The widely prescribed medication for dizziness, meclizine, may actually increase the risk of falls in adults, new research suggests.
A cohort study of more than 805,000 US adults found that patients who received meclizine, an antihistamine often used to suppress dizziness and nausea, were more likely to suffer a fall requiring medical attention, as reported in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.
Of the patients studied, 8% filled a meclizine prescription within 30 days of a new dizziness diagnosis. Among them, 9% experienced an injurious fall within two months of starting the medication. The risk was nearly three times higher for adults aged 18 to 64 and more than double for those aged 65 and older, compared with peers who were not prescribed the drug.
“Although meclizine may offer immediate vertigo relief, [its] use is incongruent with guideline-concordant care for common vestibular diagnoses,” the authors wrote
“Receipt of a meclizine prescription was associated with an increased risk of injurious falls among both patients aged 65 years or older and those aged 18 to 64 years with dizziness, who are already fall prone.”
The study, which analysed US commercial and Medicare Advantage claims between 2006 and 2015, underscored growing concern about “low-value” or guideline-discordant care for dizziness.
The authors said further prospective studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms behind the increased risk, but urged caution now.
“Future guidelines that engage clinicians and patients to deimplement routine vestibular suppressant use for dizziness may be warranted,” the study concluded.
