Cinnarizine for children: instructions for use

"Cinnarizine" is a medicine that affects the blood supply to the brain. The drug is usually prescribed for adults with atherosclerosis of the blood vessels of the head, thrombophlebitis, after a stroke and for other circulatory disorders. However, sometimes "Tsinnarizin" discharged and children. In such cases, mothers are interested in whether this medication is harmful to babies and in what doses it is acceptable to give it to a child.

The drug is produced by several pharmaceutical companies in Russia and Bulgaria. Often, the medicine is simply called “Zinnarizin”, but there are also drugs whose name contains an indication of the manufacturer, for example, “Cinnarizin Sopharma” from the Bulgarian company Sopharma.

In pharmacies "Tsinnarizin" is only in one form - pills. The drug is usually sold in packs of 50 pieces, but some manufacturers offer other packages - from 10 to 250 tablets, placed in blisters of 10 or 50 pieces, as well as in glass or plastic jars. The tablets themselves are round, flat or convex on both sides, white or creamy white.

The main ingredient of the drug gave the name of the pill, that is, it is also called cinnarizine. Its amount in one tablet for all manufacturers is 25 mg. Inactive components are represented by aerosil, lactose, povidone, microcrystalline cellulose, starch, and other compounds. They differ from different companies, therefore, if the patient has intolerance to excipients, their composition should be clarified in the instructions for the purchased Cinnarizine.

Cinnarizine has the ability to block calcium channels, with the result that calcium ions no longer enter the cells and their concentration decreases. This leads to a decrease in vascular smooth muscle tone and their expansion. This action contributes to the property of cinnarizine to enhance the vasodilating effect of carbon dioxide, as well as reduce the response of the arteriole muscles to adrenaline and other active substances.

The effect of the drug on the blood vessels in the brain is particularly pronounced, and the blood pressure of the large blood vessels of the body during treatment with Cinnarizin is almost unchanged. Tablets also have a moderate antihistamine effect and the ability to reduce the tone of the sympathetic nervous system. In addition, the drug affects the vestibular apparatus, as a result of which its excitability decreases. Another remedy has the ability to increase the resistance of smooth muscles to the action of hypoxia and reduce blood viscosity.

The instructions for tablets in the list of contraindications for some manufacturers have an age of 5 years, for others - 12 years. However, sometimes Cinnarizine is prescribed for younger patients, if there is a need to improve blood supply to the brain. Most doctors, including Dr. Komarovsky, believe that this medicine can be used even in infants, if the benefits of its use will significantly exceed the possible harm.

"Cinnarizine" can be administered to children in such cases:

• if the child has a head injury;
• if the little patient has labyrinth disorders or Meniere's disease;
• if it is necessary to prevent the manifestations of sea or air sickness (with motion sickness);
• if the child is lagging behind in development.

"Cinnarizine" should not be given to patients with hypersensitivity to its main ingredient or any of the inactive substances of the tablets (for example, in celiac disease, if the drug contains wheat starch).

The nervous system of a child may respond to pills with drowsiness, headache, hand tremor, increased muscle tone, depression, increased fatigue, and other symptoms. In some patients, "Cinnarizine" provokes skin rashes and sweating. Sometimes the drug has a bad effect on the digestive system and causes abdominal pain, dry mouth or various dyspeptic symptoms. In very rare cases, a child may have a decrease in blood pressure or an increase in body weight after taking a dose of Cinnarizin prescribed by a doctor.

The pill should be taken after meals and washed down with water.

In most diseases, a triple dose is indicated, and for motion sickness, the medicine is given just before the trip - in about half an hour.

At the age of 5-11 years, "Cinnarizine" is usually prescribed in a dose that corresponds to half of the adult dosage. For example, in order to prevent rocking, a half tablet (12.5 mg) is given to a child, and in case of problems with cerebral circulation, a single dose of the drug is 12.5-25 mg. For adolescents 12 years and older, doses prescribed for adults are used.

The maximum dosage of “Cinnarizine” per day for a child over 12 years old is 9 tablets, that is, 225 mg of the active compound. For younger patients, the marginal figure is half as much — no more than 112.5 mg can be given per day, which corresponds to four and a half tablets.

The duration of use of "Cinnarizine" is determined by the doctor taking into account various factors, among which are the diagnosis and the patient's response to treatment. If a child has sea or airborne illness, tablets can be taken sporadically, while other diseases are prescribed in a course that can last several months.

If you exceed the dose, Zinnarizin provokes vomiting, tremor of the limbs, drowsiness and other side effects, and in severe cases, drug poisoning can lead to a strong decrease in blood pressure and coma. There is no antidote to this remedy, therefore, in case of overdose, traditional methods of treatment are used - gastric lavage, sorbents, symptomatic therapy.

"Zinnarizin" is able to enhance the therapeutic effect of antidepressant and sedative drugs, as well as vasodilators and nootropic drugs. If you give these pills along with drugs that increase blood pressure, the effectiveness of these drugs will decrease.

To buy "Zinnarizina" in a pharmacy, you need a prescription from a doctor. The cost of the drug depends on the number of tablets in the package and the manufacturer. For 50 tablets you can pay both 20 and 50 rubles.

The shelf life of the drug is 2 or 3 years and is marked on the package. Before it expires, tablets should be kept in a dry place at room temperature.

In most cases, parents speak positively about “Cinnarizine”. They note that the condition of the child after the course of treatment improves, and the tolerance of the drug is mostly good. The taste of the medication is neutral, so there are no problems with taking a pounded powder. However, one can also meet negative opinions when the medicine did not help or provoked side effects.

A replacement for "Cinnarizine" can be tablets "Stugeron", since it is a drug with the same active ingredient in a dosage of 25 mg. It can be used with the same indications.

In addition, instead of "Tsinnarizina" depending on the pathology and age of the patient, the doctor may advise other drugs.

• Fezam. Such nootropic capsules also contain cinnarizine, but it is supplemented with piracetam. The drug is in demand for kinetozakh, labyrinthopathy, asthenia, brain injury and in other cases. Children it is prescribed from 5 years of age. Analogues of this tool are drugs "Omaron", "Combitropil" and "NooKam".
• «Vinpocetine». Such tablets have a similar effect, as they affect the bloodstream and metabolic processes in the brain. Although the age is under 18 years of age in contraindications, neurologists may prescribe this medicine to children. It is prescribed for hypoxic encephalopathy, head injuries, epilepsy and other problems.

• «Phenibut». Such a remedy has a nootropic and psychostimulating effect, therefore it is in demand for asthenia, insomnia, enuresis, nervous ticking, motion sickness and other disorders. The medicine is allowed for children older than 3 years, but the doctor may prescribe it to younger patients, if there is a good reason for this. Replace "Phenibut" can other drugs aminophenylbutyric acid - "Noofen" and "Anvifen».
• «Semax». This nootropic drug can be used for sleep disorders, delayed speech development, nervous excitability and other neurological problems. It is represented by nasal drops and can be used in children over 7 years old (they are prescribed a 0.1% solution).

You will learn more about the drug "Zinnarizin" by watching the following video.