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.