Time-course of effects of oral cinnarizine and hyoscine on task performance

Investigations into antimotion sickness drugs fall into two main categories: efficacy ('benefits') and side-effects ('costs'). This study was of the second type. Oral cinnarizine (30 mg: normal dose; and 75 mg: 2.5 x normal dose) and placebo, were investigated using a battery of automated mental, motor, physiological and other tests in twelve young healthy male volunteers. The higher cinnarizine dose level was chosen to exaggerate effects and make it easier to track them. Oral hyoscine (1.2 mg: 2 x normal dose) was employed as a positive internal control. Side-effects were almost exclusively due to hyoscine whereas cinnarizine was almost free of significant effects even at the higher dose of 75 mg. Hyoscine impaired performance 1-3 hours postdrug, whereas the effects of cinnarizine occurred approximately 5-7 hours postdrug. This paralleled the slower time-course for the protective action of cinnarizine against motion sickness noted in earlier studies. These results, taken in conjunction with previous trials, suggest that oral cinnarizine would seem less likely than hyoscine to produce unwanted decrements in performance.