Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)
cyproheptadine
Sign in to saveAlso known as cyproheptidine, Periactin®, Peritol®, 4-(5H-dibenzo(a,d)cyclohepten-5-ylidene)-1-methylpiperidine, 4-(5-dibenzo(a,d)cyclohepten-5-ylidine)-1-methylpiperidine, 5-(1-methylpiperidylidene-4)-5H-dibenzo(a,d)cyclopheptene, 1-Methyl-4-(5H-dibenzo(a,d)cycloheptenylidene)piperidine, 1-methyl-4-(5-dibenzo(a,e)cycloheptatrienylidene)piperidine
Cyproheptadine, sold under the brand name Periactin among others, is a first-generation antihistamine which is used to treat allergies. In addition, it has a number of off-label uses, such as treatment of serotonin syndrome, insomnia, and use as an appetite stimulant. The drug is taken orally.
Key facts
- Drug.verifiedrevid
- 460111355
- Drug.image
- Cyproheptadine.svg
- Drug.image_class
- skin-invert-image
- Drug.width
- 175
- Drug.image2
- Cyproheptadine-Spartan-PM3-3D-balls.png
- Drug.image_class2
- bg-transparent
- Drug.width2
- 175
- Drug.tradename
- Periactin, others
- Drug.MedlinePlus
- a682541
- Drug.DailyMedID
- Cyproheptadine
- Drug.pregnancy_AU
- A
- Drug.routes_of_administration
- Oral
- Drug.ATC_prefix
- R06
- Drug.ATC_suffix
- AX02
- Drug.legal_AU
- S3
- Drug.legal_CA
- OTC
- Drug.legal_UK
- GSL
- Drug.legal_US
- Rx-only
via Wikipedia infobox
Chemical data
- Formula
- C21H21N
- Molecular weight
- 287.4 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 1-methyl-4-(2-tricyclo[9.4.0.03,8]pentadeca-1(15),3,5,7,9,11,13-heptaenylidene)piperidine
- SMILES
- CN1CCC(=C2C3=CC=CC=C3C=CC4=CC=CC=C42)CC1
- InChIKey
- JJCFRYNCJDLXIK-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- XLogP
- 4.7
- Polar surface area
- 3.2 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 0
- H-bond acceptors
- 1
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
Research
4,635 papers- Cyproheptadine.Lancet (London, England) · 1978
- Cyproheptadine: a psychopharmacological treasure trove?CNS spectrums · 2022
- Acute cyproheptadine poisoning.Indian journal of pediatrics · 1989
- Cyproheptadine (Periactin).The Medical letter on drugs and therapeutics · 1971
- Repurposing the antihistamine cyproheptadine for osteoarthritis: nothing to sneeze at.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2025
via PubMed
~14 min read
Encyclopedic overview
18 sectionsContents
- Medical uses
- Contraindications
- Adverse effects
- Overdose
- Interactions
- Pharmacology
- Pharmacodynamics
- Pharmacokinetics
- Chemistry
- History
- Society and culture
- Names
- Availability
- Research
- Psychiatric disorders
- Sexual dysfunction
- Veterinary use
- References
Cyproheptadine, sold under the brand name Periactin among others, is a first-generation antihistamine which is used to treat allergies. In addition, it has a number of off-label uses, such as treatment of serotonin syndrome, insomnia, and use as an appetite stimulant. The drug is taken orally.
It is an antihistamine and hence acts as a histamine H1 receptor antagonist. In addition to its antihistamine activity, cyproheptadine has anticholinergic, antiserotonergic, antidopaminergic, and local anesthetic properties. These activities make cyproheptadine useful for various additional uses besides antihistamine indications. As a first-generation antihistamine, cyproheptadine crosses the blood–brain barrier and can produce sedation. The drug can also produce significant central anticholinergic effects at clinically used doses.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “cyproheptadine” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.