We will be in Maine at the end of this month. We plan to take a few short outings on boats while we are there. We are planning the clambake on Cabbage Island, taking the Cat to Nova Scotia and maybe a whale watching or some other 1/2 day boat excursion. I have the sea sickness patches. Has anyone used these on short excursions and do you get sick after you take off the patch? I am not sure they are necessary but I had rather be safe than sorry. Please give your opinion of the same situation. Thanks

I've used them, along with other family members, for cruises. I was the only one of five who kept theirs on. All the others had side effects which they couldn't tolerate, mostly drymouth and blurred vision. One lady, very petite, cut hers in half and did fine. I had extreme drymouth, but kept water at the bedside and coped with it.

The last cruise I went on, I bought "gingertrips", which is a glorified candied ginger. Everytime I got that slightly queasy feeling, I chewed a gingertrip and it would be gone! I much preferred this over the patch, and would suggest you try this first. The patch is overkill for short excursions, in my opinion.

By the way, side effects went away within 24 hours after removal.

It depends on how seasick you get. (For "that slight queasiness" ginger may be fine. For real seasickness- violent vomiting - it is useless.) Also- not sure what type of water you're used to - the North Atlantic can be quite rough (but then I get seasick on the Staten Island ferry).

I'm not sure what you mean by sick when you take the patch off. You have to keep it on the whole time you're on the water. Once off the water you remove it and the side effects will recede in an hour or so (it helps if you wash the place you stuck the patch with soap and water right away to prevent any further absorption.)

A friend of mine went on a cruise and used the patches. She was fine on the cruise but when she got back to land and removed the patch, she got violently ill and even had to have a shot to make her stop throwing up.
Amusement park rides make me sick and I got every sick on a deep sea excursion taking dramamine so it didn't work for me (took it the day before and the day of).
Since these are short excursions I would like to use something with very little side effects but that does work. Do you need a prescription for Scopace (patches in tablet form)? Thanks for the suggestions.

My wife is prone to motion sickness and swears by Sea-Bands...available in most drug stores.

http://www.sea-band.com/seaband.htm

Ginger tablets can be bought in a health food store...they recommend one a day....at sea.. I take one the minute i walk on the ship and days at sea plus something I've bought in Bermuda called Sturgeron.

My doctor told me that the patches are overkill and are not good to use for 90% of people who have tried them. I am a smallish person so I asked about cutting it in half and he told me NOT to use the patch at all, ever.

Actually, he was right, even on the 7 day and very rough sea cruise- the sea bands, Bonine combo worked fine. For short outings I would just go with the ginger. I get motion sickness to the nnnth degree and that works on Lake Michigan for me. Don't forget to read the instructions on the Bonine as I believe you need to take one some time BEFORE you embark.

If you are not sure they are necessary, I would definitely just go with the ginger suggestions.

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Nova Scotia and took the CAT from Maine. Let me just say, and I don't mean to make you nervous, but had it not been for the fact that we had taken Bonine hours before we left, we would not have been two of just a handful of people who managed to stay healthy during the crossing. The seas can be very rough. I am easily prone to sea sickness -- I can't even ride in the back seat of a car without feeling queazy -- but I was fine and, for me, Bonine has no side affects whatsoever. Sure, I have the bands which do work for short hops, but the CAT is 3.25 hours each way and the thought of even a twinge of sickness for that length of time was more than I was willing to risk.

Why the patch? There are over-the-counter remedies/preventions for seasickness that work great for most people. While I have not found ginger or seabands work for me, it is worth a try to start with these and then work up from there.

Like many medications these days, extended release is available - but for short trips you want the usual Bonine, Dramamine, non-drowsy Dramamine, meclizine (generic) type stuff - I get seasick just thinking about a boat and have found that a half of the recommended dose of these plus a cup of coffee to counteract the drowsiness works great.

Medication in the patch enters your bloodstream just as much as these - and works for some on longer trips, but in my opinion is overkill for a short trip.