UPDATED 2/26/2016
What is it?
Serc is a brand name drug in Europe and other countries. It's primary active component is betahistine hydrochloride. It is a frequent first line treatment for Meniere's Disease. Many experts believe it may act as a vasodilator and helps your inner ear reduce the hydrops that they believe cause many of our symptoms.
What about allergies, isn't it a histamine?
Serc is histamine but it is a type of it that does not increase allergies in most people. In fact, Derebery (an allergist AND NeuroTologist) says that it can theoretically cause your body to produce less histamine related to allergies, and even help your allergy symptoms slightly. Because of the way it acts according to these doc's, they say antihistamines and other anti allergy med's are allowed as SERC acts on a different receptor.
How to get it.
It is not available in the US under it's brand name – which is why it is not often prescribed here in pill form - but it is legal for a compounding pharamcist to make it for you from scratch in generic form.
I got my SERC from a compounding pharmacy in Pasadena, CA and I DID have it covered by my insurance I had a $10 copay each month. It took some letters and pushing to get insurance to help me with it.
They didn't know what it was and others may not, so I recommend printing off information about it from this link (Dr. Timothy Hain, Meniere's expert, wrote this excellent breakdown of the drug and why and when use uses it for Meniere's treatment)
Go to http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/treatment/drug/serc.html
The pharmacy found it pretty quick from a supplier.
I took 16mg 3 times a day, but these days higher doses are being tried, again I'd refer you to Dr. Hain's page for a breakdown of why. He updates it often.
If your ENT gives a bunch of guff about it not being legal (which isn't true if you get it compounded) or if your still not sure and are uncomfortable ordering it from a pharmacy, my ENT, Dr Derebery, also does histamine shots 2-3 times a week instead as a replacement for SERC if her patients have trouble getting it. So either way the treatment is the same and she provides it. The shots are more of a pain (literally) though and I don't know about you but I'd rather just take a pill. Not every Meniere's doc would advocate these shots as an alternative to traditional betahistine tablets (it's confusing, I know... )
Effectiveness:
As to whether it works... well... it is one of those drugs that the jury is kind of still out on. Dr Derebery and Dr T Hain - both famous MM doc's - prescribe it for Meniere's Disease, and both aren't sure why it works, or if it even does in most cases. Dr Hain posted his whole thought process on his website (link is above and below). Now he says that meclizine and serc aren't compatible, Dr Derebery says they are, since she is an allergist I go with her opinion, but that is just my opinion to go with her opinion.
Long story short... take it, and see what happens. It, generally, won't hurt you.
Chad
Links:
Drug facts on SERC
Dr T Hain's opinion on betahistine (updated 1/2016)
Link to the House Ear Clinic where Dr Derebery is at: http://www.houseearclinic.com
