Do Rides/Roller Coasters Make You Sick/Lightheaded?

[SixFlagsObsessed]

While I love roller coasters, I become really, really sick about 95% of the time. Many people have suggested Dramamine, but it knocks me out like a light. Therefore, it kind of defeats the purpose of me even GOING to a theme park. Honestly, the best thing for my stomach (personally) is to have a BIG breakfast a few hours before going on any rides. Then once the day is over, I eat a huge meal. If I eat anything during the day (aside from small snacks), it comes right back up. Of course, these are just things I do. I've suggested these to other people and they look at me like I'm psycho. LOL.

[darklingscribe]

I've heard that ginger pills is a great preventative against motion sickness for some.

 

Personally, I've always found the best preventative is to make sure I'm well hydrated and eat often. I'm not advocating riding with a full stomach, I just find that if my energy levels are up I can handle any ride.

[StrataKirby]

The only time i've gotten remotely sick was when my friend puked after a Vekoma SLC. Seeing his puke almost made me hurl right on top of his puke. Wasn't actually the ride itself that made me sick

[christianscoasters]

Only a few rides make me sick.

-Repeated spinning (Teacups, Round-ups, etc)

-Gravitrons

-Vekoma Boomerang's. I can ride it once, but that's it for a while. The forces give me a headache.

[Chroniq]

During our last rollercoaster trip I had a few (many) late nights involving adult beverages and early mornings involving rollercoasters. As most of you know, you can buy dramamine or other motion sickness pills at the parks. This worked well for me except it caused drowsiness. Combining motion sickness pills with energy drinks smoothed things out well for me. I'm still hoping someone posts pictures of me looking particularly green during morning ERT though.

 

The patches seemed to work well for other people. I read on a website that TPR is planning on releasing their own branded motion sickness pills in the future..

 

 

 

C "Fingers Crossed" C

[Midgetman82]

I now get disoriented on crazy rides like Montu and Most spinning flat/fair ride. My best waay to avoid this is for me to close my eyes but then I can't see and I love to see on roller coasters, so I come off most crazy rides disoriented!

[let1gre]

I've never gotten sick on any coaster, but Europe in the Air at BGW pushed me really close. Strange how the tamest rides can do that...

[Synshine]

I've never gotten sick on any coaster, but Europe in the Air at BGW pushed me really close. Strange how the tamest rides can do that...

 

 

That's actually not so crazy, simulators can easily trigger motion sickness if the rides movement and the video are out of sync.

[imawesome1124]

Alpengeist makes me dizzy every time I ride it, but the only ride to make me feel nauseous was a pirate ship ride at a local fair, but only because I was STARVING. It may sound weird but I feel lightheaded on rides when I haven't eaten a lot, does this happen to anyone else or is it just me?

[braztaz]

The rides at the local fair always give me a headache.

[frozenflames]

A lot of spinny rides like Teacups or Tilt-A-Whirls get me very nauseous now, which stinks because I used to love those. I've gotten slightly dizzy and such on a few simulators, but that was probably due to the screen being blurry or the motion being out of sync. I have gotten headaches from a few coasters, like Anaconda at KD or Wildcat at Hershey, but that was more because of the overall roughness of those rides. The only time I've ever gotten legitimately sick and vomited at a theme park was due to a combination of extreme heat, dehydration, and a mild stomach bug that decided to manifest itself while in line for a ride.

 

There are a lot of times that I'll see a pile of puke on the ground at a park, and that makes me almost get sick, but so far that hasn't happened.

 

And as far as remedies go, I agree with the other who say to use Dramamine. The non/less drowsy formula works quite well. Also, myabe try taking Sudafed before going to a park to makw sure your sinuses are clear. Being able to breathe clearly can do wonders when you're nauseated.

[davisal771]

I get sick on pretty much any ride that spins, the closest things I can handle are Chairswings (Yo-Yos), and Chaos's. The worst ride I ever experienced was the Spider at EG. My friend and I went on it, I thought I could handle it, but it was wayyy too intense. The car just wouldn't stop spinning. I felt pretty sick afterwards, but we rested for 15 minutes then proceeded to ride the Mind Eraser 6 times in a row with no lines. I felt okay afterwards, but eating really helped me feel better. I tried taking Dramamine less drowsy, and well, it made me pretty drowsy. After a roller coaster I could just sit down on a bench and fall asleep.

 

Needless to say, I just avoid the spinny rides and just stick to the coasters!

[ilrider]

I have to take a full dose of Dramamine every four hours or my day is ruined by motion sickness. Flat rides affect me badly, so I typically avoid spinning ones altogether. I'm fine on coasters once the Dramamine takes effect. This hit in adulthood.

[Mr. Starr]

I throw up whenever I go to any sort of theme park I can only recall *one* trip to SFGAm where I didn't throw up during the day, or on the way home For me, I start to feel a little sick, and then it progressively gets worse throughout the day, so I usually try to get rid of it after a while, and then get back to lots of coaster riding Inverts are bad for me, as every single one I've been on has made me puke no more than a half hour later. Again, it's become regular for me, and while I haven't tried any medication other than aspirin, I am still able to have a good time, and not make it such a big deal.

 

Oh yes, and ERT at TPR day at SFGAm was particularly fun, and I managed to make it through all of ERT without getting sick, however, Raging Bull's exit got some lovin'.

[ilrider]

^Dramamine or similar will help you immensely. Causes some drowsiness, but you'll enjoy your day even more and not lose your lunch!

[paiging_jen]

Bonine is another anti-nausea over-the-counter option. It's been a long time since I've taken it to remember about the drowsiness but it advertises as less drowsy than Dramamine.

[QueerRudie]

I know my BF gets sick on some rides, but I don't as a general rule. For him, we have a known 'stop now' point- and we'll do a gentle ride or show to prevent illness in depth. To really avoid nausea, he won't go on loopers/spinners, and I respect his requests for that (which is why, yet again, DL is the perfect park for us!)

 

R.D.

[vrf19977]

I'm starting to wonder if people who go on lots of rides as kids are less prone to motion sickness as adults. I was too scared to ride anything beyond the carousel when I was little. I didn't start on coasters till I was in high school. Now, anytime I try to ride something that spins, I get dizzy and feel like puking, which I hate, cause spinning rides look so FUN! I also find that I can't handle the all-day adrenaline rush like I used to A few rounds on a good coaster and I feel all shaky and need to sit down for a while. I want to be one of those 80 year old ladies still screaming and giddy on roller coasters...I must fight back! My brain is not allowed to interfere with my fun!

 

But yeah, as far as tips go, I suggest sitting down after any ride that makes you feel dizzy or sick. Just find a (shady) bench or place with a/c and sit for 15 minutes. It might seem like you're wasting time, but it's really worth it to regain your bearings and take a little rest. You'll be more energized for the next ride. Also, make sure you're DRINKING all day long, especially in hot weather. It's easy to just ride-ride-ride without stopping to eat or drink, but if you're hootin' and hollerin' on the rides and sweating in lines, you're going to wind up dehydrated which will only make fatigue and dizziness worse. DRINK.

Edited October 6, 2010 by vrf19977

[davisal771]

^ Eh, I've been riding rides and coasters as long as I can remember. As soon as I was tall enough for the coasters, I rode them. But now I get sick on spinning rides.

[vrf19977]

^ Eh, I've been riding rides and coasters as long as I can remember. As soon as I was tall enough for the coasters, I rode them. But now I get sick on spinning rides.

 

Well heck, I'm glad it's not just me! Still sucks though, I wish I could ride every single thing, but I just can't I endured two rounds on the Tilt-A-Whirl a few weeks ago, for my son's sake, and I felt so awful when I got off. Had to sit down and focus on not throwing up for a solid 10-20 minutes.

[The_Mad_Hatter]

The only ride I've ever "whited out" on was the Incredible Hulk, although it probably had to do with the sharp transition from the cool dark launch tube to the extreme Floridian heat.

[Coaster Mike]

I've never felt sick on a ride in my life, never been prone to motion or sea sickness. Guess I'm just lucky.

[rcdude]

I rarely get sick on roller coasters unless I ride them over and over. For example, riding X2 at SFMM 3 times in a row during WCB ERT made me feel sick, but one ride on it doesn't. I have had similar experiences with Goliath and GhostRider after riding 3-4 times in a row when there was no wait, but I have never felt like vomiting after the ride, just very dizzy and/or sore (in GhostRider's case).

 

Flat rides, on the other hand...well, I can handle some, but not all. I've found that in general rides which rotate on parallel or perpendicular axes don't bother me much, while rides that rotate on skewed axes do. For example, I'm not bothered by a normal tea cup ride because all three axes of rotation are parallel, but I get sick on a tilt-a-whirl because even though it only has two axes of rotation they are skewed. So far, the only exception I've found to this rule is Knights Tournament at Legoland California, but since that is so unique it doesn't really qualify. Additionally, I cannot handle being suspended upside down at all. Inversions don't bother me, and I do fine on rides like the top spin, but on a kamikaze ride where it stops at the top I instantly get sick.

 

Someone above mentioned drinking water, which I find helps. I have a general rule that if there is a drinking fountain between rides, I stop and take a drink regardless of the temperature or whether or not I think I need to. This has worked for me everytime, and so far I have never gotten dehydrated at a park.

[ilrider]

My motion sickness hit in adulthood, so you youngins might still get it one day. Dramamine gets me through the day at a park fine, but I avoid the rapidly spinning flat rides. Carousels and slower flat rides, I'm usually okay.

Edited October 6, 2010 by ilrider

[mightbeawannabe]

Anyone else get sick on carousels but not on rides a lot more extreme? I think a good portion of it is mental just because how dangerous carousels actually are in comparison to other rides.

 

But I won't ride one anyway as my stomach will have none of it!