Wrist Band or Patch
 

My husband and I are taking an inside passage cruise from Seattle to Alaska at the end of May. I am not sure which seasickness remedy to use. My doctor says the patch makes your mouth feel like cotton candy and the wrist band is simply a placebo. He recommends taking meclizine. Readers - your comments will be appreciated. Thanks.

I recommend the patch. I have used it for many yeears with good results. But your doctor is right: It makes your mouth very dry. It also made my eyes itch. I solved the problem by using only half a patch at a time. Another solution to the problem of seasickness is to take Dramamine. I take the first dose before I leave for the airport. I helps me sleep in the plane. I take the next dose before I board the ship. Besides preventing seasickness, it makes me calm. Two a day ought to do it. I predict that by the third day, you will have adjusted to the ship's motion and you won't need it any more. The sea on the Inside Passage is usually very calm. If you are going to encounter rough seas, it will probably be on the return to Vancouver after your last port. Good luck and have a wonderful cruise. Alaska is so beautiful!

The wristband (I use Seabands, not the magnetic ones) is not &quot;simply a placebo&quot;. The priciple of acupressure employed is a valid one - and, since I started wearing the wristbands, I have not had any incidences of motion sickness. Perhaps your doctor is not a proponent of alternative medicine practices such as acupressure (my MD is - and she is a certified acupuncturist as well), but, as an RN with many years of hospital experience, I can tell you that it makes more sense to use a non-chemical means of controlling the symptoms of motion sickness.<BR>Happy cruising!

Just wondering about the wristband.<BR>Do you need to have them on before you get sick or can you put one on when you start feeling sick and they will have the same effect.<BR>I have a prescription for the patch but everyone tells me that you shouldn't drink with it..so I have not filled it yet.<BR>Then they told me to get the non drowsy formula for Dramamine.

We recommend the ELECTRIC wristbands - especially with replacable batteries. We have tried EVERYTHING because my spouse is sensitive. Even when a passenger in a long distance drive! So, we dislike the chemical methods because of the un-naturarl nature and side effect potential (and my spouse works IN the pharmaceutical industry!). So we used to be BIG on the accupressure bands - but they did little after one became ill. <BR><BR>HOWEVER, the electric bands have some effectiveness after youre ill. And they are quite effective when used prior to becoming ill. You can &quot;dial up&quot; the interruption charge if you're going into an unstable situation or if you're sensing the onset of illness.<BR><BR>I suggest you shop EBAY and the SHARPER IMAGE auctions for these. The model w/ replacable batteery has an opening bid of about $60 but rarely draws any competitive bids. <BR><BR>These electric relief bands ARE THE BEST - but the other things work as well. It's all a matter of your preference, suspectability and budget. The potential benefit of avoiding sickness while on a fairly costly vacation make the cost irrelevant.<BR><BR>The throw away model is overpriced as the long term usability of the other model justifies the cost.<BR><BR>Good luck!

My wife and I split a patch. Works every time without side effects for us.

Try the patch or other medications before going and see what you think of the side effects. <BR><BR>We are going on a Holland America cruise from Seattle as well, and it goes west of Vancouver Island, not in the inside passage. (Check your itinerary.) The Pacific can be a real challenge and I would not count on it being calm. Cruisers (in pleasure craft) don't call the Pacific &quot;Barf City&quot; for nothing.<BR><BR>Do NOT put your faith in the wrist band. You will hear anecdotal evidence, like the above posts, that it works. Beware. Here is my story:<BR><BR>Four of us went up from Portland to Seattle in our 42 foot trawler, over the Pacific two summer's ago. A friend and I tried the electronic wrist band from Brookstone. My husband had taken a Meclazine. The other friend was using nothing.<BR><BR>Guess who got seasick. Everyone but the captain who took the Meclazine. <BR><BR>We were doing fine until we got past the outflow from the Columbia River. We were commenting on the change in the water color ahead. Within seconds of crossing to the darker water, the three of us who didn't take the Meclazine started barfing. <BR><BR>I was totally incapacitated and too sick to hold down Meclazine, at that point. I found a scopalamine patch that said to take four hours before departing. I slapped it on, and, mercifully, it kicked in four hours later. I slept the rest of the way to Neah Bay. <BR><BR>I'm not sure what I'll take for the time our cruise is in unprotected waters on the Pacific. Probably the Meclazine. Listen to your doctor.

PS Actually, I'm not sure we didn't get the failed wrist band from Brookstone. It could have been the Sharper Image. It was called the one supposedly approved by the FDA, whatever the heck that is supposed to mean.

Me again. Just wanted to interject the very important advice that you should focus on preventing seasickness. It is a lot easier to prevent it than it is to cure it. Once you get seasick, you become paranoid, and every little motion of the ship makes you fear that you are going to get sick. I know from personal experience that this can ruin your vacation. Do yourself a big favor. Get the patch and use it. I know that they recommend that you don't drink with it, but if you put it on before you leave home, some of the side effects will have already begun to dissipate before you sail. I have never refrained from drinking alcohol while on the patch, and I was fine.