Cyproheptadine for Migraine User Reviews

• Anonymous
• September 18, 2009

Cyproheptadine "This medication has virtually eliminated my 12-year-old son's (almost daily) migraine headaches. He has had no significant side effects and it has greatly increased his quality of life and ability to succeed in school."

• Poo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 5, 2014

Cyproheptadine "My neurologist put me on 4x4 mg Periactin at night as a preventative for chronic migraine. I was aware of the weight gain possibility and started running and yoga. I slowly gained 5 kg in 5 months. Upon noticing this, I tried even harder. With time and dedication, I was able to exercise and eat my way back down to my normal skinny weight. When I'm hit with a carb craving (which is pretty often), I eat 30 mg of a healthy carb (such as a 2-inch chunk of carrot). It satisfies perfectly as long as you haven't consumed a protein in the last 2 hours. Do not turn to fatty carbs. The drowsiness also wore off in the first week. I am the healthiest and best version of myself, thanks to migraines. Choose not to be a victim. I now run charity marathons and have kept my career."

• Liz...
• July 26, 2013

Cyproheptadine "I was prescribed 4 mg 3x a day. I asked my PCP for a prescription for this after doing some research myself. I never did see clear dosage guidelines, so my Dr. put me on the dose for allergies because use for migraines is off-label. I started it at 4 mg at night and had to go home sick (sleepy) from work the next day! So be very cautious when starting this medicine. I then started taking only 2 mg each night, and it has worked wonderfully. I had a migraine every day for about 6 months before trying this, and now not one for months. I feel like I have my life back."

• Hap...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 24, 2015

Cyproheptadine "My teenage daughter suffered from debilitating migraines that became daily over a 1-year period. She was finally diagnosed with Chiari 1 Malformation. She tried Topamax for almost a year & Elavil for a month, along with Rizatriptan & Ketoprofen. NOTHING helped until Periactin. She was practically a part of our couch and kept our living room like a dungeon. She cried on a daily basis and could barely go to school. Now she is a normal teen and can even play sports! She rarely gets a headache, and it goes away with rest. This is 2 months of 2 pills a day (the lowest dose). She does have a greater appetite, but I have her drink more water and limit her food intake. She stays on a schedule taking her doses, one with breakfast and one by 9 p.m."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 16, 2012

Cyproheptadine "Stopped 95% of my migraines. I found my migraines were related to allergies to egg and dairy - I think a lot of people don't check for this. Anyway, Periactin has been amazing, can make you a bit hungry at night, but who cares. Try it if your Dr. says it's for you."

• roo...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 29, 2013

Cyproheptadine "My child was diagnosed with cluster migraines when he was only 3.5 years old. This is very unusual. We refused to put him on anti-seizure medicines, which the doctor said has the side effect of helping migraines. Instead, we opted for Cyproheptadine, and it has worked wonders and improved his quality of life by 100 fold. Yes, I have to watch that weight gain, but otherwise, it has been a miracle."

• Anonymous
• October 24, 2010

Cyproheptadine "I was prescribed Periactin to help contain severe migraines and have found it very effective. After taking two tablets a day for a week, I thought that maybe my migraines had been cured and stopped taking them-unfortunately, my headache came back within about one and a half days. I am now taking regular doses again and have not had a single headache to complain of. However, the increased appetite is an unfortunate side effect."

• Pic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 19, 2019

"At first, when I started taking cyproheptadine for really bad headaches, I felt really sick. Then, as I continued taking it, my body got accustomed to it. I was about 138 lb and gained up to 147 lb in like 2 months. I was shocked."

• scu...
• September 27, 2015

Cyproheptadine "Cluster migraines made my life a misery. New doctor, new approach, and with Periactin of 5 x 4 mg at night has changed my life. Yes, be careful with the weight gain, and the sleepiness abated after two weeks. Some strange dreams as well."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 26, 2013

"I have been taking this since I was about seven years old to fight off the migraines I was experiencing almost daily that would send me home from school. My doctor prescribed this to me, and almost 10 years later my migraines are practically gone. Now and again I'll feel the sensation of a headache coming on, and I still take it to fend them off. The only thing is it causes me to become drowsy and often puts me to sleep sometimes. I've learned to take it after my meals in the evenings because of this, so I'll wake up refreshed in the morning."

• Buf...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 15, 2018

"I was getting migraines, and I could not find anything to control them. My allergist recommended this drug. It has been a lifesaver! Yes, I have read what other people have said about it, but I would make a suggestion - as my doctor told me. It does make you sleepy - so you take it only at night before you go to bed. I wake up fully refreshed. I have been taking this medicine for over two years and have gained no weight. If you suffer from migraines, I highly suggest you try this. I might have had 1 migraine attack in the past year. I would say that it works very well."

• Bir...
• April 16, 2014

Cyproheptadine "My 4-year-old was diagnosed with migraines (3-4 per month with vomiting and other symptoms). Given Periactin. Has had quite an increase in appetite and thus weight gain. It's difficult as a parent to balance the weight gain and social issues with that. Will try going off Periactin in summer per neurologist. Hopefully, the migraines will stay away, and she will be able to lose some of the weight."

• Jea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 6, 2012

"My 7-year-old son has had these severe headaches, now believed to be migraines, since he was 3. With time, the headaches have become almost daily. One month to the day, my son has had only 1 headache! He has gained weight, though, which for him was okay because he was so, so skinny."

• Owi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 18, 2016

"Prescribed this for my four-year-old's presumed migraines (vomiting, light sensitivity). MRI revealed a Chiari malformation. It has helped tremendously. He still suffers an occasional headache, but they are fewer and farther between. The increased appetite has been a blessing. He was losing a lot of weight due to another condition and has since stabilized."

• Anonymous
• April 9, 2012

Cyproheptadine "I was pregnant, I had to stop taking Relpax (at 2 x a month) for migraines, and I made notes and found I had horrible pain 20 out of 30 days in the month. For 2 months, I suffered, and my OB referred me to my neuro, who referred me to my OB, and no one would help me. A new neuro put me on Periactin 4 mg once a day. I started it on - I think day 2 of what usually is a 3-day migraine, and it stopped. I had only a faint sensation of a headache."

• Not...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 6, 2017

"My doctor swapped me onto this medicine because I was getting married and hoping to have a more 'baby-friendly' medicine in case I got pregnant in the near future. On cyproheptadine, I felt like the medicine took some of the edge off my chronic migraines. The intensity lessened, but I saw no significant change in migraine frequency. I was taking 12 mg per day. But oh, the side effects! First, I felt this perpetual restless agitation. Second, I was hungry absolutely all the time. I have a great deal of self-control and was able to keep things at bay for a while, but my weight kept creeping up. In 6 months, I gained 15 lbs (my normal, very stable weight is 120 lbs, so this was a lot for me). Eventually, I decided this one wasn't for me."

• Red...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2016

"It got prescribed this when I started getting horrible headaches almost daily. I was told to take it two times daily, once in the morning and once at night. It gave me more headaches, at least an aura without pain. I had increased blind spots in my vision, as well as it made me extremely tired. Stopped taking it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 28, 2012

Cyproheptadine "I have an awful case of migraines, therefore, my doctor prescribed me Periactin. I noticed a mood change and a huge weight gain of 40 lbs within 2 months. It stopped working for my migraines after a week, and then I was prescribed Topamax."

• Pot...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 3, 2018

"I was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) a month after I had turned 13. I was 70 lbs (obviously underweight) and prescribed cyproheptadine for both weight gain and migraines. It helped a little with migraines, but I was still suffering from them most days, in addition, I gained 100 lbs by the time I turned 14. I got off the drug after about a year and lost 50 lbs in 2 months, taking me back to a healthy weight for my build. I think I was on it far too long, and it did far too little for my migraines, while it helped me gain weight, I was miserable. I was never not hungry and would eat enough groceries in a night that would sustain a normal person for 3-4 days."

• Mom...
• June 29, 2016

"My son has had migraines for years, but they only got worse the older he got. The day before the last day of school last year, he had such a bad migraine that he had a seizure. Fast forward to the neurologist appointment, and she decided to put him on this medication before trying a medication for seizures that she said would help the migraines also. He took this medicine every day in the mornings (it did not make him sleepy at all) for 11 months. He gained 40-45 pounds, and the medication stopped working for him. He got the daith piercing and is off the medication now. Migraine-free for 3 weeks, which is amazing for him! So, it didn't last for migraines for my son."

• Lac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 20, 2020

"20 weeks pregnant and started getting a ton of migraines overnight. Neurologist gave me this prescription. It did significantly help keep away the migraines, but the side effects are horrible. Now I'm in withdrawal trying to wean off. I wish the Dr. had given me a clearer picture of what being on this drug is like. Restless legs at night. Heavy chest during the day. Get out of breath. Feel like I ran a marathon. I gained a ton of weight! No, not because I'm pregnant. I would prefer medicating migraines over taking this drug daily."

• Mam...
• January 25, 2020

"My 8-year-old daughter was prescribed this medication for migraines. It has done wonders for her migraines, and she has gone from 4 attacks a week to none! Unfortunately, she is gaining an average of a pound a week. She is very active in basketball, 4-H, softball, running, and country living but is still gaining. She has been on the meds for 2 1/2 months and gained 10 lbs. We are going to try a different medication as we are concerned about the weight gain, which appears to be mostly fat."

• ell...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 4, 2017

"I was prescribed this in July of 2017, and now it’s October of 2017, and I have gained 35 pounds from this. On top of that, it has done next to nothing for my migraines. Just a word of warning: if you have issues losing weight or have issues gaining too much, then this will be your enemy. (It is used by people who need to increase their weight.)"

• Anonymous
• November 15, 2011

"Tried this for my six-year-old son for migraines. Reduced the migraines almost in half, then we doubled the dose. It then caused restlessness, he went four days without sleeping. We have now gone back to the first dosage and are thinking about stopping it altogether."

• Rac...
• June 2, 2017

"I just got out of the hospital 5 days ago! I had a migraine sitting there 5-6 days straight, ended up going into the hospital, and the doc put me on these. I'm on my first week! Wow, they make you so sleepy .... I've struggled to do much! I hope the sleepiness wears off in 2 weeks. I am a naturally very fit person! These headaches pushed me back, first time having these ongoing headaches! Would love to know how people got through this tiredness, I need a few tips! Just started."