Awful Response To Cyproheptadine

[RPDiciple]

sueq: cool u take 1mg morning and 1mg evening? what have you noticed esp since after incorperating 1mg in the morning?

 

[SQu]

I've been taking 3 mg bedtime for a while in hope of better sleep, not clear there but ditto most things I try. At that level I'm not a zombie the next day. Definitely noticed a difference when I started the 1 mg am. Better caffeine tolerance suggesting happier liver if I'm correct. Quite a milestone for me. Doesn't affect my appetite which in fact could be better then maybe I'd have proper lunches and avoid slumps and adrenalin.

 

[Peata]

When I got used to the sedation, adding 1/2 to 1 mg. more when I wanted to increase worked well. I did the increases gradually.

It's probably hard for someone who is just starting to use it and is completely zonked by the sedation effect at 1/2 to 1 mg. to believe you can take high doses without any sedation at all. But once I worked my way up, that effect went away completely. I take 4 mg in the morning and take another 2 mg in the afternoon, then 1 mg. before bed.

 

[Peata]

When I got used to the sedation, adding 1/2 to 1 mg. more when I wanted to increase worked well. I did the increases gradually.

It's probably hard for someone who is just starting to use it and is completely zonked by the sedation effect at 1/2 to 1 mg. to believe you can take high doses without any sedation at all. But once I worked my way up, that effect went away completely. I take 4 mg in the morning and take another 2 mg in the afternoon, then 1 mg. before bed.

BTW, my appetite has not increased at 7 - 8 mg. daily.

 

[RPDiciple]

cool. What positives have u noticed from it Peata?
I dont notice any drowsing etc from 2mg dosage no matter when i take it

 

[Peata]

It doesn't help my allergies at all. If I really need help with those, I have to take some Benadryl. But it helps my mood, motivation, energy, etc.

 

[RPDiciple]

Yeah i was wondering what it did in terms of positives. Since it touches many systems aldosterone,cortisol,histamine,estrogen,serotonin so it should have many positive effects.

 

[SQu]

In my experience it's been a pillar of recovery along with t3, caffeine, aspirin, progesterone, b1 and of course the fruit and dairy. And helped with estrogen, histamine, serotonin and if I'm correct, going by symptoms, possibly also adrenalin.

 

[Anonymous]

Or maybe cypro at such low doses, 1-3mg per day,
isn't effective as an antihistamine.
But sheesh! That would be a daunting challenge for me,
to take huge doses of cyproheptadine.
Maybe many did back then when it came out.

I've taken up to 12 mg. before and it still didn't affect my allergies. My doctor wanted me to take take 16 mg total per day because that was in his data as the dose that would help allergies. But I didn't want to go that high because at the time I was afraid of gaining weight.

If you don't have allergies or your histamine is not high then cypro may not have an effect. Benadryl has other properties (serotonergic) at higher doses which may explain why people react to it differently than cypro.
Also, the weight gain on cypro is not very dose dependent. Some people gain weight on as little as 1mg a day and others don't add an ounce at 32mg daily even though they double their caloric intake. My personal theory is that cyproheptadine causes weight gain in people with compromised metabolism. There was a study back in the 1970s showing that sick people initially gained a lot of weight on cypro, which was desirable and probably normal reaction of the body trying to regenerate itself. As they kept taking the drug for several months and their serotonin got beaten into submission their metabolism suddenly awakened and they ended up losing the extra weight but stayed healthy. As far as I can remember none of these people did any exercise as they were considered quite sick and exercise was not recommended for them. So, the eventual weight loss was due to cypro just as was the initial weight gain. If you add some extra thyroid while taking cypro you should not gain weight. There is nothing in the drug itself that causes weight gain except the extra eating. So, if you take cypro and keep your normal caloric intake you will not gain weight.

This study sounds very interesting! By any chance do you have a link to the study?

 

[haidut]

Or maybe cypro at such low doses, 1-3mg per day,
isn't effective as an antihistamine.
But sheesh! That would be a daunting challenge for me,
to take huge doses of cyproheptadine.
Maybe many did back then when it came out.

I've taken up to 12 mg. before and it still didn't affect my allergies. My doctor wanted me to take take 16 mg total per day because that was in his data as the dose that would help allergies. But I didn't want to go that high because at the time I was afraid of gaining weight.

If you don't have allergies or your histamine is not high then cypro may not have an effect. Benadryl has other properties (serotonergic) at higher doses which may explain why people react to it differently than cypro.
Also, the weight gain on cypro is not very dose dependent. Some people gain weight on as little as 1mg a day and others don't add an ounce at 32mg daily even though they double their caloric intake. My personal theory is that cyproheptadine causes weight gain in people with compromised metabolism. There was a study back in the 1970s showing that sick people initially gained a lot of weight on cypro, which was desirable and probably normal reaction of the body trying to regenerate itself. As they kept taking the drug for several months and their serotonin got beaten into submission their metabolism suddenly awakened and they ended up losing the extra weight but stayed healthy. As far as I can remember none of these people did any exercise as they were considered quite sick and exercise was not recommended for them. So, the eventual weight loss was due to cypro just as was the initial weight gain. If you add some extra thyroid while taking cypro you should not gain weight. There is nothing in the drug itself that causes weight gain except the extra eating. So, if you take cypro and keep your normal caloric intake you will not gain weight.

This study sounds very interesting! By any chance do you have a link to the study?

I don't have a link but it was a study on anorexic children I think, so if you search Pubmed it should come up.

 

[InChristAlone]

Or maybe cypro at such low doses, 1-3mg per day,
isn't effective as an antihistamine.
But sheesh! That would be a daunting challenge for me,
to take huge doses of cyproheptadine.
Maybe many did back then when it came out.

I've taken up to 12 mg. before and it still didn't affect my allergies. My doctor wanted me to take take 16 mg total per day because that was in his data as the dose that would help allergies. But I didn't want to go that high because at the time I was afraid of gaining weight.

If you don't have allergies or your histamine is not high then cypro may not have an effect. Benadryl has other properties (serotonergic) at higher doses which may explain why people react to it differently than cypro.
Also, the weight gain on cypro is not very dose dependent. Some people gain weight on as little as 1mg a day and others don't add an ounce at 32mg daily even though they double their caloric intake. My personal theory is that cyproheptadine causes weight gain in people with compromised metabolism. There was a study back in the 1970s showing that sick people initially gained a lot of weight on cypro, which was desirable and probably normal reaction of the body trying to regenerate itself. As they kept taking the drug for several months and their serotonin got beaten into submission their metabolism suddenly awakened and they ended up losing the extra weight but stayed healthy. As far as I can remember none of these people did any exercise as they were considered quite sick and exercise was not recommended for them. So, the eventual weight loss was due to cypro just as was the initial weight gain. If you add some extra thyroid while taking cypro you should not gain weight. There is nothing in the drug itself that causes weight gain except the extra eating. So, if you take cypro and keep your normal caloric intake you will not gain weight.

This study sounds very interesting! By any chance do you have a link to the study?

I don't have a link but it was a study on anorexic children I think, so if you search Pubmed it should come up.

There is nothing in the drug that causes you to gain weight, but what about water retention? I gained 4 lbs with a few weeks of cypro, but I lost 2 lbs in just 3 days of being off it, I don't know how that is possible unless it was water?

 

[haidut]

Or maybe cypro at such low doses, 1-3mg per day,
isn't effective as an antihistamine.
But sheesh! That would be a daunting challenge for me,
to take huge doses of cyproheptadine.
Maybe many did back then when it came out.

I've taken up to 12 mg. before and it still didn't affect my allergies. My doctor wanted me to take take 16 mg total per day because that was in his data as the dose that would help allergies. But I didn't want to go that high because at the time I was afraid of gaining weight.

If you don't have allergies or your histamine is not high then cypro may not have an effect. Benadryl has other properties (serotonergic) at higher doses which may explain why people react to it differently than cypro.
Also, the weight gain on cypro is not very dose dependent. Some people gain weight on as little as 1mg a day and others don't add an ounce at 32mg daily even though they double their caloric intake. My personal theory is that cyproheptadine causes weight gain in people with compromised metabolism. There was a study back in the 1970s showing that sick people initially gained a lot of weight on cypro, which was desirable and probably normal reaction of the body trying to regenerate itself. As they kept taking the drug for several months and their serotonin got beaten into submission their metabolism suddenly awakened and they ended up losing the extra weight but stayed healthy. As far as I can remember none of these people did any exercise as they were considered quite sick and exercise was not recommended for them. So, the eventual weight loss was due to cypro just as was the initial weight gain. If you add some extra thyroid while taking cypro you should not gain weight. There is nothing in the drug itself that causes weight gain except the extra eating. So, if you take cypro and keep your normal caloric intake you will not gain weight.

This study sounds very interesting! By any chance do you have a link to the study?

I don't have a link but it was a study on anorexic children I think, so if you search Pubmed it should come up.

There is nothing in the drug that causes you to gain weight, but what about water retention? I gained 4 lbs with a few weeks of cypro, but I lost 2 lbs in just 3 days of being off it, I don't know how that is possible unless it was water?

Serotonin is known to induce diuresis so cyproheptadine may antagonize that. Here is one study showing it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8061255

"...In rats receiving a normal saline load of 2.5 ml/100 g, sc, (moderately hydrated rats), injections of the serotonin (5-HT) antagonist, metergoline (0.25-1-4 mg/kg), resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in the urine output induced by a dose of 8 mg/kg of cyclazocine (a benzomorphan derivative, mixed kappa and sigma agonist) at the 2-h time period. The antagonist effect of metergoline (1 mg/kg) on cyclazocine doses ranging from 0.25 to 8 mg/kg, was observed only at 2 mg/kg higher doses. Other 5-HT receptor blockers, methysergide, pizotifen, cyproheptadine, caused a significant degree of antagonism."

So, I guess antagonizing serotonin may make you retain water. I am pretty sure it does not increase lipogenesis or otherwise promote converting food to fat.

 

[Anonymous]

​

Or maybe cypro at such low doses, 1-3mg per day,
isn't effective as an antihistamine.
But sheesh! That would be a daunting challenge for me,
to take huge doses of cyproheptadine.
Maybe many did back then when it came out.

I've taken up to 12 mg. before and it still didn't affect my allergies. My doctor wanted me to take take 16 mg total per day because that was in his data as the dose that would help allergies. But I didn't want to go that high because at the time I was afraid of gaining weight.

If you don't have allergies or your histamine is not high then cypro may not have an effect. Benadryl has other properties (serotonergic) at higher doses which may explain why people react to it differently than cypro.
Also, the weight gain on cypro is not very dose dependent. Some people gain weight on as little as 1mg a day and others don't add an ounce at 32mg daily even though they double their caloric intake. My personal theory is that cyproheptadine causes weight gain in people with compromised metabolism. There was a study back in the 1970s showing that sick people initially gained a lot of weight on cypro, which was desirable and probably normal reaction of the body trying to regenerate itself. As they kept taking the drug for several months and their serotonin got beaten into submission their metabolism suddenly awakened and they ended up losing the extra weight but stayed healthy. As far as I can remember none of these people did any exercise as they were considered quite sick and exercise was not recommended for them. So, the eventual weight loss was due to cypro just as was the initial weight gain. If you add some extra thyroid while taking cypro you should not gain weight. There is nothing in the drug itself that causes weight gain except the extra eating. So, if you take cypro and keep your normal caloric intake you will not gain weight.

When you say "several months," how many months would you estimate for the metabolism to wake up in the worst case scenario? My brother has battled an eating disorder for some time and I recommended he try cyproheptadine.

 

[haidut]

​

Or maybe cypro at such low doses, 1-3mg per day,
isn't effective as an antihistamine.
But sheesh! That would be a daunting challenge for me,
to take huge doses of cyproheptadine.
Maybe many did back then when it came out.

I've taken up to 12 mg. before and it still didn't affect my allergies. My doctor wanted me to take take 16 mg total per day because that was in his data as the dose that would help allergies. But I didn't want to go that high because at the time I was afraid of gaining weight.

If you don't have allergies or your histamine is not high then cypro may not have an effect. Benadryl has other properties (serotonergic) at higher doses which may explain why people react to it differently than cypro.
Also, the weight gain on cypro is not very dose dependent. Some people gain weight on as little as 1mg a day and others don't add an ounce at 32mg daily even though they double their caloric intake. My personal theory is that cyproheptadine causes weight gain in people with compromised metabolism. There was a study back in the 1970s showing that sick people initially gained a lot of weight on cypro, which was desirable and probably normal reaction of the body trying to regenerate itself. As they kept taking the drug for several months and their serotonin got beaten into submission their metabolism suddenly awakened and they ended up losing the extra weight but stayed healthy. As far as I can remember none of these people did any exercise as they were considered quite sick and exercise was not recommended for them. So, the eventual weight loss was due to cypro just as was the initial weight gain. If you add some extra thyroid while taking cypro you should not gain weight. There is nothing in the drug itself that causes weight gain except the extra eating. So, if you take cypro and keep your normal caloric intake you will not gain weight.

When you say "several months," how many months would you estimate for the metabolism to wake up in the worst case scenario? My brother has battled an eating disorder for some time and I recommended he try cyproheptadine.

Typical doses for restoring appetite and weight are 12mg - 16mg daily. Given that in some people cypro causes elevation of liver enzymes I would not take this dose longer than a month without some sort of liver testing. The studies with children I have seen were usually 2 months long but most started responding within 3-4 weeks. The study continued for 2 months b/c there were some "stubborn" non-responders
You should know if cypro is working or not pretty quickly. Once serotonin is down, fatigue disappears and eating pretty much anything raises temperatures and pulse even without taking thyroid.
If it's not working within 1-2 months then there is something else going on, usually some kind of chronic bacterial infection. I say bacterial b/c if it was viral cypro would have probably brought it under control. I posted some studies on cypro being able to control and subdue a number of viral infections.

 

[Anonymous]

​

Or maybe cypro at such low doses, 1-3mg per day,
isn't effective as an antihistamine.
But sheesh! That would be a daunting challenge for me,
to take huge doses of cyproheptadine.
Maybe many did back then when it came out.

I've taken up to 12 mg. before and it still didn't affect my allergies. My doctor wanted me to take take 16 mg total per day because that was in his data as the dose that would help allergies. But I didn't want to go that high because at the time I was afraid of gaining weight.

If you don't have allergies or your histamine is not high then cypro may not have an effect. Benadryl has other properties (serotonergic) at higher doses which may explain why people react to it differently than cypro.
Also, the weight gain on cypro is not very dose dependent. Some people gain weight on as little as 1mg a day and others don't add an ounce at 32mg daily even though they double their caloric intake. My personal theory is that cyproheptadine causes weight gain in people with compromised metabolism. There was a study back in the 1970s showing that sick people initially gained a lot of weight on cypro, which was desirable and probably normal reaction of the body trying to regenerate itself. As they kept taking the drug for several months and their serotonin got beaten into submission their metabolism suddenly awakened and they ended up losing the extra weight but stayed healthy. As far as I can remember none of these people did any exercise as they were considered quite sick and exercise was not recommended for them. So, the eventual weight loss was due to cypro just as was the initial weight gain. If you add some extra thyroid while taking cypro you should not gain weight. There is nothing in the drug itself that causes weight gain except the extra eating. So, if you take cypro and keep your normal caloric intake you will not gain weight.

When you say "several months," how many months would you estimate for the metabolism to wake up in the worst case scenario? My brother has battled an eating disorder for some time and I recommended he try cyproheptadine.

Typical doses for restoring appetite and weight are 12mg - 16mg daily. Given that in some people cypro causes elevation of liver enzymes I would not take this dose longer than a month without some sort of liver testing. The studies with children I have seen were usually 2 months long but most started responding within 3-4 weeks. The study continued for 2 months b/c there were some "stubborn" non-responders
You should know if cypro is working or not pretty quickly. Once serotonin is down, fatigue disappears and eating pretty much anything raises temperatures and pulse even without taking thyroid.
If it's not working within 1-2 months then there is something else going on, usually some kind of chronic bacterial infection. I say bacterial b/c if it was viral cypro would have probably brought it under control. I posted some studies on cypro being able to control and subdue a number of viral infections.

Interesting. How would you treat a chronic bacterial infection?

 

[haidut]

​

Or maybe cypro at such low doses, 1-3mg per day,
isn't effective as an antihistamine.
But sheesh! That would be a daunting challenge for me,
to take huge doses of cyproheptadine.
Maybe many did back then when it came out.

I've taken up to 12 mg. before and it still didn't affect my allergies. My doctor wanted me to take take 16 mg total per day because that was in his data as the dose that would help allergies. But I didn't want to go that high because at the time I was afraid of gaining weight.

If you don't have allergies or your histamine is not high then cypro may not have an effect. Benadryl has other properties (serotonergic) at higher doses which may explain why people react to it differently than cypro.
Also, the weight gain on cypro is not very dose dependent. Some people gain weight on as little as 1mg a day and others don't add an ounce at 32mg daily even though they double their caloric intake. My personal theory is that cyproheptadine causes weight gain in people with compromised metabolism. There was a study back in the 1970s showing that sick people initially gained a lot of weight on cypro, which was desirable and probably normal reaction of the body trying to regenerate itself. As they kept taking the drug for several months and their serotonin got beaten into submission their metabolism suddenly awakened and they ended up losing the extra weight but stayed healthy. As far as I can remember none of these people did any exercise as they were considered quite sick and exercise was not recommended for them. So, the eventual weight loss was due to cypro just as was the initial weight gain. If you add some extra thyroid while taking cypro you should not gain weight. There is nothing in the drug itself that causes weight gain except the extra eating. So, if you take cypro and keep your normal caloric intake you will not gain weight.

When you say "several months," how many months would you estimate for the metabolism to wake up in the worst case scenario? My brother has battled an eating disorder for some time and I recommended he try cyproheptadine.

Typical doses for restoring appetite and weight are 12mg - 16mg daily. Given that in some people cypro causes elevation of liver enzymes I would not take this dose longer than a month without some sort of liver testing. The studies with children I have seen were usually 2 months long but most started responding within 3-4 weeks. The study continued for 2 months b/c there were some "stubborn" non-responders
You should know if cypro is working or not pretty quickly. Once serotonin is down, fatigue disappears and eating pretty much anything raises temperatures and pulse even without taking thyroid.
If it's not working within 1-2 months then there is something else going on, usually some kind of chronic bacterial infection. I say bacterial b/c if it was viral cypro would have probably brought it under control. I posted some studies on cypro being able to control and subdue a number of viral infections.

Interesting. How would you treat a chronic bacterial infection?

Iron depletion and tryptophan restriction. Aspirin and vitamin E can deplete iron, and vitamin E has some string studies in helping control bacterial infections like pneumonia. Tryptophan restriction can be achieved by eating mostly gelatin for a week or two and adding BCAA to any non-gelatin protein you consume. Most bacteria infecting man depend on iron and tryptophan for living and reproduction.

 

[Amazigh]

I thought this would be worth mentioning - my best friend and I were very thin when we were in high school (back on the 1980's) and we didn't have the greatest appetite. We were not very underweight (I was 5'6", 115 lbs), but we're Cuban, and in Cuba being thin = being unhealthy. Our parents took us to an old Cuban doctor who prescribed Periactin to 'put some meat on our bones.' Apparently this was a common use of cyproheptadine back then. She and I have vivid memories of sleeping all day and wanting to eat everything in sight. I have no idea what the dosage was, and can't remember how long we were on it - I think around 2 weeks. I do remember having gained ~10 lbs. It's interesting what someone else (can't remember who) posted earlier about the weight gain being more of an issue with people whose health is not great, since I suspect I have had metabolic issues since early childhood.

 

[Dayman]

Yeah, sorry.
We could probably create an interesting research niche
by exploring why different people respond so differently to these Peat-related pharmas! :)

I tried Lisuride after hearing how some here on the forum
felt amazing and semi-euphoric while taking it.
I felt very lethargic and almost had to go lie down.

There's probably a very interesting explanation behind the different reactions.
Could provide some clues to our chemistries, issues....

Lisuride also makes me extremely lethargic and ill. When I took 1, 1/2 and even 1/8 pill I just lie down and sweat.
I have since discovered I get a positive effect at maybe around 1/16 of a pill, or maybe less, I also have to be feeling reasonably well before I take it.

As for cypro I am at .5mg to not experience negative side effects but at such low a dose the desired effects are also less noticable.
I wonder if it is related to people who are more sensitive or lower metabolically.

 

[skycop00]

I used it for the first time last week. 1mg 3 days in a row and I got body aches pretty bad. I stopped and the pains were gone. Does it take estrogen too low by chance?

 

[InChristAlone]

It is great at lowering cortisol which is antinflammtory, so maybe you need to address that.