The growing number of patients with digestive diseases and the presence of concomitant diseases (peptic ulcer disease + chronic pancreatitis + chronic cholecystitis, etc.) makes specialists not only use new drugs but improve the old schemes of treatments using drugs-helpers in the treatment of gastrointestinal patients.

One such drug, which is actively used by physicians is Peritol, manufactured by a pharmaceutical company Egis, Hungary.

Peritol, the active component of which is cyproheptadine hydrochloride, is an antihistamine drug with serotonin antagonistic activity. Peritol, in addition to antiallergenic effect, has anticholinergic, sedative, antiexudative and antipruritic properties. When taken orally, Peritol is rapidly absorbed from the intestine, is well distributed in the body, including the CNS, and its therapeutic action lasts approximately 5-7 hours. Peritol is mainly metabolized in the liver.

Given antiserotonin activity of Peritol, this remedy is used in patients with stomach cancer who underwent operative treatment for primary disease and patients who for various reasons did not have the operation.

Purpose of Peritol use is management of nausea and vomiting which much worsen the patient's condition making the life sometimes unbearable. The basis of the Peritol use were clinical studies of the last years which have shown that exactly serotonin has a significant importance during vomiting. This neurotransmitter is formed from an independent amino acid tryptophan and its greatest concentrations are found in enterochromaffin cells of small intestine mucosa.

Serotonin causes different physiological actions - pain, depression, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and others. Serotonin is not the sole mediator of vomiting and nausea, but its blockage albeit partial, gives a clinical effect in patients suffering from oncopathology.

In the recent clinical study, Peritol was used for 3 months to 1.5 years in 19 patients in combination with Navoban (Tropisetron), Torecan (thiethylperazine) by Sandoz, Cerucal (Metoclopramide) by AWD, Zofran (Ondansetron) by GlaxoWellcome.

To assess the antiemetic effect of Peritol, it was also evaluatied the result of antiemetic therapy in a similar group of patients, where Peritol was not used. In addition, in 3 cases Peritol was used as antiemetic monotherapy for 2-4 months of the disease.

Evaluating the use of Peritola in the above cases, it was noted Peritol's high therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of symptoms of vomiting and nausea. In severe cases, Peritol significantly potentiated the action of the main antiemetic (in comparison with the control group), and in some cases it was used as monotherapy with a good therapeutic effect.

Thus, Peritol is the indispensable adjunct in the treatment of cancer patients, to be brought to the attention of a wider group of physicians.

The second group of patients who used Peritol more actively had either stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer. Peritol as a drug with pronounced antihistaminic activity was used for the treatment of peptic ulcer in combination with H2 blockers. However, since H1-blockers eliminate almost all the effects of released histamine in allergic reactions and have a light effect on the secretion of hydrochloric acid, Peritol plays a minor role in the therapeutic bond of H1-H2 blockers. But such a combined use allow to reduce the daily dose of famotidine to 20 mg per day. However Peritol, eliminating the effects leading to tissue edema and improving microcirculation, actively participates in the stabilization of blood flow in postepithelial barrier. These secondary effects are complemented by light sedative and antiemetic properties of Peritol which is important in the treatment of peptic ulcer.

After analyzing these data, it is possible to recommend that professionals pay attention to Peritol in the treatment of gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer.