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.
Taking too much betahistine can make you feel sick or sleepy, or give you stomach ache.
Common side effects (at least 1 in 100 and less than 1 in 10 patients): Nausea, indigestion, headaches. Itching, rash, hives, mild gastric complaints such as vomiting, stomach pain and bloating. Taking Serc with food can help reduce any stomach problems.
Taking it at the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take it. Take SERC during or immediately after a meal. If you take SERC on an empty stomach, it may cause stomach upsets.
Antihistamines, e.g. betahistine and cinnarizine. These are sedative, and patients should not operate machinery or drink alcohol.
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.
When you start taking betahistine it may take a couple of weeks before you notice any improvements. Common side effects include headache, feeling sick or indigestion. They're usually mild and do not last long.
It works by increasing the effect of a natural substance called histamine in your inner ear. Antihistamines work by stopping histamine affecting the cells in your body. They're often used to relieve symptoms of allergies, such as hay fever, hives, conjunctivitis and reactions to insect bites or stings.
Betahistine is thought to work by improving blood flow to your brain and affecting nerve cells in your inner ear. It is used to treat symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, loss of balance, ringing in your ears (tinnitus) and hearing loss associated with Meniere's disease.
Anxiety symptoms
The repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant effect of time (P<0.00001), indicating that both high-dose and low-dose betahistine could significantly reduce the HARS score.
Betahistine Brand name: Serc.
Several clinical trials have demonstrated that betahistine is effective in reducing the frequency and severity of vertigo, and improving vertigo-associated symptoms, including nausea and vomiting [7,9–15].
Betahistine has been used for many years to treat vertigo (dizziness). It was taken off the market in the United States in 1970 because it was thought to be ineffective for vertigo, but is still used for this purpose in many other countries. Some research suggests that betahistine may reduce appetite and food intake.
If you stop taking Betahistine
Keep taking your tablets until your doctor tells you to stop. Even when you start feeling better, your doctor may want you to carry on taking the tablets for some time to make sure that the medicine has worked completely.
Stop taking the medication and seek immediate medical attention if any of the following occur: signs of a serious allergic reaction (e.g., swelling of face or throat, hives, or difficulty breathing)
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.
Increases in vestibular blood flow and decreases in blood pressure were observed in response to betahistine infusions.
Driving and using machines: SERC® is not likely to affect your ability to drive or use tools or machinery. However, remember that the disease for which you are being treated (recurrent vertigo associated with Ménière's disease) can make you feel dizzy or sick, and can affect your ability to drive and use machines.
Few studies had compared the effect of betahistine and metformin before. According to our study, although betahistine group failed to decrease the body weight significantly, it prevented further weight gain with a decreasing tendency.
Meclizine may be used to treat vertigo or nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness; however, it takes approximately an hour to start working and may cause drowsiness, although it is less likely than some other antihistamines to cause drowsiness.
Some medications that I've seen people successfully use for vertigo and anxiety include Valium or Xanax in the short term, and anti-anxiety medications such as Lexapro for more long term use.
NuCara Pharmacy is presently our preferred pharmacy for Serc/Betahistine, as prices are most reasonable. We think a reasonable price is about $40/month for a supply of 16 mg twice/day.