Betahistine is a type of medicine called a histamine analogue. It works by improving blood flow in the inner ear, which reduces the build up of pressure. It is this pressure in the inner ear which is thought to cause the vertigo (dizziness), tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and hearing loss suffered by people with Meniere’s disease.

The duration of taking Serc/Betahistine is not constant; it depends on the problem. Reports indicate that betahistine works best when used over a long time period. This would not normally pose a problem for the vast majority of people taking the drug over a long time period. The recommended dosage is a maximum of 48mg daily. This works out at 16mg three times daily.

There is no exact time line for the use of betahistine if necessary it can be prescribed for long term use where the problem persists. However, Now you have completed your course of medication and you say there is no improvement or it is getting worse you need to pay your doctor a return visit.

It would not be wise to take betahistine without your doctors knowledge. This is because you may need to take the medicine for a longer time period if you still do not feel any better or worse your doctor may need to look at other disorders that may cause noise in the ears.

When taking this drug for myself I found relief from my dizziness within the second week. However, we are all individuals and some people may need to take the drug for a greater time period, before getting results.

When betahistine stopped working for me I found relief in the form of a white noise genetator. See Personal Experience

We get asked this question a lot and we always say the same thing… It is not our place to say whether you should or should not take the medication prescribed for you. This responsibility is yours alone.

If your doctor is aware you take Cinnarizine, and has given you Betahistine to take he/she should have informed you if they wanted you to take both Cinnarizine and Betahistine. If you are unsure whether you are supposed to take both or just your new prescription you will need to ring the surgery and find out what you need to do before you stop taking Cinnarizine.

Cinnarizine belongs to the class of medicines called antihistamines and can be given for the same disorder as Betahistine, (inner ear problems), such as vertigo, (loss of balance or giddiness), tinnitus (buzzing or ringing in the ears), sickness and vomiting caused by Meniere’s disease and travel sickness.

As both these drugs can be given for disorders of balance your doctor may feel that it is time for a change of medication if as you say it was under control using Cinnarizine, but has now returned. Please ring your G.P. surgery to have peace of mind.

I am sorry we can not be more precise.

We hear at Medibolism wish you well.

Note: You have received this information because of the question you left on our website. Please be aware we are not doctors here at Medibolism our main goal is to give the individual an informed choice about the medication they may be or going to be taken. The information should not be used as a guarantee or diagnosis. We would advise any information received from us should be first checked-out with your doctor, pharmacist or a qualified medical practitioner.

The intense indigestion you are experiencing may be help if you take your dose of Betahistine during or immediately after meals with a glass of water.

Omeprazole can increase the level of diazepam in your blood, increasing your risk of Diazepam side effects. Some drugs on a not recommended list can be given by a doctor if he/she feels the benefits the patient would receive out-weigh the risks of that particular drug. If you decided to take Diazepam your health-care provider may need to decrease your Diazepam dosage to combat any increased side effects you may receive.

If you were to take the Diazepam I believe it is now standard practice to prescribe those kind of drugs for no more then a few months at a time to avoid dependency. Having said that I do have friends who take the tablet known as Amitriptyline (another known antidepressant/anxiety drug) and have done so for many years, and probably will do until they leave this world.

You could try eating foods that would combat the acid in your stomach. Certain foods, beverages and eating habits, such as eating too quickly, and emotional stress can trigger or exacerbate your symptoms. There is one website I can think of you could check it out it may give you ideas on what you can eat that will help your condition while not adding to it.

I do understand the distress you are going though, I have suffered from tinnitus for many years now, Betahistine did work for me (eventually) for a while, then stopped working. Thankfully the bouts of indigestion I got could be controlled with Remegel antacid tablets and believe it or not when Remegel did not work I found boiled water (cool enough to drink) and sugar worked for me even better than the Remegel antacid tablets.

I now control my own noise in both ears by wearing, once or twice a week, a device known as a White Noise generator which I got, after being
referred by my doctor, to the NHS Audio Department of my local hospital.

I believe there is also an operation that is supposed to work, although I have read not everyone benefits from it.

I really do wish you well, and promise you will always have my ear here at Medibolism when things get beyond you. It may not help to cure your tinnitus but it may help when things get you down

As I said we here at Medibolism wish you well.

Note: You have received this information because of the question you left on our website. Please be aware we are not doctors here at Medibolism our main goal is to give the individual an informed choice about the medication they may be or going to be taken. The information should not be used as a guarantee or diagnosis. We would advise any information received from us should be first checked-out with your doctor, pharmacist or a qualified medical practitioner.

I am sorry but we here at medibolism have no say in weather you take this particular drug or not, that decision is yours alone to make. However, I have checked around my usual sources and apart from Omeprazole usual side effects, and medication it does interact with. <em(see below) I have been unable to find any interaction between the drug Betahistine and Omeprazole.

Before taking omeprazole, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following drugs:

a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
clopidogrel (Plavix);
diazepam (Valium);
disulfiram (Antabuse);
cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);
tacrolimus (Prograf);
phenytoin (Dilantin);
ketoconazole (Nizoral), voriconazole (Vfend);
ampicillin (Omnipen, Principen);
HIV or AIDS medications such as atazanavir (Reyataz), nelfinavir (Viracept), saquinavir (Invirase); or
iron (Feosol, Mol-Iron, Fergon, Femiron, others).
Other medicines to reduce stomach acid production (e.g. cimetidine, famotidine, ranitidine or lansoprazole).

This list may not be complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with omeprazole.

NB. OMEPRAZOLE 10MG, 20MG GASTRO-RESISTANT CAPSULES contain lactose.
If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact him/her before taking this medicinal product.

If you have had the tests to prove you have ear damage then hopefully Betahistine will help to ease your condition in the near future. If there is still no obvious relief and you have not been tested at your local N.H.S. Audio department, perhaps you should be.
if all your tests show normal there may be another reason for the noise in the your ear. You may need to discuss the possibility that your problem may be caused by some other disorder (which is beyond our knowledge of this website) with your doctor.

We hear at Medibolism wish you well.

Note: You have received this information because of the question you left on our website. Please be aware we are not doctors here at Medibolism our main goal is to give the individual an informed choice about the medication they may be or going to be taken. The information should not be used as a guarantee or diagnosis. We would advise any information received from us should be first checked-out with your doctor, pharmacist or a qualified medical practitioner.