Sea sickness

[Maniew]

Hi all
I have a question regarding sea sickness. Has anybody out there got experience in this regard? In particular vertigo and/or Meniere's disease? Is this type of condition prohibiting sailing offshore altogether or are there ways around it?

[Kenomac]

We use the over the counter medication Bonine "Meclizine." It works well for me and our guests without any sleepy side effects.

[GordMay]

Meniere's disease ➥ Meniere's disease Treatments and drugs - Mayo Clinic

[denverd0n]

I suffer from some degree of seasickness at the beginning of almost every trip. Luckily for me it is not debilitating. Worst case, I heave over the side and then get back to work. Meclizine works well for me, for controlling it. But when it comes to seasickness cures each person is different--what works wonderfully for one may be no help at all to another. You just have to find what works for you.

I also suffer from occasional benign positional vertigo. For some reason, it has never bothered me the least when I was on a boat--and that includes long cruises on larger ships. It only seems to bother me when I'm on land.

[Cowboy Sailer]

I was diagnosed with Meniere's disease about 15 years ago. I took motion sickness pills when it bothered me. Later I was given a diuretic for congested heart failure. I have not had a motion sickness episode since I have been taking diuretics. I don't keep Meclizine anymore! Every cloud has a silver lining!

[JPA Cate]

ManieW,

If you've been diagnosed with Miniere's Disease, talk to your doc about the situation. You may be advised to take certain meds against seasickness because they won't chemically conflict with other meds you take.

For simple seasickness, Jim and I prefer Stugeron, cinnarizine HCl. I don't know if it is available in SA. Bulawayo may know; he's a frequent poster on CF, and you could PM him.

Meclizine HCL works some, for me, but what I like is to feel 'normal', and the Stugeron does that, for me. IME, people keep on trying different things till they find what works best for them.

Fwiw, there are many threads on this subject on CF. Do a CF Google special search (click on the Search button, then scroll down to the GSS and click on it.

Ann

[Maniew]

Ann and others,
Thanks for all the input! Fortunately I haven't been diagnosed with Meniere's (yet?) but had a bad experience with vertigo - on land!
But all the info I received helps a lot to better understand the situation and to be prepared if or when the occasion arises
Manie

[Piton]

Motion sickness tablets, make sure you take 'em before you start at sea. After a few days, or less, at sea you will have become 'acclimatized'. Worked for my family,and even me on a few occasions and (hate to admit it ) I used to fly for a living!

Eating/chewing ginger is always a good back up, as is (bizarrely) eating chips and drinking sprite......

Worst thing we have to deal with now is 'dock rock' i.e. land sickness, after a few weeks at sea, makes us look like drunks.

Good luck to you!

[skipperearly]

I have found chewing slices of fresh ginger working great for me. Whenever I feel seasickness could develop I get a slice of ginger and chew it for a while.

Works obviously only for people who like ginger

[chas5131]

My father was diagnosed as having Meniere's disease.
So was I.
BS, Meniere's is used as a catch all by physicians when they don't know what else to do.

I could spin in slick shoes like an ice skater spins years ago.

Have had episodes that left me lying on the floor or a bed with vertigo doing projectile vomiting for up to seven hours.

After numerous doctors I learned on my own that the problem was a sinus infection that never goes away.
Use of a Neti pot twice a day is the best thing I ever started.
Doctors have been glad to learn that this can help.
Make sure you boil the water for a while, then let it cool.

I also go to an acupuncturist who helps synchronize the eyes with the brain. When they get out of sync from the infection he does what I call a "reboot" that gets me going. I have learned to know when I need this.


I ski the steeps in the winter and sail in the summer, and keep using the Neti pot.

[ElizabethMunk]

I found a blog that mentions some tips about preventing sea sickness Avoiding Seasickness - Cruise Critic.