Abstract

Objective: To describe the characteristics of weight gain occurring in children treated for migranous conditions with pizotifen

Design: Retrospective case note review

Setting: West Suffolk Hospital between 1999 and 2003

Patients: 405 clinic attendances of 121 children receiving pizotifen treatment

Main outcome measures: Rates of change in weight for age z score between successive outpatient appointments were used to detect excessive weight gain.

Results: 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 m² (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.

Conclusions: Excess weight gain in pizotifen therapy is not predicted by drug dosage or therapeutic response within the range of doses used in clinical practice.