My GP is not keen to issue a prescription for betahistine ( serc) as it will not assist in reducing ti nitus noise if you dont have Meniers Disease apparently .Just wondering if there is anyone out there taking betahistine for tinnitus alone and not Meniers?If so ,just wondering what the verdict is please?Any feedback will be really appreciated
Thanks
DR650
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DR650SE
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Your GP is quite right - betahistine is not recommended for tinnitus on its own. I. Believe it used to be prescribed.Please have a look at the website of the British Tinnitus Association which goes through all the possible treatments along with their pros and cons.
Hi I'm on betahistine as I have vertigo along with tinnitus full ears and some hearing loss typical menieres symptoms but I have been told I have BPPV!!!anyway the betahistine has really helped with the vertigo and sense of being off balance all the time but I still have tinnitus. I was desperate to get the vertigo sorted out as it was really affecting my life so badly that's why my doctor let me try betahistine. Take care
Not sure to be honest I had hearing test at boots and they just said I had hearing loss and needed hearing aids....but I didn't want them as I can hear TV/Radio/traffic noise/telephone/mobile all ok....I just felt they wanted to sell me expensive hearing aids so I'm going to ask doctor to refer me to NHS audiology and ENT on my next review which is next month....as from what I have read on here NHS do better testing....so even if it takes a while I will wait....
i have hearing loss in the right ear in particular but I don't know if it is low frequency or not. I havent really asked the audiologist about this as I am asking him about my wretched T when i see him
I don't think betahistine has made any difference to my tinnitus....I think I am habituated to the tinnitus anyway now its just there in the background....sometimes I notice it more and sometimes it doesn't bother me....the vertigo really bothered me....I hated feeling so off balance all the time and was worried going up and down stairs and I haven't driven the car my husband drives me everywhere as I was too worried about driving....I'm not sure I will drive again to be honest even though I'm so much better now its early days and I'm still a bit worried in case it comes back....
Hi! I have had T for almost 16 years. No Meniere disease.,I took betahistine for many years. I didn’t notice any improvement, probably I was helped not to have vertigo. At the moment, I don’t take Betaserc( your Serc). My T is the same. Good health!
I've had Meniere's Disease for 40 years and bilateral meniere's disease for 8 years. I take betahistine and it has eliminated my vertigo but has done nothing to improve tinnitus. My experience tells me that your doctor is correct....Betahistine has practically no benefit for tinnitus improvement.
I have been diagnosed with Meniere's disease and take betahistine although the vertigo had resolved before I started taking it. It has made no difference to the tinnitus.
HiI was prescribed betahistine for motion sickness (I did not have virtigo) and Tinnitus. I have to say the betahistine made me feel worse, I had really bad headaches all the time and my T was worse than ever. I actually stop taking it before I had completed my course and within days I started to feel much better.
I have to say, for me, medication doesn't work. Healthy living, mindfulness and time has had the greatest effect.
Hi DR650SEI was prescribed betahistine months ago and I persevered for several months using them all to no avail. I found they did not help at all until I was given an alternative called Cinnarazine which are similar. I don't have Meniers either. However, I have found the new prescription for Cinnarazine has helped calm my T down significantly. I'm taking 30mg x three daily so in total over the day is 90mg dose.
I still wear my hearing aids as I'm slightly deaf in the right ear.
I hope you may be able to get a prescription for Cinnarazine and hopefully they may just help in your situation too. An added benefit of Cinnarazine is that they are mildy sedating and this helps me sleep better at night which is when my T is at it's worst.
Also checkout N.I.C.E regarding Cinnarazine and also google it too. It works by dialating blood vessel's in the inner ear. It's interesting reading.
Hi there Peter (DR650SE) - Regarding your questions re: Cinnarazine.
Yes they do work straigh away and in fact I had a rather strange feeling in my Right ear when first taking Cinnarazine and that was a rush of warm blood flow pulsating with my pulse and I could hear it also.It was very strange to say the least. It was obviously very deep in my ear canal and when I reached for a cue tip/cotton bud I gingerly entered my ear and I could feel a sack of some kind, the noise was very very close and loud moving the cue tip up and down carefully and I was able to carefully massage this sack and it drained away and cleared up. I could hear loudly the sack draining of liquid. Where this liquid drained to I'll never know. Interesting eh?
I have NOT experienced this since and all seems to be fine. But I wonder did the Cinnarazine release a blocked passage of blood flow deep inside my ear?
I have been taking Cinnarazine ever since on a dailybasis and I have not lapsed a dose either and to be quite honest It has reduced the severity of my T which was pulsate T and sounded like some steel worker banging a hammer onto an Anvil. It was dreadful and somewhat painful too.
My T is well managed now thankfully, partly due to NHS hearing aids with a built in sound generator to mask the sound of T.
They work wonderfully for me and I use them daily around 6/7 hours per day. Not always having the sound generator turned on (only used when T is troublesome) but daily use for my hearing loss.
I sincerely hope you can come to a suitable resolve for your present condition and I wish you well. There is no cure as you know but the hearing aids in combination with Cinnarazine have helped me greatly.
It would appear that cinnarazine tablets on their own are not available in AustraliaI wonder if the cinnarazine /dimenhydrinate combination is any better for tinnitus as opposed to cinnarazine on its own ?
The extract below is from the UK NHS website
Cinnarizine is an antihistamine that stops you feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting).
It also comes mixed with dimenhydrinate (another antihistamine) to treat vertigo.
Cinnarizine comes as tablets. It is available on prescription, or to buy at pharmacies and supermarkets.
Hi again Peter. I'm going to have to reaserach the Cinnarazine combination with Dimenhydrinate. I do believe Dimenhydrinate is for Vertigo which you report as NOT having. I'm going to investigate WHY Australia has banned Cinnarazine and/or not allowed it's use.
It's interesting to find out why it's not available.
I have googled but not found a definitive answer about the combination
i did however find the extract below.
I shall send the link address as well
"However, cinnarizine is not available on its own in Australia. Although there is European experience with the combination, it is only indicated in Australia for adults who have not responded to other treatments. In view of the uncertainty about long-term safety, treatment should not usually exceed four weeks."
i have been researching as well but don't have definitive answer yet
I did find this however
"However, cinnarizine is not available on its own in Australia. Although there is European experience with the combination, it is only indicated in Australia for adults who have not responded to other treatments. In view of the uncertainty about long-term safety, treatment should not usually exceed four weeks."
Thanks
Peter
(excuse if this message is duplicated .
I thought that I had lost my draft so I resent my message )
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