No More Dramimine for me!! Ginger is the way to go!

[Eaky77]

I am the type of person that can feel the boat. I usually get sick for the first day or so. I also get air sick from planes. I had seen something on Myth Busters about using ginger pills instead of bonine or dramimine. All I have to say is I will never waste my money again. I took one ginger root pill in the morning, and one at night..... I never got sick once. I felt wonderful. For any of you that get any sort of motion sickness, try the ginger root pills, you will not be sorry!! It saved my vacation!!


Erin

[LisaK]

Erin, i have been a staunch ginger supporter for years! it works great.
The only thing that folks need to be aware of is that it can interact with certain medications,i am not positive, but i think ginger works as a blood thinner?? Talk to your doctor if you are on any kind of maintenace medication.
I get very, very mild queezies and a glass of real gingerale, gingersnap cookies or crystalized ginger candy works great for me.

[Mike M]

Ginger is the only non-suppressant that has shown to help motion sickness in double blind studies.

The difference is that ginger helps your body process emesis (let's say digestive stuff). When you get queasy your body makes more "stuff" to process food and that makes people ill.

Also, when people go on a cruise they eat things and amounts that they aren't used to at home. Add the motion of the ocean to this and ginger really helps. I personally believe that the majority of people who think they suffer from seasickness on a ship they are really suffering from digestive problems and/or a fear of seasickness. Many times the ship's doctors will give people Pepto Bismol for seasickness long before they give them "The shot".

If you don't need to take a Dramamine, Bonine, or the prescription Scopolamine I really suggest doing what you did and give ginger a try.

Take care,
Mike

[LisaK]

how true that is Mike. Alot of times what folks think is seasickness is actually the result of partaking in gastronomic delights and alcohol.
If you get that "funny" feeling after eating, chances are its not seasickness. Take a Rolaids, Tums, Pepcid, Pepto etc.
Alot of seasickness is mental, i know of one young lady who talked herself into a nervous fit about getting seasick on the cruise, to the point where she was thinking about not even getting on the ship, we were able to talk to her, calm her down, tell her that we had "remedies" to help her.
Guess what, once she got on board, got into the "vibe" of the ship, she had a blast and totally forgot about the fact that she was determined to get seasick.
I am by no means saying that all seasickness is mental,I truly feel sorry for those few folks who experience true motion sickness, it is miserable for them, and i hope that they find a remedy that truly works for them. What i am saying is don't medicate yourself if you don't have to.

[Mike M]

Lisa:

My wife came to this country literally on a "banana boat" from Brasil. She was extremely seasick for over a month. She also has become green when deep sea fishing. The thought of going on a cruise terrified her. She wears the Scopolamine patch on certain occasions and actually it is more of a security blanket. Most of the time she doesn't bother with it.

An old fisherman in Hawaii told me that if you are on the ocean long enough, that at some point you will become seasick and you will wish for death. I have seen my wife in that state but I was pulling in a twenty pound tuna so I had to tell her to hang on for a little bit and I'd be there to hold her hair in "just a minute".

Take care,
Mike

[paisleyrose]

does the patch cause much drowsiness?

[Mike M]

paisley:

It can have that effect on people. It is also a prescription medication. Discuss any health issues you may have and go over the issues of side effects with your doctor and pharmacist before you use it.

Take care,
Mike

[ready2gonow]

It took me a half of day, on one cruise, to realize that I wasn't seasick, just hung over. Tee many martunis the night before.

[dina]

Around here, people have been swearing by Vernors Ginger ale forever. Good to know they were on to something.

[Cruise Cynic]

Hi Mike> I noticed that you spelled Brazil the way your wife spells it (Brasil)....

I had to point this out. You must love her very much.

edited to add: maybe we are both in error... could it be "Bresil"? I'll have to ask someone Portuguese. Or Brazilian. Or watch futbol more, and read the jerseys.

[LisaK]

paisley - the patch is by prescription only and it is for Severe motion sickness, not the occassional queezies. Its main active ingredient is an anti-seizure medication. If you are prone to severe motion sickness when you ride in the car, fly or take any kind of transportation it would be a good idea to talk to your doctor about the patch.

[Dorothy]

I have a friend who swears by ginger pills and the wristbands. She says the combo works magic.

I agree with others that a lot of "seasickness" is really over indulging, plus a bit of motion sickenss thrown in...

The only time I got sick was from not eating and drinking on an empty stomach the first night. I quickly ate and was better almost immediately.

dorothy

[carrieerman]

Where can you buy the ginger pills? Are they in the vitamin section of the grocery store or pharmacy?

Are they safe for kids? I was thinking about trying them for my 14 yr old daughter.

Thanks!

[Eaky77]

carrieerman....

I got them for $4 at Walmart... they were in the vitamin section. As far as being safe for kids, I'm not sure.... I would talk to the doctor.

[LisaK]

carrie, ask your doctor or pharmacist about that one.
The ginger pills are on the large size(horse pills) You might do better with a 14yr old with crystalized ginger candy, gingersnap cookies or true gingerale, it could be much easier than getting her to swallow pills???

[Mike M]

Cynic:

Brasil is the correct, Portuguese way of spelling Brazil. I spell it Brasil in honor of my wife. It drives my spell checker crazy.

Take care,
Mike

[katlady]

Originally Posted by Mike M

Cynic:

Brasil is the correct, Portuguese way of spelling Brazil. I spell it Brasil in honor of my wife. It drives my spell checker crazy.

Take care,
Mike

Hi Mike.
My dad is from Madiera Island and my mom is Portuguese through Hawaii I want to thank you for spell Brasil correctly. It was really driving me crazy during the World Cup when the American announcers would refer to Nuno Gomes from the Portuguese National team as Gomez. It was most annoying when they were playing Mexico because it was diffcult to tell the teams apart. Gomes is my mother's maid name and before I got married Goncalves turned into Gonzalez.