Cinnarizine
About Cinnarizine
Cinnarizine is an oral tablet designed to prevent and relieve symptoms of motion sickness and inner ear balance disorders. It is commonly used to treat vertigo, which causes a feeling of spinning, as well as dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. This medicine helps stabilise the balance mechanisms inside your inner ear, allowing you to move comfortably.
To get the best results, you should take this medicine consistently as directed by your doctor, or just before travel if you are using it for travel sickness. It is highly recommended to take this medication with or after a meal to protect your stomach from irritation. Additionally, making simple adjustments, such as avoiding sudden head movements and limiting your salt intake, can help improve your overall balance and speed up your relief.
While this medicine is generally well-tolerated, some people may experience mild side effects like drowsiness or an upset stomach. It is important to watch for any unusual changes in your body, and you must consult your doctor immediately if you experience severe symptoms like muscle stiffness, shaking, or yellowing of the skin or eyes.
Talk to your doctor before taking Cinnarizine if you have any pre-existing health conditions, especially liver, kidney, or neurological issues. Specifically, individuals with Parkinson's disease should not take this medicine, as it can worsen tremors and muscle stiffness.
This medicine can interact with alcohol, sleeping aids, and other sedatives, significantly increasing your drowsiness. It is also important to consult your doctor or pharmacist if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or an older adult, as specific safety adjustments may be required.
Uses of Cinnarizine
• Prevention of Motion Sickness: Cinnarizine helps to prevent and treat motion sickness symptoms like nausea and vomiting, making it useful for travel.
• Management of Vertigo: Cinnarizine is involved in managing vertigo, reducing dizziness, and balance issues related to inner ear problems.
• Treatment of Tinnitus: Cinnarizine may be used to alleviate tinnitus symptoms, such as ringing or buzzing sounds in the ears.
• Circulation Improvement: Cinnarizine calcium channel blocking action enhances blood flow, particularly in cerebral areas, improving circulation and potentially alleviating related symptoms.
• Support for Meniere's disease: Cinnarizine helps manage symptoms of Meniere's disease, including vertigo, hearing loss, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
Medicinal Benefits
Cinnarizine helps calm the overactive signals in your inner ear; it helps you feel stable and physically secure, especially when moving or travelling.
The following are the benefits of this medicine:
- By calming the balance centre in your inner ear, this medicine allows you to travel long distances without the fear of nausea or vomiting.
- It reduces the frequency and intensity of spinning episodes, helping you stand, walk, and perform daily tasks with greater confidence.
- Regular use can lessen the discomfort of ongoing ringing or fullness in your ears, helping you feel more comfortable throughout the day.
Directions for Use
- Swallow the tablet whole with a full glass of water. Do not crush, chew, or break it.
- Take the tablet with or immediately after a meal to reduce the chance of experiencing an upset stomach.
- If you are taking this medicine to prevent travel sickness, take it at least two hours before your journey begins.
- Always follow your doctor's exact instructions regarding how often and how long you should take this medication.
Storage
Side Effects of Cinnarizine
Common side effects (Usually mild):
- Drowsiness or sleepiness
- Upset stomach or indigestion
- Weight gain (especially with long-term use)
- Dry mouth
Serious side effects (Call a doctor right away):
- Shaking, trembling, or muscle stiffness (especially in elderly patients)
- Signs of liver damage, such as yellowing of your eyes or skin
- Severe allergic reactions, including hives, swelling of your face, lips, or throat, and difficulty breathing
Medicines Containing this Salt
View AllDrug Warnings
- Be careful with activities requiring alertness: This medicine may cause drowsiness or slow your reactions. Avoid driving, cycling, or operating machinery if you feel sleepy or less alert.
- Tell your doctor about Parkinson's disease: Inform your doctor if you have Parkinson's disease or symptoms such as tremors or stiffness. This medicine may worsen movement-related problems in some people.
- Avoid alcohol: Do not drink alcohol while taking this medicine. Alcohol can increase drowsiness, dizziness, and problems with balance or coordination.
- Check the expiry date: Always verify that the medicine has not expired before taking it. Do not use the product if it is past the expiry date printed on the packaging.
- Inform your doctor before allergy testing: Tell your doctor if you are scheduled for an allergy skin test. You may need to stop this medicine several days before the test because it can affect the results.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interaction:
- Sedatives and sleeping pills (e.g., diazepam, alprazolam, zolpidem): Taking these medicines alongside Cinnarizine may increase drowsiness and may slow breathing.
- Antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline, imipramine): Taking these medicines alongside Cinnarizine may increase the risk of dry mouth, blurred vision, and drowsiness.
- Other antihistamines (e.g., chlorpheniramine, cetirizine): Taking these medicines alongside Cinnarizine may increase the risk of drowsiness, dizziness, and dry mouth.
Drug-Food Interaction:
Alcohol: Can significantly increase the sedative effects of this medicine, leading to severe drowsiness and poor coordination.
Drug-Disease Interaction:
- Parkinson's disease: Patients with this condition may experience worsening tremors, muscle stiffness, and movement difficulties while taking Cinnarizine.
- Liver damage: Patients with this condition may be at increased risk of side effects while taking Cinnarizine because the medicine may be cleared more slowly from the body.
- Glaucoma: Patients with this condition may be at increased risk of worsening eye pressure while taking Cinnarizine.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeCinnarizine should not be taken along with alcohol as it may increase sleepiness and drowsiness.
Pregnancy
unsafeCinnarizine is not recommended for use during pregnancy. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant.
Breast Feeding
unsafeCinnarizine is not recommended in breastfeeding women.
Driving
cautionCinnarizine is known to cause sleepiness, so you should not operate any machinery or car which requires mental alertness.
Liver
consult your doctorLet your doctor know if you have any history of liver diseases before using Cinnarizine.
Kidney
consult your doctorLet your doctor know if you have any history of kidney diseases before using Cinnarizine.
Children
consult your doctorCinnarizine is not recommended for children below the age of 5 years. For children aged 5 and above, the dose will be decided by a child specialist.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Avoid sudden movements: Wake up slowly and sit on the edge of the bed for a minute before standing up to prevent sudden vertigo.
- Modify travel habits: During travel, keep your eyes fixed on a stable object on the horizon and avoid reading or looking at screens.
- Limit triggers: Reduce your intake of caffeine, alcohol, and high-sodium foods, as these can affect fluid pressure in your inner ear and worsen dizziness.
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to support overall blood circulation and inner ear health.
- Get adequate rest: Fatigue can make vertigo symptoms feel worse, so aim for regular, high-quality sleep.
Special Advise
- Do not take Cinnarizine if you are about to undergo a skin test for an allergic reaction.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Motion sickness: Motion sickness is a condition in which a person feels nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or discomfort while travelling by car, bus, train, ship, or aeroplane. It happens when the brain receives mixed signals from the eyes and inner ear about movement and balance.
Meniere's Disease: It is a disorder of the inner ear that makes you feel dizzy and unwell. It can cause a spinning sensation, vertigo, and sometimes a hearing problem.
FAQs
Cinnarizine is used to treat nausea and vomiting due to Travel sickness (motion sickness). It is also used to treat the body's balancing problems that can be caused by Meniere disease, ringing in the ears, vertigo (a spinning sensation or dizziness), and hearing loss.
Cinnarizine contains Cinnarizine, a drowsy anti-histamine, which works by blocking the effects of histamine in the brain and helps reduce the symptoms of motion sickness. It also helps improve blood flow to the inner ear.
Yes, Cinnarizine can cause an upset stomach. It is best to take Cinnarizine after a meal to avoid upsetting the stomach, and also take it 1-2 hours before you are supposed to travel.
Taking Cinnarizine if you have Parkinson's disease can aggravate the disease condition and worsen your condition. Although when you stop taking Cinnarizine, your condition might become normal. Therefore, it should be used with caution in patients with Parkinson's disease.
No, using Cinnarizine for a long duration can increase the side effects of Cinnarizine. It is mostly used for the long term in elderly patients with vertigo. So, Cinnarizine should always be taken in the dose and duration prescribed by your doctor.
Yes, Cinnarizine can cause sleepiness as a common side effect, especially when you start taking it. It is advisable to avoid driving or operating heavy machinery until you know how the medication affects you. However, if you have any concerns, consult your doctor.
Yes, Cinnarizine can help with tinnitus. Tinnitus is a condition where you hear a ringing or buzzing sound that isn't caused by an external source. Cinnarizine helps by improving blood flow to the inner ear, which can reduce the pressure of excess fluid and reduce symptoms like tinnitus. However, if you experience it for a long time, please consult your doctor.
Take Cinnarizine 1-2 hours before travelling as prescribed by your doctor.
Cinnarizine is generally not recommended for long-term use due to the increased risk of uncontrollable movements and tremors. It is best to use it as prescribed by your doctor.
Take the Cinnarizine exactly as prescribed by your doctor. It is best to take it after meals to minimise stomach upset. Swallow it with water. Do not break, crush or chew it.
It may cause weight gain as a side effect. To prevent this, you can eat a healthy balanced diet, avoid snacking with high-calorie food, and exercise regularly. However, consult your doctor if you have any concerns.
The common side effects of Cinnarizine are sleepiness, sweating, dry mouth, headache, weight gain, skin problems and lethargy. If these side effects persist or worsen, please consult your doctor.
Since this medicine can cause significant drowsiness and affect your reaction times, you should avoid driving, operating machinery, or performing any hazardous tasks until you know exactly how it affects you. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have concerns.
While you can take it without food, taking it with or after a meal is highly recommended to help prevent stomach irritation or indigestion. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you experience stomach discomfort.
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is nearly time for your next dose, skip the missed one and continue your normal schedule. Do not take a double dose. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you frequently forget doses.
No, you should avoid drinking alcohol while taking this medicine. Alcohol can severely increase the drowsiness caused by the medication and worsen your coordination. Talk to your doctor.
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