What is Cyproheptadine?

Cyproheptadine is a medicine that helps in relieving redness, irritation, itchiness, watery eyes, sneezing, and runny nose that are caused by allergies, air irritants, and hay fever. It may also be used to relieve the itching of allergic skin conditions and to treat hives, including hives, caused by exposure to cold temperatures and skin rubbing.

Cyproheptadine is also sometimes used for the treatment of allergic reactions in people who face bleeding while using any other medical products as part of medical treatment and to treat life-threatening allergic reactions after symptoms have been controlled by other medicines.

Uses

Cyproheptadine is an antihistamine that is used for relieving allergy symptoms such as

Watery eyes
Runny nose
Itchy eyes/nose
Sneezing, hives
Itching

It works by blocking a certain natural substance (histamine) that is produced by your body during an allergic reaction.

This medicine also blocks another natural substance in your body (serotonin). This medicine should not be used in newborns or preterm infants.

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How to use Cyproheptadine HCL

Take this medicine by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor, usually 2 to 3 times a day. If you are using this medicine in liquid form, carefully measure the dose using a special measuring device or spoon. Never use a household spoon because you might not have the correct dose using it. The dose is based on your age, medical condition, and response to treatment. In children, the dose may also be based on weight and body size. Never increase your dose or take this medicine more often than directed. Tell your doctor if your condition is not improving or if it is getting worse.

Cyproheptadine Side Effects

Some of the common side effects of Cyproheptadine are:

Lightheadedness
Tremor
Convulsions (seizures)
Confusion
Hallucinations
Little or no urination
Fast heartbeats
Easy bruising
Bleeding
Pale or yellowed skin
Dark- colored urine
Fever
Weakness
Drowsiness
Dizziness
Dry mouth
Dry nose or throat
Constipation
Blurred vision
Restless

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Precautions

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to cyproheptadine; or if you have any other allergies. This product might have some inactive ingredients that may cause allergic reactions or other problems. Please talk to your doctor.
Before using this medicine, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, in particular: breathing problems (such as asthma, emphysema), high pressure in the eye (glaucoma), heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, seizures, stomach/intestinal problems (such as ulcers, blockage), overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), difficulty urinating (for example, due to enlarged prostate).
This medicine may make you dizzy or drowsy or blur your vision. Alcohol or marijuana (cannabis) can make you dizzy or drowsy. Evite alcoholic beverages. Talk to your doctor if you are taking marijuana (cannabis).
Liquid products may contain alcohol or sugar. Caution is advised if you have diabetes, liver disease, or any other condition that requires you to reduce or avoid these substances in your diet.
Children might be at major risk to get the side effects of this drug. This drug can often cause excitement in young children instead of somnolence.
Elderly people or senior citizen adults may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, especially somnolence, dizziness, constipation, confusion, or difficulty urinating. Sleepiness, dizziness, and confusion may increase the risk of falling.
This medicine should only be used during pregnancy when urgently needed. Consult your doctor.
It is not known if this medicine is passed into breast milk or not. Before breastfeeding, consult your doctor.

Interactions

Check the prescription guide of your medicines (such as allergies or cough and cold medicines) because they may contain ingredients that cause somnolence. Ask your pharmacist for the safe use of these products.

Do not use any other drug which contains antihistamine, applied to the skin (such as diphenhydramine cream, any ointment, spray) as increased side effects may occur.

This medicine might interfere with the results of certain laboratory tests (including allergy skin tests, metyrapone tests) that may result in false test results. Make sure your laboratory personnel and all your doctors know you're using this drug.

Cyproheptadine vs Diphenhydramine

Cyproheptadine	Diphenhydramine
Cyproheptadine is a first-generation antihistamine	Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine that is mainly used in the treatment of allergies.
Formula: C21H21N	Formula: C17H21NO
brand name Periactin	Diphenhydramine is a brand-name of Benadryl
Cyproheptadine helps to relieve redness, irritation, itchiness, watery eyes, sneezing, and runny nose caused by allergies, air irritants, and hay fever.	Diphenhydramine used for insomnia, symptoms of the common cold, tremor in parkinsonism, and nausea.

Citations

Use of cyproheptadine to stimulate appetite and body weight gain: A systematic review, ID:10.1016/j.appet.2019.02.012

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Cyproheptadine used for?

Cyproheptadine is an antihistamine that is used for relieving allergic symptoms such as watery eyes, runny nose, itchy eyes/nose, sneezing, hives, and itching. It works by blocking a certain natural substance (histamine) that is produced by your body during an allergic reaction. This medicine also blocks another natural substance in your body (serotonin). This medicine should not be used in newborns or preterm infants.

2. Is cyproheptadine used for appetite?

Cyproheptadine hydrochloride is a first-generation antihistamine used as an appetite stimulant.

3. Can I use Cyproheptadine to gain weight?

While cyproheptadine hydrochloride may help underweight people to gain some weight, it may put an average person at risk of obesity, which is a major problem worldwide. Apetamin contains cyproheptadine hydrochloride, which can increase appetite as a side effect.

4. Can cyproheptadine help anxiety?

It can also be used to help control anxiety and cause sleep before surgery. Some antihistamines are used in the treatment of chronic hives, which is a persistent hives-like rash. Antihistamines may also be used to treat other conditions as determined by your doctor.

5. What is the side effect of cyproheptadine?

Sleepiness, dizziness, blurred vision, constipation or dry mouth/nose/throat may occur, fast heartbeats, easy bruising, bleeding, ringing in your ears, pale or yellowed skin, dark-colored urine, fever, weakness

6. Is cyproheptadine addictive?

Overall, 77.2 percent of Cyproheptadine users were afraid of the addictive effect of Cyproheptadine use. However, the majority of users have declared themselves satisfied (97.5 percent ).

7. Is cyproheptadine a steroid?

Cyproheptadine is an appetite stimulant with additional anticholinergic, antiserotonergic and local anesthetic properties. Dexamethasone is a potent synthetic glucocorticoid class of steroid drugs. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agent.

8. Is cyproheptadine an antidepressant?

Cyproheptadine is a tricyclic benzocycloheptene that is closely related to pizotifen and ketotifen, as well as to tricyclic antidepressants.

9. Can cyproheptadine cause miscarriage?

Cyproheptadine is not expected to be harmful to an unborn child. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while taking this medicine. It is not known whether cyproheptadine passes into breast milk or whether it could harm a nursing child. Antihistamines may slow down the production of breast milk.

10. Can cyproheptadine increase blood pressure?

Cyproheptadine therapy significantly improved systolic and diastolic blood pressure and reduced diurnal variability in a pediatric patient with resistant central hypertension. Unfortunately, this treatment was hepatotoxic and had to be discontinued for this reason.

11. Can cyproheptadine cause seizures?

H1 receptor antagonists such as Cyproheptadine are known to cause seizures in non-epileptic patients and are also found to impair the anticonvulsant activity of some antiepileptic drugs and reduce the threshold, increase seizure severity and decrease the efficacy of clinically used antiepileptic drugs.

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