Betahistine is a tablet used to treat symptoms of Ménière’s disease, an inner ear condition that can cause problems with balance and hearing. It’s a long-term treatment that helps relieve symptoms by increasing blood flow to the ears and reducing fluid buildup.
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Betahistine is a histamine analogue that treats Ménière’s disease (which affects balance), BPPV (a type of vertigo where the inside of your head feels like it’s spinning) and labyrinthitis (a type of ear inflammation that causes vertigo). All these conditions are connected to problems within the inner ear. It’s still not exactly known what causes them, but it’s thought that they relate to issues with pressure and poor fluid drainage deep inside the ear.
Symptoms usually happen all at once and can include dizziness, vertigo, feeling unsteady on your feet, ringing in the ear, nausea and even hearing loss. Betahistine is a medication you usually take three times a day. It should start to relieve these symptoms within the first couple of weeks of starting treatment, and you’ll normally take it for several months to make sure it works.
Betahistine is thought to work by increasing the blood flow to parts of the ear. This increase in blood flow helps improve drainage in the inner ear and eliminates fluid build-up, which reduces the severity of your symptoms and the number of vertigo attacks you get.
Betahistine comes in tablet doses of 8mg, 16mg and 24mg. The dose you use will usually depend on how bad your symptoms are and how often you get them. But the maximum dosage you can take per day is 48mg.
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If you’re not sure about anything when taking this medication, ask our clinician or pharmacist for advice.
Betahistine is absorbed very quickly and is almost completely metabolized by the body within an hour of taking a tablet. But it can take several weeks before your body fully adjusts to the medication, and you begin to feel the full benefits of taking it.
Your clinician may want you to continue taking the tablets for several months to ensure that the medication has worked fully, and your symptoms have cleared.
If you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember, unless it’s within 2 hours of the next scheduled dosage. In this case skip the forgotten one and carry on as normal. Don’t take twice the amount to make up for a missed one.
If you take too much, seek medical attention. You should avoid driving if this happens because you may feel drowsy.
How we source info.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
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Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please talk to a doctor.
Ménière’s disease. [online] NHS.
Effectiveness of betahistine (48 mg/day) in patients with vestibular vertigo during routine practice: The VIRTUOSO study. PLOS ONE, 12(3), p.e0174114.
Betahistine: medicine used to treat the symptoms of Ménière’s disease.
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