Indications
Flunarizine is indicated for
- Prophylaxis of classic (with aura) or common (without aura) migraine
- Symptomatic treatment of vestibular vertigo (due to a diagnosed functional disorder of the vestibular system).
- Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
- Motion sickness
- Refractory epilepsy resistant to conventional antiepileptic therapy.
Therapeutic Class
Pharmacology
Dosage & Administration
Migraine Prophylaxis:
- Starting Dose: 10 mg at night in patients less than 65 years of age and 5 mg daily in patients older than 65 years. If, during this treatment depressive, extrapyramidal or other unacceptable symptoms occur, administration should be discontinued. If, after 2 months of this initial treatment, no significant improvement is observed, the patient should be considered a non-responder and administration should be discontinued.
- Maintenance Treatment: If a patient is responding satisfactorily and if a maintenance treatment is needed, the dose should be decreased to 5 days treatment at the same daily dose with two successive medicine free days every week. Even if the prophylactic maintenance treatment is successful and well tolerated, it should be interrupted after 6 months and it should be re-initiated only if the patient relapses.
Peripheral Vascular disease: 10 mg twice daily, up to 30 mg per day if required.
Vertigo & motion sickness: 10-20 mg daily for adults and 5 mg daily for children (> 40 kg).
Epileptic seizure: 15-20 mg daily in adults and 5 to 10 mg daily for children as an add-on therapy
Interaction
Contraindications
Side Effects
Flunarizine is well tolerated and seldom causes serious side effects. The main adverse effects experienced by the patients are as follows:
Central nervous system: Depression, drowsiness, sedation, and anxiety.
Gastrointestinal: Heart burn, nausea, emesis, dry mouth, gastralgia.
Miscellaneous: Weight gain, and/or increased appetite, asthenia, muscle aches, skin rash, and galactorrhea in female patients on oral contraceptives.
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