Cyproheptadine - A Wonder Drug?

[Dean]

post 102175 Did you use caffeine with it? Coffee helps that mood issue as well.

Oh yeah, but caffeine, especially coffee, konks me out more often than it actually stimulates me.

 

[Fetch]

post 102170 Dean wrote:
Source of the post Just as a follow up to my experience before. I tried 1 mg before bed the other night and the next day fell into a deep despair within a few hours of waking that lasted for several hours. Perhaps I was flooded with serotonin after the dosage wore off?

I tried it again because on hindsight I felt that my taking of cypro had helped me with motivation(via lessening learned helplessness, I presume) for even a few weeks after I stopped (due to how much it depressed me.) Thought maybe I could get that benefit without the depressiveness with the small dose at night. So much for that.

It's great to hear that cypro helps some people, but I guess it's important to keep in mind there is some risk involved and the negative side effects, for some, can be dangerous. Hurtling into the mood abyss, but with increased motivation...for example.

Perhaps I will come around to trying cypro again in combo with lisuride at some point, but for now it's on to trying other things.


Cyproheptadine is known to lower dopamine in some people even though its primary effects are on serotonin. That's why for those people it may be worth it to try with a combination of a dopaminergic drug like bromocriptine, cabergoline, lisuride, pramipexole, methysergide, etc.

When I first started Cypro earlier this year (at a does of 1mg at night) it gave me the same effects depressed, irritable etc. I wanted to stop but I knew I had bad allergies coming and so I stuck with it. At first every time I increased my dose by 1mg the depression came back but once I got up to about 4mg (2mg at night 1mg morning and afternoon) the increases stop giving me trouble. I continued increasing my does till I got to 4mg three times a day and sometimes an extra 2mg if my allergies acted up. I was drinking coffee at the time also and it didn't seem to help in the short term but possibly it did in the long term.

Anyway after taking it for like 4 months I tapered off. I think Cypro may have been the best thing so far to get my stress hormones down. Over the time I was taking it I began to be able to sleep in on weekends( lowered cortisol?), I also kinda just started to careless about things that probably don't matter. I was less prone to micromanage myself and my environment, I became less interested in distraction. Overtime I believe it drove me to become re-inspired to take action in my life again. I had put a lot of my passions on the back burner in order to work a lot to make money so I could purchase land to live on without a mortgage. During that time of doing something I have no interest in (making money and working "for the man") was and still is pretty soul crushing for me.

The cypro I believe removed some of the "learned helplessness" and forced me to find ways to be more fulfilled NOW rather than wait for my situation to change. I believe I was using these distractions (diet, excessive exercise, TV and movies, pornography and taking on excess burdens of others, and generally retreating into myself) in order to not have to face what I was losing( a strong connection to nature, development of a craft, connection to community, a daily connection with animals, plants and soil, and most importantly a feeling of place and worth within and through these things) It also forced me to push the issue with friends and family that I can't carry the whole load economically and needed more significant help. Luckily this was already in the process of happening and now we are very close. So in my opinion the hard time of Cypro was very worth it to be in the place I am now. I am sure there are other things at work here but I do believe Cypro was a major factor.

I have a few very unscientific ideas/questions regarding why it was so hard at first.

1.Could it be like stopping SSRI drugs? Maybe whatever causes the body to become dependent on SSRI's resulting in the well know withdrawal symptoms could be at work in someone with non drug induced high serotonin. I am sure it would be nothing compared to actual SSRI withdrawal. But possibly make you a little depressed and irritable? It could be a completely different mechanism and I would not know where to begin looking to find this out.

2. Could it be associated with raising allopregnanolone and pregnanolone. Haidut mentioned that a small raise in either of these has been associated with irritability in some people. I had a lot of the same symptoms when I tried pregnanolone. I am not sure if Cypro has an effect on these hormones but it's doesn't seem to far fetched. Maybe it just allowed them to be better utilized by a less burdened system. I seem to be able to handle pregnanolone fine now.

3. Maybe it's just revealing a low metabolism. If this is the case my metabolism was able to compensate without thyroid over the course of about a month.

 

[Makrosky]

post 102214

post 102170 Dean wrote:
Source of the post Just as a follow up to my experience before. I tried 1 mg before bed the other night and the next day fell into a deep despair within a few hours of waking that lasted for several hours. Perhaps I was flooded with serotonin after the dosage wore off?

I tried it again because on hindsight I felt that my taking of cypro had helped me with motivation(via lessening learned helplessness, I presume) for even a few weeks after I stopped (due to how much it depressed me.) Thought maybe I could get that benefit without the depressiveness with the small dose at night. So much for that.

It's great to hear that cypro helps some people, but I guess it's important to keep in mind there is some risk involved and the negative side effects, for some, can be dangerous. Hurtling into the mood abyss, but with increased motivation...for example.

Perhaps I will come around to trying cypro again in combo with lisuride at some point, but for now it's on to trying other things.


Cyproheptadine is known to lower dopamine in some people even though its primary effects are on serotonin. That's why for those people it may be worth it to try with a combination of a dopaminergic drug like bromocriptine, cabergoline, lisuride, pramipexole, methysergide, etc.

When I first started Cypro earlier this year (at a does of 1mg at night) it gave me the same effects depressed, irritable etc. I wanted to stop but I knew I had bad allergies coming and so I stuck with it. At first every time I increased my dose by 1mg the depression came back but once I got up to about 4mg (2mg at night 1mg morning and afternoon) the increases stop giving me trouble. I continued increasing my does till I got to 4mg three times a day and sometimes an extra 2mg if my allergies acted up. I was drinking coffee at the time also and it didn't seem to help in the short term but possibly it did in the long term.

Anyway after taking it for like 4 months I tapered off. I think Cypro may have been the best thing so far to get my stress hormones down. Over the time I was taking it I began to be able to sleep in on weekends( lowered cortisol?), I also kinda just started to careless about things that probably don't matter. I was less prone to micromanage myself and my environment, I became less interested in distraction. Overtime I believe it drove me to become re-inspired to take action in my life again. I had put a lot of my passions on the back burner in order to work a lot to make money so I could purchase land to live on without a mortgage. During that time of doing something I have no interest in (making money and working "for the man") was and still is pretty soul crushing for me.

The cypro I believe removed some of the "learned helplessness" and forced me to find ways to be more fulfilled NOW rather than wait for my situation to change. I believe I was using these distractions (diet, excessive exercise, TV and movies, pornography and taking on excess burdens of others, and generally retreating into myself) in order to not have to face what I was losing( a strong connection to nature, development of a craft, connection to community, a daily connection with animals, plants and soil, and most importantly a feeling of place and worth within and through these things) It also forced me to push the issue with friends and family that I can't carry the whole load economically and needed more significant help. Luckily this was already in the process of happening and now we are very close. So in my opinion the hard time of Cypro was very worth it to be in the place I am now. I am sure there are other things at work here but I do believe Cypro was a major factor.

I have a few very unscientific ideas/questions regarding why it was so hard at first.

1.Could it be like stopping SSRI drugs? Maybe whatever causes the body to become dependent on SSRI's resulting in the well know withdrawal symptoms could be at work in someone with non drug induced high serotonin. I am sure it would be nothing compared to actual SSRI withdrawal. But possibly make you a little depressed and irritable? It could be a completely different mechanism and I would not know where to begin looking to find this out.

2. Could it be associated with raising allopregnanolone and pregnanolone. Haidut mentioned that a small raise in either of these has been associated with irritability in some people. I had a lot of the same symptoms when I tried pregnanolone. I am not sure if Cypro has an effect on these hormones but it's doesn't seem to far fetched. Maybe it just allowed them to be better utilized by a less burdened system. I seem to be able to handle pregnanolone fine now.

3. Maybe it's just revealing a low metabolism. If this is the case my metabolism was able to compensate without thyroid over the course of about a month.

Thanks for your post man! Wonderful testimony.

Might I ask you how is it now that you don't take cypro anymore ? Did you have withdrawal symptoms ? You say you tappered off. But what about now that you don't take it ? Did the learned helplessness symptoms come back ? I hope not.

 

[Dean]

Fetch, thanks for the thoughts. Congrats on your results with cypro. too. I can see where you are coming from on the results. I caught a glimpse of what reducing learned helplessness could do for my lack of proactivity. Unfortunately, the depression/despair was just too overwhelming. I did ramp up my dosage (the first time I tried it) to near your levels very quickly in hopes of pushing through the negative effects, but it just got worse. I wouldn't have survived a few months of being in that state.

As for your three points, I'm not smart enough to theorize on their validity. I've just begun experimenting with hormones (progesterone, pregnenolone, DHEA); so, maybe how I react to them will be another piece in the bizarre puzzle that is my existence. I can say though that my metabolism is extremely low and has been throughout my nearly 50 years, so perhaps that and/or low dopamine were the reasons cypro sent me into such depths.

 

[Peata]

Yeah, taking enough Cyp made me a better version of myself - no drugged feeling or anything un-natural, just a normal better me. It helped me be a more relaxed, less negative person and helped my relationships.

If it weren't for Cyp, I probably wouldn't have my job. After I took it a couple weeks (at high enough dose, maybe 2 - 6 mg but I'd have to check back through records), I felt motivated and sure of myself to apply for a job. I still had some "brain fog" though, but I was able to get through it. Cyp helped me not be held down by fears and "what if" worries about the future, and things that were formerly a big deal in a negative way were not anymore.

I just wish it didn't seem to cause the weight gain at higher doses. And it seems to stop working after a couple months (but works again when I take a break and restart).

Adding: Looks like 2 mg. Cyp was where I started getting the good effects. This was divided over the day, like 1/2 mg. here or there, or 1 mg. in day, 1 mg. at night, it didn't seem to matter. I worked up to higher doses, not sure why but probably to increase the mental/emotional effects as much as i could. In other words, I probably felt I could do even "better" with a higher dose. But then comes the weight and all. Editing to add - I also increased it because I was hoping for the antihistamine effect, which I never really got from it.

Another edit: Looking back I see I have been on Cyp for 2 weeks, at 1/2 - 1 mg. per day. I just noticed in the last day or so that I have been feeling more positive, and today I put myself in a social situation that normally would have me taking cover. I feel more at ease and open to things, the same as when I took it 2 weeks + before. So... perhaps I can stay at this dosage and have best of both worlds - the positive effects of Cyp without weight gain. I already know that increasing the dose a lot of mg. won't necessarily increase the positive effects (for me).

 

[Fetch]

post 102218 Might I ask you how is it now that you don't take cypro anymore ? Did you have withdrawal symptoms ? You say you tappered off. But what about now that you don't take it ? Did the learned helplessness symptoms come back ? I hope not.

I have been off it now for about a month as I came off it I added cabergoline in .5mg twice a week(I know this is maybe the most dangerous of the LSD based drugs) I did this because as I was lowering my Cypro dose I was feeling great drive. But my feeling of excitement and creativity didn't seem like my old self my desire to take chances or make sacrifices to learn new things seemed low. In someways it felt good not to care but at the same time the passion wasn't there. Caber has seemed to solve these issues I love music again dancing and sing in my house while I cook and clean, the desire to start drawing both artistically and design and architecturally. I am learning black smithing and studying building techniques I don't know (stone masonry) and have a become re-interested in the building techniques I do know or have some experience with Timber frame, Cob and general carpentry (I've been a carpenter professionally for like 13 years or something) and fine woodworking.

I also started trying out Pansterone around this time because I thought maybe that Cypro would help me handle pregnanolone and DHEA better. Haidut does not recommend this but because 1.you can't tell whats doing what and 2.because the effects of DMSO on other medications is unknown. I am sometimes not a very cautious person( I use to hop freight trains, I have been to jail more then a few times, I will do the dangerous stuff at work if others are scared) and this is a case of that. I had no issues doing this and everything has been really positive but I may have just got lucky or it just hasn't hit me yet. Also I recently found out my initial bad experience with Preg may have been just a matter of to low a dose. In which case I probably didn't need to be using the Cypro as a buffer.

I guess what I am saying is no I haven't yet seen sings of learn helplessness returning but it is still early and there are other factors at play. As far as withdrawal I didn't feel anything just some lingering allergies because we had a house full of 4 foster kittens and I am mildly allergic to cats. I started cutting down my dose in august and it took about 3 weeks after about 2 weeks is when I added in the cabergoline and I just started at the full dose. With the caber I didn't start to fell much until about the 3rd dose and the effects for me came on without any sides. Now I am coming off of caber and adding in things like small doses of B6, taurine and have been really happy with Magnesium Bicarbonate and I think most importantly Pansterone. So we will see what the future holds.

 

[Makrosky]

post 102243

post 102218 Might I ask you how is it now that you don't take cypro anymore ? Did you have withdrawal symptoms ? You say you tappered off. But what about now that you don't take it ? Did the learned helplessness symptoms come back ? I hope not.

I have been off it now for about a month as I came off it I added cabergoline in .5mg twice a week(I know this is maybe the most dangerous of the LSD based drugs) I did this because as I was lowering my Cypro dose I was feeling great drive. But my feeling of excitement and creativity didn't seem like my old self my desire to take chances or make sacrifices to learn new things seemed low. In someways it felt good not to care but at the same time the passion wasn't there. Caber has seemed to solve these issues I love music again dancing and sing in my house while I cook and clean, the desire to start drawing both artistically and design and architecturally. I am learning black smithing and studying building techniques I don't know (stone masonry) and have a become re-interested in the building techniques I do know or have some experience with Timber frame, Cob and general carpentry (I've been a carpenter professionally for like 13 years or something) and fine woodworking.

I also started trying out Pansterone around this time because I thought maybe that Cypro would help me handle pregnanolone and DHEA better. Haidut does not recommend this but because 1.you can't tell whats doing what and 2.because the effects of DMSO on other medications is unknown. I am sometimes not a very cautious person( I use to hop freight trains, I have been to jail more then a few times, I will do the dangerous stuff at work if others are scared) and this is a case of that. I had no issues doing this and everything has been really positive but I may have just got lucky or it just hasn't hit me yet. Also I recently found out my initial bad experience with Preg may have been just a matter of to low a dose. In which case I probably didn't need to be using the Cypro as a buffer.

I guess what I am saying is no I haven't yet seen sings of learn helplessness returning but it is still early and there are other factors at play. As far as withdrawal I didn't feel anything just some lingering allergies because we had a house full of 4 foster kittens and I am mildly allergic to cats. I started cutting down my dose in august and it took about 3 weeks after about 2 weeks is when I added in the cabergoline and I just started at the full dose. With the caber I didn't start to fell much until about the 3rd dose and the effects for me came on without any sides. Now I am coming off of caber and adding in things like small doses of B6, taurine and have been really happy with Magnesium Bicarbonate and I think most importantly Pansterone. So we will see what the future holds.

Thanks man!!! I'm glad you're feeling so well.

 

[khan]

post 101046

Medicine which I have tried so far are lisuride, cyproheptadine, mirtazapine. Cyproheptadine suits me very well, haven't got any sedation on 4 mg. Cypro clearly reduces my ocd symptoms and depression. Next I would like to try is amitryptaline. Which is better option between cypro and amitryptaline in terms of safety?

I've taken amitriptyline and I think it increased adrenaline but it reduced serotonin. I think cypro is better.

Are you still taking amitryptaline? I started taking by splitting the 10mg of amitryptaline into small pieces. Perhaps It was 3mg I took. My doc prescribed me for my depression and ocd. I also like cypro a lot, lets see how amitryp will work for me.

 

[Parsifal]

I suggest going off slowly if you've been on a long cycle! I was in class and I started getting visuals like lysergic acid.

I'm wondering why can you get visuals as dreaming seems to occur with high acetylcholine/melatonin and Cyproheptadine is an acetycholine/serotonin antagonist?

 

[Such_Saturation]

post 103342

I suggest going off slowly if you've been on a long cycle! I was in class and I started getting visuals like lysergic acid.

I'm wondering why can you get visuals as dreaming seems to occur with high acetylcholine/melatonin and Cyproheptadine is an acetycholine/serotonin antagonist?

I don't know but it's very weird when cyproheptadine wears off. It happens quickly and feels weird.

 

[Dean]

Mucuna Pruriens has L-Dopa.

Well, I'm going to try this to see if I can raise my dopamine and tolerate cypro better. I have Mucuna L-Dopa 98%. Any recommendations from anyone on how much I should take. I guess it should be early in the day too?

I also am going to try tyrosine and bcaa's. I also now have some theanine, but I see contradictory info on here as to whether it raises or lowers dopamine.

 

[docall18]

I have tried cypro on and off over the last couple of weeks. I will occasionally take 1mg at night if i know i wont be doing much the next day.It makes me sleep like a log, sleeping for up to 10+ hours instead of my usual 7.

However, the next day I am wiped out until late in the afternoon. All i want to do is mope around or doze off. I do generally run alot on stress hormones.

It seems like the cypro is lowering adrenaline and cortisol, that previously kept my metabolism up. With these stress hormones reduced, thyroid should keep my metabolism up. However this does't happen. I currently take 0.5 grains of NDT and 35mg of T3.

Why doesnt thyroid keep my metabolism up when taking cypro? Do i possibly need to increase my thyroid dose?

 

[HDD]

How long have you been taking .5 grain grain of NDT and 35 mg t3? What is your resting pulse and temperature throughout the day? You can find the following under thyroid hormone in the link to the Peatarian email exchanges wiki page.

"If you are eating enough protein, about 100 grams, and salt and thyroid, then I would consider the steroids--something might be interfering with your production of pregnenolone and DHEA. Things that could do that would be very low cholesterol, or a deficiency of vitamin A (retinol), or possibly other deficiencies.

If your cholesterol is above 200, and the thyroid supplements didn't warm you up, it's possible that something is interfering with your steroid synthesis, which might be a deficiency of something like vitamin A, or interference from something like iron or carotene. Have you tried a supplement of pregnenolone or DHEA? Were any other hormones, such as prolactin, measured? If you are taking the aspirin regularly, you should make sure to get vitamin K, from kale, liver, or a supplement. Anemia, like cold feet, is a common sign of low thyroid function."

 

[docall18]

post 103728 How long have you been taking .5 grain grain of NDT and 35 mg t3? What is your resting pulse and temperature throughout the day? You can find the following under thyroid hormone in the link to the Peatarian email exchanges wiki page.

"If you are eating enough protein, about 100 grams, and salt and thyroid, then I would consider the steroids--something might be interfering with your production of pregnenolone and DHEA. Things that could do that would be very low cholesterol, or a deficiency of vitamin A (retinol), or possibly other deficiencies.

If your cholesterol is above 200, and the thyroid supplements didn't warm you up, it's possible that something is interfering with your steroid synthesis, which might be a deficiency of something like vitamin A, or interference from something like iron or carotene. Have you tried a supplement of pregnenolone or DHEA? Were any other hormones, such as prolactin, measured? If you are taking the aspirin regularly, you should make sure to get vitamin K, from kale, liver, or a supplement. Anemia, like cold feet, is a common sign of low thyroid function."

I have been on that dose only for a few weeks. Previously i was on 3-4 grains NDT.
My resting pulse is usually in the 65-70 range. My temp is usually 36.8 deg C.

My last test did actually show low cholesterol. I eat plenty of eggs, saturated fat, sugar etc., so not sure why cholesterol is low. Maybe from having to produce a lot of adrenal stress hormones. Dhea & preg make me feel worse, even though am low in both. Prolactin is usually highish but in range.

I do seem to run on adrenaline, maybe i just need to up thyroid alot...

 

[HDD]

I think some people take smaller doses of cypro and with coffee during the day. I can take less than .5 without getting drowsy but I do drink coffee throughout the day. How did you feel on 3-4 grains of NDT? Why did you decide to lower it?

 

[Coldhandsandfeet]

i started by taking about 2-3 doses of 8 mg each dose. this how much i needed initially to bring down stress hormones. now I'm scaling back to 3 doses of 4 mg each dose.

 

[Makrosky]

I have tried cypro on and off over the last couple of weeks. I will occasionally take 1mg at night if i know i wont be doing much the next day.It makes me sleep like a log, sleeping for up to 10+ hours instead of my usual 7.

Try the cypro with a cup of coffee and 150-250mg niacinamide. It works for me.

 

[Peata]

I take 1/2 mg. cyproheptadine and caffeine/coffee. Sometimes I do this 2 x during the day, depending on if I need to be alert but calm.

 

[Brian]

post 103756 i started by taking about 2-3 doses of 8 mg each dose. this how much i needed initially to bring down stress hormones. now I'm scaling back to 3 doses of 4 mg each dose.

With doses that big you must be decreasing dopamine too. Are you doing anything to increase it?

 

[Coldhandsandfeet]

post 103760

post 103756 i started by taking about 2-3 doses of 8 mg each dose. this how much i needed initially to bring down stress hormones. now I'm scaling back to 3 doses of 4 mg each dose.

With doses that big you must be decreasing dopamine too. Are you doing anything to increase it?

not really. i can't really handle caffeine right now so that's not an option. i've used vitamin B6, but the side effects make me a bit nervous.

I'm kinda just dealing with the low mood for now. i can't take dopergin because it makes me constipated.

i'm just sleeping and eating right now to heal