Motion sickness help on liveaboard

[String]

Might not be great advice but i find after a few days at sea my body adapts and i no longer notice it moving or rolling at all.
I do however then get "shore sick" on my return for a few hours or a day.

 

[aMc10]

did anyone post how long in advance the Kwells should be taken?

At least half an hour. I found it best to take one at bedtime and another in the morning

And how long does it last?

Don't know the "official" duration, but taking it as above lasted me all day.

 

[littleguppie]

Just called pharmacy to get a rx for meclizine - just to clarify...meclizine is the same thing as:
Bonine, Antivert and Dramamine II , correct??

 

[40Fathoms]

I saw the Mythbusters episode, too, and I have to say that ginger tablets will get my vote any day of the week.

I'm not super prone to motion sickness, but I have dived and traveled with those who are, and ginger tablets seem to work well on most people, with zero side effects. The only thing is, you have to take them ½-1 hour before sailing, and continue to take them twice a day, every day, to make sure they work. Once you get queasy there's little the can do, in my experience.

My recommendation: Get some over-the-counter stuff, bring it, but give the ginger a shot first. If it works for you, it's safer, cheaper, and has fewer side effects.

 

[littleguppie]

Doc Vikingo's Sea Sickness Remedies

I'm confused on the dosing for ginger. In the above article it states the following:

"A reasonable daily starting regimen would be 1 gram/1,000 mg of powdered ginger root 4-6 hours before, then another about 1 hour before, boarding the boat. Additional doses can be taken every 4-6 hours provided they are well tolerated. "

To me that sounds like you take 1000mg 4-6 hours before boarding, then another 1000mg 1 hour before boarding and additonal 1000mg doses as needed.

But it's mosly sold in 500mg caps. Is the 1000mg dosage, a daily amount or each time I take it?

Can anyone send a link to the ginger capsules they use and have worked? There are so many different forms out there. Thanks!

 

[vladimir]

To me that sounds like you take 1000mg 4-6 hours before boarding, then another 1000mg 1 hour before boarding and additonal 1000mg doses as needed.

But it's mosly sold in 500mg caps. Is the 1000mg dosage, a daily amount or each time I take it?

The article seems quite clear to me and I think you have read it correctly. I don't see why the fact that ginger is sold in 500mg capsules would make you question it. You can always PM DocVikingo here on ScubaBoard.

 

[aMc10]

You might want to do a "test run" with the ginger before you get onboard. It seems to work well for the majority, but I do know a couple of people for whom it has made their symptoms worse.

 

[cdnscubakat]

I have been sick on almost every dive trip I've ever taken, and also get air and car sick as well. On this last trip I took to Cancun, I used Bonine - it is a once a day tablet - I took two a day, starting the day before our trip. I never had a moment of seasickness, nor air or car sickness either. And believe me, there were several times where I would have definitely been sick without the medication. I didn't have any side effects, including drowsiness. Also, something else I've tried in the past but can't get here in Canada/US is Sea Legs - I used it on an overnight cruise in New Zealand a few years ago - also a once a day tablet - and again, I did not get motion sickness at all. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[GrandpaScuba]

When I went on my first live-aboard, I had no idea if I would get sea sick. So, I just started taking Dramamine before departure per the directions, and I had no problems.

 

[DamselDoc]

I am extremely prone to motion sickness... (in my first two years of diving, I was always the first person off the boat and one of the last ones back on. If I didn't truly love to dive, I wouldn't have stuck it out.) I have tried everything and here are my experiences (my apologies if I spell every med wrong):

Dramamine: makes me seriously goofy (not safe for diving)
Boniene, triptone, ginger, sea bands, eating, not eating, etc: didn't work, I turned green, watched horizon, you know the story
the shocking version of sea band: worked for driving around in the car, left me hanging off the side of the boat

the patch: works great during the beginning of the week but will lose effectiveness as I get tired during the week. I get the blurred vision too but I found that using lubricating eyedrops really help (that, and large print books). My pharmacist warned me to be very careful that you don't handle the patch then touch your eyes. I have also had trouble keeping the patches stuck. There are several remedies for this. Finally, never, never, never, under any circumstances remove the patch before the 3 days is up (like taking it off early when you leave for home). My poor husband had to drive all the way from Miami to Atlanta because it make me so dizzy that I couldn't sit up much less drive.

Finally, the pill version (of Scopace): works great. I can dive for a week and feel great.

I think the bottom line is we all have to find what works for us. I hope the suggestions help and you have a great trip.

DamselDoc