antivert
Antivert (Meclizine Hydrochloride) is an antiemetic used to treat Motion Sickness, Vertigo.
Meclizine Hydrochloride · by Casper Pharma LLC
Available as a generic: Meclizine Hydrochloride
Key facts
- Active ingredient
- Meclizine Hydrochloride
- Drug class
- Antiemetic
- Form
- Tablet, Tablet, chewable
- Strength
- Meclizine Hydrochloride 12.5MG · Meclizine Hydrochloride 25MG · Meclizine Hydrochloride 50MG
- Type
- Prescription (Rx)
- Brand or generic
- Brand-name
- May treat
- motion sickness, vertigo
- Manufacturer
- Casper Pharma LLC
- Half-life
- about 5-6 hours (how long it stays in your system)
- What the pharmacy pays
- ~$1.44 for 30 — not your price
- FDA application
- NDA010721
What is Antivert?
From the FDA label:Meclizine hydrochloride, a histamine (H1) receptor antagonist, is a white or slightly yellowish, crystalline powder. It has the following structural formula: Chemically, meclizine hydrochloride is 1-(p-chloro-α-phenylbenzyl)-4-(m-methylbenzyl) piperazine dihydrochloride monohydrate. Tablets Inactive ingredients for the tablets are: corn starch; dibasic calcium phosphate; magnesium stearate; polyethylene glycol; sucrose. The 12.5 mg tablets also contain: FD&C Blue # 1. The 25 mg tablets also contain: FD&C Yellow # 6 and D&C Yellow # 10. The 50 mg tablets also contain: FD&C Blue # 1, FD&C Yellow # 6 and D&C Yellow # 10. Each meclizine hydrochloride 12.5 mg tablet contains 12.5 mg of meclizine dihydrochloride equivalent to 10.53 mg of meclizine free base. Each meclizine hydrochloride 25 mg tablet contains 25 mg of meclizine dihydrochloride equivalent to 21.07 mg of meclizine free base. Each meclizine hydrochloride 50 mg tablet contains 50 mg of meclizine dihydrochloride equivalent to 42.14 mg of meclizine free base. Chewable Tablets Inactive ingredients for the chewable tablets are: corn starch, colloidal silicon dioxide, FD&C Red # 40, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, raspberry flavor, saccharin sodium, and talc. Each meclizine hydrochloride 25 mg chewable tablet contains 25 mg of meclizine dihydrochloride equivalent to 21.07 mg of meclizine free base. struct-1
How to use
Antivert is sold in more than one form (Tablet and Tablet, chewable), and each is dosed differently. The instructions below come from the FDA label for application NDA010721 — follow the label that came with the product you were actually prescribed.
Recommended dosage: 25 mg to 100 mg daily, in divided doses ( 2.1 ). Tablets: Swallow whole ( 2.2 ). Chewable Tablets: Must be chewed or crushed before swallowing; do not swallow whole ( 2.2 ). 2.1 Recommended Dosage The recommended dosage is 25 mg to 100 mg daily administered orally, in divided doses, depending upon clinical response. 2.2 Administration Instructions Tablets Meclizine hydrochloride tablets must be swallowed whole. Chewable Tablets Meclizine hydrochloride chewable tablets must be chewed or crushed completely before swallowing. Do not swallow chewable tablets whole.
Side effects
The following adverse reactions associated with the use of meclizine hydrochloride were identified in clinical studies or postmarketing reports. Because some of these reactions were reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Anaphylactic reaction, drowsiness, dry mouth, headache, fatigue, and vomiting. On rare occasions blurred vision has been reported. Common adverse reactions are anaphylactic reaction, drowsiness, dry mouth, headache, fatigue, and vomiting. On rare occasions blurred vision has been reported ( 6 ). To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Rising Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-866-562-4597 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Warnings
Important safety information
May cause drowsiness: Use caution when driving a car or operating dangerous machinery ( 5.1 ). Potential anticholinergic action: this drug should be prescribed with care to patients with a history of asthma, glaucoma, or enlargement of the prostate gland ( 5.2 ). 5.1 Drowsiness Since drowsiness may occur with use of meclizine hydrochloride, patients should be warned of this possibility and cautioned against driving a car or operating dangerous machinery. Patients should avoid alcoholic beverages while taking meclizine hydrochloride [see Drug Interactions (7.1) ] . 5.2 Concurrent Medical Conditions Because of its potential anticholinergic action, meclizine hydrochloride should be used with caution in patients with asthma, glaucoma, or enlargement of the prostate gland.
Who should not take Antivert
Meclizine hydrochloride is contraindicated in patients with a hypersensitivity to meclizine or any of the inactive ingredients [see Adverse Reactions (6) and Description (11) ] . Meclizine hydrochloride is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to meclizine or any of the inactive ingredients.
Interactions
Coadministration of meclizine hydrochloride with other CNS depressants, including alcohol, may result in increased CNS depression ( 7.1 ). CYP2D6 inhibitors: As meclizine is metabolized by CYP2D6, there is a potential for drug-drug interactions between meclizine hydrochloride and CYP2D6 inhibitors ( 7.2 ). 7.1 CNS Depressants There may be increased CNS depression when meclizine hydrochloride is administered concurrently with other CNS depressants, including alcohol [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] . 7.2 CYP2D6 Inhibitors Based on in-vitro evaluation, meclizine is metabolized by CYP2D6. Therefore, there is a possibility for a drug interaction between meclizine hydrochloride and CYP2D6 inhibitors. Therefore, monitor for adverse reactions and clinical effect accordingly.
How long does Meclizine Hydrochloride stay in your body?
The elimination half-life of meclizine hydrochloride is about 5-6 hours — the time it takes the body to clear about half of it. As a rule of thumb, a medicine is mostly gone after roughly 4 to 5 half-lives, though this varies from person to person with age and kidney or liver function. The FDA label reports a plasma elimination half-life of roughly 5-6 hours (Tmax ~3 hours, range 1.5-6). Meclizine is metabolized primarily by CYP2D6, so strong CYP2D6 inhibitors — or being a CYP2D6 poor metabolizer — can raise meclizine levels and prolong its effect; no active metabolite that outlasts the parent is named in the label. Not a prodrug. The label states human distribution characteristics are unknown and gives no specific half-life adjustments for age, kidney, or liver impairment. Sedation/drowsiness can be felt longer than the plasma half-life alone would suggest.
This is general information, not medical advice. It doesn’t tell you when a drug test would read negative (tests detect substances for different, often longer, windows) or when it’s safe to take another dose — ask your pharmacist or prescriber. Source: MECLIZINE HYDROCHLORIDE tablet — FDA label (DailyMed SPL).
Drug class
May treat (source: NIH RxClass)
See how Antivert ranks — best-rated antiemetic for:
Dosage forms
Tablet and Tablet, chewable
The forms currently marketed in the U.S., per the FDA National Drug Code Directory.
Ways to save
Ask for the generic
Same active ingredient, far cheaper. Is there a generic? →
Request a 90-day supply
Bulk fills usually lower the per-dose price vs monthly refills.
Use copay cards
Manufacturer copay cards & patient-assistance programs — especially for brand drugs.
Compare alternatives
A same-class option may cost less. See alternatives →
Frequently asked questions
- What does Antivert treat?
- Antivert (Meclizine Hydrochloride) may be used to treat motion sickness, vertigo, based on NIH RxClass drug-classification data (conditions a drug may treat — not a verbatim copy of the FDA-approved label). This is general reference, not medical advice.
- How much does Antivert cost?
- Nobody can tell you what you will pay — your price is set by your insurer's formulary, your deductible and the pharmacy's markup, and none of those are published. What IS published is what the pharmacy paid to acquire it: about $1.44 for 30, per the CMS NADAC survey. Treat that as the floor, not the quote — ask the pharmacist for the cash price as well as your copay, because for cheap generics the cash price often wins.
- Is there a coupon or discount for Antivert?
- pharmaranks is an independent ratings site, not a pharmacy — we don't issue coupons or sell Antivert. To pay less, ask your prescriber or pharmacist whether a generic equivalent exists, check the manufacturer's copay/savings card and patient-assistance program, and compare a pharmacy discount card against your insurance copay. Prices vary by pharmacy, insurance, and location, so always confirm at the counter. This is general reference, not medical or financial advice.
- Who makes Antivert?
- Antivert is marketed by Casper Pharma LLC. You can see Casper Pharma LLC's full profile, rating, and other products on pharmaranks.
- Is Antivert a brand-name or generic drug?
- Antivert is a brand-name product with the active ingredient Meclizine Hydrochloride. Lower-cost generic equivalents containing Meclizine Hydrochloride are available — ask your pharmacist.
- Is Antivert available over the counter?
- No. Antivert is a prescription (Rx) medication in the US — you need a prescription from a licensed clinician (in person or via telehealth); it isn't sold over the counter. For some conditions there are OTC alternatives — ask your pharmacist.
- What forms does Antivert come in?
- Antivert is currently marketed as tablet and tablet, chewable, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory.
- What class of drug is Antivert?
- Antivert is classified as antiemetic, per the FDA's Established Pharmacologic Class.
- Is Antivert FDA-registered?
- Antivert is on record with the U.S. FDA under application number NDA010721. You can verify this on its official FDA label.
- Is Antivert safe?
- There's no single safe-or-not verdict, and we don't yet have a composite recall-safety score for Antivert. Review its FDA-label side effects and warnings below, and always consult a licensed professional.
- What are the side effects of Antivert?
- Antivert's side effects are taken directly from its FDA label. From the label: The following adverse reactions associated with the use of meclizine hydrochloride were identified in clinical studies or postmarketing reports. Because some of these reactions were reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size,… Both common and serious reactions are documented in full on this page. This is general reference from the FDA, not medical advice — always consult a professional.
Clinical content sourced from the FDA label via openFDA (U.S. FDA). View the FDA label on DailyMed → Provided for general reference only — not medical advice. Always consult a licensed professional and the current prescribing information.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to write one.
People also viewed
Compare Antivert head-to-head
Browse medications A–Z
Research products from A to Z, compare independent ratings, and find alternatives.
antivert
New