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Has anyone tried Betahistine

Posted , 11 users are following.

maria77273
maria77273

MD often is discussed as fluid retention in middle ear. My daughter is a medical scientist in London and did a lot of research for me when diagnosed 1 year ago. She suggested Betahistine. No side effects at all. 90% of MD patients in U.K. are taking it. I have been on them for six months or so feeling not so full in ear but it may be a placebo effect. Suppose to help with the fluid buildup in middle ear which in turn causes the fullness to start to MD episode. Interested to hear of anyone else knowing about this med. 

0 likes, 34 replies

34 Replies

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  • Bluesmann
    Bluesmann maria77273

    Posted

    Many of us and the consensus is yes it helps.  Glad your daughter suggested it
  • greg333
    greg333 maria77273

    Posted

    I'm in the US and my ENT did not suggest it since it has not been approved in the US. I asked her for a RX anyway and she gave me one. It has helped me significantly, however my ENT believes it is just the placebo affect. Hey, if it works I don't care how, so I am continuing to use it. I take 28mg per day and that costs me about $1 per pill, so not cheap but if it works it costs me less than a cup of coffee a day and I'm sticking to it. 

     

    • Bluesmann
      Bluesmann greg333

      Posted

      How many do you take per day?  I'm on 16x2 and costs me 48 for 60 pills.  Compounding pharmacies in the USA can make it.  I disagree about placebo as so many feel better with it 

    • maria77273
      maria77273 greg333

      Posted

      Glad it's helping Greg. What you can do as suggested by my ENT specialist in Australia is to slowly cut out one tablet for awhile. They do not have any side effects whatsoever but are not on our PBS in Australia so yes can be expensive. I pay $14 Aus for 25 tabs. I take 2 to 3 a day dosage is 16mg

    • maria77273
      maria77273 Bluesmann

      Posted

      16mg tablets, 25 in pack and I pay $14 Aus. I'm down to 2 from 3 a day so lasting me a bit longer. Too scared to go off completely. No side effects. 

    • arax19947
      arax19947 maria77273

      Posted

      I did take it for a couple of weeks and yes I did have a side affect of rash and itchiness. But in those two weeks I did not see any difference in my condition. Glad to hear so many are benefiting from this medication  
    • claire78808
      claire78808 maria77273

      Posted

      Maria, where do you purchase these for $14, I’m in Brisbane and pay $43 for 25 from Chemist warehouse and I’m on 3-4 a day so this is not economical!! 
    • maria77273
      maria77273 claire78808

      Posted

      OMG Claire. Are we talking about same medication. My box says

      Betahistine Sandoz

      Betahistine dihydrochloride tablets 16mg

      25 tablets

      Made by Sandoz a Novartis compan$13.99

      Chemist Warehouse Athelstone SA

      Let me know if yours is the same. Can't believe what you are paying. This is not pbs subsided either. 

    • claire78808
      claire78808 maria77273

      Posted

      That is so weird!! I just checked my recent box and yes it’s by Sandoz.....the Serc (non generic brand) is $43! My sandoz one is $36......I have screen shot your comment and I will show them next time I go in.

      Thank you so much!!

      Oh man, I think I just realised this is for 50 tablets 😂😂......I got my doctor to give me a bigger script because I kept running out. 

    • maria77273
      maria77273 claire78808

      Posted

      Hah I thought it couldn't be that much of a difference. Yes 50 here would be probably still a bit cheaper but not much. I've been trying one whole tablet in morning and 2 half tablets in arvo and night as I'm going through them too quickly. Will see if it works. 

  • patrick12162
    patrick12162 maria77273

    Posted

    Maria - Glad to hear your daughter did research on it.  I'm in the US and tried to get my ENT to give me a prescription for it and he wouldn't do it since it wasn't approved by the FDA.   I'm really not that bad but do have fullness in my ear and some hearing lose.  I've heard good things about Betahistine and would like to try it.  I need to search around for an ENT who will prescribe it for me.   Anything that helps is a plus, no matter a placebo effect or not.   Thanks for the post!

    • maria77273
      maria77273 patrick12162

      Posted

      Patrick can't believe Drs don't even try to give to their patients. And I thought Australia was backwards. Hope you can at least get a prescription to try it. Good luck

  • christine_35821
    christine_35821 maria77273

    Posted

    Hi Maria. I was diagnosed 18 months ago having suffered severe vertigo for 6 months and have been on betahistine ever since. The only time I started to have symptoms again was when my gp tried to reduce my dosage to 8 x 3 per day from 16 so I saw a neurotologist privately and he increased my dose age to 24 x 3 per day to stabilise me again. Each attack can potentially damage hearing so this is important to me as I already had moderate hearing loss. So no more vertigo and very quiet tinnitus. Thankfully!  I am in U.K. by the way. 
    • maria77273
      maria77273 christine_35821

      Posted

      Hi Christine you know your own body. Good on you for sticking to your dosage. Reducing dosage is just a trial and may not work for everyone. Yes lucky you are in the U.K.  Cannot understand other comments from USA and poor people not being able to buy this easily. 
    • Bluesmann
      Bluesmann maria77273

      Posted

      To all from the USA ....I spoke with my ENT and he had a source for betahistine right here in the USA.  You must tell your ent and show them all of the people having results or articles...Betahistine can be purchased in the USA ..The key is you have to find a compounding pharmacy and insurance doesn't take care of it at least in my case but its around a dollar a day......my ENT started me off very light 8mgx2 per day ...I am now on 16x2 which is nothing but it has definitely helped.....If you can't find a compounding pharmacy then you can get it in Canada via mail......Do yourself a favor get on the phone and call the pharmacies around you......mine comes from a mom and pop pharmacy and I'm so glad they make it....no side effects and results....Just thought I would pass this on for all in the use who feel they can't get it....DONT GIVE UP!

    • maria77273
      maria77273 Bluesmann

      Posted

      Well done Bluesmann I hope the USA people take note because it has seemed to help a lot of people. I'm still on 16mg x 3 a day. Have tried 2 but felt like the feeling of dizzy and fullness was starting up. Not sure but will try again. 

    • Lizzie1453
      Lizzie1453 maria77273

      Posted

      Hi Maria, I have never tried to cut down from 16mg x3 daily as I believe the Betahistine does help and quite frankly I could not go back to throwing up every day and spending the evening in bed. It is a fairly innocuous drug and while upping the dose would likely wipe out all symptoms I would rather stay like I am. 
    • greg333
      greg333 Bluesmann

      Posted

      Agree with Bluesmann, you can easily get Betahistine in the USA, most larger cities have compounding pharmacies and they can mix it up easily. Patrick if your ENT does not give you an RX, I would find a new ENT immediately. When requested they should give you an RX given it is not a dangerous drug, the FDA has just not proved its efficacy. I go to one of the top ENTs from Duke University and while she said she did not think ti would work, she had no hesitation giving me a prescription and a local pharmacy that would fill it.  I'm taking one 24MG capsule a day and it has helped dramatically. Given what others are saying I asked my ENT about increasing the dosage and she reccomended against it, Not because it would hurt me but because she did not think it would help much and currently I am paying $1 per dosage. That said, when I do get under a lot of stress and I feel an episode possibly coming on I will take a 2nd dosage. Overall at this point the Betahistine is working wonders for me. My first 90 day RX is coming to an end, so I am going to try and order from Canada as it is 1/2 the price. 

      Patrick, by the way, what city in the USA are you located in? Good luck. 

    • patrick12162
      patrick12162 greg333

      Posted

      I'm in Elizabethtown, KY which is about 40 miles south of Louisville.   I went to my GP last week and he wouldn't prescribe a prescription for Betahistine for me.  I am very fortunate that I don't have a severe case of MD yet.  The worse thing now is my lose of hearing in my left ear.  Good days I may have 25% hearing...today, seems like I only have 10%.   I feel for those who have to deal with vertigo and drop attacks.   I've only had 2 drop attacks in about 9 months and had those at the beginning.  I have limited my salt intake but I still will eat fries on occasion but don't salt my food at home, which I used to be a salt-a-holic!!  At some point in time, I need to find some GP or ENT to give me a prescription for Betahistine.  My GP says that he doesn't want a lot of drugs for me unless I need them.  I still envy those on it that are having such good results!  Thanks for your feedback!!

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