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Betahistine

    Brands

    DEA Class;  Rx

    Common Brand Names; Veserc, Serc, Hiserk, Betaserc, and Vergo

    • Anti-vertigo medication

    Betahistine is an antivertigo agent used for the reduction of episodes of vertigo association with Ménière’s disease.

    Betahistine is a medicine used to treat the symptoms of Ménière’s disease.

    These symptoms include:

    • feeling dizzy and a spinning sensation (vertigo)
    • ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
    • loss of hearing
    • feeling sick (nausea)

    The full name of this medicine is betahistine dihydrochloride.

    It’s thought to work by reducing build-up of fluid in the inner ear. This helps to reduce how often you get Ménière’s disease symptoms and to make them milder.

    It comes as tablets and is available on prescription only.

    Betahistine is contraindicated for patients with pheochromocytoma. Patients with bronchial asthma or a history of peptic ulcer need to be closely monitored

    Patients taking betahistine may experience following side effects:

    • Headache
    • Low level of gastric side effects
    • Nausea can be a side effect, but the patient is generally already experiencing nausea due to the vertigo so it goes largely unnoticed.
    • Patients taking betahistine may experience several hypersensitivity and allergic reactions. In the November 2006 issue of “Drug Safety,” Dr. Sabine Jeck-Thole and Dr. Wolfgang Wagner reported that betahistine may cause several allergic and skin-related side effects. These include rash in several areas of the body; itching and hives; and swelling of the face, tongue and mouth. Other hypersensitivity reactions reported include tingling, numbness, burning sensations, shortness of breath and laboured breathing. The study authors suggest that hypersensitivity reactions may be a direct result of betahistine’s role in increasing histamine levels throughout the body. Hypersensitivity reactions quickly subside after betahistine has been discontinued.

    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
    • ever had a stomach ulcer (sometimes called peptic ulcer)
    • asthma

    Pregnancy: Not recommended 

    Lactation: Not recommended 

    Adults The dose should be individually adapted according to the response.
    8 and 16 mg tablets
    The usual daily dose is 24 – 48 mg betahistine dihydrochloride, divided into three equal doses.
    24 mg tablets
    The recommended initial daily dose is 24 mg betahistine dihydrochloride. In case this dose is not sufficient, the maximum daily dose can be increased to 48 mg betahistine dihydrochloride devided into two equal doses (24 mg in the morning and 24 mg in the evening).


    Paediatric population is not recommended for use in children and adolescents below the age
    of 18 years due to a lack of sufficient data on safety and efficacy.


    Elderly
    Although data from clinical trials in this population are limited, it can be concluded from extensive postmarketing experience that dose adjustment is not necessary in elderly patients.

    Betahistine

    Tablet

    • 8mg
    • 16mg
    • 24mg