suggestions for flying probs. About This Page:

[arroyosluvdisney]

dd (13 years old) always seems to be sick when we land the first day. any suggestions for medicine should she take pepto before we take off


thanks guys

counting down cant wait

[Disney 4ever]

What about Dramamine (?) ? Would that help her to be calm and not sick? It sounds like motion sickness.

[jhoshowski]

Bonine always works for my mom. She gets vertigo really bad - she even gets it driving up in the mountains. Bonine works the best for her, with the least amount of side effects.

[OffKilter_Lynn]

For me, headache and nausea after a flight are good indicators of motion sickness and prevention is the best medicine. As mentioned, you could try Bonine (less side effects) or Dramamine (more drowsy) to counter the motion sickness. Making sure to stay hydrated during flights is key - and continue to drink liquids after landing.

Do you notice a pattern? Is she sick (or more sick) if she eats or doesn't eat? Did she get enough rest before hand? If she's sick from nervousness or anxiety about flying, I don't know that those medications would help (but may ease the symptoms).

Use caution, however, with any over-the-counter medicine in children and adolescents as the side effects can vary. You might do better talking with her doctor first to see if there's a better medication (or perhaps the underlying reason for the illness).

It's no fun starting a vacation when you don't feel right - good luck in finding a solution!

[Colexis Mom]

They have Bonine for kids......you may want to look into that one instead of the adult version

[Belle*]

Check with your pediatrician and see what they recommend. A lot of people use Bonine (meclizine) with great success. It may help to have her eat lightly before and during the flight and request ginger ale if the flight offers drink service. The ginger ale will help alleivate nausea. It is important to stay hydrated and to keep something in your stomach.

[Danielle Harmon]

Ginger candy or ginger ale can help with upset tummies due to motion sickness. We also use a soothing lotion with lavendar in it to help keep the kids calm.

[JoanneS]

I feel your dd's pain. I'm not a good flyer either. Dramamine doesn't do much for me except make me sleepy, so I end up tired and sick the first day. What works best for me might seem a little strange, but I'll say it anyway. I eat oyster crackers during the flight and for whatever reason, that seems to make all the difference in the world. If she still ends up feeling yucky the first day, maybe you could just do a park where there are a lot of shows and sit down things like DHS. Catch Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, the Stunt shows, the parade, and stay away from the Tower of Terror! Good Luck!

[mtstranscribe]

Instead of medicine after you land, give something like dramamine or bonine before the plane trip. If it is severe, you can get scopolamine patches that are wonderful for motion sickness. There are also bracelets they make for motion sickness. I am not sure of their efficacy, but its worth a shot! I suffer horribly with motion sickness so I feel your pain! Ginger is supposed to be a good natural remedy, as well as coke syrup, which you can usually find at the pharmacists.

[MMMD]

I hope one of these remedies helps your daughter.

[Dave Marx]

What kind of "sick?" Everyone seems to be assuming motion sickness, but the original poster mentioned Pepto, which suggests the possibility of a diffrent kind of upset. If we're talking about gastrointestinal illness, rather than motion sickness, that could be related to stress - over-excitement about the trip, or fear of flying (since it seems to happen when she lands, perhaps it's specifically fear of landing). Or it could be related to irregular diet when traveling. If it's stress, I'd first consider ways to reduce the stress "naturally," rather than use a medication - maybe listening to calming music on headphones, talking about what's making her nervous, reading during the landing process as a form of distraction, etc. If it's food-related, pack something to eat that's consistent with her regular diet.

[Pax]

It could also be a reaction to changing cabin pressures; air quality during the flight; the air at the new airport; temperature changes (moving from the air-conditioned cabin to the warm Florida air); any number of things, really.

It could be reverse motion sickness ... maybe she adapts well to the change "from on the ground to in the air" ... but doesn't adapt as well to "from in the air, to on the ground". Seasickness can work that way, I believe - some folks get "land-sickness" after being on a boat for an extended period, then coming ashore.

[Lynnilou]

My son and I have motion sickness issues as well as anxiety. We use the bands, and yes they work. I can't remember the name but they are elastic fabric type bands. We have used them on planes and boats. And, (like a pp mentioned) lavendar is good for calming as well as chamomile!

[ArielsMomto2]

The bands are called Sea Bands and I used them when I was pregnant. They do work and it isn't medication.

[Nova]

I have a suggestion try which ever medication you are going to use before you actually fly, my reason being. I dont do well with medications so I did a trial with the Dramamine it knocked me for a loop so I sure was not going to use that and be able to function. The Bonnine works great for me, I still take my vertigo medication with me just in case but so far for the flying part I have not had to use the perscription medicine. Some coke a cola and pretzels sometimes helps as well. Just depends on the person I guess.