In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines: Anti-histamines - these may (in theory) lower the effect of Serc. Also, Serc may lower the effect of anti-histamines. Monoamine-oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) - used to treat depression or Parkinson's disease.
Some medicines and betahistine affect each other and can increase your chance of side effects. Tell your pharmacist or doctor if you're taking: medicines called MAO inhibitors, used to treat depression or Parkinson's disease. antihistamines for allergies such as hay fever.
What it does: SERC® is a type of medicine called a histamine-analogue. It is thought to work by helping the blood flow in your inner ear, which lowers the build up of pressure.
Take SERC during or immediately after a meal. If you take SERC on an empty stomach, it may cause stomach upsets.
Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how Serc affects you. This medicine may cause dizziness, and tiredness in some people. If you have any of these symptoms, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous.
There are many names for these medications (e.g. Serc, Stemetil) but essentially they are designed to reduce nausea and discomfort during a severe attack of vertigo. This is the sort of vertigo where our visual world is spinning for longer than 20-minutes.
Whilst histamine has positive inotropic effects on the heart, betahistine is not known to increase cardiac output and its vasodilator effect may produce a small fall in blood pressure in some patients. In man, betahistine has little effect on exocrine glands.
Betahistine enters the CNS and improves histaminergic neurotransmission (12). Although several studies have reported subsequent improvements in cognitive function (12–16), they have shown conflicting findings on the effects of betahistine on cognition.
Betahistine may be associated with weight loss.
The reason is that centrally acting antihistamines seem to cause weight gain (Hampton, 2007), and by the same token, histamine agonists may cause weight loss.
The following serious side effects may occur during treatment with Betahistine: Allergic reactions: • a red or lumpy skin rash or inflamed itchy skin • swelling of your face, lips, tongue or neck • a drop in your blood pressure • loss of consciousness • difficulty breathing If any of these side effects occur you should ...
Betahistine is not suitable for some people. To make sure it's safe for you, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have: ever had an allergic reaction to betahistine or any other medicine. high blood pressure due to an adrenal tumour.
Dosage and strength
Betahistine comes as 8mg or 16mg tablets. The usual starting dose is 16mg, taken 3 times a day. Leave 6 to 8 hours between doses. When your symptoms are under control, your doctor may reduce your dose to 8mg, taken 3 times a day.
Continued improvements in vertigo have been observed throughout betahistine treatment, and at a range of doses, for periods lasting from 45 days up to 12 months [7,11–15]; therefore, a longer duration of betahistine treatment may be required for the maximal effect of betahistine to be observed.
This is what happens in Ménière's disease, a disorder of the inner ear. Betahistine acts on histamine receptors and also increases the activity of histamine. These actions improve the blood flow in the inner ear and this helps reduce the pressure of the fluid that fills the labyrinth in the inner ear.
This medication may irritate the stomach, and should be taken with food. It is best to avoid coffee, spicy food or alcohol.
Your doctor may advise a trial of betahistine for 6-12 months to see if it helps to reduce your symptoms. If it does, it can then be continued. Some people with Ménière's disease claim their symptoms improve with a low-salt diet, regular exercise, stopping smoking, and cutting out caffeine and alcohol.
Are there any long-term side effects? Betahistine is unlikely to do you any harm, even if you take it for a long time. It's generally a very safe medicine.
Betahistine is a medicine used to treat the symptoms of Ménière's disease. These symptoms include: feeling dizzy and a spinning sensation (vertigo)
You should not drink alcohol while being treated with this medicine, because there have been reported cases of interaction between this medicine with alcohol. Betahistine should not be taken during pregnancy or breast-feeding unless your doctor has decided that it is necessary.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur: itching. rash. stomach pain.
One case concerned a male patient of unknown age who experienced weight loss, insomnia, impatience and irritability soon after the start of betahistine therapy.
Antihistamines can be used to help relieve less severe nausea, vomiting and vertigo symptoms. They work by blocking the effects of a chemical called histamine. Possible antihistamines that may be prescribed include: cinnarizine.
Stemetil Tablets can be used to: Treat balance problems or dizziness (vertigo). This includes problems of the inner ear such as 'Meniere's Syndrome' or 'labyrinthitis'. Stop you feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting).
Do not use if you have ever had an allergic reaction to prochlorperazine or any of the ingredients listed at the end of the CMI. Talk to your doctor if you have any other medical conditions, take any other medicines, or are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding. For more information, see Section 2.