What Factors Affect a Sufficient Meclizine Dose?

Prescription and over-the-counter medicines are heavily controlled by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. due to their potential danger if misused. For this reason, it is always best to consult a medical professional or pharmacist regarding the proper meclizine dose, or any other medication for that matter. The factors that may affect the proper meclizine dose are age, weight, and medical history, followed by the severity of symptoms and presence of other substances. This is only a short list of the multitude of potential factors affecting medication dosage, but it includes the most common.

Meclizine is classified medically as an antihistamine and antiemetic. What this means is that taking the proper meclizine dose will help to relieve symptoms of motion sickness, vertigo, and other movement-related disorders. Also at times spelled meclozine, this drug acts as a central nervous system depressant by inhibiting acetylcholine from stimulating the nervous system. This action, known as an anticholinergic effect, is thought to be partly responsible for the lessening of motion sickness symptoms; however, the more specific mechanisms are not completely understood.

Meclizine is marketed most typically under numerous brand names, including Bonine, Bonamine, Antivert, and Dramamine. These are all generally synonymous; however, certain variations among brands are possible. The typical meclizine dose is 25 to 50 mg taken orally. This, of course, may be too much or too little depending on the factors listed above.

A person who weighs a significant amount below or above the norm may need to alter the meclizine dose accordingly. Intuitively, the less a person weighs, the less amount of meclizine is necessary and vice versa. The exact alteration of the meclizine dose is best determined by a medical professional familiar with the dosing of this drug. If alcohol or other substances are present, the amount of meclizine that is appropriate is also subject to variation.

Medical professionals may justify taking a greater meclizine dose if the symptoms are severe enough. A more severe episode of motion sickness could respond better to a more concentrated dose. The medical history of an individual should also be taken into account, namely any past history with the drug in question.

A person who may have had an allergic reaction to meclizine, for example, is probably best off taking a minimal dose if any. It is easy to administer more medication, but once administered, it is very difficult to remove a substance from circulation. For these reasons, a medical professional is always the best resource regarding an appropriate meclizine dose.