Dramamine for trip to camp?

[Daisy]

Our church kids are heading to camp next week and we, parents, are advised to give our children dramamine before they head out on the bus. The road is two hours of very mountainous curves into Sequoia National Park. Our family has driven it before and indeed my kids do usually get sick on the way back down.

 

My question is this. I've never given my daughter dramamine. I don't really want her first time taking a new medication to be on a trip with me not there.

 

So should I buy it and try giving it to her one day this week?

 

Do you know of any natural substitutions that work as well?

 

I hate doping my kids up.

[melissel]

I would say yes, try it out in advance. DH and I were advised to take Dramamine when we did our first scuba dive (which never happened, actually). Thankfully, we tried it in advance, while we traveled to Puerto Rico. It knocked both of us out so badly we almost didn't make it to our connecting flight, and we were sitting at the gate. I would have hated to have found out WHILE scuba diving that that's how it affected me :glare:

 

You might also look at Bonine. I have a young cousin who gets sick if she's in the car for more than a half hour or so, and Bonine works better for her than anything else she's tried, including prescription treatments. I've tried Sea-bands and ginger for nausea, but they didn't work--then again, I was pregnant, so take that for what it's worth!

 

I hope she doesn't have to deal with nausea at all.

[Pink Fairy]

I think you could try it at home first. I've given my four oldest dramamine, none of whom have had any sort of unintended reaction, including drowsiness. We do some schoolwork in the car one day per week, and the dramamine keeps them from getting nauseous.

[EKS]

I've used dramamine with one son. It made him a bit drowsy but nothing else. If your child usually gets sick on mountain roads, being in a bus makes it a zillion times worse. And being the kid who threw up isn't any fun either.

 

I think it is probably a good idea, but I can completely understand your feelings. I'd try it out this week and see how it goes.

[KidsHappen]

Yes, I would give it a trial run at the smallest dose first. They also make a less drowsy formula and Bonnine is also makes you less drowsy. If the trial works out ok, I would give it to her one hour before she leaves. It doesn't work if you are already motion sick when you take it. If she is very prone to montion sickness, she may need to take a higher dosage.

[Margo out of lurking]

Check out Sea Bands or a similar product. They look like sweat bands and are worn around the wrist, with a plastic piece that pushes against a pressure point in your wrist, preventing motion sickness. There is no medication, and they are totally reusable (the package says something like "good for three times," but that's totally false!).

 

I am a Barf Queen. I throw up dramamine. I've puked everywhere: in airplanes, on the street, in school, in a bus on dd's field trip, on the outside of my boss's car, in a police car (on a ride along!), on a boat on ds's bday, and countless others.

 

I bought Sea Bands three years ago, specifically for a plane ride. I did not get sick, not even on the smaller plane. I've used the bands while riding in cars and have had no nausea.

 

They cost about $10, and you can find them at Walgreen's, Walmart, etc. The biggest thing to worry about is your dc losing them on the trip and not being able to wear them home.

[edithcrawley]

You might want to look for the non-drowsy dramamine. The other kind always makes me fall asleep.

[i.love.lucy]

You might want to look for the non-drowsy dramamine. The other kind always makes me fall asleep.

:iagree: Daisy, I have to give my dd Dramamine for long rides that are hilly and curvy and she always does just fine. No reaction whatsoever, except not getting sick. She doesn't get drowsy, or dizzy or thirsty or anything. I'd try it this week and wouldn't hesitate to give it to her for the ride to camp if she reacts okay.

 

And I also get the non-drowsy Walgreens brand.

[greensummervillian]

I get very motion sick to the point of throwing up sometimes. On my last plane ride I brought sea-bands, which are stretchy bands with a plastic bump that do acupuncture on my inside of your wrist, and I brought dramamine too because I didn't think the bands would really work. They worked beautifully, and I never had to take the pills. I got mine at WalMart, where they were only available by speaking to the pharmacist. I can't imagine why they weren't available over the counter.

[Mommyof4ks]

I would try the non-drowsy kind too prior to the trip. Dramamine is the greatest thing since sliced bread as far as medicine goes lol. I have no side effects with it, and it curbs my nausea completely! I have not found anything 'natural' that works better.

[Daisy]

Glad to hear so many have used it successfully. My daughter can usually read in the car so she isn't very susceptible to car sickness, however, long curvy roads can do her in.

 

I'll check around and see what I can find to try. My husband has recently had horrible reactions to medication (post-surgery) and I'm feeling leery in general right now.

[Baseball mom]

As a child I ALWAYS had to take dramamine before a trip. (You didn't want to be in the car with me if I didn't :ack2: )

 

I have given my kiddos the regular and the non drowsy kind. Regular when I couldn't find the non drowsy. Anyway one of mine doesn't usually get car sick but we found out real quick he gets bus sick. Don't know what it is about the bus but it gets him every time.

 

I would give her a trial run just to be on the safe side. I totally understand not wanting to give meds for the 1st time and you not being there.

[teamturner]

I threw up in the car when we traveled to that part of California as a teenager. When I had to drive around the mountains in Colorado as an adult, I took Dramamine and slept the whole time. Perhaps half a dose would be a good place to start.

[Alyce]

We first learned about it when we started scuba diving. It was recommended to take for sea sickness. The reason it was recommended over Dramamine is that it doesn't make you drowsy. I have used it a couple of times and never had any problem and it has done a great job. I've been on some seriously rocking boats and ocean while scuba diving. This year we took a cruise. On the last day of the cruise we hit some hard rough seas. So rough they closed the upper decks. My son started getting sea sick and we had him take it. Within an hour he was fine and up and moving around like nothing was happening.

[Mama Geek]

Having been active in a cruising community, there are lots of people that have some strange side effects from Dramamine. A lot of sailors prefer Bonine. That is what I would recommend.

[Daisy]

I've never heard of Bonine. Is it carried in a normal store like Target or would I need to look at a pharmacy or health store?

[joannqn]

I have always gotten sick on long car drives, on mountain roads, on boats, and in planes. Dramamine works ok but causes drowsiness. Then I discovered ginger (in capsules) which works great without the drowsiness. I can even read in the car now. I take it about 20-30 minutes before I get in the car and repeat every 4 hours. I give it to my daughter, too.

 

Sea bands don't work for me.

Edited August 2, 2010 by joannqn

[TheTwinsMom1]

You can also give ginger capsules. Mythbusters tested them and they actually worked. After seeing that episode I tried it for motion sickness and it worked pretty well. Dramamine makes me very very tired for several hours so I try to avoid using it.

[Daisy]

I bought the Bonine but now I'm noticing it says it works 4x longer than Dramamine. That's not good. The trip up there is less than 3 hours long. I don't want her tired the entire day. :confused:

 

I might go back for the Dramamine.

[TXMomof4]

Isn't Dramamine the same medication as Benadryl? Diphenhydramine HCl? We've used bendadryl when we didn't have any dramamine and it worked fine, but it does cause drowsiness for sure.

[Daisy]

Isn't Dramamine the same medication as Benadryl? Diphenhydramine HCl? We've used bendadryl when we didn't have any dramamine and it worked fine, but it does cause drowsiness for sure.

 

I think so, but the non-drowsy Dramamine is meclizine or something like that.

[DarlaS]

I get very motion sick to the point of throwing up sometimes. On my last plane ride I brought sea-bands, which are stretchy bands with a plastic bump that do acupuncture on my inside of your wrist, and I brought dramamine too because I didn't think the bands would really work. They worked beautifully, and I never had to take the pills. I got mine at WalMart, where they were only available by speaking to the pharmacist. I can't imagine why they weren't available over the counter.

 

I bought mine right off the shelf at a local Sav-On drugs. They really seemed to help with even morning sickness.

[alpidarkomama]

I took bonine so I could go on amusement park rides with my daughter. It was time release, but something went wrong... Four or five hours after taking it I felt horribly drunk. It was awful, and I know the effect did not come from anything else! Anyway... just my experience! Bleah!

[mhg]

good idea, mama. Give her one the week before the trip and voila, problem solved. She'd rather be doped up than puke in front of peers and be too nauseated to enjoy the beautiful ride. It's a rare incident....you're not making a habit out of it so definitely don't feel that you're doping her up.