# Does both Benadryl and Dramamine Work Equally on Vertigo? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 17, 2019, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811 "2019-08-17T20:29:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/1 "2019-08-17T20:29:47Z")
So, a couple days ago I rolled over in bed. Unfortunately, the room kept going round even after I stopped rolling. Damn vertigo! Yeah, real unpleasant even in a relatively minor form, like what you get from food poisoning or too much alcohol or an ear infection. Anyhow - that afternoon found me scoping out the anti-motion-sickness meds at my local pharmacy. Between reading the back of the boxes (always fun reading fine print when you’re dizzy) and the wonders of the internet/Wikipedia I discovered that the active ingredient of Dramamine is something called [dimendyrinate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimenhydrinate), which is a combination of the venerable antihistamine diphenhydramine (a.k.a. “Benadryl”) and a mild stimulant called 8-Chlorotheophylline. But it’s apparently the diphenhydramine that does the heavy lifting to counter-act motion sickness, the 8-Chlorotheophylline is there to counteract the drowsiness side effect of the diphenhydramine. Huh. So… would my dizziness/nausea have been equally alleviated if I just took plain old diphenhydramine? (Of course, I’d still get drowsy). Do all anti-histamines have an anti-dizziness/nausea effect or only some of them.? Wow, diphenhydramine is good for your allergies, it’s used as a sleep aid, and against motion sickness… is there anything it _can’t_ do? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/2 "2019-08-17T20:38:37Z")
It can’t stop heavy bleeding:) Benadryl(generic) is always in my med drawer. I get itchy from ads on TV. I’m always the itch waiting to rash or vice-versa. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/3 "2019-08-17T22:22:46Z")
I was told to use meclizine (Antivert) for my vertigo, There was some advantage over Dramamine but I can’t remember right now. I had never heard of it but I guess it’s well-known. It had been suggested to me in the past that I take Valium or another benzo for vertigo. I asked my neuro recently about that and he suggested meclizine over benzos, too. For me personally though, if the vertigo episode is bad enough, the tranq effect of the benzo helps with the anxiety. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/4 "2019-08-17T22:34:15Z")
The one I eventually went with was generic meclizine, too - it said it was less sedating than diphenhydramine and that seems to be the case. But I always have diphenhydramine on hand because of my allergies, so it would be handy to know how effective that is for the purpose, since I’m more likely to have that than meclizine. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/5 "2019-08-17T23:30:16Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > So, a couple days ago I rolled over in bed. Unfortunately, the room kept going round even after I stopped rolling. > > Damn vertigo! > > Yeah, real unpleasant even in a relatively minor form, like what you get from food poisoning or too much alcohol or an ear infection. > > Anyhow - that afternoon found me scoping out the anti-motion-sickness meds at my local pharmacy. Between reading the back of the boxes (always fun reading fine print when you’re dizzy) and the wonders of the internet/Wikipedia I discovered that the active ingredient of Dramamine is something called [dimendyrinate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimenhydrinate), which is a combination of the venerable antihistamine diphenhydramine (a.k.a. “Benadryl”) and a mild stimulant called 8-Chlorotheophylline. But it’s apparently the diphenhydramine that does the heavy lifting to counter-act motion sickness, the 8-Chlorotheophylline is there to counteract the drowsiness side effect of the diphenhydramine. > > Huh. > > So… would my dizziness/nausea have been equally alleviated if I just took plain old diphenhydramine? (Of course, I’d still get drowsy). > > Do all anti-histamines have an anti-dizziness/nausea effect or only some of them.? > > Wow, diphenhydramine is good for your allergies, it’s used as a sleep aid, and against motion sickness… is there anything it _can’t_ do? Your first paragraph describes what my wife, Pepper Mill, felt recently. Her doctor prescribed **Bonine** (Also known as **Bonamine**. The generic name is **Meclizine** \*) for it. It works, but it makes her sleepy. I notice that it is also sold as “Dramamine II”, despite not being that closely related to Dramamine; it’s probably because the effects are similar. Bonine/Bonamine/Meclizine is over-the-counter medicine, so you could pick it up at your local drugstore without a prescription. I would still check with my doctor regarding using it, though. - [Meclizine - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meclizine) ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/6 "2019-08-17T23:45:46Z")
I don’t know if they both help on the vertigo side. That piece isn’t something I have issues with. I always keep benadryl or it’s generic both at home and in the car. I’'m allergic to bee stings. It’s not bad enough I need an Epi-pen or I might die. It’s two to three days of being miserable and achy without treatment. I can reduce the misery with Benadryl but it knocks me on my ass. I usually split the difference and only take Benadryl when I can afford to be drowsy and before bed. It doesn’t help as much that way but at least I’m not a drooling idiot. Dramamine or meclizine looks like a real option for daytime dosing the next time I get stung. That’s potentially useful. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/7 "2019-08-18T01:11:32Z")
**Moderator Action** Since this concerns a real world medical issue, let’s move this to IMHO (from GQ). ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/8 "2019-08-18T02:04:50Z")
Dang it, I was hoping a doc or pharmacist would chime in with a definitive factual answer! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/9 "2019-08-18T03:23:01Z")
Use whatever antihistamine works better for you, broomie. Diphenydramine is as good as meclizine, but considered to be more sedating. That’s either a bug or a feature. They damp down the symptoms somewhat for shorter attacks. If you want something that tends to reduce the **nausea** more than the vertigo, go with ondansetron, promethazine, or Prochlorperazine. If those fail, benzodiazepines may work best of all, but they have their own issues. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/10 "2019-08-18T12:02:03Z")
Benzos are anti-dizzy/nausea too? Wow, I am learning a lot here. Back to the specific situation - my dizziness seems to have resolved over the past 48 hours (YAY!). Having now tried meclizine, it was effective and although I did experience some drowsiness it was noticeably less than diphenhydramine. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/11 "2019-08-22T20:26:45Z")
A (hopefully) minor tag-along question - my partner gets vertigo attacks and keeps a bottle of meclizine in his bag, but what options exist to banish vertigo entirely? He’s tried the Epley maneuver a couple of times. The last time was a horrendous failure that ended with him crashing into walls while running in spirals to the bathroom to vomit. :eek: The weird thing is that when all is happy and well in his inner ears, he can ride rollercoasters with no problem, but when things go randomly bad, just getting out of bed can knock him silly. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/12 "2019-08-22T23:00:16Z")
Diphenhydramine is sold as both allergy and a sleep aid. Often the latter is much more expensive, but the dosage is identical, the packaging is the only difference. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/13 "2019-08-22T23:59:48Z")
Epley maneuvers only work for people with otoliths, or small stones in the labyrinth. So probably not worth trying over 5 or 6 times if they never help. For severe cases the 8th nerve can be cut, but that will cause deafness in that ear, and it only is done if the problem comes from one ear which already has significant hearing loss. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/14 "2019-08-23T05:25:18Z")
He’s been told he has BPPV and my assumption is that if trying the Epley maneuver made it worse, he does have otoliths/canaliths that were inadvertently moved to a bad spot. It’s not been bad enough for him to bug his doctor - yet. If he can feel “the spinnies” coming on, and can get some meclizine soon enough, the attacks go away, but the meclizine leaves him a bit goofy/drowsy for a few hours. We can blast kidney stones with lithotripsy. Too bad we can’t do the same inside the head. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/15 "2019-08-23T12:07:19Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > He’s been told he has BPPV and my assumption is that if trying the Epley maneuver made it worse, he does have otoliths/canaliths that were inadvertently moved to a bad spot. The extreme motions of the Epley could just really derange the already disturbed labyrinthine enervation, too. Hard to know for sure. > [@](#): > > We can blast kidney stones with lithotripsy. Too bad we can’t do the same inside the head. LOL, talk about inducing “shaken SO syndrome”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-both-benadryl-and-dramamine-work-equally-on-vertigo/838811/16 "2019-08-23T23:11:41Z")
I have BPPV and have discovered while doing the Eply maneuver that it matters which way I do it. That is, if, after laying on my back, my first maneuver is to roll to my right so that my right ear is facing down and then go from there, it helps. However, if my first roll is to the left, it doesn’t help at all and sometimes makes matters worse. I assume it has to do with which ear is affected. Or else I’m a mutant.