Seasick Prevention/Cure?

[OceanBlue]

WP - Joey said sumpin' at the TA meeting about help for folks prone to seasick. Sounds like she had done some extensive research and had a great deal of knowledge in the field.

Joey? Time's a comin'...

(edited subject)

[ 02-06-2004, 02:26 PM: Message edited by: OceanBlue ]

[love2fish]

OceanBlue,
Tell me more!!! Not that I'm some kind of woosie or anything. I was just thinking just in case errr just in case someone else in my boat needed help :blush: .

love2fish

[Lepper]

Promethazine (sp) works great!!! but you can't get it unless you go to the hospital......

[OceanBlue]

I don't have an issue with seasickness, but Joey sure sounded like she had some sure-fire actual CURES. I mean, long-term, get-over-it forever cures. My daughter gets sick and really, really wants to overcome it. We haven't tried everything quite yet, but we're running out of short-term options. :depressed:

[love2fish]

I tried the patch last year along with meclizine, and I didn't get sick. It was the first time out of about 35 trips that I didn't get sick, but I wasn't my normal (whatever that is) self. I guess it was worth it though. I'd like to learn about a long term cure.

love2fish

[Woody]

Vickie and I are eagerly awaiting the answer as well. It's really a bummer, we used to go on 2 or 3 bottom fishing charters a year for 20 years, and she never got sick. Now all of a sudden..... .

[OceanBlue]

Thanks Joey (and WP for posting)

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[love2fish]

#2 is the only one I haven't tried. I'm going to give them a try this year along with the patch and meclizine. Hopefully I'll get to make enough trips this year that I overcome it for good. Thanks for the tips.

love2fish

[Ragnar]

I'm always up for 'Yelling Some Steak into Big Blue."
Kenai can attest to that.
Mmmmmmm Bile! Just like Mom used to make
Mmmm Mm!
Good stuff Maynard!
I've chummed with the best .
What about the "breath throughy our Eyelids Cure? Hmm. Anyone ever hear of that one?
Ragnar

[Silver Eagle]

Just Cowboy up and let up rip, there is no cure for it, you either get sick or you don't my crew has tried it all, wrist bands, medicine, alcohol, canned herring etc.... just go with it, you will feel really good for 5 to 10 minutes after then it over and then it comes again. Just Cowboy up and stay with the game plan. Ray

[WP]

Below are Joey's recommendations on seasickness. There is NO universal cure and it does take trial and error and a desire to beat it! Hope this helps a little. I know that the tapering technique works. I used it with my deck hands each year I commercialed. As Joey says, you have to go out regularly or you loose the adjustment some.
Dave

"Seasick

First a disclaimer: Seasickness is different for each person and so the solutions can differ. This is a trial and error thing. I recommend trying each alternative twice to three times and, if you are serious about beating this, keep a journal of each outing. When you get to the end of your trial, if nothing was a sure fire solution, you will at least have an idea of what worked best.


The alternatives to heaving your guts out on the ocean.

1. Dramamine comes under a variety of brand names with different strengths and additive agents. Try a couple and see what works best for you. Also try halving the dose if sleepiness is a problem. I was a half of a gravol with a latte and a pancake breakfast (when I was eating carbs). Then it I just had to keep grazing on crackers and diet coke for the rest of the day and I was fine.
2. Acupressure bands. These are tight elastic bands, usually with 2-dime size plastic discs imbedded in them. They are worn on the forearm with the discs on the underside of the arm. For some people these are a great alternative. The package usually comes with instructions on placement.
3. There are a number of herbalist remedies, candies ginger and such. I would recommend going to speak with your local herbalist to see what they have to offer.
4. There are a number of prescription medications, many with different chemical agents (meclizine, scopalomine, reglan, inapsine, phenergen..to name a few, but ask your physician about the options) Most of these drugs cause drowsiness. Speak with your physician about getting three doses of a couple of different medications. (Easiest way to do this is to have the physician write a couple of scripts, each for a different medication, then you fill as you need too) Once you find one that works for you… happy fishingJ
5. Zofran is a prescription anti-nausea medication, which does not cause sleepiness. It is very expensive (usually $50.oo a pill) even with insurance. If you are going to try this drug, I would use it as a conditioning agent rather then a cure. The idea being to teach your body, more specifically your stomach and your inner ear that being on the ocean does not mean that your body is required to torture you with nausea. Take away the nausea feeling and over time you may be able to teach your body that inner ear adjustment to the ocean and nausea are not connected.

Start with a good ocean. The duration of the medication is any where from 4 to 8 hours, depending on the person. Take a dose 45 minutes before leaving the dock. This should leave you with a 4-hour window of “no barf”. Enjoy your day of fishing/boating. Stick with this for a couple of fishing trips and then try halving the dose. Do that for a couple of trips. Then try going without any medication. This may not work for everyone and I would consider this a last resort idea. To do the conditioning I would estimate that you would need to go out on the ocean weekly at minimum. The other alternative is that if you are a spouse of a tunaholic and are not the most avid fishing person but would like to see your spouse during daylight hours occasionally during the summer, then maybe it would be worth the cost to use the medication on those rare occasions that you go out.

I hope that helps curb this summers Technicolor yawns. Happy Ocean going to all!

Joey"

[backlash442]

Of all the guys that I fish with I'm the only one who gets sick. I take Bonine the night before I fish. Even if doing a tuna trip at 3:00 a.m. I make sure I take it no later than 10:00 p.m. or earlier. I've NEVER been sick doing this. Couple of keys are getting enough sleep (which is a contradiction when tuna fishing) and keeping something in my stomach. Drinking soda seems to help too. Downside is the pill makes me extremely tired by late the next day. Can sleep a good 12 hours after a trip. So if you're doing back to back tuna trips it's tough.

[apparentgenius]

If you see someone looking green in the gills, offer them a 16 oz. glass of pork gravy. That usually cures them right away.!!

[WP]

Back to back trips is always tough!!! I did three days in a row last year, an commuted home each night! Never again he says....never again (until the next time!!! It was fun but I have never been so sore and tired. Staging as backlash describes can be very effective. Dome of the other medications have less hypnotic effect and can be used the same way.
Dave

[BUGLEMAN]

I use Mesclazine with good results but I sure hate falling asleep on the run back in, makes you feel like you a shrugging duties. It makes me soooooo tired and sleepy at the end of the day though. I am trying to cut the dose back and on decent days. I can get by with 1/2 a tablet on a decent day and on a second good day in a row I can get by with none now. So WP, your tech. works for me.

[Birdnest]

I don't have problems (knock on wood), but every now and then I do feel a little blah.

This is my technique. Good sleep, try to keep the barley pops to a minimum the night before (also extra hydration the day before). A light breakfast of granola bars and water. I also try to keep my head up and eyes focused on the horizon if possible. Nothing like hanging your head and trying to thread a freakin' herring. Mental games...don't just think about the up/down. Go over game plans in your head, safety drills, which color hootchie you think is going to work best, if Skein will just give me his boat, ect, ect.

Joe

[CAPT KUJO]

Trust me here I have dones EXTENSIVE research here and the best formula is the NASA's design for the space shuttle astronuts. .5mg dextroamphetamine and .04mg of scopalomine

I have a 25 page reoort and cover letter from NASA. I took it to my doctor and I have been using it for over 15 years.

By far the best! Don't leave the beach without it!!

E-mail me with your address if you would like a copy for your doctor.

CAPT KUJO

[love2fish]

CAPT KUJO,

Are there any side effects with that combo? I would guess they are minimal if that is what they are giving astronauts. I might have a problem getting a prescription from my Dr., he's one of those Kaiser Doctors, and they don't always do things the same as others.

Thanks,
love2fish

[Robalo Bill]

Captn Kujo...is that a single dose tablet or a combination of 2 separate drugs. If so are they listed with a common name. One of my best friends loves fishing to a fault...just hate seeing him hurl and turn different colors. Dramamine only works on him when he's taken enough to fall asleep.

Bill

[elkn]

for me it has been stomach acid, :blush: so I take pepcid-ac and bonine it works well for me, sometimes I just use pepcid-ac with no problem. I think I get so fired up about the trip I make myself sick. just like my 10 year old son did at disney world last week...

[Hook'd]

Thanks to Capt KUJO, and his suggestion for seasickness medication, I had a great time on the ocean last year. I used to get sick almost every time I went out. I had tried all the previous suggestions and occasionally would have a trip (with a patch) where I didn’t get sick but the side effects were always an issue. After the first trip using the medication KUJO recommended, I never even felt bad on the ocean. The first trip I did get sick, but only after 5 hours 54 minutes. Directions said take one every 6 hours. They lied!! Now if I take one every 4½-5 hours I have a great time. The 0.4 mg of scopolamine numbs the inner ear and takes care of the seasickness (for me) and the 5.0 mg of dextro-amphetamine keeps me awake and alert. I take the first capsule about 1 hour before I am on the ocean. This medication has changed the way I am able to fish. I make no promise that it will work for you but for me it is great.


**** love2fish **** I am a Kaiser patient also and had no problem getting the prescription written. I took in the 25 page report that KUJO sent me along with the name of the pharmacy where it could be purchased. My doctor called the pharmacy, confirmed the info, and gave them the Rx. It is not available at the Kaiser pharmacies as this is not a commercially available prescription. It is only available at a compounding pharmacy. The only one I know is Professional Plaza 102 Pharmacy in Portland.

Hope this helps.
Hook’d

[CAPT KUJO]

Hood'k is absolutly correct. For those of you that have sent my an e-mail request, your copy of the NASA report is on the way. Let me warn you the report was issued to me in 1984, and it's work for me so long that I haven't tried anything else since then. NASA now uses an "injectable" solution...and I'm not "shooting up" to go fishin! I call the seasick pills an " OCEAN COCKTAIL " Good luck to those of you who seek medical relief for a dehabilitating condition that interfers with TUNA SLAYING!

CAPT KUJO

[id. painter]

my father told me the cure was to go out, get real sick, sick to the point you need to sleep .When you can pass out in the boat,,, your cured. I did this at age 8 . We went out all day and I was sick , all day . I finally wore down to the point where I could sleep . I passed out under the bow cover , and have not had a problem since. Maybe it was all Psychological. But I still dont get sick.
He did the same thing to my younger brother . It worked for him also. id. painter

[id. painter]

Buy the way my father was a hard core!!! Hi ho.
id. p.

[GutZ]

Captain Kujo;
Some of our friends up North (Canada, eh) are looking for your cure. Take a look at this link.
http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure...ML/001171.html
Perhaps you might "accidentely" drum up some business for the Black Rocket [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

[gimmeumpqua]

As a physician, and one who is plagued with seasickness, and blessed with a new NR Seahawk, I can tell you I have researched this subject, and have experimented with all of these "remedies".

Firstly, Kujo's formula of an amphetamine and scopolomine vs.meclizine vs.any other antinauseant works fairly well for people who do not have type "A" personalities....those that are fairly anxious and excitable may find that amphetamines will aggravate their illness. I am one of those: I get excited with anticipation and the dexedrine incapacitates me. It is also dangerous for those with hypertension or any form of vascular disease....so don't share your Rx with your friends unless you have access to a crash cart.

I'm a fairly big (OK...FAT my wife might say) 250# man, and while one scopolomine patch is marginal, two patches work much better. After all, why would you expect an 0.4mg patch to be the same in a 100# person as in a 250#?...It isn't. Don't be afraid to use 2 patches if one is ineffective...just put them on the night before.

Secondly, drugs like compazine, phenergan, dramamine and meclizine(bonine) are all related....they are short acting, wear off quickly and produces drowsiness. Zofran may be a good choice if you can afford it, but may be no more effective than the cheaper meds. Interestingly, you can administer phenergan and compazine rectally for acute nausea....while you are sick. This may work fairly well...and while some of you might scoff at this, those of us who get severe sea sickness would gladly shove a ling cod up our butts if it would stifle the malady.

Finally, I take an Inderal tablet (Rx) prior to launching my boat. This is a beta blocker....used for years for performance anxiety during lectures,recitals,etc...blocks the anticipatory excitement flutters that at least in me, aggravates my seasickness. I am at least now able to enjoy my new boat in a moderate swell, for at least a few hours, but I still avoid baiting hooks, downriggers and "looking down"....my hope is that the worry about being ill will diminish to the point I won't get ill any longer.Hence, the tru psychological component to this very real problem.


Kurt

[gimmeumpqua]

I don't think it is curable. However, everyone has a threshold for sickness, If your threshold is high, it would take moremotion to exceed it. Some people actually get sicker in light up and down swell than in rougher more side to side motion. I know that for me, and a few others that have followed my lead, that reducing the excitatory anticipation anxiety has kept us below the sickness threshold. Some say that those electric wristbands may help lower this threshold, but they haven't worked for me.
Sea sickness can be controlled in most, but not all.Fact of life, and a supreme annoyance for those of us who love to fish on the ocean.


Kurt

[id. painter]

Interesting Kurt . Thanks.
Can someone be cured ? Is there any basis for my faters method? Other than his perdisposition to be a bit sadistic. Hi ho. id. painter

[ChinookSlayer]

For me, I have always taken Dramamine or Bonine as a precautionary measure before going out. Not always the full dose. I have been doing this for years, and have never been sick, until last year... On one particularly rough day, this weird feeling came over me while I was baiting up my hooks. I wasn't quite sure at first, but shortly afterword I knew for sure. Especially when I started trying some of that bile Salmon attractant.

The one main item I have found is the size of the boat, primarily because the smaller/lighter boats tend to get tossed around more. Go out on one of those big heavy charter boats, and it is like riding down the freeway in your car.

I think I might try taking one pill (to help avoid drowiness), and combine it with the wrist pressure technique. Taking two pills just wipes me out, and makes the drive back over the pass quite a challange (and dangerous!).

There also have been several suggestions of Ginger and soda crackers in the past. Who knows. I just will keep going, and take what mother nature deals me. So far, once out of twenty years is not too bad.

[ 02-14-2004, 06:02 PM: Message edited by: ChinookSlayer ]

[love2fish]

I just got my NASA report in the mail today :grin: . Thanks Capt. Kujo. I'm going to make a appointment with my Dr. soon and show him the report.

Thanks,
love2fish

[Woody]

I got my report in the mail over the weekend. Thanks Capt. Kujo!! Hopefully this will be the answer for my wife's seasickness.

[blubeast]

Got mine too. Thanks Capt'n Kujo.

[ 02-16-2004, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: blubeast ]

[Miss B Haven]

OB- Rent a houseboat for a month and move the kids onto it. When they get off they will be cured of motion sickness. Seriousley, I used to get sick until we started housboating and actually lived on the water for a week at a time. Or... maybe it was the copious quantities of adult anti-seasick medicine we consumed on the houseboat. :grin:
Of course after that they may get land sickness like I do when I get off several days on the boat. Easy cure for that too I guess, just never get off the boat! :grin:

[BUGLEMAN]

Thanks for the Dater Captain Kujo. Interesting stuff and looks very offical with the NASA letter head.

And finally Dr Kurt.

Regarding the Lingcod does your Rx detail whether the Ling is to enter Head or tail first?

[daddy-o]

A greasy pork chop in a dirty ash tray always seemed to help our clients!

[CAPT KUJO]

Hope the information will help you all and help give your doctors some guidance for each of your own situations. Good Luck!!

CAPT KUJO

[SlabQuest]

Without reading all the posts, I am assuming ginger was mentioned as a preventative.

If you guys have Trader Joes in Oregon, try their "triple ginger" cookies. They are made with fresh, crystalized and ground ginger.

The patch works for me, but I hate the side effects. I go with Meclizine and the cookies.

[backlash442]

Gimme, isn't dextro amphetamine a type of speed?

[OceanBlue]

I heard ginger pills work after the queasies start. Didn't work for my kids, though. :depressed:

[SlabQuest]

I don't know of anything that works after the queasies start......once they start it is (as your kids might say) "GAME OVER".

[Chrome Bumper]

The solution is tomato soup, its the only thing that tastes the same coming up as going down. [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

[justasillyolgirl]

This might seem a little paranoid, but what should a person do in order to prepare for being seasick???? I haven't been out on the big blue other than when I was very young and Dad took us out onto the Strait of Juan de Fuca in an open sled that was the size of a bath tub. [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] Consequently, I was sick every time we went. But since I've had a chance to get out on some of the boats in the Willie and CR on some fairly rough days, I haven't had a problem at all. So, is it something a person could have grown out of? Or is there anything I could do ahead of time to help me not be sick? ie...don't drink more than 1 cup of coffee in the morning... Or do I just need to 'wait and see' and buck up and deal with it at the time? I absolutely hate to throw up, so I guess I'm a bit paranoid about it. But I only like to lean over the side of the boat when I'm bringing a fish in. :grin:

[Miss B Haven]

Originally posted by justasillyolgirl:
This might seem a little paranoid, but what should a person do in order to prepare for being seasick???? :grin:

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Drink lotsa booze the night before. Don't get much sleep. Eat really greasey food for breakfast. Sit in the cabin where you can't see the horizon. Leave the door open so you get lots of Diesel fumes. :grin:
That should be all the prep a puker in training needs!

OK- seriousley? Do none of the above. Coffee is one of the worst things for me- go light. Easy food (crackers/bread/toast etc), no acids (OJ) or grease. Carbonated beverages (a nice burp is good). Deep breaths, fresh air, watch land or the horizon.

Some people actually lie down, close their eyes and sleep when they start feeling bad. Works for them, me.... I'd be chumming big time if I did that. I'm the other end, gotta move around, ignore it stay active and topside. I guess until you try it you don't know whether to be a sleeper of a mover.

[Salty Walty]

Offer the green guy an egg salad sandwich and a warm beer to wash it down with while breathing in the 2 stroke fumes.
But seriously:
This seasick stuff is new to me. I never had it before but now it happensabout 20% of the time. I blame some of it on being over 35. I tried bonine and the patch and don't care too much for the mushy feeling it gives me. I try and get a good nights rest but that is not possible sometimes with an 0 dark 30 departure time. Try not to drink alcohol and eat a good breakfast, oatmeal or pancakes are good. If I have something in my stomach to start with it gives my stomach something to do. I also drink water while I am out there. If I know I am going to purge I just do it. It seems if I fight the inevitable it just prolongs the agony. I seem to be fine for the rest of the day 10 minutes after the fact. I will try some of the other suggestions too.

[SlabQuest]

The VERY best cure for the queasies is "FISH-ON!!"

It takes your focus off the nausea..

[id. painter]

Very good Miss B. id. p.