigo and motion sickness, combine with meclizine.

I went through a bizarre balance therapy that if it didn't kill you, it would make you wish you were dead! Eventually you just thought you had died.

Actually it made me better, but it was a very unpleasant experience. However the alternative was more unpleasant.

Good luck!

 

[Onward]

I am also, and have always been, extremely vulnerable to motion sickness from all the usual sources.

I've tried pretty much all meds, bands, foods, and patches. This is the only thing that works for me:

Side effect: it makes you drowsy.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Agree with the full stomach idea and I'd add full with the kind of foods that prevent heartburn, like bananas and raw broccoli. That always works in our family. Our kids would get motion sickness sometimes on vacation from car rides along windy mountain roads. The cure for them was stopping at a market and getting fresh fruit and veggies.

 

[candrew]

I've tried pretty much all meds, bands, foods, and patches. Meclizine is the only thing that works for me.

+1

DW and I are both scuba divers and use Meclizine with great success on all boat dives and live-aboards. DW has also found Bonine (same active ingredient as Meclizine) to be effective for motion sickness. DW has also used Meclizine to effectively treat her occasional bouts with vertigo.

 

[akck]

I've been sport fishing on boats for close to 30 years. What I've learned to do is to keep your frame of reference on the horizon. Do not look down for an extended periods of time. If you start to feel queasy, look up to the horizon until any nausea abates. As mentioned, do avoid exhaust and other unpleasant odors. Fresh air helps. On rough wavy days fishing, yes I do sometimes rock on land, so I think it's fairly normal.

 

[target2019]

https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682509.html

Scopolamine patch

I do not travel without one of these behind my ear. Haven't tested on the ocean waters, though.

 

[Onward]

What I've learned to do is to keep your frame of reference on the horizon.

Yes, this makes a hug difference when you're on a boat. Stare at the horizon. I believe it forces your eyes to confirm the motion that your body is feeling.

Also, when on a cruise ship, choose a cabin as close to the middle of the ship as possible, and on the lowest deck possible.

 

[cathy63]

Dramamine or meclizine both make me drowsy, but they are very necessary. On a small ship cruise, I take one pill at night, starting the night before the ship leaves and going until 2 nights after debarking. If it makes me drowsy just as I climb into bed, that's ok with me. It seems like having that constant low level in my system is just enough to ward off trouble, though I take more during the day at the first sign of queasiness if needed. Do not wait until you're already sick, that's too late. On a large ship with stabilizers in relatively calm seas, I don't take anything until the night before the cruise ends. Then I take it for a total of 3 nights, which gets me over that awful "earth is lurching" feeling I get post-cruise.

 

[Nemo2]

l "earth is lurching" feeling I get post-cruise.

My late wife & I spent a week on a sailboat in the Virgin Islands......no probs....upon final docking we went to an on-land waterfront restaurant......missed the rocking sensation and had to return to the gently swaying moored boat until the new normality returned.

 

[CardsFan]

Good advice!

I suffered from a weird kind of vertigo for over a year. I learned valium is very good for vertigo and motion sickness, combine with meclizine.

I went through a bizarre balance therapy that if it didn't kill you, it would make you wish you were dead! Eventually you just thought you had died.

Actually it made me better, but it was a very unpleasant experience. However the alternative was more unpleasant.

Good luck!

I am curious about the therapy you went through. DW has been dealing with vertigo for 6 months now. Valium and meclizine do help, but make her extremely drowsy (and they really are not a long term cure). She had about 6 weeks of feeling "normal", but the symptoms have started to return.

So what finally worked for you?

 

[MRG]

I am curious about the therapy you went through. DW has been dealing with vertigo for 6 months now. Valium and meclizine do help, but make her extremely drowsy (and they really are not a long term cure). She had about 6 weeks of feeling "normal", but the symptoms have started to return.

So what finally worked for you?

I was sent to a certified balance therapist who diagnosed me with "visual vertigo"(I'm not sure that's a real disease or a condition). In any case he claimed 5 years prior I'd have been sent to a shrink for valium.

My symptoms would get very severe in visually active fields, grocery store and Wal-Mart would make me sick.

The treatment was unpleasant. Basically it something made me dizzy I did that as therapy.

Some of the treatments were:
Balance board, rock back and forth, eyes open then closed, repeat 15 times.

Balance ball, sit and rock eyes open and closed. Repeat 15 times.

Disco ball, take in a small dark room and follow a light with your eyes. Repeat 15 times, rotating right and left. This was my favorite exercise. I always took a bucket with me, never needed it but always swore I needed to use it.

Later I graduated to juggling balls while walking around outside, or riding escalators at the mall.

 

[GrayHare]

Valerian works similarly to some of the meds mentioned, and is available OTC. Unfortunately it also has the drowsiness effect.

 

[Souschef]

I am also, and have always been, extremely vulnerable to motion sickness from all the usual sources.

I've tried pretty much all meds, bands, foods, and patches. This is the only thing that works for me:

Side effect: it makes you drowsy.

+100 !
Since childhood, my DW suffered from all forms of motion sickness. When she met me, I suggested Bonine, or the generic above (much cheaper)
We have been on many trips,cruises, flights, etc. and she has not had a problem.
It may make you a little drowsy, but nowhere as bad as the patches or Dramamine.

 

[W2R]

https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682509.html

Scopolamine patch

I do not travel without one of these behind my ear.

+1

I don't get motion sick, but in my career as an oceanographer (from which I retired), I had to go to sea for work now and then. Because it was work, not fun, I couldn't afford to be even one bit sick at all because I couldn't just stop and pamper myself.

So, like many others I knew who worked at sea, just to be safe I wore the patch (prescribed by my doctor) behind my ear. After an hour or two, I could take it off because generally if you are going to get sick, you will do so right away. At least, that is what people tell me. I never did get sick but there were times in rough seas when I was glad I had the patch just in case.

Sorry that you are going through this!

 

[CardsFan]

I was sent to a certified balance therapist who diagnosed me with "visual vertigo"(I'm not sure that's a real disease or a condition). In any case he claimed 5 years prior I'd have been sent to a shrink for valium.

My symptoms would get very severe in visually active fields, grocery store and Wal-Mart would make me sick.

The treatment was unpleasant. Basically it something made me dizzy I did that as therapy.

Some of the treatments were:
Balance board, rock back and forth, eyes open then closed, repeat 15 times.

Balance ball, sit and rock eyes open and closed. Repeat 15 times.

Disco ball, take in a small dark room and follow a light with your eyes. Repeat 15 times, rotating right and left. This was my favorite exercise. I always took a bucket with me, never needed it but always swore I needed to use it.

Later I graduated to juggling balls while walking around outside, or riding escalators at the mall.

Thanks for the info. DW did go to therapy for a while, and some of these exercises sound familiar.

 

[omni550]

Thanks for all the interesting and useful responses!

Glad to know I'm not the only one who suffers (although I seem to be the only one in my family and circle of friends.)

I was at the doctor's office yesterday for another reason and she gave me an Rx for the transderm scopalimine patches. Looks like I need to stock up on Meclizine/Bonine, too.

I'd never considered starting treatment the night before and staying on it for a few days afterwards. That's a good idea.

Being on a cruise, an empty stomach is pretty rare.

I certainly might eat less (due to anxiety) on days when I might anticipate doing activities leading to motion sickness. Will try to load up on bananas, fruits, veggies (and the like) to stay full.

Again, thanks!

omni

 

[braumeister]

I believe a good attitude is very helpful.

We owned a boat (16 foot outboard) when I was a teen, and took it out all the time fishing (East coast). My mother used to get seasick all the time until she discovered Bonamine (similar to Dramamine).

One day my father happened to notice that the Bonamine tablets looked almost exactly like aspirin tablets so he tried substituting them.

My mother religiously took her aspirin tablet for the next few years until we sold the boat and never got seasick again. She was always happy to recommend Bonamine to her friends, and she never caught on that she wasn't taking them.

 

[ivinsfan]

I believe a good attitude is very helpful.

We owned a boat (16 foot outboard) when I was a teen, and took it out all the time fishing (East coast). My mother used to get seasick all the time until she discovered Bonamine (similar to Dramamine).

One day my father happened to notice that the Bonamine tablets looked almost exactly like aspirin tablets so he tried substituting them.

My mother religiously took her aspirin tablet for the next few years until we sold the boat and never got seasick again. She was always happy to recommend Bonamine to her friends, and she never caught on that she wasn't taking them.

That's a bit of a jerky move, don't you think..why would he do something like that?