COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF BETAHISTINE VERSUS CINNARIZINE IN VERTIGO MANAGEMENT: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Background: Vertigo, often arising from peripheral vestibular dysfunction (e.g., BPPV, vestibular neuritis, Menieres disease), causes debilitating dizziness, nausea, and imbalance. Betahistine and cinnarizine are widely used vestibular suppressants, but direct comparisons in acute vertigo settings remain limited. Objective: To compare the speed of symptom relief and tolerability of betahistine versus cinnarizine over four weeks in adults with vertigo. Methods: In a double blind trial, 100 patients (aged 18 65; symptom onset 4 weeks baseline VAS 1) were randomized to betahistine (8 mg tid; 24 mg/day) or cinnarizine (25 mg tid; 75 mg/day) for four weeks. Daily VAS, Mean Vertigo Score (MVS), and Mean Concomitant Symptom Score (MCSS) were recorded through Day 7. Efficacy (5 point verbal) was assessed on Days 3 and 7; tolerability (4 point) was evaluated on Day 3, Week 1, and Week 4. Analyses used tests (or Mann Whitney U), chi square tests, and Kaplan Meier/log rank for time to improvement.