In this blog, I will discuss some possible benefits of meclizine for certain situations and how I use this medication myself. I generally use meclizine for short-term or intermittent use only. In certain circumstances, it may be needed to survive through the day.

Is Meclizine Safe for Vertigo?

Many patients report that meclizine gives them relief from dizziness, vertigo, or nausea, while other patients report that meclizine does not help at all.

All medications can cause side effects. Meclizine can cause dizziness, drowsiness, blurry vision, low blood pressure, and falls in the elderly.

Although meclizine is not ideal for long-term use for patients with vertigo, there are many potential benefits of meclizine. I’ve spoken out many times about the dangers of relying on meclizine due to adverse effects of long-term use.

That is why you should always talk to your doctor to receive individual medical advice for your situation, including your specific symptoms, diagnosis, and potential drug allergies or medication interactions.

Top 5 Potential Benefits of Meclizine

With that said, let’s get into five potential benefits of meclizine.

Meclizine for Motion Sickness During Travel

One of the potential benefits of meclizine is to reduce motion sickness while traveling.

I’ve had a handful of patients who had a vertigo recurrence while traveling after we completed their care. Since they’ve been clear of vertigo for months to years before their trip, they didn’t even think to bring medications.

Vertigo can ruin a vacation – if you wake up spinning and you don’t have any medication on hand.

As a result, I now recommend to all my patients to pack medication for motion sickness when they travel. Some of my patients have left over prescription medications from their doctor. Other patients get motion sickness pills over-the-counter at their local pharmacy.

One of the benefits of meclizine is that it can help with motion sickness during traveling. Whether you’re on a boat, a cruise, a car ride, a train, or a plane, meclizine can help with motion sickness while traveling for some people.

Meclizine may be especially important if you plan to sleep on a boat during your trip.

I don’t recommend any specific motion sickness pill or brand name. I encourage my patients to talk to their doctor about the best pill for motion sickness in their case, before they travel.

It’s better to have it with motion sickness pills on hand, just in case. It’s awful to need motion sickness pills while traveling and not having anything available.

Meclizine to Help You Sleep Through Vertigo Attacks

Vertigo can cause insomnia. Many of my patients report that vertigo attacks wake them up at night or prevent them from sleeping altogether.

If you feel vertigo when you lie down or roll over in bed, that can activate a fight-or-flight response in your nervous system. This experience can make your heart pound and cause an adrenaline rush while you are trying to fall asleep.

Some of my patients report that one of the benefits of meclizine is to help with their sleep. Some doctors prescribed meclizine to help patients with sleeping, while they’re going through a series of treatments for vertigo.

I generally think that’s a good idea because sleep is so important to overall healing. Sometimes my patients take meclizine to help with their sleep while they’re working with me through a vertigo treatment plan.

However, I don’t think that taking meclizine every night indefinitely as a sleep aide is a good long-term solution for positional vertigo. Long-term use of meclizine can be dangerous due to the cumulative anticholinergic effect on the brain.

Meclizine for Managing Symptoms While Working

I wake up with BPPV at least twice a month. As an example, this morning I rolled over to the left side in bed at 6am. I had a huge spin at 9/10 intensity that lasted for 20 seconds. It was probably the worst vertigo spin I’ve ever felt in my life!

After assessing myself in multiple positions, I concluded that I had left horizontal canal BPPV canalithiasis type. I proceeded to do six treatment maneuvers in a row for horizontal canal BPPV.

Although I improved by about 85% with that treatment, I just felt really nauseous afterwards. I had to go to work to see my first patient at 10 AM, so I took 50 mg of meclizine.

I’ve also experienced vestibular neuritis (in 2025) for the very first time. I found meclizine valuable to keep me working through that horrible episode of vertigo lasting for days. I went to urgent care then I took 50mg of meclizine twice a day for three days, so I could continue to work.

Needless to say, I would not have been able to work without short-term use of meclizine on multiple occasions.

Many of my patients take meclizine for a few weeks, to continue working until their vertigo is completely resolved with vestibular physical therapy.

Meclizine After Vestibular Testing or Treatment

Suppressing symptoms after vertigo testing or treatment, such as BPPV testing, VNG testing, or Vestibular Rehabilitation PT sessions, is another of the potential benefits of meclizine.

Meclizine can interfere with the accuracy of vestibular testing, so I advise all of my patients to stop taking meclizine at least 12 hours before I see them for the initial examination.

My patients sometimes bring meclizine with them to my office. After I finish their exam, they might take meclizine to suppress their symptoms. Meclizine might help them get through the vertigo treatment more easily if their symptoms are really strong.

Other patients choose to bring meclizine with them to my office to take after we’ve completed the treatment session. Then they wait for 20-30 minutes so they can drive themselves home or tolerate riding in the car as a passenger.

This is okay for my patients receiving treatment for BPPV to minimize discomfort, since BPPV treatment is focused on particle repositioning maneuvers. I mentioned above how I personally took 50 mg of meclizine after strongly symptomatic BPPV treatment so I could go to work that day.

However, I do not recommend this strategy for patients doing VOR (Vestibular Ocular Reflex) training in vestibular PT since meclizine suppresses the activity of the central nervous system (CNS). The results VOR training depend on the CNS activity being intact. Therefore, meclizine may interfere with the results of VOR training by suppressing the compensation and adaptation of the CNS that needs to occur.

Meclizine for Management of Acute Vertigo

Suppressing acute vertigo until it settles down or subsides is one of the major benefits of meclizine.

One of the most beneficial times to take meclizine for vertigo is as soon as it hits, around the clock (or as needed) for the first 2-3 days after acute onset.

BPPV and vestibular neuritis are the two most common causes of inner ear vertigo. Both of them can be absolutely brutal during the acute onset. They can cause vomiting and may require emergency medical care.

There is no trophy or award for tolerating acute vertigo without medication. Similarly, you would not earn a gold medal for getting orthopedic surgery without anesthesia.

It’s not necessary or beneficial to be super sick from vertigo at the onset. Getting through the acute phase of vertigo is one of the many possible benefits of meclizine.

How to Get Meclizine Safely

First and foremost, talk to your doctor. Every medication should be carefully considered for potential risks and benefits.

Meclizine can be prescribed by your doctor or purchased over the counter. Many of my patients receive a meclizine prescription from the ER, urgent care, or primary care provider.

I purchased my meclizine 25mg over-the-counter, CVS brand motion sickness pills. There are other brand names offering 25 mg meclizine pills over-the-counter as well.

I usually take 25mg-50mg once or twice a day as needed to mask symptoms so I can keep going with my life. I personally try not to take it for more than 3 days in a row.

Meclizine usually comes as a tablet to swallow. Most pharmacies also carry chewable meclizine which is faster-acting.

If you take other anticholinergic medications, the side effects from meclizine may be heightened.

Final Thoughts: When to Consider Meclizine for Vertigo

Even though meclizine can be beneficial as I shared in this blog, I caution against taking it every day indefinitely as the first and only treatment plan for vertigo due to the well-known cumulative adverse effects of long-term use.

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Take all your medications as prescribed and discuss any changes with your doctor before you stop or reduce any of your medications.