Ray Peat on Cyproheptadine

January 3, 2026

Factors for Healthier Pregnancies and the Postpartum Period

“The most important factors that can be optimized with available means. Healthier pregnancies lead to a healthier and happier life after birth. These factors include sunlight, vitamin D, milk, cheese, eggs, fruit, and well-cooked vegetables, fiber-rich foods, as well as optimizing thyroid function and pregnenolone and progesterone (which support mitochondrial function and protect against aldosterone, parathyroid hormone, excess serotonin, CRK, and cortisol, while increasing allopregnanolone), and the use of the safest anti-inflammatory and anti-serotonergic medications such as aspirin and cyproheptadine when needed.”

May 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Mitigating the Harmful Effects of Excess Serotonin

“Avoiding prolonged fasting and stressful physical activity that increase free fatty acids, combining sugar with proteins to keep free fatty acids low, as well as using aspirin, niacinamide, or cyproheptadine to reduce free fatty acid formation during unavoidable stress, avoiding a phosphate excess relative to calcium in the diet, consuming milk and other anti-stress foods before bedtime or during the night, and staying in a brightly lit environment during the day with regular sunlight exposure can minimize the harmful effects of excess serotonin and reduce the associated inflammation, fibrosis, and atrophy.”

July 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Versatile Benefits of Cyproheptadine for Sleep and Cancer

“Cyproheptadine, 2 to 4 mg before bedtime, would help with both sleep and cancer. It also acts as a calcium blocker, antagonizes aldosterone, and reverses the antidiuretic effect of serotonin.”

Email Response by Ray Peat

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