Been through them all over the years. If you want objective information, mine the many NASA papers and studies on motion sickness. If a diver gets sick, OK, they're miserable. If an astronaut gets sick...oopsie, coupla hundred million in equipment and the entire crew may die, so NASA has spent a lot of time and effort on lab and field research.
There is a "NASA cocktail" which you'd have to get by rx. Combination of two meds that works most of the time for most people, but even NASA says nothing works for more than 1/3 of people 1/3 lf the time. Which is oddly similar to the placebo effect.
They confirmed that ginger, ancient Chinese herbal medicine, works. It is a "rubificient", that is, it makes your skin ruddy because it dilates all the capillaries, which increases oxygenation, which physically helps the brain. As does refraining from tobacco smoke (CO reduces oxygenation) or diesel fumes or alcohol. Like a pilot, no booze 24 hours before flight, and stay hydrated.
Other meds like Bonine and Meclizine and Dramamine are all antihistamines, they work for some people with some drowsiness much of the time.
Then you step up to Sturgeron, which is banned in the US, and generally has few adverse effects.
And then there's Scopolamine (scop) which we currently can get only by rx in a 3-day patch. It used to be available in the US as an OTC pill. Then it went to rx-only, then it went to rx-patch only. (May a thousand camels tread on the toes of the FDA members who decided that.)
Scop is still available in the UK and former crown colonies (as is Sturgeron) under names like "Kwells" usually in a 10 or 12 pack for $5. Their dose is IIRC 0.3mg/pill where the US dose used to e 0.4mg/pill, but the dose is based on "a brain weighs eight pounds" not on body weight, oddly enough. That's for about 8 hours. Scop is serious meds and on a boat I'll routinely warn people if I'm using it, because it can cause heart arrhythmia, psychotic delusions, axe murders, hallucinations...and it gives everyone sensitivity to light (wear dark glasses) and a cotton mouth (great way to know it has kicked in and is working). But if you need serious meds, scop is it.
ANY seasick med should be tried after a doctor's OK, and at home so if there's any problem or reaction, you have help nearby. I can't overemphasize that especially with scop.
But there's another alternative. Nay-qwan wrist bands, that hold a button on the acucpressure pointin your wrist, about two fingers back from the hand, on the two tendons. They're cheap and vaguely about as effective as ginger (without the hiccups) but not really effective.
What no one believes or seems to grasp, is that the "Electric Relief Band" is an FDA APPROVED version of this. It looks like a wrist watch, but has 5 intensity settings and puts an electric tingle on those same tendons and your nerve bundles. It must be positioned carefully, and used with a conductive gel, to work properly. On low it just feels tingly. On high, it is more like a rat chewing your wrist. (Which beats all hell out of seasickness.) It is FDA approved against morning sickness, IT WORKS. Not for everyone all the time, but I've found it to be a very close second to scop, way ahead of everything else.
Available in 1-disposable, for maternity use, 2-disposable, for more durable waterproof (surface) use, or 3-replaceable batteries, so you can use it forever. Not waterproof, take it off before you dive, put it on again if you get back on the boat.
Cheap, compared to repeated rx meds. Expensive, compared to ginger. DAMNED EFFECTIVE and those FDA tests and approval mean someone actually did extensive tests on it.
