meclizine hydrochloride
Pharmaranks rates Meclizine Hydrochloride 3.5/5 for recall safety — an independent score from its FDA recall history and its manufacturer's record. Meclizine Hydrochloride is an antiemetic used to treat Motion Sickness, Vertigo.
Antiemetic · by Heritage Pharma
Generic of Antivert
Based on 1 source · Recall-safety score from FDA recall history — this product's own recalls and its manufacturer's record. Not an efficacy or quality rating. methodology →
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
- Generic
- May treat
- motion sickness, vertigo
- Manufacturer
- Heritage Pharma
- 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
- ANDA205136
What is Meclizine Hydrochloride?
From the FDA label:Meclizine hydrochloride tablets, a histamine (H1) receptor antagonist, are a white or slightly yellowish, crystalline powder. They have the following structural formula: Chemically, meclizine hydrochloride tablets are 1-(p-chloro-α-phenylbenzyl)-4-(m-methylbenzyl) piperazine dihydrochloride monohydrate. Tablets Inactive ingredients for the tablets are: colloidal silicon dioxide; lactose monohydrate; magnesium stearate; microcrystalline cellulose; sodium starch glycolate; corn starch; FD&C Red # 40 Aluminum Lake. Each meclizine hydrochloride 50 mg tablet contains 50 mg of meclizine dihydrochloride equivalent to 42.14 mg of meclizine free base. structural-formula
How to use
Meclizine Hydrochloride 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 ANDA205136 — 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). 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, USP must be swallowed whole.
Side effects
The following adverse reactions associated with the use of meclizine hydrochloride tablets 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 Avet Pharmaceuticals Inc. at 1-866-901-DRUG (3784) 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 tablets, 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 tablets [see Drug Interactions (7.1)]. 5.2 Concurrent Medical Conditions Because of its potential anticholinergic action, meclizine hydrochloride tablets should be used with caution in patients with asthma, glaucoma, or enlargement of the prostate gland.
Who should not take Meclizine Hydrochloride
Meclizine hydrochloride tablets, USP are contraindicated in patients with a hypersensitivity to meclizine or any of the inactive ingredients [see Adverse Reactions (6) and Description (11)]. Meclizine hydrochloride tablets, USP are contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to meclizine or any of the inactive ingredients (4).
Interactions
Coadministration of meclizine hydrochloride tablets 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 tablets and CYP2D6 inhibitors (7.2). 7.1 CNS Depressants There may be increased CNS depression when meclizine hydrochloride tablets are administered concurrently with other CNS depressants, including alcohol [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]. 7.2 CYP2D6 Inhibitor Based on in-vitro evaluation, meclizine is metabolized by CYP2D6. Therefore, there is a possibility for a drug interaction between meclizine hydrochloride tablets 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 Meclizine Hydrochloride 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 Meclizine Hydrochloride treat?
- Meclizine Hydrochloride (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 is Meclizine Hydrochloride rated?
- pharmaranks gives Meclizine Hydrochloride a composite score of 3.5 out of 5, currently based on 1 weighted source (FDA regulatory recall-safety data weighted highest). See our methodology at /how-we-rate.
- How much does Meclizine Hydrochloride 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 Meclizine Hydrochloride?
- pharmaranks is an independent ratings site, not a pharmacy — we don't issue coupons or sell Meclizine Hydrochloride. To pay less, Meclizine Hydrochloride is already a generic — usually the lowest-cost version — so the main levers are comparing cash prices between pharmacies and using a pharmacy discount-card service. Prices vary by pharmacy, insurance, and location, so always confirm at the counter. This is general reference, not medical or financial advice.
- Who makes Meclizine Hydrochloride?
- Meclizine Hydrochloride is marketed by Heritage Pharma. You can see Heritage Pharma's full profile, rating, and other products on pharmaranks.
- Is Meclizine Hydrochloride a brand-name or generic drug?
- Meclizine Hydrochloride is a generic medication; its active ingredient is Meclizine Hydrochloride. Generics contain the same active ingredient as the brand-name original and are usually lower cost.
- Is Meclizine Hydrochloride available over the counter?
- No. Meclizine Hydrochloride 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 Meclizine Hydrochloride come in?
- Meclizine Hydrochloride is currently marketed as tablet and tablet, chewable, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory.
- What class of drug is Meclizine Hydrochloride?
- Meclizine Hydrochloride is classified as antiemetic, per the FDA's Established Pharmacologic Class.
- Is Meclizine Hydrochloride FDA-registered?
- Meclizine Hydrochloride is on record with the U.S. FDA under application number ANDA205136. You can verify this on its official FDA label.
- Has Meclizine Hydrochloride been recalled by the FDA?
- Meclizine Hydrochloride has no FDA recalls recorded under its own application in the openFDA enforcement database. Its recall-safety score reflects its manufacturer's overall recall record. This is general reference, not medical advice — check the FDA recall database for the latest alerts.
- Is Meclizine Hydrochloride safe?
- There's no single safe-or-not verdict. pharmaranks gives Meclizine Hydrochloride a recall-safety score of 70/100, based on its FDA recall history (no recalls under its own FDA application) — not an efficacy or side-effect rating. Review its FDA-label side effects and warnings before use, and always consult a licensed professional.
- What are the side effects of Meclizine Hydrochloride?
- Meclizine Hydrochloride's side effects are taken directly from its FDA label. From the label: The following adverse reactions associated with the use of meclizine hydrochloride tablets 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.
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meclizine hydrochloride
70/100