SCOPOLAMINE Patch for Motion Sickness ??
 

It's been over 12 years since I have been in open water on a sail boat or
ship and in preparation for my summer cruise to Alaska (via the Inside
Passage going up and possibly the outside coming back) I as my doctor to
prescribe one of the motions sickness patches or wrist bands. My concern
being, interaction with my current medications.

I have never used any motion sickness meds in my 23 years in the navy nor 40
plus years of sailing. Not to say I didn't get sea sick but in those days,
you might say we "sucked it up", "be a man", "don't barf to windward" and
"get over it!". That usually took about 24-48 hour for me.

That said, my doctor prescribed a 36 day supply SCOPOLAMINE. More than
enough for this summer. (may seem like a lot but I'm going to ask my crew to
have this cleared with his doctor as well.)

What has been the experience of others with this Motion Sickness Patch??

In reading the warning sheet that came with it, I see we might experience
drowsiness, headache or dry mouth. The drowsiness would be of concern to me
if both of use will be using these patches.

Thanks for your comments.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Steve" wrote in message
...
snip
What has been the experience of others with this Motion Sickness Patch??

In reading the warning sheet that came with it, I see we might experience
drowsiness, headache or dry mouth. The drowsiness would be of concern to
me
if both of use will be using these patches.



I've tried a number of different things. The 'patch' seemed to be the best
of a bad lot, as I slept for about 13 hours after we moved the boat 30 nm
down the coast. Can't remember what the brand name or active ingredient
was in my particular patch.

I went for the wrist bands. No prescription required and they worked for
me. West Marine sells them for $8 or so. Get a couple of sets, the elastic
doesn;t last forever.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Steve" wrote in message
...
It's been over 12 years since I have been in open water on a sail boat or
ship and in preparation for my summer cruise to Alaska (via the Inside
Passage going up and possibly the outside coming back) I as my doctor to
prescribe one of the motions sickness patches or wrist bands. My concern
being, interaction with my current medications.

I have never used any motion sickness meds in my 23 years in the navy nor
40 plus years of sailing. Not to say I didn't get sea sick but in those
days, you might say we "sucked it up", "be a man", "don't barf to
windward" and "get over it!". That usually took about 24-48 hour for me.

That said, my doctor prescribed a 36 day supply SCOPOLAMINE. More than
enough for this summer. (may seem like a lot but I'm going to ask my crew
to have this cleared with his doctor as well.)

What has been the experience of others with this Motion Sickness Patch??

In reading the warning sheet that came with it, I see we might experience
drowsiness, headache or dry mouth. The drowsiness would be of concern to
me if both of use will be using these patches.

Thanks for your comments.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

It's been over 12 years since I have been in open water on a sail boat or
ship and in preparation for my summer cruise to Alaska (via the Inside
Passage going up and possibly the outside coming back) I as my doctor to
prescribe one of the motions sickness patches or wrist bands. My concern
being, interaction with my current medications.

I have never used any motion sickness meds in my 23 years in the navy nor 40
plus years of sailing. Not to say I didn't get sea sick but in those days,
you might say we "sucked it up", "be a man", "don't barf to windward" and
"get over it!". That usually took about 24-48 hour for me.

Hi Steve,

The good news is that the trip you're planning shouldn't be too rough
during that time of year (in fact, it might not be rough at all). I
guess the bad news (if you can call it that) is that, like yourself, I'm
about the same vintage as you and for the first time in over 30 years at
sea I've started to succomb to "mal de mer". It may be an age thing or
just my body getting tired of the sea-going lifestyle... I don't know.
So I always bring some sort of sea sickness medication wherever I go. I
guess my point is that you may or may not be more prone to sea sickness
now that you're older.

That said, my doctor prescribed a 36 day supply SCOPOLAMINE. More than
enough for this summer. (may seem like a lot but I'm going to ask my crew to
have this cleared with his doctor as well.)

What has been the experience of others with this Motion Sickness Patch??

For myself and everyone I've talked to, the response has been good.
Because it's more expensive than other remedies, I haven't used it as
much as Dramamine pills (not a recommendation, BTW, just what happens to
be in the ship's medical locker most often). The side effects were not
as bad as I had expected.

In reading the warning sheet that came with it, I see we might experience
drowsiness, headache or dry mouth. The drowsiness would be of concern to me
if both of use will be using these patches.

This wasn't a problem for me, but everyone is different. I'd recommend
giving it a try for a day or two just to see how you react before
heading up to Alaska. That way you still have time to get a different
prescription should you have problems with it.

As far as drug interactions, I'd ask your Physician -and- your
Pharmacist and make sure you tell them all the drugs you're taking
(including dietary suppliments, vitamins, etc.). I've found that
sometimes the Pharmacist is at least as up to date on drug interactions
as my Physician and often has more time to discuss it with me.

Have a great cruise, I'm jealous!

--

=-------------------------------------------------=
Renewontime
A FREE email reminder service for licensed mariners
http://www.renewontime.com
=-------------------------------------------------=

Having taken crew aboard who brought them, I have one piece of advice; try
the patch out one day at home to check for adverse reactions BEFORE you are
trapped out on a boat.

--
Dennis Gibbons
dkgibbons at optonline dot net
"Steve" wrote in message
...
It's been over 12 years since I have been in open water on a sail boat or
ship and in preparation for my summer cruise to Alaska (via the Inside
Passage going up and possibly the outside coming back) I as my doctor to
prescribe one of the motions sickness patches or wrist bands. My concern
being, interaction with my current medications.

I have never used any motion sickness meds in my 23 years in the navy nor
40
plus years of sailing. Not to say I didn't get sea sick but in those days,
you might say we "sucked it up", "be a man", "don't barf to windward" and
"get over it!". That usually took about 24-48 hour for me.

That said, my doctor prescribed a 36 day supply SCOPOLAMINE. More than
enough for this summer. (may seem like a lot but I'm going to ask my crew
to
have this cleared with his doctor as well.)

What has been the experience of others with this Motion Sickness Patch??

In reading the warning sheet that came with it, I see we might experience
drowsiness, headache or dry mouth. The drowsiness would be of concern to
me
if both of use will be using these patches.

Thanks for your comments.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Steve" wrote in message
...
It's been over 12 years since I have been in open water on a sail boat or
ship and in preparation for my summer cruise to Alaska (via the Inside
Passage going up and possibly the outside coming back) I as my doctor to
prescribe one of the motions sickness patches or wrist bands. My concern
being, interaction with my current medications.

I have never used any motion sickness meds in my 23 years in the navy nor
40 plus years of sailing. Not to say I didn't get sea sick but in those
days, you might say we "sucked it up", "be a man", "don't barf to
windward" and "get over it!". That usually took about 24-48 hour for me.

That said, my doctor prescribed a 36 day supply SCOPOLAMINE. More than
enough for this summer. (may seem like a lot but I'm going to ask my crew
to have this cleared with his doctor as well.)

What has been the experience of others with this Motion Sickness Patch??

In reading the warning sheet that came with it, I see we might experience
drowsiness, headache or dry mouth. The drowsiness would be of concern to
me if both of use will be using these patches.

Thanks for your comments.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions


By the time the Baja HaHa reaches Mag Bay about 1/3 of the sailors are
wearing the patch. I don't use them but I carry them. Saved at least one
trip where the Captain was dehydrating so badly we would have had to abort
except for the patch.

I would second the advice to try one well before you are leaving.

Jim Donohue

"renewontime dot com" wrote in message
...

As far as drug interactions, I'd ask your Physician -and- your Pharmacist
and make sure you tell them all the drugs you're taking (including dietary
suppliments, vitamins, etc.). I've found that sometimes the Pharmacist is
at least as up to date on drug interactions as my Physician and often has
more time to discuss it with me.


I'll have to give credit to my doctor. He spent a lot of time researching
the different possible Motion Sickness 'stuff'. More interest than I
expected from a GP with a waiting room full of patients. (mind you, this was
at a military hospital where my health care provider is a contract employee
(lowest bidder)).

I think the common recommendation, in this thread is "to try it first,
before we leave". I'll do just that.

Thanks to all for the comments, so far.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

I don't usually get seasick and don't use medication. But I have observed a
wide variety of sensitivities and reactions to these medications amongst my
mates. I've seen one person react as if they've downed 5 margaritas while
another didn't notice any side effects at all. Try one before you leave to
see how it works for you. Even then, the symptoms might vary depending on
how you're feeling that day, the particular conditions, etc.


"Steve" wrote in message
...
It's been over 12 years since I have been in open water on a sail boat or
ship and in preparation for my summer cruise to Alaska (via the Inside
Passage going up and possibly the outside coming back) I as my doctor to
prescribe one of the motions sickness patches or wrist bands. My concern
being, interaction with my current medications.

I have never used any motion sickness meds in my 23 years in the navy nor
40
plus years of sailing. Not to say I didn't get sea sick but in those days,
you might say we "sucked it up", "be a man", "don't barf to windward" and
"get over it!". That usually took about 24-48 hour for me.

That said, my doctor prescribed a 36 day supply SCOPOLAMINE. More than
enough for this summer. (may seem like a lot but I'm going to ask my crew
to
have this cleared with his doctor as well.)

What has been the experience of others with this Motion Sickness Patch??

In reading the warning sheet that came with it, I see we might experience
drowsiness, headache or dry mouth. The drowsiness would be of concern to
me
if both of use will be using these patches.

Thanks for your comments.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

On Thu, 3 Mar 2005 07:02:10 -0800, "Steve" wrote:

What has been the experience of others with this Motion Sickness Patch??

============================================

My experience is that they are very effective in preventing sea
sickness but the side efeects vary widely with different people. I
personally have experienced the "dry mouth" effect, and have noticed
something that can only be described as "strange dreams" while
sleeping. On the other hand, I have seen others who appeared to
mildly halucinate.

Carefully follow all of the directions, especially including washing
your hands after installing the patch, and not touching your eyes. I
also recommend washing and drying behind your ear before applying the
patch to improve adhesion. As others have mentioned, it's a good idea
to check with your doctor before hand, as well as to try a dry run in
a non-critical situation.

For some, the patch seems to be the only thing that works. For
others, the wrist bands and/or drammamine is effective. There is also
something called the "navy remedy" which is one tablet of phenergans
compound and another of ephridine. This is also effective but you may
have trouble getting a perscription since ephridine has become more
tightly regulated.

I've always had issues with seasickness. It takes me 3 or 4 days out to get
settled in. I used the scopolamine patch once in an offshore race. I didn't
like it because of the side affects. I didn't get seasick, but I was the
navigator and when I went below I could not read any of the small print on
the chart. For me, keeping warm, drinking lots (especially Coke), and
dramamine work well. If I was going to take a prescription drug along, I
think I'd take compazine suppositories. These are good because they work
even if you can't keep anything down and are supposed to work after the
fact. Even if the application is a little distasteful. Scopolamine you need
to put on before you are sick.

Paul
"Steve" wrote in message
...
It's been over 12 years since I have been in open water on a sail boat or
ship and in preparation for my summer cruise to Alaska (via the Inside
Passage going up and possibly the outside coming back) I as my doctor to
prescribe one of the motions sickness patches or wrist bands. My concern
being, interaction with my current medications.

I have never used any motion sickness meds in my 23 years in the navy nor
40 plus years of sailing. Not to say I didn't get sea sick but in those
days, you might say we "sucked it up", "be a man", "don't barf to
windward" and "get over it!". That usually took about 24-48 hour for me.

That said, my doctor prescribed a 36 day supply SCOPOLAMINE. More than
enough for this summer. (may seem like a lot but I'm going to ask my crew
to have this cleared with his doctor as well.)

What has been the experience of others with this Motion Sickness Patch??

In reading the warning sheet that came with it, I see we might experience
drowsiness, headache or dry mouth. The drowsiness would be of concern to
me if both of use will be using these patches.

Thanks for your comments.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions