Periactin
NOTICE: This Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is intended for persons living in Australia.
PERIACTIN
Cyproheptadine hydrochloride (as sesquihydrate)
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about PERIACTIN. It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking PERIACTIN against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine.
You may need to read it again.
What PERIACTIN is used for
This medicine is used to:
Treat allergies and pruritus
Relieve migraines and vascular types of headaches.
This medicine belongs to a group of medicines called antihistamines. It works by acting in competition with serotonin and histamine at receptor sites.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
There is not enough information to recommend the use of this medicine for children under the age of 2 years.
Before you take PERIACTIN
When you must not take it
Do not take PERIACTIN if you have an allergy to:
any medicine containing cyproheptadine
any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
any other similar medicines
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
shortness of breath
wheezing or difficulty breathing
swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
rash, itching or hives on the skin
Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant.
It may affect your developing baby if you take it during pregnancy.
Do not breast-feed if you are taking this medicine.
The active ingredient in PERIACTIN may pass into breast milk and there is a possibility that your baby may be affected.
Do not give this medicine to a child under the age of 2 years.
Safety and effectiveness in children younger than 2 years have not been established.
Do not give this drug to newborn or premature infants.
Use in infants has been associated with apnoea, cyanosis, and respiratory difficulty. This drug should not be used in newborn or premature infants.
Do not take this medicine if you are diagnosed with:
angle-closure glaucoma
stenosing peptic ulcer
symptomatic prostatic hyper trophy
bladder neck obstruction
pyloroduodenal obstruction
Do not take this medicine if you are:
suffering an acute asthmatic attack
elderly or debilitated
undertaking monoamine oxidase inhibitor therapy
Do not take this medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.
If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal.
If you are not sure whether you should start taking this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Before you start to take it
Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had any of the following medical conditions:
lower respiratory tract symptoms including those of acute asthma
blood dyscrasias
bronchial asthma
hyperthyroidism
cardiovascular disease
hypertension
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding.
Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you start taking PERIACTIN.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you get without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines and PERIACTIN may interfere with each other. These include:
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors used to treat depression such as phenelzine and tranylcypromine
Central nervous system depressants used to treat anxiety, panic and sleep disorders such as hypnotics, sedatives, tranquilisers and anti-depressant drugs
These medicines may be affected by PERIACTIN or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicines, or you may need to take different medicines.
Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking this medicine.
How to take PERIACTIN
Follow all directions given to you by your doctor or pharmacist carefully.
They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.
If you do not understand the instructions on the box, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.
How much to take
Your doctor may adjust the dose according to your response.
Allergies and pruritus
Adults: Take 1 tablet, 3 times a day, as required. Do not take more than 8 tablets in 24 hours.
Children (7 – 14 years): Take 1 tablet, 3 times a day as required. Do not take more than 4 tablets in 24 hours.
Children (2 – 6 years): Give half tablet, two to three times a day. Do not give more than 3 tablets in 24 hours.
Migraine and vascular types of headaches
Adults: Take 1 tablet initially. If required, take a second tablet after 30 minutes. Do not take more than 2 tablets every 4-6 hours.
How to take it
Swallow the tablets whole with a full glass of water.
How long to take it
Continue taking your medicine for as long as your doctor tells you.
If you forget to take it
Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose that you missed.
This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.
If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
If you take too much (overdose)
Immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much [Medicine name]. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
You may need urgent medical attention.
Symptoms of an overdose may vary from central nervous system depression or stimulation to convulsions respiratory and cardiac arrest, and death especially in infants and children. Also, atropine-like signs and symptoms (dry mouth; fixed, dilated pupils; flushing, etc.) as well as gastrointestinal symptoms may occur.
While you are using PERIACTIN
Things you must do
If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking PERIACTIN.
Tell any other doctors, dentists and pharmacists who treat you that you are taking this medicine.
If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking this medicine.
It may affect other medicines used during surgery.
If you become pregnant while taking this medicine, tell your doctor immediately.
If you are about to have any blood tests, tell your doctor that you are taking this medicine.
It may interfere with the results of some tests.
Things you must not do
Do not take PERIACTIN to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to.
Do not give your medicine to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.
Things to be careful of
Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how PERIACTIN affects you.
This medicine may cause drowsiness in some people. If you have any of these symptoms, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous. Drowsiness may continue the following day. Children should be careful when riding bicycles or climbing tree.
Be careful when drinking alcohol while you are taking this medicine.
PERIACTIN may increase the effects of alcohol. Alcohol should be avoided whilst using this medicine.
Side effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking PERIACTIN.
This medicine helps most people with allergies, pruritus, migraines and vascular types of headaches, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some of the side effects.
If you are over 65 years of age you may have an increased chance of getting side effects.
Do not be alarmed by the following lists of side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
Skin rash, excessive perspiration or photosensitivity
Sedation, sleepiness, dizziness, confusion
Restlessness, excitement, insomnia, irritability or aggressive behaviour
Dryness of nose, mouth and throat
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation
The above list includes the more common side effects of your medicine.
Drowsiness and somnolence symptoms are usually mild and short-lived. Many patients do not experience these symptoms after the first three – four days of continuous administration.
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following:
urinary retention issues
jaundice
blurred vision
The above list includes serious side effects that may require medical attention.
If any of the following happen, tell your doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital:
anaphylactic shock
convulsions
hallucinations
issues breathing
increased or unusual heartrate, such as palpitations
The above list includes very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.
After using PERIACTIN
Storage
Keep your tablets in the pack until it is time to take them.
If you take the tablets out of the pack, they may not keep well.
Keep your tablets in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30°C.
Do not store PERIACTIN or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave it on a window sill or in the car.
Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep it where children cannot reach it.
A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Disposal
If your doctor tells you to stop taking this medicine or the expiry date has passed, ask your pharmacist what to do with any medicine that is left over.
Product description
What it looks like
White, flat circular bevel edged tablet. Marked ‘P4’ on one side, scored on the other.
Ingredients
PERIACTIN contains 4 mg of cyproheptadine hydrochloride as the active ingredient.
The tablets also contain the following inactive ingredients:
maize starch
pregelatinised maize starch
calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate
lactose monohydrate
magnesium stearate
PERIACTIN contains lactose. This medicine does not contain sucrose, gluten, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.
Supplier
PERIACTIN is supplied in Australia by:
Mylan Health Pty Ltd
Level 1, 30 The Bond
30-34 Hickson Road
Millers Point NSW 2000
www.mylan.com.au
Phone: 1800 314 527
This leaflet was prepared in September 2020.
AUST R 62384
Periactin_cmi\Sep20/00
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