Cinnarizine: A Contemporary Review

Abstract

Cinnarizine, is approved for nausea, vomiting, motion sickness, inner ear disorders and is considered as first-line pharmacotherapy for management of vertigo. It acts by anti-vasoconstrictor activity, reducing blood viscosity and reducing nystagmus in labyrinth. Lack of adequate literature on clinical evidence of cinnarizine and its combination (dimenhydrinate) in vertigo management prompted this review. A specific MEDLINE literature search strategy was designed combining Medical Subject Headings, free-text keywords (like cinnarizine and vertigo) using Boolean operators (1970–2016) for clinical studies, clinical reviews and meta-analyses of cinnarizine. Analyses of studies validated cinnarizine's efficacy in peripheral and central vertigo versus placebo or other therapies, and was well-tolerated by the patients recruited across different studies. Cinnarizine and/ or its combinations are favorable in management of vestibular disorders wherein cinnarizine acts predominantly peripherally on labyrinth and dimenhydrinate acts centrally on vestibular nuclei and associated centers in brainstem. Combination therapy of cinnarizine and/ or its combinations demonstrated a better safety profile than either of the mono-components, offering a viable therapeutic option in vertigo management.

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