Betaserc - patient reviews of the drug

Why was I prescribed a nootropic drug?

You probably often asked your friends the question: “Which ear is ringing in my ear right now?” For most people, extraneous tinnitus is not a problem because it goes away quickly. I had ringing several times a day. It’s enough to overexert yourself a little or get nervous, like annoying sounds here and there. I got tired of enduring it, and I went to see a doctor.

It turned out that I had been patient for many years in vain! My problem had a name: tinnitus. The doctor said that this disease is far from uncommon and there is a clear treatment plan for pathologies that cause discomfort in the hearing organs. You can start with Betaserc tablets and taking vitamin complexes.

“Irritating tinnitus is usually diagnosed in older people, but there are exceptions.
In your case, the cause of the pathology was most likely negative changes in the vascular system caused by emotional overload. I would recommend drugs that improve blood circulation in the brain. From the reviews of my patients, Betaserc helps best..." Ivan Davydovich, otolaryngologist, Moscow

I specifically surfed the Internet and read that the sources of ringing and noise in the ears can be high blood pressure (hypertension), osteochondrosis, atherosclerosis, various endocrine diseases, and multiple sclerosis. So I was lucky that the doctor did not identify these dangerous diseases. In general, I was a little afraid of complications and decided to start treatment immediately.

Application of Betaserc in the treatment of patients with subjective tinnitus due to sensorineural hearing loss

Rice. 1. Structure of forms of sensorineural hearing loss

Rice. 2. Structure of the causes of the disease

Rice. 3. Scale for assessing the results of treatment of patients with subjective tinnitus

Rice. 4. The effectiveness of Betaserc treatment depending on the form of sensorineural hearing loss

The causes of sensorineural hearing loss are: acute and chronic diseases of the middle ear, circulatory disorders in the vertebrobasilar system, the use of ototoxic drugs [3, 5, 11], work in conditions of noise and vibration, emotional and mental stress [7, 8, 9] , acute infectious diseases. Each of the etiological factors affects certain structures of the sound analyzer; the external manifestation of this effect is: an increase in the thresholds of bone sound conduction, a decrease in the intelligibility of speech perception, and the appearance of subjective tinnitus.

One of the most common symptoms accompanying sensorineural hearing loss is subjective tinnitus. Tinnitus (tinnitus) is a reaction of the sound analyzer, caused by adequate and inadequate stimuli and manifested by noise, crackling, ringing, hum, and musical melodies. “A healthy living organism always sounds,” but this noise or somatic vibrator sounds are usually not audible, since they are masked by external noise (environmental sounds), which act as a so-called damper [1]. When healthy people were placed in a soundproof chamber, a sensation of tinnitus occurred in 94% of subjects with normal hearing.

Subjective tinnitus is defined as a pathological auditory sensation that occurs in the ear in the absence of external sound influence and occurs, as a rule, against the background of various pathologies in any part of the sound analyzer. Subjective tinnitus is not a nosological form of the disease, but a symptom of pathology from the sound analyzer. Of all the ear symptoms, after pain, tinnitus causes the most suffering to the patient. Tinnitus is one of the main and early symptoms of damage to the sound analyzer; it often causes more anxiety to the patient than hearing loss. Subjective tinnitus is observed in patients with acute sensorineural hearing loss in 94.9% of cases, and in patients with chronic hearing loss in 91.8% of cases [2, 9].

It is believed that the cause of tinnitus in sensorineural hearing loss is neurotrophic changes in the sound analyzer. V.T. Palchun (1990) [4] attaches great importance to the disruption of the complex structural and functional organization of intracerebral regulation, with the formation of pathological stable functional connections (PSFC), realized through subcortical structures and the “disease information field” in long-term memory. As a result of these changes, when pathological impulses appear from the affected organ through the PSPS and the “information field of the disease,” a symptom complex of the disease is formed, mainly of the cochlea.

Depending on the severity of the noise and its tolerance by a person, I.B. Soldatov [10] distinguishes the following noise levels:

I degree – tolerated calmly, does not affect the general condition;
II degree – irritates in silence, at night, disturbs sleep;
III degree – constantly bothers, disturbs sleep and mood;
IV degree – unbearable noise, depriving sleep and reducing ability to work.

Treatment of patients with subjective tinnitus due to sensorineural hearing loss is one of the most difficult tasks for otorhinolaryngologists.

Currently, there are dozens of ways to treat patients with subjective tinnitus. The most effective therapy for this pathology is treatment aimed at improving the blood supply to the inner ear and improving the conduction of nerve impulses.

The basic principles of treatment of patients with this pathology are the following: firstly, if possible, exclude the etiological factor that caused the disease, secondly, start treatment in the early stages, thirdly, be sure to include in complex etiotropic and pathogenetic therapy means aimed at to eliminate oxygen deficiency and normalize microcirculation in the inner ear [6, 12].

According to literature data on experimental histological studies of the auditory nerve, the latter has a lower regenerative capacity compared to other cranial nerves. Therefore, a positive effect in treatment can be obtained if atrophic-degenerative changes have not yet developed in the nerve elements of the sound analyzer, i.e. at least some of the pathological changes in the perceptive apparatus are reversible. These are changes that are caused by capillary stasis, as well as swelling of the nuclei of hair cells. The inability to obtain an effect from treatment for degeneration of the auditory nerve indicates the extreme importance of carrying out therapy in the initial stages of damage to the organ of hearing, which aims to, if not eliminate, then at least stabilize the pathological process, which usually tends to progress.

The most appropriate treatment for tinnitus with sensorineural hearing loss is with drugs that affect the blood supply to the cochlea, can restore the functions of its enzyme systems and improve oxygenation. The emphasis is placed on the reversibility of such pathological changes as impaired blood circulation and microcirculation, swelling of the stria vascularis, disruption of the ionic composition of the labyrinth fluids, capillary and venous stasis with a decrease in the delivery of nutrients, decreased permeability of cell membranes, swelling of the nuclei of hair cells .

In the practice of an ENT doctor, when treating patients with sensorineural hearing loss accompanied by subjective tinnitus, the drug Betaserc (Abbott) is used.

Betaserc is a synthetic histamine analogue that is a weak H1-receptor agonist and a powerful H3-receptor antagonist. Due to the action on these receptors, it has the following effects: improving microcirculation in the vessels of the inner ear, normalizing intralabyrinthine pressure, suppressing the pathological activity of the vestibular nuclei in the brain stem, as well as increasing blood flow in the vertebrobasilar region. In addition, Betaserc accelerates the process of compensation for vestibular disorders (vestibular adaptation).

Betaserc is available in the form of tablets that contain betahistine dihydrochloride. The drug is rapidly absorbed, its maximum concentration in the blood is reached 3 hours after administration. The half-life is 3–4 hours, metabolites are excreted mainly in the urine.

The pharmacological properties of the drug allow it to be used not only in the treatment of dizziness, but also in patients with sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus.

Materials and methods

In order to study the effectiveness of Betaserc, we examined and treated 50 patients, 40% of them men and 60% women, with sensorineural hearing loss aged 18 to 70 years at the ENT clinic of the Moscow State Medical and Dental University. The acute form of the disease was in 10 patients, subacute – in 25 and chronic – in 15 patients (Fig. 1).

Figure 2 shows the structure of the causes of sensorineural hearing loss.

When studying the anamnesis, we took into account the patient’s age, the moment of hearing loss and the appearance of tinnitus, the nature and degree of hearing loss, the connection with past infectious diseases, diseases of the cardiovascular, endocrine, osteoarticular, urinary systems, with the use of ototoxic drugs, with traumatic factors, stress, hereditary predisposition, allergic reactions, etc. As well as bad habits, the nature and degree of noise, the dependence of its intensity on the time of day, on weather changes, on the position of the head and body, complaints of dizziness (constant, periodic, paroxysmal), headache and its localization. Tolerance of tinnitus was assessed as follows: 1st degree – the noise is tolerated calmly, does not affect the general condition; 2nd – noise irritates the patient, especially when nervous, in a quiet environment and at night, disrupts sleep; 3rd – noise is difficult to tolerate, negatively affects sleep and mood; 4th – the patient’s attention is completely concentrated on pathological auditory sensations, they are unbearable, deprive them of sleep and significantly reduce performance.

Examination of the ENT organs included otoscopy using an otoscope with optics, anterior and posterior rhinoscopy, pharyngoscopy, and indirect laryngoscopy. The patency of the auditory tubes was checked. The function of the sound analyzer was studied using whispered and spoken speech, and a set of tuning forks. Tone threshold audiometry and acoustic impedance measurements were performed.

Patients took Betaserc 24 mg 2 times a day. The course of treatment lasted 30 days.

To assess the effectiveness of treatment, a psychological test proposed by Fiedler was used. The initial noise level was taken as 100% and marked on a line of 10 cm (1 cm = 10%). During treatment, the patient noted a percent reduction in noise, if any, on the line. Excellent results included complete disappearance of noise or maintenance of its intensity within 25% of the volume from its original level; to good - when the volume is reduced by half (50%); satisfactory – when the noise remained within 75% of the original volume; to unsatisfactory – when tinnitus remained at the initial level (100%) (Fig. 3).

When treating patients with acute sensorineural hearing loss, accompanied by subjective tinnitus, we noted excellent results in 3 patients, good results in 3 patients, satisfactory results in 2 patients, and unsatisfactory results in 2 patients. When treating patients with subacute sensorineural hearing loss, the results were excellent in 5, good in 7, satisfactory in 6, unsatisfactory in 7 patients. In patients with a chronic form of the disease, the effectiveness of the drug was an order of magnitude lower. We noted good results in 2 patients, in other cases these were satisfactory (3) and unsatisfactory results (10). The effectiveness of Betaserc treatment depending on the form of sensorineural hearing loss is presented in Figure 4.

The effectiveness of treatment was directly dependent on the age of the patients and the time between the onset of the disease and the start of treatment. Treatment was least effective in patients over 60 years of age and in patients with chronic sensorineural hearing loss. Treatment is most effective for acute sensorineural hearing loss. For chronic sensorineural hearing loss, the use of Betaserc helps stabilize the process and improve overall well-being.

To stop the further development of sensorineural hearing loss, it is advisable to carry out repeated courses of treatment with Betaserc at a dosage of 48 mg per day 2-3 times a year.

Reference

Noise in ears

is a phenomenon that is described as a sound sensation that occurs in the head and is not associated with an external acoustic stimulus. In the specialized medical literature, ear noise is usually called tinnitus (from the Latin verb tinnire - to ring).

Tinnitus can be objective

, when it can be recorded using auscultation and other instrumental methods of examining the patient, and
subjective
, when the noise perceived by patients cannot be recorded and assessed from the outside; despite the fact that subjective noise occurs in the absence of a real sound source, as a rule, this does not exclude the presence of various pathologies in any area of the sound analyzer. It is impossible to directly register subjective ear noise, as already noted. Of the many proposed indirect methods for measuring subjective ear noise, the most informative are the psychophysical methods of noise metry: “equal loudness” and “overlap”.

Subjective tinnitus

– this is an informational (signal) symptom (similar to the sensation of pain), a kind of “cry for help”, signaling the body about a pathological process. Subjective ear noise is one of the main, constant and often the earliest symptoms in various diseases of the organ of hearing, both conductive and perceptual, but can also occur in cases of dysfunction of other organs and systems.

The prevalence of subjective ear noise among the population is very significant. It has been established that every fifth adult is susceptible to subjective tinnitus to some degree, periodically or constantly, although more than half of them do not seek medical help.

Mechanisms of development of subjective tinnitus

, and in many cases the etiological factors, are not clear enough. To date, many hypotheses have been proposed for the pathogenesis of subjective ear noise, including theories of self-listening, nonspecific irritation, reflex switching, etc. Subjective noise can be regarded as a phantom of auditory perception: the perception of sound heard “in the ears” or “in the head” is very real, but is not connected to an external sound source. Every person hears this sound after exposure to loud noise or while in complete silence. The constant presence of noise in most cases (about 75%) is a habit of reacting to a signal, causing only slight discomfort.

However, none of the hypotheses is able to give a convincing answer why not all patients have tinnitus with the same disease, which parts of the auditory analyzer are responsible for the appearance of this auditory sensation, and how to explain the appearance of such symptoms in a number of people with normal hearing .

It is believed that the main causes of subjective tinnitus may be:

metabolic disorders (vascular atherosclerosis, hepatitis, diabetes mellitus, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism); diseases of the outer, middle, inner ear (cerumen plug, exostosis of the external auditory canal, external otitis, otitis media, otosclerosis, tumors of the tympanic cavity, labyrinthitis, sensorineural hearing loss, acoustic and barotrauma, Meniere's disease); tumors of the cerebellopontine angle, brain, neuroma of the VIII cranial nerve; intoxication (ototoxic drugs, benzene, methyl alcohol); pathology of the cervical spine (osteodystrophic changes, instability); vibration, noise; psychoneurological diseases (multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, depressive states).

Source: Laesus De Liro

Description and capabilities of the drug Betaserc

Everything was clear to me with vitamin complexes. Buying any dietary supplement that improves overall health is not a problem today (I chose capsules from Doppelhertz). The prescription of Betaserc tablets raised questions. To be honest, I had never heard of such a medicine, so I decided to play it safe and double-check the doctor’s recommendation.

I typed the question into the search bar of my browser and immediately got to the review page about the nootropic drug. It turned out that the drug is very popular among people who have problems with the vestibular drug (by the way, I also often get motion sickness), but the main thing is that Betaserc improves blood microcirculation in the ear labyrinth, and this is exactly what I needed!

Indications for use of the nootropic:

chronic headaches accompanied by ear congestion;
Meniere's syndrome (high pressure in the inner ear);
problems with internal balance while moving.

Separately, I note that, judging by the reviews, many people took Betaserc during complex treatment of atherosclerosis, insufficient blood flow in the spine and to speed up rehabilitation after head injuries.

Price and release form of the drug

Since childhood, I have been afraid of injections, so I was very worried about how I would have to “deliver” the medicine into the body. It turned out that Betaserc is available only in the form of tablets (white, round) with a dosage of 8.16, 24 mg. The active ingredient of the drug is betahistine dihydrochloride (in case someone understands chemistry), auxiliary elements are citric acid, cellulose, talc and silicon dioxide.

Now about the price. Honestly, it's not cheap. I bought the medicine (20 tablets of 24 mg each) at the pharmacy for 550 rubles. One package was not enough for me and I had to buy more tablets to complete the course. The doctor said that to get results you need to take the drug for at least 2 weeks. For me, therapy was extended after I felt the first positive improvements.

Instructions for use of Betaserk

First, I will describe possible contraindications and possible side effects. In reviews of patients treated with nootropic tablets, mentions of diarrhea, abdominal pain, excessive flatulence (bloating) and urticaria were more common. I was pleased that the list of treatment complications did not include any serious diseases, such as liver cirrhosis or gastritis. Allergies and loose stools are not the worst things in life)))

It turns out that Betaserc should not be taken by people suffering from:

bronchial asthma;
peptic ulcer;
colitis in the acute stage;
intolerance to the components of the drug.

It is clear that such tablets are prohibited during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I think women understand that they definitely shouldn’t risk their child’s health.

I'll write a few words about the instructions for use. Let me make a reservation right away - everything here is individual. The dosage is calculated by the doctor, focusing on the patient’s personal characteristics (weight, age, gender). The doctor prescribed me a 24 mg tablet of Betaserc once a day. The rate is also floating. In my particular case, 5 weeks were enough to get rid of the annoying ringing in my ears. Some may need more time.

Betaserc for osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is considered to be dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue of joints. Most often, this disease affects the discs of the spinal column. The symptoms of osteochondrosis are not pleasant - headaches, lumbar pain, pain in the shoulders and arms.

Osteochondrosis mainly occurs as a result of age-related changes.

The following causes of the disease are less common:

Poor posture
Passive lifestyle
Being overweight
Heredity factor
Long-term and regular stress on the back

Depending on the location of the disorder, cervical, lumbar and thoracic osteochondrosis is distinguished.

Lumbar osteochondrosis is characterized by pain in the lumbar region and lower extremities, gradually increasing with movement. Patients often experience disorders of the genitourinary system, weakening of potency in men and ovarian dysfunction in women may occur.
Thoracic osteochondrosis - acute or aching pain in the back, difficulty breathing, pain in the heart area
Cervical osteochondrosis is expressed by pain in the neck, arms, and is characterized by headaches and numbness in the fingers
In rare cases, patients experience mixed osteochondrosis, which is considered the most severe form of the disease. The symptoms of this type of disease are also mixed.

Osteochondrosis is initially diagnosed by examining the spine at rest and in motion. Next, the patient undergoes a hardware examination to confirm or refute the diagnosis. Often, additional research reveals concomitant diseases: hernia, radiculitis, etc. All studies and further treatment are the competence of a neurologist and all procedures must be carried out under his supervision.

Often, with cervical osteochondrosis, insufficient blood supply to the brain occurs as a result of compression of the artery. In this case, the patient complains of: dizziness, noise in the head, flashing “spots” or colored spots in the eyes, throbbing headache.

Then, in addition to the main therapy, auxiliary symptomatic treatment is prescribed. One of the drugs prescribed to relieve the above symptoms is the drug Betaserc. Prescribing the drug helps to reduce the severity of symptoms of vestibular disorders; in case of partial hearing loss, treatment helps to restore it.

The drug increases the conductivity of neurons that ensure normal functioning of the brain. The severity of the centralized action is manifested by an improvement in blood flow through the basilar artery.

The drug is also used for:

vestibular and labyrinthine disorders,
headache,
dropsy of the labyrinth of the inner ear,
noise and pain in the ears,
dizziness,
vomiting
progressive hearing loss,
nausea,
Meniere's disease and syndrome,
positional benign dizziness

The medication in question is not prescribed for:

tumor formations in the adrenal glands
bronchial asthma
peptic ulcer of the gastrointestinal tract in the acute phase
in the first trimester of pregnancy

It is recommended to take betaserc with caution for children under 18 years of age, patients with gastric ulcers, and pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy

Osteochondrosis is a well-known, studied disease, which, with the right lifestyle, timely consultation with a doctor, thorough diagnosis and compliance with all recommendations, is very treatable!

Reviews from patients and my impressions of the treatment

I know that the best advertisement for any product is praise from real people. Therefore, I always carefully study the opinions of ordinary buyers (fortunately, they can now be easily found on the Internet). The reputation of Betaserc tablets pleased me.

“A couple of years ago I was in a car accident. She escaped with a broken arm and a concussion. I was probably lucky, but I began to notice that my hearing was gradually deteriorating. The doctor said that these were the consequences of a blow and advised me to take Betaserc. Now everything seems to be getting better. I hope I won’t be hard of hearing...”

Betaserc is a narrowly targeted drug, so most reviews about it, as they say, are to the point. Such pills are usually prescribed by doctors and people rarely take them without special instructions, but there are also such “smart people”.

“I started taking pills after I started feeling dizzy. I waited 2 weeks for the effect, but only got stomach problems. I had to go to the hospital. After the diagnosis, I was diagnosed with hypertension...”

Betaserc will not save you from chronic high blood pressure; you will need completely different medications. I will also leave my positive feedback. I noticed the first changes in my condition after about 2 weeks. One evening I realized that I had not been distracted by tinnitus all day. After the full course (almost 40 days), I completely forgot about the problem. I hope forever.

Special instructions and prescribed prophylaxis

Betaserc should not be taken together with antihistamines. It is believed that in this case the effect of treatment will be significantly reduced. It is clear that the doctor prohibited alcohol and other stimulants during therapy. The doctor said that if I have side effects, then I can try analogues. The most popular are Tagista, Vestibo, and Betaver.

To prevent the problem from returning, the specialist recommended not listening to loud music on headphones, learning to quickly calm down after strong emotional experiences, giving up strong coffee and tea, and using less cotton swabs to clean your ears. I hope that these simple instructions will be enough to prevent ringing in the ears. If the noise returns, I will take a course of Betaserc tablets again.

Betaserk

Betaserc (active ingredient - betahistine) is a drug that improves microcirculation in the inner ear and is used for disorders of the vestibular apparatus, incl. with Meniere's syndrome and vertigo. It is a synthetic analogue of the biogenic amine histamine. The mechanism of action of the drug has only been partially studied. Currently, scientists continue to work on several hypotheses, supported by the results of preclinical and clinical studies. Thus, as one of the mechanisms of pharmacological action of betaserc, its effect on the histaminergic system is considered. The drug stimulates the metabolism and release of histamine due to the blockade of presynaptic H3 receptors and a decrease in the number of H3 receptors. In addition, as was established at the preclinical stage of studying betaserc, the drug is able to activate blood circulation in the cochlea of the inner ear and throughout the brain. This occurs due to a decrease in the tone of the precapillary sphincters in the blood vessels of the inner ear. Preclinical studies have also found that betaserc provides faster recovery of vestibular function in laboratory animals after unilateral vestibular nerve ablation. This property of the drug was later confirmed in clinical trials on humans. Another clinically significant effect of betaserc is the suppression of the generation of action potentials in nerve cells of the lateral and medial nuclei of the vestibular nuclear complex. The effectiveness of the drug was confirmed in patients with vestibular dizziness (vertigo) and Meniere's syndrome, which was reflected in a decrease in the frequency and severity of dizziness. When betaserc is taken orally, it is quickly and completely absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Almost immediately after this, it undergoes systemic metabolism to form 2-pyridylacetic acid. When taking betaserc simultaneously with food, the maximum concentration of the active substance in the blood plasma will be lower than on an empty stomach.

However, the total degree of absorption of betahistine in both cases will be approximately the same. In other words, food intake only slows down the absorption of the drug to some extent, without significantly affecting other pharmacokinetic characteristics. Betaserc is quickly excreted from the body through the urine and only to a small extent through the intestines. The rate of elimination of the drug remains unchanged when taken orally from 8 to 48 mg, which indicates the linearity of its pharmacokinetics.

Betaserc is taken with food. The specific dose of the drug is selected individually depending on the severity of the therapeutic response and the patient’s tolerability of treatment. Adults take betaserc 24-48 mg per day. It is possible to divide the tablet into two parts, for which it is placed on a hard, smooth surface in the upward position and pressed from above with the thumb. You should not expect instant relief of symptoms from betaserc: in some cases, visible improvement occurs only after several weeks of regular pharmacotherapy, and a lasting therapeutic effect can develop only after several months. There is clinical evidence that taking betaserc in the initial phase of the disease prevents its further progression or hearing loss at a later stage. As the practice of using the drug shows, dose adjustment is not required in elderly patients. Clinical studies covering the interaction of betaserc with other drugs have not been conducted to date. Based on data from laboratory studies, it can be assumed that in a living organism, the activity of the cytochrome P450 enzyme system will remain at the same level. Being a histamine analogue, betaserc may have an effect on drugs that block histamine H1 receptors. In any case, before starting a course of medication, the patient must inform the doctor about the current or recent use of any medications.