Question About Gravol. (Why Dimenhydrinate?)

[shady4091]

I was just curiously wondering today, why it is that the drug companies use Dimenhydrinate in Gravol and other such anti-nauseants and not Diphenhydramine? Since a 50mg dose (one regular strength pill) is equivalent to ~27.2mg diphenhydramine it seems like a totally pointless thing to do. Plus, because of this conversion needing to be done, it takes much longer to fully kick in...

Do they just not want the general public to know they're the exact same thing marketed as something else, or is there something I'm missing about Dimenhydrinate that makes it a more potent anti-nauseant?

 

[brookshire]

Gravol is diphenhydramine and theophylline. Theophylline is similar to caffeine. The idea is that gravol will provide the antihistamin w/o the drowsiness that usually comes w/ taking benadryl (diphenhydramine).

Basically its just non-drowsy benadryl.

 

[Justin Sane 53]

^^ That is true brookshire, but he is asking why they use dimenhydrinate not why they use theophylline.

Dimenhydrinate must first be converted into diphenhydramine, so it has a much longer latency; therefore, it is more effective at combating motion sickness for long periods of time than diphenhydramine.

So, you kind of answered your own question- it is supposed to take longer to kick in so it can work for longer it also won't knock you out as quickly, again due to the increased latency.

 

[sekio]

Dimenhydrinate is just a 1:1 mixture of theophylline and diphenhydramine, it doesn't take any longer to kick in over normal diphenhydramine nor does it last longer. The reason for theophylline in the mix is simply to reduce drowsiness.

 

[Tripman]

Why take APAP over Aspirin, over Ibuprofen?

I mean really very subjective question.

I personally prefer dimehydrenate.

~Closed.