Withdrawal symptoms from discontinuing Cyproheptadine

Peata

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As much as I loved the mood stabilizing effects from Cypro, I decided to go off it. I'd been taking tiny amounts of it for a month, then about a month ago I started increasing. I wanted to see if I could reduce diarrhea with it and also get allergy symptom relief. I was up to 8 - 11 mg. per day, it varied. I'd take the biggest dose at night. My diarrhea did not stop. My allergies still needed help. So one of the main reason I was taking it - allergies, did not feel relieved unless I took more Cypro. The mood effects were very good though, but I started worrying about the side effect of weight gain. Up to that point, it hadn't happened. Then about halfway through last week, I started feeling that insulin resistant kind of hunger, where you are voracious, as if your body isn't registering the food and continually demands more and more. I started needing to eat nearly all my day's calories by noon. I ate all day. I ended up having to eat another meal just before bed. My weight gain started up again. Scaring me.

I had read that weight gain and increased appetite could be a side effect -sometimes it's used for that purpose in people who have no appetite or need to put on weight. I was hoping I could get allergy and other relief by taking less than the amount that would put weight on me. As I said in other posts, I was really getting good mental effects from Cypro. But I'd decided if I started gaining, I would stop taking it. So it happened, and so I did.

I had my last 1 mg. Tues a.m. But yesterday I started getting withdrawal symptoms similar to when I'd go off SSRIs. At first I thought the room was shaking because of some road workers nearby. Then I realized it was my brain, twerking in my skull. I had some nausea, malaise... just "those" symptoms of withdrawal. Anyone who's gone off SSRIs will understand. They were moderate in intensity, and I did have to go take 1/2 mg. Cypro to make it stop just so I could function and focus on other things. I was pretty much OK the rest of the day.

I've been OK so far today, just very mild symptoms that go quick, I hardly notice them. I think I'm off it now -I doubt I have a need to take a bit of Cypro to stop symptoms like I did yesterday.

For now I will just suffer through with allergies.
 

ilovethesea

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Peata said:
As much as I loved the mood stabilizing effects from Cypro, I decided to go off it. I'd been taking tiny amounts of it for a month, then about a month ago I started increasing. I wanted to see if I could reduce diarrhea with it and also get allergy symptom relief. I was up to 8 - 11 mg. per day, it varied. I'd take the biggest dose at night. My diarrhea did not stop. My allergies still needed help. So one of the main reason I was taking it - allergies, did not feel relieved unless I took more Cypro. The mood effects were very good though, but I started worrying about the side effect of weight gain. Up to that point, it hadn't happened. Then about halfway through last week, I started feeling that insulin resistant kind of hunger, where you are voracious, as if your body isn't registering the food and continually demands more and more. I started needing to eat nearly all my day's calories by noon. I ate all day. I ended up having to eat another meal just before bed. My weight gain started up again. Scaring me.

I had read that weight gain and increased appetite could be a side effect -sometimes it's used for that purpose in people who have no appetite or need to put on weight. I was hoping I could get allergy and other relief by taking less than the amount that would put weight on me. As I said in other posts, I was really getting good mental effects from Cypro. But I'd decided if I started gaining, I would stop taking it. So it happened, and so I did.

I had my last 1 mg. Tues a.m. But yesterday I started getting withdrawal symptoms similar to when I'd go off SSRIs. At first I thought the room was shaking because of some road workers nearby. Then I realized it was my brain, twerking in my skull. I had some nausea, malaise... just "those" symptoms of withdrawal. Anyone who's gone off SSRIs will understand. They were moderate in intensity, and I did have to go take 1/2 mg. Cypro to make it stop just so I could function and focus on other things. I was pretty much OK the rest of the day.

I've been OK so far today, just very mild symptoms that go quick, I hardly notice them. I think I'm off it now -I doubt I have a need to take a bit of Cypro to stop symptoms like I did yesterday.

For now I will just suffer through with allergies.

Interesting you say it didn't help your allergies. Were you taking it in liquid or pill format? I discovered I was actually allergic to the pills (from whatever fillers/excipients they use). They would give me a runny nose/sneezing instead of fixing them! But no problems with the liquid at all. I was able to reduce my dose to just 2mg to effectively get rid of morning sniffles (like if I ate a starchy meal the night before). Whereas the pills come in 4mg I think?

Maybe you would do better on the liquid and not have the weight gain/appetite problems since it's a lower dose.

I also take liquid Benadryl which I've found is purer than the liqui-gels. But I find cypro has way better mood effects - Benadryl can make you feel a bit depressed I find.

I think it's good to find a solution to the allergies as the decreased CO2 from any breathing issues will prevent healing in many other areas. Are you on a no starch diet? That's when I really started noticing improvements with allergies... if I avoid starches I am pretty much ok. (Although it can be so hard to do when being social..)

Tianeptine is another anti-serotonin option supposedly more effective than cypro. Happy to PM you a source.
 
OP
Peata

Peata

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Pills, 4 mg. I doubt I was allergic to them but who knows. I just felt like I needed more than what I was taking to help my allergies. My doctor actually wanted me on 12 mg. daily, I had almost worked up to it when the weight gain struck.

For now I am using Nasalcrom, which is supposed to be nonsystemic, just builds up a barrier in your sinuses against the allergens. It can take several days of use to start to work.

Also I am having to use a fast-acting inhaler. I never had to use one before although I had one on hand (COPD). But about 3 weeks or more ago I developed my chronic cough and it's become worse since I stopped antihistamines. Yesterday I gave in and started using the inhaler as needed. It's albuterol. When my cough gets bad, i use it and it stops the coughing, and when I do cough it makes it somewhat productive. I'm able to limit the inhaler to 4 x day so far.

I tried avoiding starches before to no effect. I'm not sure what in the heck I'm going to do other than wait and see if the two things I'm doing now helps my allergies soon.

I'll keep tianeptine in mind. Thanks. So far some of the good mood has "stuck" so maybe I was able to retrain my brain a little while I was on Cypro or maybe it's just who knows.
 
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Peata

Peata

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Oh and wanted to make note that although I got through the withdrawals fairly easily, for days after I did feel that weird feeling when I ate a meal, like last April when I felt it after taking pregnenolone - It's as though eating stimulated my system enough to drag the side effects back out for a while. That eventually went away too. Things for me to avoid: SSRI, chronic antihistamine use, pregnenolone... they all eventually get me with the side effects and/or harsh discontinuation syndrome. Gonna dance with Mary Jane -gotta pay the fiddler sooner or later. Sigh. If possible I want to get my good effects from food and drink as much as possible.
 

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