Seasick help?

I have a serious handicap. I can't stay out on a boat in more than 6 inch seas for more than about an hour. Drugs or no drugs. Dramamine is ok in the Caribbean if I take three of them.
My second attempt at diving in the lovely waters of NJ was almost successful with "the Patch". We rode out to the Stolt Dagali and I was fine. We stopped the boat and circled the buoy waiting for another dive boat to collect its payload and scram.
I started puking and didn't stop for two days. Determined to dive between barf episodes, I geared up and stood to walk to the stern, and passed out cold, wearing all kinds of dive crap, including a tank and pony. Whammmm! :smash: I recall vaguely the capt and divemaster stripping my gear off of me. No damage to the boat, but I sure did have some nice bruises.
The DM gave me a :nono: and told me I was to stay out of the water. I was sick for days.
So I fear that I am unable to dive in NJ.
Am I alone? Is anyone else limited by their middle ears? Anyone ever hear of a treatment or a better drug than scopolamine or Dramamine? At this point, I'd be willing to have my head chopped off if I thought it would help.

I fly in helicopter quite a bit and negative G manuvers used to make me hurl until I started taking Bonine. I take two 1 1/2 - 2 hours before I fly and rarely get sick anymore. Something else that helps is a steady intake of Garden Herb Triscuits and water. Sounds hokey but it works for me and I won't fly or boat without the Bonine and Triscuits in my helmet bag.

Good luck,

Dave

P.S. See your Doc and see if you have some other condition going on. I know a history of head injuries (personal experience) will make you more likely to get motion sick.

Inspector#2 once bubbled...
P.S. See your Doc and see if you have some other condition going on. I know a history of head injuries (personal experience) will make you more likely to get motion sick. [/B]

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Well, now, THAT'S interesting. I have never heard that one before. I. too, have a history of head injury, (which explains quite a bit, I might add), ut:
but nobody has ever mentioned it as making me more susceptible to being a puker.
Did your Dr say there was anything you could do about it?

And I've found that the product "Triptone" (found at your better dive shops) has worked wonders.

Dramamine hardly does for me what it's supposed to... But even the non-drowsy formula makes me exhausted. So then I feel almost as sick and a lot more tired... Not a good combination.

The Triptone, though, is awesome. I take two the night before a dive and then two when I wake up, about an hour and a half before the dive. Lots of times I'll have to take two more halfway through the dive if I'm out for more than six hours.

With that, I feel great... No problems whatsoever. I have found that the only side-effect is that I pee a lot. I think the Triptone does something to dehydrate, so I make sure to keep lots of water handy.

I love the stuff. Couldn't boat dive without it.

I hear that ginger is supposed to help out too. Drinking ginger ale or eating foods with lots of ginger is said to help.

I'm a fisherman and a diver. I get green.

Real green.

I take a half-a-Bonine the night before, take the other hald the morning of the dive. I've been fine. Any more than that and I just sleep.

K

My brother has problems with seasickness as well. He takes 1 Bonine the night before, just before bed and one the next morning. Thats seems to have almost cured it for him. There are other things that will help as well. Don't get hot if at all possible, don't focus on close in work (reading), don't go inside the cabin of the boat, the best place is on the bow looking forward and try to get as much work done at the dock or underway as possible. I still get sick once in a while but not as often as I use to, the more time you spend on a boat the better.....lakes (exc Great Lakes) and rivers don't count, it needs to be ocean time. I take Bonine as above on trips that are important to me, just in case. Dramime itself makes me feel like crap and only last for 4 hrs, Bonine is listed for a lot longer. Whatever you take, you have to get it into your system in time for it to do it's work and keep it to acceptable levels during the time you need relief. Taking any ss med just before you get on the boat is too late.

I had to see him since I spent so much time "in the bag". He recommended anything with Meclizine as the active ingredient. Something else is the more you deal with it the less sever it gets. Lots of help there huh. Don't move your head quickly and focus slowly from near to far. Keep head parallel with the horizon and look at a distant object. If you start to sweat, its all over but the pain!

Dave

So is Bonine a prescription drug or can it be purchased at your local friendly over the counter drug store?

Chewable in a nice non-gagging taste. I get mine at either Winco or Walmart (since I buy in large volumn).

Dave