Is it acceptable to combine alcohol and Betaserc? Let's try to figure it out. Betaserk is a prescription drug. He has one dosage form - tablet. Everyone who is prescribed Betaserc is faced with the need to obtain additional information about this medicine. Firstly, it is unclear whether it is possible to combine taking the medication with alcohol and whether any serious consequences can arise. Secondly, it is important to know exactly about the features of the Betaserka application and possible side effects. All this information allows you to take the drug correctly without harm to your body.
On the compatibility of Betaserka and alcohol
Almost when taking any medication, people wonder if it can be combined with alcohol. A common situation is that a tablet of the drug has been taken, and literally an hour later friends will start a party at home, and there will certainly be alcohol-containing drinks on the table. What to do: refuse or drink a little? Can I take Betaserk with alcohol?
Specifically, the instructions do not say anything about the incompatibility of the drug with ethyl alcohol. This does not mean that you can drink alcohol-containing drinks. Just specifically, the manufacturer of the drug did not conduct research on this topic. Yes, and they do not make much sense. By and large, all medications are undesirable to combine with alcohol, and Betaserk is no exception. Medicines contribute to the healing, restoration of certain functions of the body. Ethyl alcohol gives the opposite effect. It exerts a load on the brain, heart, liver, damages the mucous membrane of the stomach.
Possible consequences of taking the drug and alcohol
It is easy to guess what the consequences may be from the simultaneous administration of Betaserc and alcohol-containing drinks. Alcohol can cause headache, dizziness. A drunk person loses orientation in time and space, poorly formulates speech, walks with an uneven gait, staggers.
And now let's pay attention to the pharmacological action of the Betaserc drug. The medication improves microcirculation. It is recommended for those people who suffer from dizziness, complain of tinnitus, headache. If a person with such symptoms drinks alcohol, then he will only worsen his health. Due to the presence of ethyl alcohol in the body, the drug will not be able to act properly. Some people in the reviews confirm this by talking about increased headache, tinnitus, and more.
General drug information
So, the answer to the frequently asked question about the simultaneous use of Betaserc and alcohol was given. Now we turn directly to the consideration of the drug. To begin with, Betaserk is a worldwide known drug. It already exists for almost 50 years. Throughout this time, the drug has been and remains a loyal assistant for neurologists and patients.
In Europe, Betaserk was first registered in 1970. Over time, experts have determined a safe and at the same time 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 hypertension.
Composition and form of release
"Betaserk" is made on the basis of betahistine dihydrochloride. This substance is an active ingredient in the drug. Betahistine dihydrochloride is an analogue of histamine. 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 did studies of betahistine dihydrochloride begin, and a little later, on the basis of this analogue of histamine, the drug in question began to be manufactured.
The composition "Betaserka" also has auxiliary substances:
- microcrystalline cellulose;
- mannitol (E421);
- talc;
- silicon dioxide colloidal;
- citric acid monohydrate.
A medicine is produced, as mentioned above, in the form of tablets. They are round biconvex, have white or almost white color. The tablets are placed in blisters and in cardboard packs along with instructions for use. Packages with a different number of tablets - 20, 30 and 60 pieces - go on sale. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that tablets are available in different dosages - at 8, 16 and 24 mg.
What is Betaserc prescribed for?
Specialists prescribe the studied drug to those patients who are diagnosed with Meniere's syndrome. This is a fairly rare disease. According to statistics, it is detected in 20-200 people among 100 thousand people. In medicine, Meniere's syndrome refers to a non-purulent disease of the inner ear. With an ailment, the volume of the labyrinth liquid increases, the intra-labyrinth pressure increases. In sick people, because of this, attacks of deafness, tinnitus begin, dizziness, imbalance occur. One of the possible causes of the development of Meniere's syndrome include problems with blood vessels, the consequences of injuries of the ear, head.
In the instructions that came with Betaserk, another indication is indicated - symptomatic therapy of vestibular dizziness (vertigo).
What happens to the active substance in the body
Betagistin in the gastrointestinal 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 (does not have pharmacological activity).
An hour after taking Betaserka in patients in the blood plasma, the level of 2-pyridylacetic acid rises to 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 Betaserka and alcohol enter the body.
The mechanism of action of the active substance
The effect of betahistine is not yet fully understood. Available information suggests that this substance binds to H 1 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 increases from the nerve endings of the receptor cells of the inner ear. In turn, neurotransmitters act on precapillary sphincters. The result of this effect is vasodilation of the vessels of the inner ear, an increase in their permeability, normalization of the intralabyrinth pressure.
Betagistin also affects the receptors of the vestibular nuclei, which are located in the trunk of the medulla oblongata. Under the influence of the active substance "Betaserka" in the medulla oblongata, the level of serotonin rises. Further, the activity of the vestibular nuclei decreases, their excitability decreases. As a result, a person gets rid of such an unpleasant symptom as dizziness.
Research results
Before considering the instructions for the use of "Betaserka", prices, analogues and reviews of specialists about this drug, we pay attention to the fact that in the past there were repeated experiments. Their goal was to prove the effectiveness of the drug and its superiority over certain other drugs. For example, one of the studies involved cinnarizine. Betaserk and cinnarizine have been prescribed to people complaining of dizziness. After a month of treatment, specialists recorded the first important result - patients stopped having dizziness. This served as evidence that Betaserk and Cinnarizine are effective drugs.
However, the experiment was not completed. It was also planned to evaluate vestibular function in 2 groups of patients - those who took Betaserk and those who took cinnarizine. The results in each of the groups were different. Against the background of the use of "Betaserka", the desire of the vestibular function for symmetric hyporeflection was noted. This was the guarantee that patients would no longer suffer from dizziness. The use of cinnarizine did not improve vestibular function. Only the symptoms were muffled. After the cancellation of cinnarizine, after some time, people again experienced dizziness.
Contraindications
According to doctors' reviews, Betaserk is not recommended for use in case of hypersensitivity to any substance from the preparation or to several components. Another medicine is not prescribed for pheochromocytoma. This 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 Betaserka in such groups of patients as children, pregnant and lactating women. For this reason, the drug is not prescribed until the age of 18. Pregnant women can use the medication only in cases of obvious need. Being in position, it is highly discouraged to combine alcohol and Betaserc. The consequences are unfavorable, because it is known that ethyl alcohol literally kills the fetus, leading to violations in its development. In addition, betahistine may affect the fetus. Medication is given to nursing women after assessing the potential risk to the infant.
Dosage and administration
Take "Betaserc" with food. 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 the medicine to the elderly, it is not adjusted. Also, dose adjustment is not required for patients suffering from hepatic or renal failure.
How to divide the daily dose? First of all, you need to pay attention to the dosage of tablets. "Betaserc" 24 mg drink 2 times a day for 1 tablet. In severe cases, doctors increase the first dose of the drug from 24 to 48 mg. But the decision is made only by a specialist! In small doses, Betaserk is prescribed for the treatment of motion sickness syndrome (8 or 16 mg 2 times a day).
Before taking the tablet, it is allowed to break it into 2 halves, but this should only be done so that the medicine can be swallowed more easily. It is impossible to share a pill in order to take one of the halves later. The thing is that in this dosage form during production, the active component cannot be distributed evenly.
Based on patient reviews, when taking the drug, improvements begin to be observed after a few weeks. For best results, several months of treatment are required.
Some patient groups need to be careful when using Betaserc. These include people with a stomach ulcer and / or duodenal ulcer, bronchial asthma.
Side symptoms and signs of an overdose
Patients taking Betaserk may be more likely to experience nausea, dyspepsia. These symptoms are considered frequently occurring. In the medical literature there is still additional information about possible undesirable effects, however, the frequency of their appearance cannot be judged today, 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 with an overdose. It occurs due to the deliberate use of high doses. Specialists were faced with symptoms that occurred due to a dose of up to 640 mg. Patients experienced drowsiness, nausea, and abdominal pain. Much more serious symptoms were observed when taking even higher doses in combination with an overdose of other drugs. In practice, there have been cases with seizures, cardiopulmonary complications.
Undesirable symptoms are observed with a combination of alcohol and Betaserca. Ethanol causes them. People feel worse, have a headache and stuff. It is not known about any special symptoms that arise precisely because of the interaction of Betaserc with alcohol.
Prices and analogues
The price of Betaserka depends on the number of tablets and dosage:
- a package with 30 tablets of 8 mg costs an average of 420 rubles;
- a pack with 30 tablets of 16 mg costs about 600 rubles;
- a pack with 20 tablets of 24 mg can be purchased for 530 rubles;
- a package with 60 tablets of 24 mg costs about 1,200 rubles.
Full analogues of Betaserka are Betaver, Betagistin. All of 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, Betagistin, manufactured by Ozone LLC, costs about 50 rubles per pack with 8 mg tablets. The same drug, but manufactured by another manufacturer (Pranafarm LLC), costs about 70 rubles per pack with 30 tablets of 24 mg each.
Interaction with other medicines
In order to study the interaction of Betaserka with other drugs, special experiments on animals and humans have not been conducted. Only in vitro studies were performed. In one of the results, inhibition of betahistine dihydrochloride metabolism was detected under the action of drugs that inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO). This discovery served as a recommendation on the need for caution while prescribing Betaserka and MAO inhibitors.
There is also a theoretical assumption about the effect of Betaserk on the effectiveness of drugs that are blockers of H 1 histamine receptors. The thing is that betahistine is considered a partial agonist of H1 histamine receptors, that is, it increases the response of the receptors.
So, we examined the instructions for the use of Betaserka, prices, analogues. Reviews about this drug are good enough. 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 impaired hearing. Thanks to this drug, a good result is achieved in treatment with little or no side effects.