Dramamine

[BlueBlur]

Is it OK to take Dramamine before a dive trip? I hate to admit it but on rare occasion I do get a little seasick. I don't want it to happen on a dive, (especially my first dive) so I am planning to take a Dramamine. I will probably use the 24 hour kind and take it the night before so the sleepyness will be gone. Also, when it starts working, it tends to throw me a little off balance so I want that to be gone before the dive too. Is there any reason I shouldn't take this? Is there anything out there that is better?

THanks for the help.

 

[stu_in_fl]

alot of people take dramamine (myself included - although i hate pills so go for the kiddies orange chewy ones whic probably are not too strong!) - if you always get seasick they recommend one the night before and one and hour or so before the dive. I never had issues with drowsyness - if you do, maybe try one of the less drowsy formulas...balance - not sure as I've never experienced it - maybe ask the pharmacist.

 

[Marek K]

You'll get a lot of varying opinions about the effectiveness of various remedies, mainly because different remedies work differently for different people.

You might want to try a search here, using key words "sea-sickness" or such.

Dramamine is commonly used by divers, assuming it works for you and your sea-sickness.

Another drug that works well for many is scopalomine, usually in the form of patches you stick behind your ear. Only available by prescription, though; and does have side effects, like dry mouth and feeling weird.

If dramamine works for you, then that's great... I'd just recommend that you ask your doctor about using it while diving -- just in case.

--Marek

 

[Mo2vation]

Is it OK to take Dramamine before a dive trip? I hate to admit it but on rare occasion I do get a little seasick. I don't want it to happen on a dive, (especially my first dive) so I am planning to take a Dramamine. I will probably use the 24 hour kind and take it the night before so the sleepyness will be gone. Also, when it starts working, it tends to throw me a little off balance so I want that to be gone before the dive too. Is there any reason I shouldn't take this? Is there anything out there that is better?

THanks for the help.

I get seasick. Bad. Not good for a fisherman who dives.

For years, I took Bonine. I got it down to a science. Half at lunch the day before, half at bedtime the night before, trip comes and I'm fine.

Sleepy, but fine.

Last summer I was in East Cape, Mexico. I totally spaced, and forgot to pack my Bonine - I was freaking as this was a Kayak fishing trip, and nobody puts the "yak" in Kayak like I do.

In the room were these Mexican Dramamine, chewable. Please. Nothing gets me loopy like Dramamine - I stopped taking it years ago (those little, white, bitter, evil pills...) So I popped one. I'm all, "cool, orange..." and prayed to keep my cookies.

No sleepy, no ralphing, no nothing. I was loving it. So the big Orange chewables is what I've been using lately. No serious test until two weeks ago, when on the Peace dive boat in SoCal - we got out to Anacapa in a very rough crossing, only to turn around and essentially surf back in 10 - 12 footers. This is not a big boat, and I was sure I was gonna spray.

Took another one (I believe they're only 2 - 6 hour) and I was blown away again, that I was fine.

So that's what I'm using these days.

There are a lot of threads on here about it. I've been sea sick before on a dive trip - its no fun. I told myself I will avail all possible means to keep from getting sick. I've found what works for me.

---
Ken

PS: Memo to Ralphs Supermarket in MARINA DEL REY - you're a supermarket ON THE FRIGGEN WATER... feel free to carry some sea sick medicine, you idiots.

 

[immersed]

I've heard from other divers that meclizine (Bonine) is better than dramamine because of non-drowsiness and non-weirdness.

If you switch, experiment before the trip so you know if/how it affects you.

 

[jonnythan]

I use Bonine and it works great for me.

Dramamine makes me want to die.

 

[BlueBlur]

I have used Bonine and Dramamine and actually prefer the Bonine.

I guess I should let you all in on the reason I asked this question. When I was filling out all the paperwork to start SCUBA classes, one of the questions on the medical part was "do you get motion or seasickness?". Knowing that if I checked yes on that particular section would send me to the Dr for a letter stating everything was fine. So, to avoid what I thought was an unnecessary trip to the doctor, I checked 'no'. Now that my checkout dive is coming up, I started wondering if there was some sort of reaction between Dramamine and breathing underwater.

Also, once my family and friends rented a large charter fishing boat and no one remembered to take anything for motion sickness. Well, let me just say, we tried our best to keep it contained but we gave the deckhands an extra large tip for the disinfecting they were gonna have to do........

 

[Marek K]

Also, once my family and friends rented a large charter fishing boat and no one remembered to take anything for motion sickness. Well, let me just say, we tried our best to keep it contained but we gave the deckhands an extra large tip for the disinfecting they were gonna have to do........

Two words...

Over. Board.

Nice smiley, by the way.

--Marek

 

[DiveMaven]

Just make sure whatever you take you understand exactly what affect it will have on you in a stressful situation. If I take any OTC motion sick remedy before I fly, the stress I feel from flying causes me to have panic attacks on the airplane. Because of this, I switched to the Patch (which now comes in pill form), and find that the slight dry mouth I get is a good trade off.

The idea of an OTC motion sick remedy potentially causing me to have a panic attack while I'm underwater simply gives me the willies!!!

 

[Jim Baldwin]

Dramamine just makes me throw up less. The night before a dive I take a half a Bonine when I go to bed and the other half when I get. No downiness and I have no problems in diving.

With Bonine the diesel fumes don't make me sick and I don't have to worship the diamond tread plates when there are 4 to 6 foot waves like I do with Dramamine.

Jim