An underweight individual may use periactin to stimulate his appetite in order to gain weight. This usage of the drug in this way has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Periactin (CYPROHEPTADINE) is a piperidine antihistamine. Unlike other antihistamines, this drug also antagonizes serotonin receptors. This action makes Cyproheptadine useful in conditions such as vascular headache and anorexia. Cyproheptadine does not prevent the release of histamine but rather competes with free histamine for binding at HA-receptor sites. Cyproheptadine competitively antagonizes the effects of histamine on HA-receptors in the GI tract, uterus, large blood vessels, and bronchial smooth muscle. Most antihistamines possess significant anticholinergic properties, but Cyproheptadine exerts only weak anticholinergic actions. Blockade of central muscarinic receptors appears to account for Cyproheptadine's antiemetic effects, although the exact mechanism is unknown.
Periactin has been used by some doctors as an appetite stimulant to help underweight individuals gain weight. This indication has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
|
