What is the best for preventing sea sickness?

silver-fox

silver-fox

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My son is bringing the love of his life sailing with us in a few weeks time and she is prone to sea sickness.

Years ago we used to take Stugeron which was pretty effective. Is this still recommended or are there better solutions to this problem?
 
Sit under a tree..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

seriously i'm not a fan of these meds, they often make the person sleepy.

I find root ginger works very well.
 
You can get patches, which seem to work more quickly & effectively than tablets - Scopaderm I think.

Don't forget to advise your son, that any 'regular medication' his 'girlfriend' my be taking daily, could be invalidated if a bout of vommitting occurs - unless you WANT an addition to your family of course! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
have found kwells the best by a long way.important to take before setting out rather than when feeling nauseous. tried sea bands, ginger,stugeron, patches with variable benefits . sometimes its just got to come up.
 
I find a combination of things works for me:

- Stugeron. I don't get any of the side effects that a few have suffered and it seems effective wth most people that I know.

- Stay out in the fresh air. Keep visits below to essentials only.

- Keep your eyes on a fixed point if possible - the horizon is usually the only thing available. Don't stare at the cockpit floor.

- As already mentioned, taking the helm can help - takes your mind off feeling ill and, again, you're looking at the horizon.

Not sure if ginger actually prevents seasickness, but it does seem to be easy to keep down, hence ginger nuts, ginger ale etc. are good snacks.
 
Stugeron works, but is anti histamine and makes people dozy, and sleepy. Some American sites suggest complicated regimes to get 'aclimatised' to the medication so you do not need to take quite such a large dose when sailing.
Some crew have used 'sea bands' and not been ill, but decline to remove them to see if it really is the band or a placebo effect
Keep well fed and warm, seems to work most of the time
 
Stugeron works faster if you dissolve it under the tongue rather than swallowing it. However, for the "worried well" person the best answer is to start taking it a couple of hours before departure and take another about 6 h later.
There have been many scientific studies on ginger and motion sickness - results are totally inconsistent. However, ginger biccies and ginger ale contain very little ginger anyway. The most palatable form of high-dose ginger is crystallised ginger pieces - French supermarkets are the best place as it is on sale loose at very low prices. I don't suffer from seasickness but this stuff is great nibble-food for long night watches.
 
I used to be sick every time I went out.Was once sick from the Needles Channel to Gib.Stugeron worked for me.Took 1 tablet last thing night before trip and then one before breakfast to ensure it was in the bloodstream.Worked like a charm.Some drowziness the first few times but this wore off over time.Then one cross channel trip I forgot to take along my Stugeron tablets.Came back in a Force 8.No problems at all and none since though I do have to be careful when down below.I feel it coming on and seem able to stop it by steering or staring at the horizon.
 
Some of what you've been told is correct. We use Stugeron and it can work remarkably quickly when allowed to dissolve in the mouth. If I get very tired after taking it I am prone to getting visual hallucinations, but this is not a serious problem and prevention is much better than a cure.

In general, try to keep the young lady warm and comfortable and if possible, occupied in the cockpit where she can see the horizon.

How the boat is sailed can have a marked effect. In a quartering sea make sure the helmsman steers a steady course and doesn't allow the boat to corkscrew. If going to windward, reduce sail if needed, or sail a bit freer. Sometimes an autopilot will make a better job of it than a helmsman.

If desperate feed her tinned pineapple which does no good, but tastes the same on the way up.
 
I think it was Mrs Noah who was the first to ask this question! As the range of different answers would suggest, you have to try them all until you find which works.
Some folk are lucky enough to be never seasick, others can be ill for up to 48 hours and then recover, and some never recover no matter what they take or do.
 
If it's a first time then no opportunity to experiment with the different medications. If twere me would suggest sticking a Scopoderm patch on the night before. They are effective for 3 days and drowsiness side effect might have worn off overnight. Some say coffee makes em queasy. Keeping busy helps - so on the helm for a novice. Guests tend to be polite and underinsulated so check on warmth and dryness.
 
i'm convinced that longer term sea sickness is largely pyschological.....

short term inner ear effect and all that..... but I do believe that people can 'get over' sea sickness...

So... IMHO, the most important thing you can do is to ensure that your words and actions set a clear expectation of a recovery rather than protracted suffering!
 
Crystallised ginger works without inducing the drowsiness that sometimes accompanies the use of tablets. Seasickness tablets used to knock my wife out but crystallised ginger does not; she is the type that feels very queasy just by watching a glass half-filled with water being wiggled in front of her eyes! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Generally for guests who are prone to seasickness we get Stugeron into their system asap. If weekend sailing, one tablet every 12 hours starting on Friday evening usally does the job. We've also got an electric wrist band that seems to work well, has no side effects but is expensive.
 
Last year just after departing Cherbourg about an hour before dawn I became slightly seasick....fairly unusual for me, but as I was s/handed I was a bit bothered about the possibility of 12-14hr haul back to Portsmouth feeling rough.

Anyway nipped below and grabbed my jam jar of ginger lumps (cake type stuff) chewed a couple and within 15 mins was feeling fine.

BTW I also find that those rice cake things that look like rusks are very kind to the stomach.

Nick
 
It's not psychological. As a sufferer I have sailed for many years and have never got over it. I have tried everything (except scopoderm) which I have been unable to obtain.
The only thing I have found to have any effect is the accupuncture type wrist watch. However, this needs to be kept in the right spot on your wrist and therefore is not ideal if crewing and having to move about. It does work , however, if you stay still. A good bland meal before sailing also helps, definitely no coffee or fries. Lumpy seas combined with light winds are the worst for me, if boat is sailing well I'm usually o.k. also looking at horizon or better still land, if in sight, helps.
 
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