Sadly, medication and other remedies are generally more effective in preventing seasickness than reversing it. It may take as long as three days to adapt to the boat's motion and get your "sea legs."

MEDICATION

To fight seasickness, start your trip well hydrated, avoid alcohol and eat a light meal that's low in fat and high in starch. Keep in mind that the protection conferred by a drug is a matter of degree. At present, no drug reliably prevents seasickness for everyone.

A variety of medications, devices and herbal remedies, alone or in combination, work for some people and not others. It is not uncommon for one drug, such as an antihistamine, to be effective for one person and a related drug provide no benefit. The same is true with side effects. The result is that you may have to try different remedies–responsibly and in consultation with your doctor–to find what works for you.

If one drug fails, try another. Do not be afraid to try different medications or modalities on land to see if there are any unacceptable side effects. Timing too can play a role. If you anticipate becoming seasick early in the trip, begin medication the night before departure. Time-release forms and longer-acting drugs may be preferable when storms are expected to last a few days.

If you have discovered a system that works for you, stick with it and believe in what you use. If you are looking for remedies, there are many currently available, ranging from over-the-counter pills to prescription narcotics.

THE PATCH

Transdermal scopolamine hydrobromide, otherwise known as Transderm-Scop or "the patch," is the most popular drug used for prevention and treatment of motion sickness. Scopolamine prevents motion-induced nausea by inhibiting inner ear (called vestibular) input to the brain, thereby blocking the vomiting reflex. It may also act directly to suppress the vomiting center.

The drug enters the bloodstream from a dime size adhesive patch–actually a disc–placed on the skin behind the ear. A therapeutic blood concentration of the drug is maintained for up to three days. The most common adverse effects are dry mouth (66 percent) and drowsiness (17 percent). Additional undesirable side effects include blurred vision (which may persist for weeks), short term memory loss, confusion, behavioral changes and other problems denoted by the well-known mnemonic: "Hot as hell, dry as a bone, blind as a bat, mad as a hatter."

To reduce the dose of scopolamine, allow only half of the intact patch to contact the skin by placing the other half onto a Band-Aid or tape attached to the area. Do not disrupt the integrity of the disc by cutting it. Follow the directions carefully, wash hands thoroughly after application and apply only one disc at a time.

Scopolamine is not recommended for children, people with narrow-angle glaucoma (remove the patch immediately if eye pain should occurs), and men with an enlarged prostate. Long-term use may produce withdrawal symptoms when the patch is removed, such as nausea, dizziness, headache, and equilibrium disturbances. Discuss the potential side effects with your physician before trying scopolamine.