Bonine: what is on the carton, and how MAX differs

Brand facts · sold in United States · WellSpring Pharmaceutical Corporation, Sarasota, Florida · labels and regulator records read 2026-09-08

What is in each box

What each version changes

25 mg against 50 mg

The standard tablet is 25 mg and its label allows one or two. MAX is 50 mg and its label is one tablet, once daily. Same ingredient, different arithmetic.

Scored against unscored

The 25 mg tablet is scored into two pieces. The MAX tablet has no score, so it is not built to be split.

Flavour and size

Raspberry and pink at 9 mm for the standard tablet, peppermint and white at 8 mm for MAX. Both are chewed or crushed rather than swallowed whole.

What the carton claims

Less drowsy versus Dramamine dimenhydrinate, printed with an asterisk on the front of the box. That is a comparison against a different ingredient, and the label still says drowsiness may occur.

The brand, in retail terms

Bonine is a brand on a single ingredient. The current lineup on the brand's own site is two products: Bonine and Bonine MAX. The standard tablet is pink, round, 9 mm, scored into two pieces, raspberry flavored, imprinted BONINE, under NDC 65197-297. Pack counts run 8 in a blister box, 12 in a bottle, 16 as two blisters, 24 as three, and 48. The label was last revised in March 2025. An older children's product called Bonine for Kids exists in the FDA label archive under a different company and a different antihistamine, and it is not on the brand's current product list.

Where it is sold

Over the counter in the United States, distributed by WellSpring Pharmaceutical Corporation of Sarasota, Florida. Two products carry the name today: Bonine and Bonine MAX.

• United States, over the counter, distributed by WellSpring Pharmaceutical Corporation of Sarasota, Florida.
• Not a Canadian product. Health Canada's database holds no Bonine record, and the two meclizine products it did list, Bonamine and Antivert, are cancelled, which leaves dimenhydrinate under the Gravol name as the Canadian shelf standard.
• The same ingredient appears elsewhere under other names, including Dramamine Less Drowsy in the United States and Sea-Legs in New Zealand.
• Bonine for Kids sits in the FDA label archive under Insight Pharmaceuticals with a 2009 revision date and a different antihistamine, and it is absent from the brand's current product list.

The ingredient behind the brand

The ingredient is meclizine hydrochloride, and our meclizine page carries what it does, why the label asks for an hour of lead time and who is told to check with a clinician first. This page stays on the retail side: which Bonine box is which, what the counts and flavours are, and what the carton claims.

Meclizine, the ingredient monograph →

What the label says about timing

The Drug Facts panel gives one timing instruction: the dose should be taken one hour before travel starts, and the tablet should be chewed or crushed completely rather than swallowed whole. It is a once daily label for adults and children 12 and over. We do not provide dosing instructions: read the carton and ask a pharmacist.

We don't provide dosing instructions. The exact amount, the schedule, and whether a product suits you are individual decisions. Read the carton, follow its directions, and ask a doctor or pharmacist.

What the carton warns about

• Drowsiness may occur, in the label's own words, despite the less drowsy comparison printed on the front.
• Alcohol, sedatives and tranquilizers may increase that drowsiness, per the label.
• The full effect list for the ingredient is on the meclizine page.

Who should check with a doctor or pharmacist first

• Not for children under 12 unless a doctor directs it.
• Ask a doctor before use if you have trouble urinating from an enlarged prostate, glaucoma, or a breathing problem such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
• Ask a doctor or pharmacist before use if you are taking sedatives or tranquilizers.
• The label says to use caution when driving or operating machinery, and to avoid alcoholic drinks.
• If pregnant or breastfeeding, the label says to ask a health professional before use.
• The less drowsy line on the carton is a comparison with dimenhydrinate, not a claim that the product is non drowsy.
• Bonine for Kids is not part of the current lineup, and its label record has not been revised since 2009. Ask a pharmacist what is appropriate for a child rather than assuming it is still stocked.

Other boxes under this name

• Bonine MAX
  The 50 mg peppermint tablet: what doubles, what the label changes, and what it does not.
• Sea-Legs, the New Zealand brand
  The same ingredient under the international spelling, with night before dosing.

Set against the alternatives

• Bonine vs Dramamine
  The two American brands head to head on ingredient, timing and drowsiness.
• Bonine vs generic meclizine
  What you gain and lose by paying for the brand rather than the store box.
• Bonine vs Gravol
  The cross border pair: two brands, two different antihistamines.

Frequently asked questions

This page is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional. Dizzout is not a medical provider: we are not doctors or pharmacists. The information here is a general summary drawn from sources such as the FDA-approved label and other public health resources, and it may not reflect the most current changes; the official product label is the authoritative source. Whether any medicine is right for you, and how much to take, are individual decisions that depend on your health, age, and other medicines. We do not provide dosing instructions: always read the product label and follow its directions. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication, and never disregard or delay professional medical advice because of something you read here. If you think you may have a medical emergency, contact a doctor or your local emergency number immediately.