Scup

Being a trial director for the Navy, I have had my fair share of getting seasick. While this may seem strange, I do not get sick in a small open boat. Usually it hits me shortly after leaving port (Frigate, Destroyer, or a Weapons Retriever) and we get into very heavy weather early on. Since I was out there to do a job, you just have to work through it. Never liked taking any pills or patches, since I needed to be alert. I tried taking Dramamine once and if someone had asked me what my name was, I had to think about it. In any event, most seamen will get over it in a day or less. Once I became acclimated to the weather, the Frigate could go through the eye of a storm and it would not phase me at all. You get tired because you have to hold on to something in a storm 24 hours continuously to prevent injury, but getting seasick just will not happen again. It is funny but when you reach port after a long hard voyage, and check into a motel, it always feels like the bed is rocking when you start to fall asleep. Worse case I ever had for being seasick was riding out a storm on the surface in an old diesel electric submarine. I think smelling diesel exhaust would get me sick on dry land. If anything, as you age, seasickness seems to hit most people less. Again, the more you go out, the quicker you will acclimate to it. You might find that after you no longer get seasick, if you stay off boats for a couple of months, then you might be subject to it again the first time you go out, but usually it will be very mild . Very rarely there are those who will not acclimate to it. Unfortunately, these rare individuals should stay off the water. I always thought a little seasickness is good for you as it cleans out your system. I am not a doctor so do not take my advice on this one but after I got used to it, I always felt pretty good. Do not ever allow yourself to get the "Dry Heaves". This is when nothing comes up but a small amount of green stuff. I believe the green stuff is bile, and if you reached this point you could injure yourself if you allow it to continue. Take along some Saltine crackers and force yourself to get them down so you will not harm your plumbing. Always remember you are on a day trip, so no matter how bad you feel, it will only be temporary.

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vrc-rods

Ginger caps are excellent for this, as well as anytime your stomach feels sickly. Being someone who brews Ginger beer, the caps are still more effective. You can readily find them in the supplements section in Walmart or Target. The other thing believe it or not, at least for me and other people I know, is to eat. Yes, it seems opposite, but as long as it's not greasy or anything that's usually difficult to digest, you will actually feel better. Like Scup said, Saltines or Oyster type crackers are great for that too. Sandwiches with a good bread, no breads that are high in grains, are excellent.

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Captain Hook

Stern of the boat is always a nice place to be, no wind, and uasually don't feel the rocking as much. it def helps out.

pescadorzih

Have been taking bonine for several years now, works like a charm. Just don't over do it on the dosage. I suggest 1 tablet a 1/2 -1 hr before hitting the dock. I took 2 one year because I knew it was going to be a rough ride and we ended up turning back and I slept the rest of the day.

Scup

Very good advice Jim!
While humor really has no place when seasickness sets in, I still laugh at what could have been a serious disaster at sea. A young engineer had joined our at-sea evaluation team. Phil had been one of those boat people you have heard about. He got out of Viet Nam by hiding in the bilge of a fishing boat covered with fish when he was 12 years old. Phil's brother, being somewhat weaker than Phil did not survive the ordeal. Why anyone would worry about getting seasick after what he had been through as a youngster is beyond me. However, this was his first sea trial and I am sure Phil wanted to perform his duties well. Phil had a build that was very slight, which is typical for his ethnic background (he must have weighed around 105 pounds dripping wet.) He had gone to see our nurse prior to the trip to obtain sea sickness medication. Based on what he had told the nurse (an extended at-sea trial) she issued him several patches. There was an obvious communication problem as Phil did not understand the instructions on how to use the patches correctly. We did not know he had any medications when we departed. Phil missed supper, then breakfast, lunch, supper again, and finally it was decided someone should check up on him. He was found in his rack semi-unconscious, with patches in back of both his ears. He recovered after the patches were removed but he did manage to scare the hell out of everyone on that trip. Even worse, Phil did not have any tendencies toward getting seasick and never needed medications. The nurse was informed what happen and I made the suggestion that because of his slight build, he probably should have been given a weaker dose or at least cut the patch in half and only use one half at a time. The nurse laughed and explained that might have killed him for sure; cutting these patches will mess up the timed release system and allow the dose to be administered quickly.

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BluewaterTops

drink more...................only kiddinbeeeerrrr.jpg

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John_Madison CT

I use Scopalamine or Scopace not in the patch form, but rather the pill form. Many docs don't even know it's available this way.

I can get as sea sick as the worst guy, and this has really helped me. Actually that's an understatement, it's saved my butt many times. What I like about it is that you can control your dose way better than the patch. The patch needs to stay on you all the time. If it's really rough and I start to feel crappy, I take another pill. Likewise, if I feel great and it's calm seas, I don't have to take any.

RZtuna

Like the others have stated, the "patch" four hours before you get on the boat.