Patch for motion sickness
 

For those of you who have used the patch, can you tell me if it makes you sleepy? I'll be on a small boat for 5 nights, and am concerned about motion sickness. I don't want to take dramamine, because it makes me very sleepy. I've heard good things about the patch, but I want to make sure that I'm not too sleepy to enjoy myself! <BR>Pale

It camn definitely make you sleep, and it also makes your mouth dry and some people experience vision distortion, other than that it does work! A lot of our patients have had good luck witha product called Sea Bands, works on acupuncture principles , pressure on points in the wrist, no side effects but not terribly attractive if you are wearing short sleeves. I've even had women buy them for morning sickness and they swear they work. <BR>They affect each person differently so maybe you could get one to try before you leave.

Tried the patch for the first time a couple of months ago and I loved it! <BR> <BR>Dramamine knocked me out and still left me queasy, but not the patch (transdermscop? is the name). Sea Bands did nothing for me either. <BR> <BR>The patch the doctored prescribed lasts for 3 days and you need to apply it a few hours before your trip. <BR> <BR>The only problem I had was after two days my skin was irritated from the glue used in the patch.

4 of us all used patches for a 7 day yachting adventure last October. One of the men in our party has chronic and severe sea sicknes... not one person in our party got sick one single day! <BR> <BR>It did make me slighly sleepy,,, but not the other lady in our party or my husband who were fine. I highly recommend them, but one kinda weird thing did happen to me, after we were back on shore in Athens, I removed mine and got slighly sick for about 10 minutes.. I didn't throw up or anything but I got kinda nausious... no dry mouth or blurred vision experienced by any of us. We got them perscribed by our doctor's before we left to Greece.

I love the patch! And I get motion sickness just riding backward in the car I'm driving. Does make my mouth dry but mostly while on the plane which is a horrible dry atmosphere anyway. Drink water and eat some hard candy.

I used the patch years ago, and had no adverse reaction - and didn't get seasick. The one odd thing (may no longer be the case if they've improved the drug): if you take the patch off the moment you hit dry land, you get "sealegs" and get sort of seasick; leave the patch on for a couple of hours after landing to get your landlegs.

Paule= We use a perscription drug called ANTIVERT- have been using it for over 25 years and works like a charm-no nausea,no sleepy,no nothing--have gone thru horrendous movement on cruise ship where entire dining room was leaving due to motion- we gave them to our table mates about 1 hr before dinner, and we were about the only ones left in the room that did not get sick--this was 20 years ago and we still use it and swear by it.

Andy. no need for a prescription anymore, it's over the counter , just ask for meclizine, 100 tablets about $3.00. It's never made me sleepy either and none of the side effects of the patches, some people don't get them but a lot do.I've heard people say it's like they've been on a bender with none of the fun!

Meclizine is the drug in the new "less drowzy" formula of Dramamine. I've used the patch and Meclizine; I prefer the latter.

Meclizine and dramamine are 2 different drugs, same class , differnt structure.dramamine is dimenhydrinate, but you are correct, meclizine will make you less drowsy.

My wife and I use half a patch behind the ear. It has worked every time on cruises, and we never had side effects. We apply a new one after 3 days. Just make sure you wash your hands after applying it.

Thank you all SO much for your feedback and advice! Overall, it sounds like the patch is well worth using. I'm interested in the meclizine, though, and will look for it and try it first. Is it available under the name meclizine or is there a brand name to look for. <BR>Paule