Is it permissible to combine alcohol and "Betaserc"? Let's try to figure it out. Betaserc is a prescription drug. It has one dosage form - tablet. Every person who is prescribed "Betaserk" is faced with the need to obtain additional information about this medicine. Firstly, it is not clear whether it is possible to combine the medication with alcohol and whether any serious consequences may occur. Secondly, it is important to know exactly about the features of the use of "Betaserk", possible side effects. All this information allows you to take the drug correctly without harm to your body.
On the compatibility of Betaserc and alcohol
Practically when taking any medication, people wonder if it can be combined with alcohol. A common situation is that a tablet of the drug is taken, andliterally in an hour, a party will begin at friends at home, and alcohol-containing drinks will certainly be on the table. What to do: refuse or drink a little? Can I take Betaserc with alcohol?
Specifically, the instructions say nothing about the incompatibility of the drug with ethyl alcohol. This does not mean that you can drink alcohol-containing drinks. It's just that the manufacturer of the drug did not specifically conduct research on this topic. Yes, and they do not make much sense. By and large, it is undesirable to combine all medicines with alcohol, and Betaserc is no exception. Medicines contribute to recovery, restoration of certain functions of the body. Ethyl alcohol has the opposite effect. It puts a strain on the brain, heart, liver, and damages the gastric mucosa.
Possible consequences of taking the drug and alcohol
It is easy to guess what the consequences may be from the simultaneous use of "Betaserc" and alcohol-containing drinks. Alcohol can cause headache, dizziness. A drunk person loses orientation in time and space, formulates speech poorly, walks with an uneven gait, staggers.
And now let's pay attention to the pharmacological action of the drug "Betaserc". The drug improves microcirculation. It is recommended to take it to those people who suffer from dizziness, complain of tinnitus, headache. If a person with such symptoms drinks alcohol, he will only worsen his well-being. The drug due to the presence of ethyl alcohol in the body is notcan act properly. Some people in the reviews confirm this, talking about increased headaches, tinnitus and more.
General product information
So, the answer to the frequently asked question about the simultaneous use of "Betaserk" and alcohol was given. Now let's go directly to the consideration of the drug. Let's start with the fact that Betaserc is a drug known all over the world. It has been in existence for almost 50 years. During all this time, the drug has been and remains a faithful assistant for neurologists and patients.
Betaserc was first registered in Europe in 1970. Over time, experts have determined a safe and yet effective dose for humans. Further studies of the drug showed that Betaserk does not affect psychomotor function, does not have a sedative effect, and does not cause drowsiness. Also, the drug does not affect systemic blood pressure, which is very important for people suffering from arterial hypertension.
Composition and release form
"Betaserc" is made on the basis of betahistine dihydrochloride. This substance is the active ingredient in the drug. Betahistine dihydrochloride is a histamine analogue. It was first synthesized in 1941. However, this substance did not immediately attract the attention of specialists. Only in the early 60s of the last century, studies of betahistine dihydrochloride began, and a little later, on the basis of this histamine analogue, the drug in question began to be manufactured.
Betaserc also contains excipients:
- microcrystalline cellulose;
- mannitol (E421);
- talc;
- colloidal silicon dioxide;
- citric acid monohydrate.
The medicine is produced, as mentioned above, in the form of tablets. They are round, biconvex, white or almost white. Tablets are placed in blisters and in cardboard packs along with instructions for use. Packages with a different number of tablets are on sale - 20, 30 and 60 pieces. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that the tablets are available in different dosages - 8, 16 and 24 mg each.
Why is Betaserk prescribed
Specialists are prescribing the study drug for patients diagnosed with Meniere's syndrome. This is a fairly rare disease. According to statistics, it is detected in 20-200 people out of 100 thousand people. In medicine, Meniere's syndrome is understood as a non-purulent disease of the inner ear. With an illness, the volume of the labyrinth fluid increases, the intralabyrinth pressure increases. In sick people, because of this, bouts of deafness, tinnitus, dizziness, and imbalance begin. One of the possible causes of the development of Meniere's syndrome include problems with blood vessels, the consequences of injuries to the ear, head.
In the instructions attached to the "Betaserk", another indication is indicated - symptomatic therapy of vestibular vertigo (vertigo).
What happens to the active substance in the body
Betahistine ingastrointestinal tract is rapidly and almost completely absorbed. Further, this substance is metabolized. During this process, the formation of a metabolite of 2-pyridylacetic acid occurs (has no pharmacological activity).
One hour after taking "Betaserc" in patients in the blood plasma, the level of 2-pyridylacetic acid rises to the maximum values. The half-life is approximately 3.5 hours. According to experts, 2-pyridylacetic acid is excreted from the body with urine.
The same process, without any major changes, occurs when Betaserc and alcohol enter the body.
The mechanism of action of the active substance
The effect of betahistine is not yet fully understood. The available information suggests that this substance binds to H1 receptors embedded in the neuroreceptor cells of the inner ear. Betahistine has a local stimulating effect. As a result, the release of neurotransmitters (histamine) into the synapse from the nerve endings of the receptor cells of the inner ear increases. In turn, neurotransmitters act on precapillary sphincters. The result of this influence is vasodilation of the vessels of the inner ear, an increase in their permeability, and the normalization of intralabyrinthine pressure.
Betahistine also acts on the receptors of the vestibular nuclei, which are located in the medulla oblongata. Under the influence of the active substance Betaserk, the level of serotonin in the medulla oblongata increases. Further, the activity of the vestibular nuclei decreases, their excitability decreases. Eventuallya person gets rid of such an unpleasant symptom as dizziness.
Research results
Before considering the instructions for use of "Betaserk", prices, analogues and reviews of specialists about this drug, let's pay attention to the fact that multiple experiments were carried out in the past. Their goal was to prove the effectiveness of the drug and its superiority over certain other drugs. For example, one study involved cinnarizine. "Betaserc" and cinnarizine were prescribed to people complaining of dizziness. After a month of treatment, the specialists recorded the first important result - the patients stopped having dizzy spells. This served as proof that Betaserc and cinnarizine are effective drugs.
However, the experiment was not completed. It was also planned to evaluate the vestibular function in 2 groups of patients - those who took Betaserc and those who took cinnarizine. The results in each group were different. Against the background of the use of "Betaserk", there was a tendency of the vestibular function to symmetrical hyporeflexia. This was a guarantee that patients would no longer be tormented by bouts of dizziness. The use of cinnarizine did not improve vestibular function. Only the symptoms were muted. After stopping cinnarizine, people experienced dizziness again after a while.
Contraindications for use
According to doctors' reviews, "Betaserc" is not recommended for use in case of hypersensitivity to anysubstance from the composition of the drug or to several components. Another medicine is not prescribed for pheochromocytoma. It is a benign, hormonally active tumor that most often develops from the chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla.
No studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness and safety of Betaserc in such patient groups as children, pregnant and lactating women. For this reason, the drug is not prescribed until the age of 18. Pregnant women can use the drug only in cases of obvious need. Being in position, it is highly recommended not to combine alcohol and Betaserk. The consequences are unfavorable, because it is known that ethyl alcohol literally kills the fetus, leads to disturbances in its development. Additionally, betahistine may affect the fetus. For lactating women, the medicine is prescribed after assessing the possible risk to the nursing baby.
Method of administration and dosage
Take "Betaserk" with meals. The daily dose for adults is 48 mg. In some cases, it may be less. The dose is selected by the attending physician for each specific case. When prescribing a medicine to older people, it is not corrected. Also, dose adjustment is not required in patients with hepatic or renal insufficiency.
How to divide the daily dose? First of all, you need to pay attention to the dosage of the tablets. "Betaserk" 24 mg is drunk 2 times a day, 1 tablet. In severe cases, doctors increase the first dose of the drug from 24 to 48 mg. But the decision is madeonly specialist! In small doses, Betaserc is prescribed for the treatment of motion sickness syndrome (8 or 16 mg 2 times a day).
It is allowed to break the tablet into 2 halves before taking, but this should be done only so that the medicine can be swallowed more easily. It is not possible to split a tablet in order to take one of the halves later. The thing is that in this dosage form, during production, the active ingredient cannot be distributed evenly.
Based on the feedback from patients, when taking the drug, improvements begin to be observed after a few weeks. Several months of treatment are required for best results.
Some groups of patients require caution when using Betaserc. These include people with stomach and / or duodenal ulcers, bronchial asthma.
Side effects and signs of overdose
Patients taking Betaserc may be more likely to experience nausea, dyspepsia. These symptoms are considered common. There is still additional information in the medical literature about possible undesirable effects, however, the frequency of their occurrence today cannot be judged, since there is not enough information for analysis. The list of these "side effects" includes hypersensitivity reactions (rash, itching, urticaria, angioedema, anaphylactic reaction), vomiting, bloating.
Other symptoms are observed in overdose. It occurs due to the deliberate intake of high doses. Specialists have encountered symptoms that have arisen due todoses up to 640 mg. Patients experienced drowsiness, nausea, and abdominal pain. Much more severe symptoms have been observed with even higher doses combined with overdose from other drugs. In practice, there were cases with convulsions, cardiopulmonary complications.
Undesirable symptoms are observed when alcohol and Betaserc are combined. Causes them ethyl alcohol. People feel worse, their head hurts, and so on. It is not known about any special symptoms arising precisely from the interaction of Betaserc with alcohol.
Prices and analogues
The price of "Betaserk" depends on the number of tablets and dosage:
- package with 30 tablets of 8 mg costs an average of 420 rubles;
- a pack of 30 tablets of 16 mg costs about 600 rubles;
- a pack of 20 tablets of 24 mg can be purchased for 530 rubles;
- package with 60 tablets of 24 mg costs about 1200 rubles.
Complete analogues of "Betaserk" are "Betaver", "Betahistine". All these drugs are made on the basis of the same active substance. For this reason, the indications for use are the same. The differences between drugs are in prices. For example, Betahistine, manufactured by Ozon LLC, costs about 50 rubles for a pack of 8 mg tablets. The same drug, but manufactured by another manufacturer (LLC Pranapharm), costs about 70 rubles for a pack of 30 tablets of 24 mg each.
Interaction with other drugs
In order to study the interaction of "Betaserk" with othersmedicines, special experiments on animals and humans have not been carried out. Only in vitro studies have been performed. In one of the results, inhibition of the metabolism of betahistine dihydrochloride by drugs that inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) was revealed. This discovery led to a recommendation about the need for caution when prescribing Betaserc and MAO inhibitors.
There is also a theoretical assumption about the influence of Betaserc on the effectiveness of drugs that are blockers of H1-histamine receptors. The thing is that betahistine is considered a partial agonist of H1-histamine receptors, that is, it increases the response of receptors.
So, we have reviewed the instructions for the use of "Betaserk", prices, analogues. Reviews about this drug are quite good. Every practicing neurologist knows him. Experts say that "Betaserk" effectively eliminates disorders of the vestibular and cochlear apparatus, reduces the intensity and frequency of dizziness, reduces tinnitus, and improves deteriorating hearing. Thanks to this drug, a good result is achieved in the treatment with little or no side effects.
