Sea Sickness while diving

[Surface Interval]

I use the patch also, which is prescription only. Yes, side effects are drowsiness, THIRST!, and sometimes blurry vision, but that's ok as long as I'm not reading.

My new fave is GINGER GUM! It works VERY fast. I can find it at CVS (pharmacy) but have only been able to find it at ONE locally. It is kept next to the Dramamine. Since then, I have been on what my husband calls a "ginger kick." I went to World Market and purchased Ginger Bears (candy) (they DO NOT taste as yummy as I thought), Ginger Chews (candy/stomach aid), Crystallized Ginger, and I know you can also take ginger capsules which I did while on a live-aboard. Ginger has NO side effects, like Dramamine and Bonine.

So if you also get carsick, I recommend the gum. Some people say gingersnaps, but I think the amount of ginger in them isn't quite high enough to make a difference.

I also recently mailed a pack of gum to a girlfriend of mine who is having morning sickness and she said it was a godsend.

 

[gconner]

I've used the prescription strength meclazine (Anti-Vert) with great success off the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina in some rough conditions. No side effects that I could identify. Tried Bonine and it did nothing for me so my doc suggested Anti-Vert and I've been using it ever since. Whatever you use, start taking it a day or so ahead.

 

[paddler3d]

Another vote for ginger.

 

[pjones]

BTW, what kind of "Green Apples" did the nurse recommend? Granny Smith? Golden Delicious? Do the apples have to be completely green in color? What about Gravensteins? (I have never personally heard of green apples being used to prevent seasickness.)

They had Granny Smith apples on the boat. In fact they had Granny Smith apples on both cruises I've been on. I didn't think to ask any of those questions at the time and it too was the first that I have ever heard of it. Sorry for the lack of details on this, I was more focused on the task at hand and the meds seemed like the most "sure thing" at the time. It was by no means said in a joking or sarcastic way by the nurse so I have every reason to believe her but since you question it, has anyone else used green apples to prevent seasickness? My wife uses them now to reduce feelings of ill and thinking back to the past when she had IBS those were one of the very few things that she could eat during bad episodes (she didn't know at the time that these were reputed to be good for nausea at the time).

Thanks SO MUCH for the informative posts to everyone! Both myself and the wife are learning a lot by reading all the helpful recommendations and information!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

They had Granny Smith apples on the boat. In fact they had Granny Smith apples on both cruises I've been on. I didn't think to ask any of those questions at the time and it too was the first that I have ever heard of it. Sorry for the lack of details on this, I was more focused on the task at hand and the meds seemed like the most "sure thing" at the time. It was by no means said in a joking or sarcastic way by the nurse so I have every reason to believe her but since you question it, has anyone else used green apples to prevent seasickness? My wife uses them now to reduce feelings of ill and thinking back to the past when she had IBS those were one of the very few things that she could eat during bad episodes (she didn't know at the time that these were reputed to be good for nausea at the time).

I hadn't heard about the green apple thing either...that's why I asked.

As far as I know, no peer-reviewed article has been published on the successful treatment of nausea with green apples.
There is a 1998 study published by A. Hirsch and C. Kang in an obscure journal, Headache Quarterly, about the use of the scent of green apples to diminish migraine headache pain. It didn't work in all 50 subjects -- 35 of the subjects didn't like the smell and reported no significant difference in pain.

A Google search yields hits on numerous cancer and alternative therapy websites about the green apple treatment for nausea. I can't think of a reason that trying green apples would ever be a bad thing. After all, apples are a nutritious snack. Heck, I'd give it a shot if I were really seasick.
Wait a sec. I see some marketing potential in a new cultivar of the Granny Smith apple called "Pla Seebow." It looks the same as the Granny Smith. It tastes the same, too. The difference is that it works great for all kinds of nausea. Oh, yeah. By the way, I think I'll charge twice as much as a Granny Smith for them.

 

[pjones]

"Pla Seebow."

LOL, Yeah, I guess this is entirely possible since I really have no idea as to where she got her information from. There was also a crew member screaming "the sky is falling!" but it turned out that it was just the clouds condensing so I stopped repeating that gossip already

The similarities with the green apples and her IBS may just very well be a freak coincidence too (Kinda like a fortune cookie, If you want to believe it hard enough than you will find a connection any way you can that makes it true...) We haven't had the chance to really give this myth a good test yet though so I'm not quite ready to toss it out the window. In this case I see no harm in sticking with the "Innocent until proven faulty" method of thinking.

Anyone interested in being part of a non-funded experiment for a good cause to the scuba community?

-Must be 10 years of age (with parental guardian consent) or older. Prone to becoming easily ill is an asset. Must be willing to submit results for public viewing. Participants (or bystanders in proximity) of this research have no legal recourse in the event one produces puke, vomit, barf, hurl or in the event that one or ones stuff is hit by a technicolor yawn, ralph, throw up, chunder, chunks, upchuck, tossed cookies, explosive heave, regurgitate, ralphing, yaking, retch or spew. In fact participants wave all legal rights in entirety against any of whom to be conducting the research. Participation in this research is on an entirely voluntary basis.

Just sign your name here *____________________

 

[Surface Interval]

Considering 2 of my migraine triggers are light and smell and "they" say the scent of the apple didn't help over half of the participants...I have to decline your nonscientific study.

But I will see if my son can do his science experiement on it next year! (But not on me!)

 

[Crush]

Re-posted from http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/hawaii-ohana/361085-still-have-hi-questions.html :

Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

I have seen my GP and am all Rx'd up - I have drugs, drugs, and more drugs. Before you post, in consultation with my GP (who knows that I will be diving) we have determined which meds will try first, when I will use it, and how I will modify the regimen if the first treatment (scopolamine patch) is ineffective. I will not be a walking zombie. I plan to do an easy shake-down dive on the patch before hitting the boats.

I wish that I could sit on a rocking boat for 30 minutes to see which drug will work best for me. No such boats within 1000 miles of me.

HI, here I come!

Edit: In Canada GP = General Practitioner = MD in Family Medicine. Don't know what the US term is.

Postscript - the scopolamine patch worked brilliantly on my trip. I applied mine 24 hours before diving. I think that it is recommended to use no more than one patch every three days (for a total of six consecutive days).

 

[Surface Interval]

GP is also General Practitioner here.

And yes, one patch per 3 days. but of course you get the most side effects the first day and a half.

 

[abu]

For me Dramamine-C (with caffeine) works beautifully with no side effects.