The End to Sea-Sickness 7

With the Outdoor Line Halibut Quest trip quickly approaching on May 12 I thought it would be prudent to upload this article on sea-sickness. One of our charter customers has been sea-sick every single day he’s been on the water for over thirty years. I think I would have switched to fishing inland lakes or streams to avoid getting sick, but this gentleman just got used to being sick and gutted it out, literally, every time he went fishing on the saltwater. He fished with us in Southeast Alaska several years ago in fairly rough seas and never got sick.

The article follows:

Commander A.M. Steinman, Special Medical Operations Branch, U.S. Coast Guard, wrote a very interesting article on the subject of seasickness for the January 1980 issue of “On Scene-The National Maritime Medical Review”. A partially edited reprint is presented here because of it’s potential value to all fisherman.

Everyone has experienced seasickness at some time in his life and most agree that little else makes you feel as bad. The pale, cold sweaty, drowsy nausea that accompanies the unrelenting dry heaves can really put a damper on a fishing trip. Although the common remedies such as fresh air, soda crackers, watching the horizon and sucking lemons may work for a while, eventually the seasickness wins out. Modern medicines like Dramamine or Meclizine are only partially effective and both have some side effects that can leave you feeling drowsy. But an end to seasickness may be on the way.

Recent medical research has shown that a combination of two common drugs is by far the most effective treatment available in preventing seasickness and no apparent side effects are observed. Operation trials on Coast Guard air and boat crewman riding a 44 foot vessel in rough seas showed no one taking the medication became sea sick. Similar tests showed Navy and Air Force personnel showed the same results and the medication worked much better than either Dramamine or Meclizine.

The two drugs work together so well (neither of which works by itself) are called Promethazine (an antihistamine, commonly called Phenergan) and Ephedrine (a common decongestant). Coast Guard personnel took the combination of the two drugs as recommended, one to two hours before getting underway. The recommended dosage is 25 mg. each 2 hours prior to departure and then every 6 hours thereafter.

Although taking any medication unnecessarily should be avoided, this may be a case where it is better to take the medicine preventatively rather than be incapacitated by seasickness on the trip. For further information about antimotion sickness medication, contact Dr. Alan Steinman, Commandant (C-COM-1) U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC 20593.

This article reprinted from the University of California Marine Extension Program Newsletter.