Meclizine Pharmacology Podcast

Real Life Pharmacology - Pharmacology Education for Health Care Professionals

Eric Christianson, PharmD; Pharmacology Expert and Clinical Pharmacist

Education, Health & Fitness, Medicine

5 • 716 Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Meclizine is classified as a first-generation antihistamine. I discuss meclizine pharmacology, adverse effects, drug interactions, and much more.

Meclizine is included on the Beers list due to its highly anticholinergic activity. Anticholinergic effects include constipation, dry eyes, dry mouth, urinary retention, and confusion.

Sedation is an important adverse effect of meclizine. This adverse effect can be increased when used with other sedating medications such as opioids and benzodiazepines.

Meclizine is primarily used for vertigo and motion sickness in clinical practice. The usual starting dose ranges between 12.5 to 25 mg.

Meclizine is partially broken down by CYP2D6 so medications like bupropion can inhibit the breakdown of meclizine and lead to higher concentrations.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey all, welcome back to the Real Life Pharmacology podcast. I'm your host,
0:03.8	pharmacist, Derek Christensen. Thank you so much for listening today.
0:07.4	Go to real life pharmacology.com. Get your free 31-page PDF on the top 200 drugs.
0:13.7	Great study guide, great refresher, things that actually happen out in practice, as well as a lot of stuff on there that will show up on board exams and
0:22.9	pharmacology exams.
0:24.5	So simply an email, we'll get you access to that at real-life pharmacology.com.
0:29.9	All right.
0:30.8	The drug of the day today is mechlazine.
0:34.5	Brand name of this medication is antivirte.
0:37.7	Bonin is another one that comes up as well.
0:42.1	Antiverts is probably the more common one if a brand name is utilized there.
0:46.5	Over-the-counter generic names, you may see this label this kind of motion sickness pill.
0:52.2	So naturally, that's one of the potential indications of this medication.
0:59.9	Classifications, it's an anaametic, so prevents, you know, nausea, upset stomach.
1:07.1	Its primary mechanism of action is it is a H-1 receptor antagonist.
1:13.2	So that's a histamine-1 receptor antagonist, and it is a first-generation antihistamine.
1:20.7	So with that classification, it falls into similar class as a diphygermine example.
1:31.8	So indications, motion sickness, and vertigo.
1:36.1	Those are by far pretty much the only two things I see this medication used for.
1:42.2	Maybe occasionally PRN or as needed for some nausea, that type of thing,
1:49.0	but again, pretty rare. I typically see it with nausea associated with motion and then that
1:57.7	issue with vertigo as well. And mechanistically, that makes sense.
	...

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