Weight gain with pizotifen therapy.

To describe the characteristics of weight gain occurring in children treated for migranous conditions with pizotifen Retrospective case note review West Suffolk Hospital between 1999 and 2003 PATIENTS: 405 clinic attendances of 121 children receiving pizotifen treatment Rates of change in weight for age z score between successive outpatient appointments were used to detect excessive weight gain. The mean rate of weight z score increase for 105 patients receiving a constant dosage in 181 intervals between appointments was 0.79 standard deviations per year compared with 0.11 standard deviations per year for height z score increases. The rate of weight z score increase was not correlated with pizotifen dose per kg (r = -0.08), per m(2) (r = -0.05) or initial body mass index (r = -0.04). Mean rates of z score increase were similar in patients with a satisfactory and unsatisfactory therapeutic responses. Excess weight gain in pizotifen therapy is not predicted by drug dosage or therapeutic response within the range of doses used in clinical practice.