pizotifen

Last edited 03/2023 and last reviewed 05/2023

Pizotifen is used in the prophylaxis of migraine. It is an antihistamine and serotonin antagonist structurally related to the tricyclic antidepressants.

Pizotifen can cause weight gain due to appetite stimulation.

For more complete information on migraine prophylaxis, please consult BNF.

A guideline concerning the management of migraine has described pizotifen as a prophylactic agent with limited evidence of efficacy (1).

  • Pizotifen is a popular treatment for migraine prevention in the UK, especially in children and young people. It has been in use since the 1970s and appears to be well tolerated. Inadequate evidence was found in the review for this guideline for the effectiveness of pizotifen in the prophylaxis of migraine

Reference:

  1. NICE (December 2021) Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management (CG150)