G
Guest
Guest
Can you recommend a good brand of seasick pills? Are they typically available at high street chemists or can you buy online?
Thanks
Thanks
G
Guest
Guest
I normally use Sea Legs if I need them. I find they work better for me than Stugeron, but, and I'm not joking try a small bottle of beer, works wonders.
peterg
New member
Stugeron are available in most High St chemists and work best if taken the night before and some more on the morning of your trip - recommended to me by an ex-Naval warship commander.
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Warning on Stugeron
If you're susceptible to them, they can knock you out. On one particularly bouncy trip we all took Stugeron. Two of the crew slept soundly from the Needles to St Malo - about 15 hours.
If you're susceptible to them, they can knock you out. On one particularly bouncy trip we all took Stugeron. Two of the crew slept soundly from the Needles to St Malo - about 15 hours.
G
Guest
Guest
Stugeron is generally recognised as the seafaring nation's favourite but there are other options open to those for whom it's a no-no (pregnant, on medication etc).
There's a useful feature about seasickness and cures on the ybw homepage at the bottom, under 'archived features', outlining some of the options. Give it a hurl - sorry, whirl.
There's a useful feature about seasickness and cures on the ybw homepage at the bottom, under 'archived features', outlining some of the options. Give it a hurl - sorry, whirl.
robp
Active member
Or try Ginger. NM
~
~
davel
Active member
Re: Or try Ginger. NM
Is that a he or a she?
;-)
Is that a he or a she?
;-)
robp
Active member
Re: Or try Ginger
I'm sure Ginger Spice would be more welcome than Ginger Nuts!
I'm sure Ginger Spice would be more welcome than Ginger Nuts!
pugwash
New member
The most important thing is to try all the different pills (without necessarily going to sea) to determine which ones make you feel drowsy. I have thrown up into every ocean in the world and for me, Kwells are by far the best though they make me feel thirsty and it's crucial to start early. Chewing on a pill as you motor out of the marina is not going to help. Also, avoid acidy foods the night before such as apples, tomatoes, white wine etc. The elasticated bands do have an effect: they don't stop you being sick but it doesn't worry you so much. The electric "Reliefband" worked wonders on morning sickness with both my daughters when they got pregnant, and with a seasick-prone woman who came sailing with us, but it doesn't work for me because I can't position the electrodes properly on my wrist. A surgeon friend told me this gadget is not a con and is based on good principles. He suggested I hold it on the right side of my neck with sticking plaster, positioning it over the Clapham Junction of nerves that the cop tries to hit when he uses his truncheon. I haven't tried this yet but I intend to. The whole thing seems promising. Finally, the scolopamine ear patches really do work but you can get double vision when you take them off; the US Coast Guard bans them because people can get dizzy while aloft and they are apparently addictive. Nevertheless, as long as you are careful it's worth the risk. I use one or two a year when conditions are really grim. The ones you buy over the counter in Canada ($5 apiece) last three days. The ones you get on prescription here do not last so long. They produce a dry mouth which is a bit unpleasant. Crossing the North Sea in a square-rigger in a Force 9, I had no problems and even had the Norwegian officers begging to raid my supply. I'd be careful about using them on kids, though.
30boat
N/A
Kwells have done wonders for me.And it's not just me.I a recent passage from the Azores to Lisbon I spent a whole year's supply with the rest of the crew.Nobody got sick in 900 miles.
Bergman
New member
You could try mint tea, it was recommended to me by an old arab, and does work for most stomach upset type problems. Also ensures that you take on fluid, remember dehydration is one of the worst effects of seasickness.
My wife always takes Sea Legs which, she says, make her drowsy. Suspect its really an excuse to leave all the work to me.
My wife always takes Sea Legs which, she says, make her drowsy. Suspect its really an excuse to leave all the work to me.
charles_reed
Active member
Not everybody reacts in the same way to seasickness pills.
As a martyr to it (seasickness) you have my sympathy.
All of them work by depressing the sympathatetic system, which means the inevitable effects are drowsiness, dry mouth etc.
Nearly everybody agrees that the Scopolamine patches work best, but they're not available over the counter except in the US.
Many sailing medics swear by cinnazarine (Stugeron) as the least likely to make you dopey.
I've used the wristbands which apply pressure to one of the acupuncture pressure points - this had no less an effect on seasickness than Stugeron and didn't make me dimwitted.
I've come to the conclusion that all any of the anti-nauseants do is to delay feeling seasick - so I just go out and after 36 hours at sea it's over.
Perhaps sailing single-handed is a useful discipline - you don't have quite the opportunity to be self-indulgent and relapse into semi-consciousness.
Being tired and having an empty stomach both predispose you to seasickness, but the worst thing to set one off is looking down, especially below.
Baguette and fizzy drinks are useful cockpit accessories - at least they give you something on which to retch.
I gave myself an inguinal hernia trying to projectile vomit on an empty stomach on the way across Cardigan Bay in a SW F7.
What I now do, as I get tired, is to get into deep water, out of the shipping lanes, heave to on backed foresail and driving main, lash the tiller, tell the CG where I am (if in UK waters) on vhf or HF and get my head down.
The suggestion, of trying out the various seasickness pills to find the ones that make you the least sleepy has some merit - top of the knockout stakes will be Dramamine, followed by Avomine (well you can't feel yourself being sick when unconscious), though the US Navy cocktail of anti-nauseants would probably beat those two.
If you are going to try the chemo-therapeutic route take the pills at least 2 hours before setting off (don't drink or drive on them).
As the famous saw - the only sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree and look at the sea.
As a martyr to it (seasickness) you have my sympathy.
All of them work by depressing the sympathatetic system, which means the inevitable effects are drowsiness, dry mouth etc.
Nearly everybody agrees that the Scopolamine patches work best, but they're not available over the counter except in the US.
Many sailing medics swear by cinnazarine (Stugeron) as the least likely to make you dopey.
I've used the wristbands which apply pressure to one of the acupuncture pressure points - this had no less an effect on seasickness than Stugeron and didn't make me dimwitted.
I've come to the conclusion that all any of the anti-nauseants do is to delay feeling seasick - so I just go out and after 36 hours at sea it's over.
Perhaps sailing single-handed is a useful discipline - you don't have quite the opportunity to be self-indulgent and relapse into semi-consciousness.
Being tired and having an empty stomach both predispose you to seasickness, but the worst thing to set one off is looking down, especially below.
Baguette and fizzy drinks are useful cockpit accessories - at least they give you something on which to retch.
I gave myself an inguinal hernia trying to projectile vomit on an empty stomach on the way across Cardigan Bay in a SW F7.
What I now do, as I get tired, is to get into deep water, out of the shipping lanes, heave to on backed foresail and driving main, lash the tiller, tell the CG where I am (if in UK waters) on vhf or HF and get my head down.
The suggestion, of trying out the various seasickness pills to find the ones that make you the least sleepy has some merit - top of the knockout stakes will be Dramamine, followed by Avomine (well you can't feel yourself being sick when unconscious), though the US Navy cocktail of anti-nauseants would probably beat those two.
If you are going to try the chemo-therapeutic route take the pills at least 2 hours before setting off (don't drink or drive on them).
As the famous saw - the only sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree and look at the sea.
charles_reed
Active member
But Ginger Nuts make the boat go faster
One of my erstwhile crew is definitely off ginger as a result of trying that one - mind you he shouldn't have eaten half a pot of ginger marmalade - but he's been very consistent over the last 25 years in stoutly refusing anything with even a hint of ginger.
One of my erstwhile crew is definitely off ginger as a result of trying that one - mind you he shouldn't have eaten half a pot of ginger marmalade - but he's been very consistent over the last 25 years in stoutly refusing anything with even a hint of ginger.
charles_reed
Active member
Re: Warning on Stugeron
Even better one than that - one of my medic friends agreed to take two - and she didn't remember any of the following two day passage.
Even better one than that - one of my medic friends agreed to take two - and she didn't remember any of the following two day passage.
JamesS
New member
The best pills I've found are bought in France - no particular name - just go to a chemist and plead mal de mare.
The chances are they are banned in the UK!
The chances are they are banned in the UK!
G
Guest
Guest
There's some excellent advice there.
I would add the following:-
1. tiredness - don't set off on a bumpy journey unless you've had a good night's sleep. Also, keep a watch system going (assuming there's more than one of you) during the day as well as at night to allow you to get as much sleep as possible.
2. diet - avoid fatty foods like bacon sandwiches. Eat lots of yoghurts, muesli bars, apples etc. as snack food. Snack food on its own isn't enough, though, and hot food is critical. To avoid having to cook for the initial period at sea, keep a stainless steel thermos filled with soup and a loaf of bread in the cockpit. Its effect on a weakening crew is miraculous.
3. Drink - take regular sips of water every time you pass the galley. Don't allow yourself to become dehydrated.
On drugs, Stugeron doesn't make either me or my wife sleepy, but nor does it have any effect on our seasickness.
Scopaderm patches, which we both tried for the first time this Autumn, are brilliant. They have a powerful effect, and we both found it difficult to read small print the day after putting the patch on, as well as a curious change in our sense of balance and dry mouths. But these side effects are easy to handle - no sleepiness or hallucinations for us at least- and are small sacrifices for the strong stomachs we got in return. To get hold of them, you need to ask your doctor for a prescription. Each patch lasts three days.
I would add the following:-
1. tiredness - don't set off on a bumpy journey unless you've had a good night's sleep. Also, keep a watch system going (assuming there's more than one of you) during the day as well as at night to allow you to get as much sleep as possible.
2. diet - avoid fatty foods like bacon sandwiches. Eat lots of yoghurts, muesli bars, apples etc. as snack food. Snack food on its own isn't enough, though, and hot food is critical. To avoid having to cook for the initial period at sea, keep a stainless steel thermos filled with soup and a loaf of bread in the cockpit. Its effect on a weakening crew is miraculous.
3. Drink - take regular sips of water every time you pass the galley. Don't allow yourself to become dehydrated.
On drugs, Stugeron doesn't make either me or my wife sleepy, but nor does it have any effect on our seasickness.
Scopaderm patches, which we both tried for the first time this Autumn, are brilliant. They have a powerful effect, and we both found it difficult to read small print the day after putting the patch on, as well as a curious change in our sense of balance and dry mouths. But these side effects are easy to handle - no sleepiness or hallucinations for us at least- and are small sacrifices for the strong stomachs we got in return. To get hold of them, you need to ask your doctor for a prescription. Each patch lasts three days.
chippie
New member
An alternative to the chemical route that works for me is to make sure my stomach has a good amount of stodge in it; white bread, white rice etc . I always carry antacid tablets which seem a lot less intense on the system.
brianrunyard
New member
I used to do a lot of sea trials with the Navy and they issued Stugeron, which are less likely to make you drousy.
I always found them very effective.
I always found them very effective.
steve
New member
A friend here in Spain recommended homeopathic seasickness pills and although you can hardly find anyone more skeptical than me, I tried them and they worked. I don't know the name, but I assume your local homeopathic chemist will know what they are. There were no side effects whatsoever. If they're placebos it's OK by me as long as they work. Like all the others, you should take one the night before going out and one in the morning.
ccscott49
Active member
Re: Warning on Stugeron
Same thing happened to my crew from southwold to ijmuiden, 13 hours, dead to the world, woke up as we entered ijmuiden! hell of a trip for me!
Same thing happened to my crew from southwold to ijmuiden, 13 hours, dead to the world, woke up as we entered ijmuiden! hell of a trip for me!
