sea sickness
- Thread starter Seaspanker
- Start date
Enniberg
Well-Known Member
Picked up some meclazine 25 mg last time I was south of the border and had a chance to give it a try when fishing out of Ukee this past weekend. It was not really rough out there, but enough that I know if I had not taken anything, I would most likely have gotten sick. I did not feel any sea sickness at all, so I believe it works, but I did feel a bit drowsy, although far less than when taking Gravol.
The stuff that really works for me is something my parents are getting for me in Europe - it is called Koffinautin, containing 50 mg diphenhydraminhydraoclorid (sp?) and 50 mg koffein. Also causes slight drowsiness, but don't recall ever having gotten really seasick after taking that stuff - even in really rough seas.
The stuff that really works for me is something my parents are getting for me in Europe - it is called Koffinautin, containing 50 mg diphenhydraminhydraoclorid (sp?) and 50 mg koffein. Also causes slight drowsiness, but don't recall ever having gotten really seasick after taking that stuff - even in really rough seas.
Billinoregon
Member
Great thread. As a lifelong seachummer I have to read these posts. Dramamine has never worked for me, but I really need to try the Bonine/mec family. I've heard Scopace is great too, but there was some talk that the main manufacturer was dropping it. I can't imagine how much fun it might be to fish the salt someday without being really, really sick.
Eyes Up Chuck
Member
So grateful people are being truthful bout this. Thought I was the only one who loved to fish so much knowing that I'll be loosing the wonderful dinner from the night before. My weekend of fishing goes like this. Thursday morning - shower & put on patch. Friday - shower, take ginger gravol (non-drowsy), Friday night - dinner with real ginger. Sat. morning (drink 1 liter of Gatoraid) - drive for three hours (drinking Gatorade the whole trip), stop to pee at least four times, get to location, launch boat and getting ready for next hour and half. First hour, race like hell to fishing hole before I loose last nights dinner. Get to spot, and on most occassion's get at least one rod down before starting the 10 minute hurl. 15 minutes later, no more chucking, starting to feel better because of all the electrolites from the Gatoraid, and voila, rest of weekend I'm feeling awesome and don't want to get off the boat - no more chukin, no more dizzy. By mid day, I can be on terrible water and it feels like I'm on dry land. Worst thing from there is then having a shower Sat. night after a day on the water and I then feel like chucking cause the ground aint movin anymore.
They sell electrolyte freezies at the pharmacy - these are better than Gatoraid. It doesn't help getting ride of the sickness, but after chuck, it really helps get you back on your feet quickly.
They sell electrolyte freezies at the pharmacy - these are better than Gatoraid. It doesn't help getting ride of the sickness, but after chuck, it really helps get you back on your feet quickly.
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Billinoregon
Member
Chuck, sorry to hear that after all that you still have to chum at least once, dang it.
juandesooka
Active Member
Kind of odd, there's a real macho attitude around sea sickness ... "won't happen to me", "tough it out", etc. But when you think about it, nothing to do with toughness or attitude ... it's a medical condition, and it's way more common than people admit. From what I can tell, about 1/4 of people get it once the open ocean swells start. Or maybe more, if others in the non-chucking 3/4s are effectively medicated. I also know some guys with sea legs as strong as anyone that still get it once in a while, when doing the wrong thing at the wrong time on the wrong day.
I bet there's also age issues involved. Last summer I took my kids to the PNE, rode one of the spinning rides once, and had that light-headed dizzy feeling after...danger danger. I've never had that happen before, used to ride them over and over ... which my kids did, while I sat on a bench and watched (Old Guy). Same principle must apply to seasickness, as it's all related to equilibrium / eustachian tubes. For some reason, older people are less tolerant of that kind of motion. Add to that the fact that most of us indulge in beerz the night before and coffee the morning of ... that also doesn't help at all!
I bet there's also age issues involved. Last summer I took my kids to the PNE, rode one of the spinning rides once, and had that light-headed dizzy feeling after...danger danger. I've never had that happen before, used to ride them over and over ... which my kids did, while I sat on a bench and watched (Old Guy). Same principle must apply to seasickness, as it's all related to equilibrium / eustachian tubes. For some reason, older people are less tolerant of that kind of motion. Add to that the fact that most of us indulge in beerz the night before and coffee the morning of ... that also doesn't help at all!
Sculpin
Well-Known Member
Some good points for sure. I'm usually effected the first trip of the year. I don't chuck but get that dizzy drymouth feeling that nobody likes. Once I have a trip or two under my belt for the season I am good for the rest of the summer. Smells do it to me as well. Back trolling while jigging for bottom fish with the engine exhaust in your face is never a good thing lol.
Heres a weird one. Halibut slime. The smell of halibut slime sets me off as well and the combination of the swell etc. makes my guts churn.
I am looking into some of the suggestions in this thread for my son as he is really effected by the swell offshore. I hope we can find the right medication to help him have more enjoyable trips.
Degree of Freedom
Active Member
drinking at Mills Landing seems to set me off
tubber
Well-Known Member
Just paid $10 for the 2 Transderm patches at Costco. That's $4-6 cheaper than most drug stores.
I remember puking down the back of my mom's neck on the gravel road to Long Beach in about 1967. I puked for 5 days on a trip from Masset to Dutch Harbor. I still puke if I don't use the patch/Bonine combo and the seas are over about 1.5m.
I used to be an athlete with good balance. So I figure guys that never puke probably could never dunk, run hurdles, skate or play dodgeball worth a crap.
I remember puking down the back of my mom's neck on the gravel road to Long Beach in about 1967. I puked for 5 days on a trip from Masset to Dutch Harbor. I still puke if I don't use the patch/Bonine combo and the seas are over about 1.5m.
I used to be an athlete with good balance. So I figure guys that never puke probably could never dunk, run hurdles, skate or play dodgeball worth a crap.
Sculpin
Well-Known Member
Your right I can't do any of those things worth a crap LOL! I did windsurf for 20 years mostly on the ocean in stuff that no one but the coast guard would have any business being out in a boat in.
Billinoregon
Member
Gotta remember that Costco tip, Tubber. Thanks.
spring fever
Well-Known Member
No one can know whether they are prone to sea sickness-I used to get sick as a dog on the navy destroyers almost all the time in the north atlantic. I flew Sea King helicopters off the back deck-only time I could eat was when I was flying. In later life I flew jets, instructed and did airshows with all that entails-never airsick-but show me a destroyer with the smell of diesel-hell I start heaving just looking at a documentary about it. Toughing it out is a poor option and if you have never seen someone who needs medical treatment for it believe me you don't want it on your trip.
I have a fair bit of empathy for those who get sea sickness because I have some tendencies towards seasickness myself. Also get motion sickness in the car but only if I am a passenger and try reading etc. For me the possibility of seasickness is greater in certain types of slop early in the season. Once I have been out a few times and got my sea legs (that feeling when you are back on land that the land is going up and down) the possibility of sea sickness is all but gone.
To decrease the possibility, keep someone with the tendency sitting and keeping their eyes on the horizon. Boat steering is a good activity for them.
If they tend to get sick reading in a moving vehicle, the last job you want to give them in a bouncing boat is things where they have to visually concentrate up close, so no chart plotting, radar screens etc. and no tying leader or even baiting up chovies.
Ginger is effective for treating the symptoms and been used for thousands of years. Make some strong ginger tea in a thermos and take it with you. If you can tolerate the heat, chew on some raw ginger as it will settle your stomach. The drug companies even make ginger chews for this purpose and this is why hospitals often give sick people flat ginger ale.
Each person is different; for me the patch behind the ear works great, I put it on the night before and it is good for a couple of days. Tend to use them only before Derbys etc when the weather is looking a little iffy because I don’t want to let down my buddies. Would definitely use them before going offshore. Can also take a Gravol on the way to the boat and keep a supply on hand. For me the key is prevention and it is far more effective to prevent seasickness before it gets started.
There are some very powerful prescription anti-nausea drugs but not sure if a doctor will prescribe them for extreme sea sickness. Anyone who has ever suffered through certain types of Chemo Therapy knows what I am talking about.
I did read one theory, and its only a theory, that sea sickness is an adaptive evolved condition in some people more than others. The theory goes that the brain in some circumstances is receiving contradictory sensory input in a bouncy boat or moving vehicle. One sense says the body is moving in a certain way while other senses say it is not. The brain becomes confused and assumes hallucinations may be involved and a common cause of hallucinations is toxins such as from very poisonous mushrooms. So vomiting in such circumstances and getting rid of the poison could save your life. Interesting theory.
This topic comes up periodically and there are lots of threads on it.
.
To decrease the possibility, keep someone with the tendency sitting and keeping their eyes on the horizon. Boat steering is a good activity for them.
If they tend to get sick reading in a moving vehicle, the last job you want to give them in a bouncing boat is things where they have to visually concentrate up close, so no chart plotting, radar screens etc. and no tying leader or even baiting up chovies.
Ginger is effective for treating the symptoms and been used for thousands of years. Make some strong ginger tea in a thermos and take it with you. If you can tolerate the heat, chew on some raw ginger as it will settle your stomach. The drug companies even make ginger chews for this purpose and this is why hospitals often give sick people flat ginger ale.
Each person is different; for me the patch behind the ear works great, I put it on the night before and it is good for a couple of days. Tend to use them only before Derbys etc when the weather is looking a little iffy because I don’t want to let down my buddies. Would definitely use them before going offshore. Can also take a Gravol on the way to the boat and keep a supply on hand. For me the key is prevention and it is far more effective to prevent seasickness before it gets started.
There are some very powerful prescription anti-nausea drugs but not sure if a doctor will prescribe them for extreme sea sickness. Anyone who has ever suffered through certain types of Chemo Therapy knows what I am talking about.
I did read one theory, and its only a theory, that sea sickness is an adaptive evolved condition in some people more than others. The theory goes that the brain in some circumstances is receiving contradictory sensory input in a bouncy boat or moving vehicle. One sense says the body is moving in a certain way while other senses say it is not. The brain becomes confused and assumes hallucinations may be involved and a common cause of hallucinations is toxins such as from very poisonous mushrooms. So vomiting in such circumstances and getting rid of the poison could save your life. Interesting theory.
This topic comes up periodically and there are lots of threads on it.
.
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FWIW I learned about a drug combination several year's ago that has been a godsend for my flatland relative's (Idaho). As previously stated there's numerous options for seasick pills/patch. The biggest complaint I hear from those that it does help is it makes them very sleepy. Without pills they always threw up and on pills they were asleep half the time.
A guy in Oregon told me about the following combination that was developed by NASA for astronauts to avoid motion sickness and still be alert. Here it is:
Scop n dex
OR
For me, cuz I don't like what scopalomine does to my eyes:
Meclizine n dex.
U will need a prescription for the Dexedrine either way.
Scopalomine and Meclizine have a sedative effect. The Dexedrine (speed) brings you back up to normal. There is also a synergistic effect described in the literature between the two drugs (which I can't explain off the top of my head).
I futzed around for a couple of years with other seasickness drugs, and when I came onto this cocktail, it was rock solid.
You would need to get your doctor to write the scrip and then go to a compounding pharmacy or the doctor could prescribe the dexedrine pills and seasick pills and you just take one at a time. This stuff has really worked for seasickness. Most doctor's seem to be willing to prescribe. There's a NASA article about the whole study behind this thing.
A guy in Oregon told me about the following combination that was developed by NASA for astronauts to avoid motion sickness and still be alert. Here it is:
Scop n dex
OR
For me, cuz I don't like what scopalomine does to my eyes:
Meclizine n dex.
U will need a prescription for the Dexedrine either way.
Scopalomine and Meclizine have a sedative effect. The Dexedrine (speed) brings you back up to normal. There is also a synergistic effect described in the literature between the two drugs (which I can't explain off the top of my head).
I futzed around for a couple of years with other seasickness drugs, and when I came onto this cocktail, it was rock solid.
You would need to get your doctor to write the scrip and then go to a compounding pharmacy or the doctor could prescribe the dexedrine pills and seasick pills and you just take one at a time. This stuff has really worked for seasickness. Most doctor's seem to be willing to prescribe. There's a NASA article about the whole study behind this thing.
Tips Up...the Forbes Pharmacy at the corner of Millstream and Treanor (across from the Loghouse Pub) is a compounding Pharmacy that has Meclizine. The last time my wife got some there it was $11 for 30 I believe. You should call in advance as I know they do not always have it on hand but will get it for you with a bit of notice. Their number is 250-478-1600.
On another note, I have been offshore WCVI up north etc and had never experienced sea sickness. About a year ago I went through a bout of what the Doc believes to be Vertigo and it has reared it's ugly head again in mild form just recently. I am concerned that I may have to give up ocean fishing long term and am wondering if any of you have experienced Vertigo and still manage to fish the chuck? The thought of not being able to fish the saltwater sucks!
Brian
On another note, I have been offshore WCVI up north etc and had never experienced sea sickness. About a year ago I went through a bout of what the Doc believes to be Vertigo and it has reared it's ugly head again in mild form just recently. I am concerned that I may have to give up ocean fishing long term and am wondering if any of you have experienced Vertigo and still manage to fish the chuck? The thought of not being able to fish the saltwater sucks!
Brian
Thanks Admin you just saved me a few bucks. Owe you a beer.
Gave them a call and Forbes at Millstream stocks bottles of 10 for $5 but can get bottles fo 30 for $11.00
They get them made up at their sister store on Goldsteam so you can go directly there also. They make it up.
Gave them a call and Forbes at Millstream stocks bottles of 10 for $5 but can get bottles fo 30 for $11.00
They get them made up at their sister store on Goldsteam so you can go directly there also. They make it up.
The wife had Benign Position Vertigo about eight years ago, she cured herself by doing an extensive program of Sensory Integration work. All SI is a fancy name for balance and coordination exercises. She would do balance exercises for 3-4 hours a day. Walking a balance beam on the floor, standing on a balance board that kind of thing. The doctors told her she would always have the spins but after aweek of intensive training she was much better. Now she is not bothered by it at all. Oh she had Vertigo for about a year before trying the balance thing. She used a program called Balametrics, which we have used in our office for kids and adults with learning disabilities or brain damage. You can get the stuff directly from them, we don't sell product just use it. Here is their site. http://www.balametrics.com or make your own. We use a 1X4 on the floor as a balance beam and regular balance boards. Good luck.
