Astemizole: its use in patients with chronic vertigo and eng signs--a pilot study of a new drug.

Astemizole, a new H1 antihistamine, was tested on 10 patients with chronic dizziness and either spontaneous or positional nystagmus. Patients with Meniere's disease were excluded from the study. The patients took 10 mg of astemizole per day for 30 days. Four ENGs were performed; one pre-drug, one after 2 weeks of drug, one after 4 weeks of drug and one post-drug ENG. Six of the 10 patients showed a clear decrease in spontaneous and/or positional nystagmus at the second and third ENG and a rebound of nystagmus when the drug was stopped. There was a positive relation between subjective symptoms and nystagmus. No side-effects were observed.