1. Why am I taking PERIACTIN?

PERIACTIN belongs to a group of medicines called antihistamines. It works by acting in competition with serotonin and histamine at receptor sites.

PERIACTIN is used to:

• Treat allergies and pruritus (itchy skin)
• Relieve migraines and vascular types of headaches.

Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why PERIACTIN has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.

2. What should I know before I take PERIACTIN?

Warnings

Do not take PERIACTIN if:

• you are allergic to cyproheptadine, any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet or 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.

Always check the ingredients to make sure you can take PERIACTIN.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you:

• have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.
• have had any of the following medical conditions:
  • lower respiratory tract symptoms including those of acute asthma
  • blood dyscrasias (blood cell disorders)
  • bronchial asthma (narrow airways causing breathing trouble)
  • hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid making too much hormone)
  • cardiovascular disease (conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels)
  • hypertension (high blood pressure)
• take any medicines for any other condition

During treatment, you may be at risk of developing certain side effects. It is important you understand these risks and how to monitor for them. See additional information under Section 6. Are there any side effects?

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

Do not breastfeed or plan to breastfeed if you are taking PERIACTIN. The active ingredient in PERIACTIN may pass into breast milk and there is a possibility that your baby may be affected.

Children and infants

Do not give PERIACTIN to a child under the age of 6 years.

PERIACTIN should not be used in children aged 6 to 11 years except on the advice of a doctor, pharmacist or nurse practitioner.

Use in infants has been associated with apnoea (stop in breathing), cyanosis (bluish colour of the skin, lips, or nails caused by low oxygen levels), and respiratory difficulty. PERIACTIN should not be used in newborn or premature infants.

3. What if I am taking other medicines?

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any medicines, vitamins or supplements that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

Some medicines may interfere with PERIACTIN and affect how it works and/or cause more side effects.

• 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 PERIACTIN.

4. How do I take PERIACTIN?

How much to take

• 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 to 14 years of age): Give 1 tablet, 3 times a day as required. Do not give more than 4 tablets in 24 hours.
  • Children (6 years of age): Give half a tablet, 2 to 3 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.
• Follow the instructions provided with PERIACTIN.
• Do not exceed the recommended dosage.
• Your doctor may adjust the dose according to your response.

How long to take PERIACTIN

Continue taking your medicine for as long as your doctor tells you.

How to take PERIACTIN

• Swallow the tablets whole with a full glass of water.

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 PERIACTIN

If you think that you or anyone else have taken too much PERIACTIN, urgent medical attention may be needed.

People may become very sleepy or very excited (central nervous system depression or stimulation), have seizures, stomach problems or a very fast heartbeat (tachycardia). They might stop breathing (respiratory arrest), or their heart might stop (cardiac arrest), which can be life-threatening especially in infants and children.

Other atropine-like symptoms can include:

• dry mouth
• large pupils
• red or warm skin (flushing)

Both adults and children may get seizures and possibly fall into a coma. Sometimes they may be very sleepy or very hyper before a seizure.

Children taking too much PERIACTIN may experience:

• unusual excitement (excitation) or acting strangely
• trouble walking or staying balanced (ataxia)
• slow, twisty movements (athetosis)
• seeing or hearing things that are not real (hallucinations)
• thinking or learning problems (usually temporary)

You must immediately:

• phone the Poisons Information Centre
  (by calling 13 11 26) for advice, or
• contact your doctor, or
• go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital.

Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.

5. What should I know while taking PERIACTIN?

Things you must do

• Tell your doctor, dentist or pharmacist you visit that you are taking PERIACTIN.
• If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking PERIACTIN as it may affect other medicines used during surgery.
• If you become pregnant while taking PERIACTIN, tell your doctor immediately.
• If you are about to have any blood tests, tell your doctor that you are taking PERIACTIN as 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.
• Do not give PERIACTIN to children under 6 years old.

Driving or using machines

Be careful before you drive or use any machines or tools until you know how PERIACTIN affects you.

PERIACTIN 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 a tree.

Drinking alcohol

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you drink alcohol.

Be careful when drinking alcohol while you are taking PERIACTIN, it may increase the effects of alcohol. Alcohol should be avoided whilst taking PERIACTIN.

Looking after your medicine

• 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. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.

Follow the instructions on the carton on how to take care of your medicine properly.

Store it in a cool dry place away from moisture, heat or sunlight; for example, do not store it:

• in the bathroom or near a sink, or
• in the car or on window sills.

Keep it where young children cannot see or reach it.

A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

When to discard your medicine

If your doctor tells you to stop taking PERIACTIN or the expiry date has passed, ask your pharmacist what to do with any medicine that is left over.

Getting rid of any unwanted medicine

If you no longer need to take PERIACTIN or it is out of date, take it to any pharmacy for safe disposal. Do not take PERIACTIN after the expiry date.

6. Are there any side effects?

PERIACTIN 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. If you do experience any side effects, most of them are minor and temporary. However, some side effects may need medical attention.

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 if you have any further questions.

Common less serious side effects

Serious side effects

Very Serious side effects

Children under 6 years old who have been given PERIACTIN have been reported to get angry or aggressive, see or hear things that are not real and cannot sit still. Do not give PERIACTIN to children under 6 years of age.

Feeling very sleepy or tired 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 or pharmacist if you notice anything else that may be making you feel unwell.

Other side effects not listed here may occur in some people.

Reporting side effects

After you have received medical advice for any side effects you experience, you can report side effects to the Therapeutic Goods Administration online at www.tga.gov.au/reporting-problems By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

7. Product details

PERIACTIN is available over-the-counter without a doctor's prescription.

What PERIACTIN contains

Do not take PERIACTIN if you are allergic to any of these ingredients.

What PERIACTIN looks like

PERIACTIN is a white, flat circular bevel edged tablet. Marked 'P4' on one side, scored on the other. (AUST R 62384).

PERIACTIN is available in a blister pack of 100 tablets.

Who distributes PERIACTIN

Viatris Pty Ltd

Level 1, 30 The Bond

30-34 Hickson Road

Millers Point NSW 2000

www.viatris.com.au

Phone: 1800 274 276

This leaflet was prepared in June 2026.

PERIACTIN^® is a Viatris company trade mark

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