Dealing with Seasickness

I'm working out in Kailua Beach this month (what fun!) and am finding the chop incredibly challenging. Gusty winds in the islands are creating really tall waves and one is tossed from side to side. The seasickness wears me out and I end up swimming a lot less than I'm used to, yardage-wise. I've started using Bonine, but to no avail. Tips/advice?
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I had one swimmer tell me that they take dramamine and Nodoz together. They get motion sickness very easily. I'm not sure this is something I would try but if you need dramamine to combat motion sickness and you don't want to get lethargic/sleepy from it, I guess it is something to consider.
Scopolamine patches can have rough side effects - I get sleepy and the world's worst dry mouth - although they do work.
Research seems to indicate that sedating medicines (dramamine, scopolamine, etc) are actually the wrong way to go and that things like amphetamines might work better. I know that my friend, Bob Voy, who was, at one time, chief medical officer for the US Olympic Committee, swears that sedating medicines are poor seconds to meds that rev you up.
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
I told you I was ill....
There was a third remedy, that a pregnant (first trimester) woman swore by: pressure bracelet, that odd hokey-looking thing with two small metal balls on the ends, you wear on your wrist and the balls hit your inner wrist. She was motion-sick (actually, morning sick) bad and when she wore the bracelet it went away immediately.
Of course, wearing a bracelet probably isn't an option for marathon swimmers.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
@Leonard_Jansen- I've been trying to find solutions for my mom's severe sea sickness issues. She desperately wants to be on my boat when I swim the English Channel in a month, but I'm not sure I can deal with the guilt of her barfing for hours on end. I shared with her some of the info from this discussion and she wanted me to find out what exactly you mean by amphetamines- what could she legally take that might work better than dramamine, which has no impact?
Well... I wasn't trying to promote amphetamine usage. So, here is the usual disclaimer: I am not a doctor; I don't even play one on TV. Seek a physician's guidance and anyone who listens to me should have their head examined. Do not remove tag under penalty of law.
That said...
Something like (generic & extended release) Adderall or dexedrine are stimulants of the sort I am talking about. These can be used legally in the US for ADHD and narcolepsy, although some physicians also prescribe them for treatment-resistant depression. Keep in mind that there are many places where these are class I drugs, meaning that they often can't be brought into a country even if you have a 'script here in the U.S. Wikipedia is a good place to read about this.
Note that Ginger (but not MaryAnne - sorry, couldn't resist) and scopolamine also work for me. It sounds like your mom & I are in the same situation and I'd be far more inclined to go that route than with stimulants given potential side-effects. (This is experience speaking on that topic.) Either that, or I'd get a few serious tranquilizers and if she gets too sick, have her take one and then sleep the rest of the time - you usually don't get seasick when asleep.
I share her pain. Good luck.
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
AHA! Now THAT makes sense because exedrin migraine actually is my best defense thus far- mine is head-injury induced motion sickness. By the way, bracelet did nothing for me- threw up every day of 2 pregnancies. Skinniest I have ever been!
Ginger Reduces Chemotherapy Nausea, Study
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150176.php
Taking ginger three days before chemo -- in addition to regular anti-nausea drugs -- reduced nausea by 40% over people taking the anti-nausea drugs alone.
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
Part of the problem may well have been due to it being dark and unable to focus on the horizon. Three of us applied the scopoderm patches at least two hours before the journey and I had been taking other medication each night in the week leading up to the event.
The other bad thing is I DONT LIKE GINGER at all
any further thoughts are welcome
next time I might actually get into the water
mark
It is an antihistamine so there is the bonus side-effect of supressing reaction to jellyfish stings. (also like yesterday). I still have a reaction but not as bad.
"I've learned that we human beings can't be allergic to jellyfish because they are creatures of genetic background that is 600 million years old and our immune systems didn't develop until much more recently."
The Cuba Swim: A Life Story
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diana-nyad/the-cuba-swim-a-life-story_b_1799980.html
A little off-topic... but I agree with JenA. 3 years ago I was researching what I had been told may have been an allergic reaction to Blue Bottle Jelly Fish - Rottnest Channel Individual Swim (non-race day) 2009 (difficulty breathing, diarrhea, swollen face and body). A researcher at James Cook University, Australia (The University conducts nationally significant and internationally recognised research in areas such as marine sciences, biodiversity, tropical ecology etc...) informed me that you cannot be allergic to jelly fish stings. Yes, you can have terrible reactions from some, be killed by others but it is not from an "allergy" as such.
@mpfmark, I often remark that I spent 12 hours less than 500 metres from your pilot boat while crewing a crossing. Pace Arrow was perfectly stable in less than Force Three winds while the one you were on last week was rolling all over the place in the same conditions. It's high-sided and heavy steel and catches the wind easily.
But a few of you know I am fixated on boat stability, even from the swimmer's point of view, and why I am fixated.
As far as I've read, adrenaline epipens, often carried by people with bee-sting or nut allergies, are useless for jellyfish stings. Though I think @JenA and @chloemaccardeldotcom may have been on opposite sides of a sarcasm divide there!
loneswimmer.com
I got seasick in two of my longest swims (5+ miles) out of three. Even once in a mile swim, I remembered feeling queasy but didn't realize it was seasickness-- I thought it was the smell of barbecue coming from shore when I was trying to swim hard--when I got out of the water (same barbecue smell), my stomach calmed down immediately.
Most recent case--I was feeding fish every few minutes, but found it more annoyance than anything else (like a sneezing fit). A race committee member came by and asked if I was okay. "I'll be okay," I told him. "But are you okay NOW?" he pressed. (Sigh! Whatever you want to hear to let me keep swimming!) So my last couple miles I was alternating between losing whatever nutrition I tried to take in--and swimming. I'd like for that not to happen in the future b/c it kinda cuts into such speed as I manage to achieve.
Ginger: I have ginger EVERY night in a stir fry. If I go out for any Asian food, it's gotta have ginger. I use water in o.w. swims that has a few drops of ginger per 16-20 oz. I love the taste of the stuff! And I'd rather NOT use anything that makes me sluggish (I need whatever speed I can get!).
During one of my 5 mile swims, I didn't get seasick (did have sea lice but that's for another thread). During that swim, my only fluid was water tinged with ginger plus ginger snaps for solid food. Think I'll go back to that. (Won't help w/ the sea lice but I think I figured something out for that.)
In that swim last year despite heaving every few minutes, I still beat my previous (non-seasick) time by almost 40 minutes. And my fastest swim at the same distance was also done while seasick. Maybe I should skip trying to remedy the heaving.
Incidentally, we highly encourage folks to bump old discussions. Over 1,000 now since the Forum's inception three years ago... many of which newer members may never have seen.
Thanks, @dpm50 !
I swam the first 3+ miles of the Ocean City, Maryland 9 miler last Saturday then exited because of sea sickness. I got out unassisted, but barely. I should have bailed earlier.
I read through this thread, but was hoping to hear more about how well different medications work, and what side effects youve had.
I like ginger, and had been eating/ drinking it regularly for weeks before the swim and that morning. So I know ginger doesn't work for me when the sea is rolling with chop. (It wasn't even that bad. It was fun, at first. )
Meclazine (Dramamine non-drowsy) was recommended by an ENT doctor and former swimmer. Anyone have experience with it?
Apparrently migraines and motion sickness often go together. (Who knew?) I've gotten migraines since I was a little kid, though thankfully not often the last few years. And I did have a low grade migraine for 2 days after the OC swim. The prescription drug Rizatriptan is supposed to help motion sickness in migraine sufferers. Anyone have experience with it?
I hate that I DNF, for a reason I could have managed ahead of time.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch
Through the years I have determined through process of elimination that my own profound seasickness/motion sensitivity is often migraine-related- I do take exedrin migraine before and during swims - night time light on a paddler/escort boat can set me off and day time any visual stim is problematic. I think the lightbulb went on for me years back when somewhere, on some forum, someone described fighter pilot training and the nausea link with brain NOT stomach... ginger/dramamine, etc do nothing for me whatsoever.
@JSwim -
One quick thought: If you are going to use a migraine drug like sumatriptan or a similar drug that modifies the calcium channel, you may want to consult with a physician first. I seem to remember reading an article about 10 years ago that said that there was concern that using this sort of drug during exercise could have negative affects on the heart. Note: I've also heard that the antibiotic ciprofloxacin is to be avoided during endurance athletics for a similar reason.
You also may want to ask your physician if the drug dicyclomine might help. Although it is usually prescribed for bowel problems, it does seem to help with certain types of nausea. It also helps with post-race stomach/bowel issues.
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
I find that everyone is different for what works. For me Meclazine works but despite what the label says I always recommend starting to take it at least 12 hours before your swim. (I usually start 2 days before a channel swim, observation, or race) I have also found that the patch doesn't work for me. I have not been adversely affected by the Meclazine in terms of my swimming but I am conscious to take in more fluids as it tends to dehydrate me.
There are many other factors that contribute to my seasickness that I try to limit. Of course alcohol should be avoided, smoking, etc. I also find that over time I get more acclimated. I need to put in a number of sessions on the boat or swimming in the waves and I get better throughout the season. I am more acclimated in the fall than the start of the spring.
Other things that I do to help mitigate my triggers I will swim out slightly farther from shore than some of my friends to avoid getting rolled in the swells as they starting cresting into waves. The other thing I have found is that I really can't observe the bottom if the water is clear enough to see it. When my eyes are seeing me sway back and forth relative to the bottom, and the kelp any other things are swaying even more it does not jive with my mind thinking I am moving only forward as I swim. I only open the eyes in those cases when I breathe or sight. I have no problem with my eyes open underwater when there is limited visibility and I don't have the bottom giving me a reference.
For most of my fellow local swimmers that need sea sickness meds Meclazine (Bonine) seems to be the drug of choice.
I'm happy to report that in this year's 5+ mile swim, I didn't get seasick...well except for a moment of queasiness in the last half mile which I was able to swim through. I wish I could say it was something I did, but I think I got lucky due to great conditions! Current assist and mostly calm water until near the end. But I did feed earlier and more regularly w a couple ginger snaps shortly before the start and during the swim used Perpetuem which I'd trained with also the Glukos Energy gummier (similar to Cliff Shot Blocks in taste and texture. I wanted something solid but not too heavy and they did the trick... Oh and water w ginger extract which did nothing for me last year but I was fine w it this year.
As w last year, I used ginger in stir fries and drank ginger tea etc. But I got seasick last year and not this year. Go figure!
PS Curiously I don't get seasick in fresh water and this even in the 2 Bridges swim that involved swimming against a choppy Hudson River current. Another riddle!
@jendut – I will definitely try Exedrin Migraine.
@Leonard_Jansen – Thanks for the caution of calcium channel meds. That cure could be a lot worse than sea sickness. I’ll look into dicyclomine.
@Theo – Good advice on Meclazine. I wouldn’t have thought to start taking it so early. WRT being less prone to sea sickness later in the season, that agrees with sailing wisdom. I wish I lived closer to the coast so I could acclimatize more. I had forgotten, but I have had the swaying-plants-on-the-bottom nausea! Seeing the entire “bottom” of the lake move gave me almost instant motion sickness.
@dpm50 – Glad to hear your seasickness is getting better. So there is hope!
Thanks to everybody for your advice!
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch
I, too, would medal in Olympic seasickness and have been contemplating options for an upcoming 12 mi relay. I've used ginger and scop patches for airline travel but never for swimming. I'm used to doing this race solo. Further complicating the situation, I'm a nursing mother. I'll definitely use ginger, but still need to research scop + baby.
Minimal info available. http://www.drugs.com/breastfeeding/scopolamine.html
I tested Exedrin Migraine and Meclizine in the pool using the corkscrew drill, rotating freestyle to backstroke (or back to free) every stoke. 25 yards made me dizzy, and after about 15 seconds rest, a 2nd 25 yards caused nausea. (Adding more laps to see when – not if - I’d actually barf was so not going to happen.)
Exedrin Migraine before practice (about 2 hours before the drill) helped noticeably. Taking it twice the day before and also before practice helped more.
Meclizine was better for me than Exedrin Migraine. No nausea at all (!!) when I took it for 2 days before the test. I’m not concerned that I still got dizzy. That went away quickly. But I found I have to take it with caffeine, and the 1st day taking it I was very, very sleepy.
Thanks to everyone for relating their experiences!
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch
@JSwim I usually take the Meclizine right before I go to bed. That way the worst of the drowsiness is while I am already asleep. Get the generic at Sams Club or Costco $4 for a bottle of 100 chewable tablets.
I've always suffered badly from motion sickness on anything that moves. Planes, trains, automobiles, and boats, fairground rides, cars (when I'm not driving), etc. I swear by travacalm, 1/2 tablet 1hr before and every 4 hrs from then on.
gw
It's official, I am a puker. I puked in the Strait of Georgia for 6 hours, I puked in the English Channel, my stomach seized last year in Cowichan Lake and I projectile vomited at least 5 times in Cowichan Lake this year after 4 hours of swimming and ultimately had to remove myself from the water after another 18 hours of trying to manage my belly.
Last year @JenA had me reset my stomach using little sips of ginger (Canada Dry) for a few hours. It worked well. Unfortunately this year the conditions on the water were rough from the get go and the sickness extreme. We tried Gravol but this is not ideal when attempting a 50hr swim. Makes you sleepy. It helped a bit but not to the degree I needed. Clearly I need some type of extra super duper strength belly protection.
I am a naturally dizzy person - I am prone to vertigo/motion sickness because of my MS - and have suffered from motion sickness all of my life. Merry-go-rounds and swing were a no-go for me as a kid.
I am looking to do another extended swim in 2016 and would greatly appreciate suggestions beyond those mentioned above as I have tried most.
Love the swim drill btw @JSwim. I will be sure to use that to help test.
I knew a swimmer prone to exceptional nausea, who used an anti-nausea drug typically used during chemotherapy: Ondansetron HCL 8mg. It's not noted for motion sickness, however, my friend felt it helped.
The folks that make Traumeel used to make a product called Vomitusheel, which seems to have been discontinued. You could probably make an equivalent product yourself. This was the ingredient list:
Did the Canada Dry use real ginger? Sometimes those ginger ales use artificial flavorings. I've not had this problem, but have family that do. We discovered long ago that many ginger ales don't have any ginger in them, so we spent the big bucks getting those real Ginger Ales at places like Whole Paycheck and that made all the difference.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
@ironmike that is a great question. Yes. It is made from real ginger. I also drank Tulsi during the night which had ginger in it. Just doesn't seem stong enough no mater how much I take
I got a real life, choppy, "big for me" swells test of Meclizine at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge swim in June. It delayed my sea sickness a bit, maybe it was a little less severe... but so not enough.
I tried 1 "Kwells" scopolamine (hyoscine hydrobromide, 0.3 mg) tablet at the pool yesterday with the corkscrew/barf drill. Amazing! 100 yards and I stopped because of boredom. Felt good! I'll deal with the dry mouth side effect.
So, I'll take a Kwells on Saturday before the Ocean City 3 mile swim, and see how it goes. After yesterday, I'm sorry I didn't sign up for the 9 mile...
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch
How funny. My doc on my swim gave Meclizine to my crew (especially the ones who didn't take it last year and got terribly sick). This year the water was so flat, the doc thinks that he gave too large a dose of Meclizine, resulting in this:
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
My first ever dose of Meclizine had me sleeping the rest of the day!
After that the sleepiness was never as bad. It's one of the reasons I took it for 3 days leading up to the Bay Bridge swim. Any extra sleepiness was gone after that 1st day. No issue at all the day of the swim. It just didn't work...
I was concerned about side effects like that with the Kwells, so took one dose the night before. It gave me dry mouth including a dry, sore throat. Those effects were noticeably less after the 2nd dose in the morning. Didn't even notice them while swimming.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch
I learned the hard way the other day that I am one of those poor bastards who gets vertigo when taking non-drowsy dramamine at night. It was a long few hours waiting for it to clear my system and for the sun to rise.
I think it's worth mentioning here that kwells is over the counter in Australia and I think the UK, but as far as I can tell there are no over the counter or prescription scopolamine pills in the U.S. though you can possibly get a compounding pharmacy to make some for you. In the U.S. it looks like we only have routine access to the patches which have a long time to kick in.**
For those of us in the U.S. the best thing seems to be to order from Australia.
** The problem with a long lead time is that if you wake up and the water is flat as a pancake you've taken medicine that you might not have needed.
Too true! I ordered from the UK.
That and the patch is formulated for 3 day use.
The tablets seemed the best way to go, if I could get them. And it wasn't difficult or expensive to do.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch
Scopolamine worked like charm for me in the Ocean City 3 miler this weekend. Very thrilled! What a monkey off my back...
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch
Bonine! Swam the English Channel on a relay team this week with Force four winds and Reg's bumpy boat. Those of us with Bonine on board kept out groceries! We made it too! Crazy Canucks. Just some bruises from bashing around the boat and some jellyfish stings as battle wounds.
Great read all, thanks. Jumping in here 4 weeks pre Channel 3 person relay, and the sickness while swimming in choppy water is an issue, never mind the boat. Off to the doctor for the scopolamine patches to do some test swims and see how I get on. Happy swimming