Cinnarizine
Cinnarizine is an antihistamine tablet for travel sickness, vertigo and Ménière's disease, sold here as Stugeron 25mg tablets to order online.
What cinnarizine is used for
Cinnarizine is an antihistamine that settles the balance system in the inner ear. It is taken for travel sickness and seasickness, for vertigo (the feeling that you or the room is spinning), and for Ménière's disease, a condition that affects balance and hearing. Along with the dizziness, it eases the nausea and vomiting that come with these problems. It comes as tablets you swallow.
How it calms a spinning head
Movement is sensed by the vestibular system, the fluid-filled structures of the inner ear, and reported to the brain. Cinnarizine dampens that traffic in two ways: it blocks calcium from entering the muscle of the inner ear's small blood vessels, letting them relax, and it blocks histamine receptors in the same area. It also acts on the vomiting centre in the brain, which is why nausea eases along with the spinning. What the brain reads is a normal signal rather than a false sense of motion.
Taking cinnarizine tablets
Swallow the tablet with water. Cinnarizine is easier on the stomach after food, as it can cause heartburn and bloating. For travel, take it about two hours before you set off, with a further dose on a long journey once eight hours have passed. For vertigo or Ménière's disease, doses are spread through the day and the course can run for weeks. Sleepiness is common in the first few days. Keep the tablets in their blister pack in a cool, dark cupboard, and check the expiry date.
Side effects and interactions
Drowsiness is the effect most people notice, along with heartburn, bloating, nausea and weight gain over longer use. Rare but serious effects include a severe allergic reaction — swelling of the throat or tongue, an itchy raised rash, difficulty breathing — liver problems, which can show as itchy skin, dark urine or yellowing of the skin and eyes, and slow, jerky movements, stiffness or trembling, which are more likely in older people who have taken cinnarizine for years. A red, ring-shaped rash on skin exposed to the sun is another uncommon one. Alcohol and medicines that calm the brain — strong painkillers such as tramadol, amitriptyline for nerve pain and migraine, sleeping tablets such as zopiclone, anxiety medicines such as diazepam — all add to the drowsiness.
The cinnarizine product here
Stugeron 25mg tablets are the cinnarizine product here, taken by mouth. The 25mg strength is the one used for vertigo and balance problems rather than a single journey, and it is the version you order on this page.
Sources
- Stugeron 15mg Tablets - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc) — electronic medicines compendium (emc)
- Cinnarizine: antihistamine used for travel sickness and vertigo - NHS — NHS
Is Cinnarizine available to order in Hong Kong?
Cinnarizine can be ordered online with delivery to Hong Kong. The range is generic Stugeron tablets in 25mg, and that is the only version here. Every order ships in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing on the outside about the contents.
How much do Cinnarizine products cost in Hong Kong?
The price depends on the strength and pack size you choose. The Stugeron page shows current prices in HKD or the currency you select.
Do I need a prescription to order Cinnarizine?
PockDose does not ask you to upload a prescription when you order cinnarizine. See the ordering FAQ for details.
What are the brand names for cinnarizine?
Stugeron is a brand name of cinnarizine, which is also sold as Vertigon. Here, cinnarizine can be bought online as generic Stugeron. These are generics, not the original brand.
Is Stugeron the same as cinnarizine?
Yes — Stugeron is a brand name for cinnarizine, so the medicine inside is the same. The tablets sold here are Stugeron 25mg. Other countries sell cinnarizine under different brand names, but the ingredient does not change.
Can I drink alcohol with cinnarizine?
Cinnarizine and alcohol both bring on sleepiness, and together the effect is stronger than either alone. A couple of drinks can leave you drowsier and slower than you expect, so it is worth keeping them light on days when you take a tablet.
Can I take cinnarizine every day?
For vertigo and Ménière's disease it is usually taken regularly over a spell of weeks, with doses spaced through the day. Travel sickness works differently: you take it shortly before a journey and repeat only if the journey is a long one.
Should I take cinnarizine with food?
A meal first is kinder to the stomach — on an empty one, cinnarizine is more likely to bring on heartburn, a bloated feeling or nausea. Swallow the tablet whole with a glass of water.