Motion sickness

[Jax]

Did it do the job?

For me, sweetie, none of them do the job if the seas are 4' or over. I just hope to have less 'bouts' so I can dive . . . once under the waves, I'm fine.

 

[Kevrumbo]

So what do you do when y'all start developing the real possibility of a drug tolerance to all these medications?

You're better off starting with and developing "psychosomatic tolerance" for motion sickness over time by using cognitive methods instead. . .

 

[Jax]

You don't get seasick, do youl Kev?

 

[Lobzilla]

For me, sweetie, none of them do the job if the seas are 4' or over. I just hope to have less 'bouts' so I can dive . . . once under the waves, I'm fine.

We had a rough time last weekend off Gloucester, MA. I kept my eyes on the horizon and was fine until I went under deck to get out of the drysuit. Being bounced around badly with my head down did not take long to make me feel funny. I quickly laid down in the V-berth, flat on my back. This has worked for me before when I was getting close to loosing it. While it does not give my brain any visual reference, the changed position of the inner ear and the tactile feedback from my body calms things down - at least for me. YMMV.

Otherwise, I agree with Kevrumbo that either directly or virtually controlling the motion seems to be a good prevention of motion sickness. I 'fixed' my queasiness in turbulent air by taking aerobatic lessons. When boating in snotty seas with my wife, the 'palest' crew member takes the wheel.

To answer your question above: Everyone does if the brain gets confused enough by abnormal signals from from the inner ear. A while ago, I had disabling vertigo from an acute inner ear infection. A ride in a washing machine would have been entertaining compared to that.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

So what do you do when y'all start developing the real possibility of a drug tolerance to all these medications?

You're better off starting with and developing "psychosomatic tolerance" for motion sickness over time by using cognitive methods instead. . .

@Kevrumbo: I'm not aware of people experiencing any drug tolerance issues when using something like meclizine...occasionally...as an anti-seasickness med. Are you?

For conditions like seasickness, cognitive methods (including various forms of self-hypnosis) don't always work for every person.

 

[ggunn]

So what do you do when y'all start developing the real possibility of a drug tolerance to all these medications?

You're better off starting with and developing "psychosomatic tolerance" for motion sickness over time by using cognitive methods instead. . .

I wonder, too, how much the placebo effect contributes to the success of medications and home remedies for motion sickness. I have watched many times someone out on a deep sea fishing trip have an instantaneous recovery from seasickness when someone shoves a rod and reel into their hands with a sailfish on the line.

There is a psychosomatic component to seasickness. As a former sufferer, I know that if you are sitting there constantly monitoring the state of your gut, thinking about being sick and dreading every wave, you will get sick. And if you have a friend who is susceptible to it, the worst thing you can do to them is to keep asking them how they feel.

 

[DandyDon]

I wonder, too, how much the placebo effect contributes to the success of medications and home remedies for motion sickness. I have watched many times someone out on a deep sea fishing trip have an instantaneous recovery from seasickness when someone shoves a rod and reel into their hands with a sailfish on the line.

There is a psychosomatic component to seasickness. As a former sufferer, I know that if you are sitting there constantly monitoring the state of your gut, thinking about being sick and dreading every wave, you will get sick. And if you have a friend who is susceptible to it, the worst thing you can do to them is to keep asking them how they feel.

Or let them pilot the boat. Makes them focus on watching the horizon and takes their mind off of their gut. I raised by daughter to not fall for it, worked well when she was a kid but later she bought into it. She gets ill on car trips, so then she takes a turn driving - all better.

For her Cozumel day stop, I didn't think I could get the snorkel Op to go for that, so I booked them on a trimaran. That worked too, but I got to wonder if it worked in part because I told her it would.

 

[ggunn]

Or let them pilot the boat. Makes them focus on watching the horizon and takes their mind off of their gut. I raised by daughter to not fall for it, worked well when she was a kid but later she bought into it. She gets ill on car trips, so then she takes a turn driving - all better.

For her Cozumel day stop, I didn't think I could get the snorkel Op to go for that, so I booked them on a trimaran. That worked too, but I got to wonder if it worked in part because I told her it would.

And lots of medications designed to combat motion sickness do it by dulling your response to everything. That's not good.

 

[Darol]

Olives, before a trip. Always watch the horizon, it never moves, U.S. Navy.
Worse case, hit the galley for crackers.

 

[Kevrumbo]

@Kevrumbo: I'm not aware of people experiencing any drug tolerance issues when using something like meclizine...occasionally...as an anti-seasickness med. Are you?

For conditions like seasickness, cognitive methods (including various forms of self-hypnosis) don't always work for every person.

I am aware of divers here in SoCal who've been using the Scopolamine patch regularly for years and are now finding it less effective for even a day trip, let alone a whole weekend liveaboard offshore. . .

You gotta wean yourselves off these drugs people --cognitive methods can be difficult at first, but just like any repetitive mental task or skill, you've got to keep on practicing it to develop it. It does work --but you have to put in the time & patience to make it work!