Seasickness Medication?

REI and several other sites sell motion sickness bracelets. They help my neice who gets very car sick.

I would try those but also send the medication(she does not have to take it if she is doing fine but it would be better for her to feel ok and have it than to be misirable and miss out on the trip).

Antiemetics are very safe but they make you sleepy (my husband sufferes from very bad motion sickness - he can't even drive on the freeway.)

Ginger however is wonderful for nausa. So what we do at home for my husband is keep crystalized ginger around for him to eat if he feels a little queezy but we also keep Dramamine II (same stuff as Bonine) for long car trips.

We've also had good success with ginger tea (yogi brand) and trader joe's ginger gummie candies. The ginger altoids did no good at all.

Hi. What a great field trip! She will have a much better trip if she isn't seasick the whole time, don't you think? Have you ever given her pain medication, tylenol, motrin, etc? Pain medication is blocking the pain receptors in the brain it's the same thing except instead of blocking pain the antiemetic is blocking the seasickness or motion sickness aspect. If you are looking at another method call your local healthfood store and ask them, but as with all natural methods you have to be careful because most are not FDA approved (we use both natural and pharmaceutical medications in our home, we are just careful) I hope she has an awesome trip. Good luck!

Hi,
I always like to chime in on these medication questions because I am a pharmacist. Your daughter can try the sea-bands as previous posters suggested. However, if it was my daughter, I would also give her the option of bringing some meclizine (Bonine) tablets with her, just in case. Yes, some antiemetics have an effect on neurotransmitters. For example, promethazine (Phenergan), prochlorperazine (Compazine) are more likely to affect neurotransmitters and those are available only by prescription. They are known to cause more side effects. Meclizine mostly acts as an antihistamine by blocking the effects of histamine (similar to dramamine or benadryl) but it is less likely to cause drowsiness. Meclizine is widely used and considered very safe. It can still cause SOME drowsiness, however.
Hope she has a great trip!

Here's my story. My husband and I went on a whale watching excursion and I didn't want to use Dramamine, etc. and used a band that went around my wrist and was supposed to use a pressure point to help with sea sickness. It didn't work at all. I spent the bulk of the trip in the cabin feeling woozy (after I threw up). I was miserable. However, it was in the ocean outside of SF Bay so it was pretty turbulent. I would give my daughter seasickness meds in a heartbeat. Sea sickness is no fun. The medicine "alters" your brain chemistry in the same way that Tylenol or motrin does. It's not a big deal.

My husband is in the Coast Gurad and has only been sea sick a few times, however some of his shipmates are always very sick for the first 3 days every time the ship goes out. Not everyone gets seasick and it is my understanding that seasickness "is in your head" in that your eyes and your balance center in your inner ears are giving your body different messages. I would take the sea bands but send the Bonine too. This isn't long term and you do want her to enjoy the trip. Oh and ginger can help with nausea but honestly having been badly airsick in a small plane none of the natural remedies truly helped and I am a big fan of natural remedies.

I get very motion sick and have used Bonine for years and it is completely safe. It doesn't make me sleepy at all, in fact it sometimes makes me more alert and with more energy. I take it when I know I'll be in a situation where I could feel motion sickness and sometimes as a preventative just in case like on airplanes when usually I don't feel sick on a plane. If your daughter doesn't get motion sickness at all the she might be fine without. If she does you might want to have her try it before she goes on the trip just in case it makes her really tired or has another side effect. It really is safe and most times I can't even tell that I took it except that I don't feel sick. Dramamine on the other hand has never worked for me and makes me extremely tired so I don't take that. Good luck!

Try sea bands. They work (some how) by applying pressure to the pressure points on the wrists. You can get them at the drug store. I used them for morning sickness and the did help a bit.

Hi R.,
I have had motion sickness since I was a kid. My parents tried everything to help me. I have out grown it some. Despite my motion sickness my Dad and I would take a deep sea fishing trip every year since I was 11 y/o. I started by using the patch you put behind your ear and the patch started causing problems for me. The last time I used it I was a teenager. The pupil on the side where I put the patch actually dilated and stayed that way for a couple of days. I had to wear special glassess for a couple of days to protect my eye until my pupil constricted down to normal. I would not suggest using the patch on your daughter. That being said. I have tried the motion bands, they do not work for me at all. They may work for car motion sickness, but I have not seen a band work for sea sickness. Dramamine worked very well for me, but always made me drowsy. I have not tried the non-drowsy formula. Most recently I was using bonine. I really liked it. It worked well for me without any side effects. However, it has to be used as a preventative measure. She would need to take it before she got on the boat and every morning to keep from getting sea sick. Most recently I have been using motioneaze. It is made of all natural oils. You dab it behind your ears. I love it. It works for me. We have shared it many times on our fishing trips. Everyone we have shared it with said it worked for them. Most of the time once you are sea sick you can't relieve the sea sickness. On the last fishing trip, my cousin became sea sick, he was wearing a motion band. We put the motioneaze on him and the sea sickness resolved. I dab a little on before I get on the boat and I am good to go. I don't know if it works for everyone, but it has a good track record with our family and friends. I love that it is all natural. If the need arises I will use it on my own girls. Thank the Lord neither of them currently get motion sick and they are not big enough for the annual fishing trip. The bottle says it is safe for children, my cousin was 13 y/o. I have gotten it at my local drug store. You can buy it online too. I hope your daughter has a fantastic trip!

My son and I wore Sea Bands for his boating trip, also tell her to look out at the horizon, not the waves. They are soft bands that put pressure on a spot in the wrist. They are availble at Walgreens and WalMart. Usually with the medicines or vitamins. Sounds like the teacher is trying to prevent the kids from being sick on the boat.
W. M.

I don't think I would want to try this. I know they have bands that they can wear on their wrists. I would rather try that with my child.

Dear R.,
My daughter took Dramamine for years with no ill affects. They have the non-drowsy kind available. It doesn't really alter your brain chemistry in any way, just kind of blocks the transmitters that make you feel the need to vomit. She was fine riding in the front seat of the car, but put her in back and look out! Dramamine always worked. I took my daughter's Brownie troop on a little cruise and she did just fine.
My son doesn't get motion sickness, but he swears by Ginger Ale when he's sick or is nauseous. I always keep it around the house, just in case.
I wouldn't worry about the medication suggested other than it could cause drowsiness (which might be why the teacher said to take it at bed-time). I hope you get some great advice!

Peppermint takes care of nausea. Get her a bottle of 100% essential peppermint oil and let her take that. If she just opens the bottle and smells the peppermint it will take care of her nausea. However, the oil cannot be put on plastic because it will eat right through it. And, do not have her put it around her eyes.

Also, aren't there patches you can get for sea sickness... maybe that's an idea.

Hi R.,

As a person who has been getting sea-sick, car-sick, air-sick since I was very young (6 or 7), it means everything to me to not be sick. When I was a child only Dramamine was available, it worked but it also put me to sleep. Bonine works well but it also put me to sleep. As far as it affecting your daughter in the long term, I have not had any side effects.

As for doing it without drugs, if your daughter is not inclined toward motion sickness, then a good night sleep and a low fat good breakfast goes a long way to keeping her from being sick. Also, avoid foods with acid in them like tomatoes, citrus fruit, etc. Peppermint also will calm the stomach. So, I would send her with either a pack of peppermint gum or a box of altoids.

I hope this helps.

D.

There are also motion sickness bracelets, which may be a better choice since you don't even know if she will get sea sick.

"Antiemetic" just means that it keeps you from throwing up - another word for antinausea medication. Bonine contains the same drug that is in the non-drowsy form of Dramamine and lots of kids have subsisted on it for every car trip they travel on for years! Many safe drugs block the agents of different neurotransmitters. Your daughter will have a MUCH better time on her field trip if she is not throwing up over the side of the sailboat the entire time.

Trust me, as a person that is VERY prone to motion sickness, it is much better to take meds to prevent it before you start feeling bad.

Hope this helps!

R.,

I do not have personal experience with motion sickness in children. However, in adults, accupressureists suggest massaging a pressure point on the wrist. It has worked wonders for the adults I've suggested it to. You can find magnetic bracelets that achieve this goal. That might be a great option for your daughter.

Good luck. Hopefully she doesn't get sea sick and has a terrific time!

D.

You can try sea bands. They are the bracelet type of accupressure that helps prevent motion sickness. Doesn't put any chemicals into their little bodies. I don't know of anyone who has used them on kids, but I know of several adults who found them helpful.

Have you looked into the sea sick bands? I know people who use them successfully. Drugstore.com carries them (just google "sea sick bans". Anyway, I'd suggest sending her with these AND the seasick meds. The meds could be used only if she's really really sick (only as a last resort). That way you're covered.

My boyfriend works on a boat, but he is prone to motion sickness. He used Dramamine pills and sea bands at the same time. I used sea bands while I was pregnant and they helped me survive morning sickness. But you have to have the hard points on the exact right spot to work (the point where two veins on the underside of your wrist meet).

That sounds like an AWESOME field trip!! I hope she has loads of fun!