diff --git a/ceilometer/api/controllers/v2.py b/ceilometer/api/controllers/v2.py
index 883b0e4ba7..d12733b038 100644
--- a/ceilometer/api/controllers/v2.py
+++ b/ceilometer/api/controllers/v2.py
@@ -988,25 +988,31 @@ class MeterController(rest.RestController):
         g = _validate_groupby_fields(groupby)
 
         aggregate = utils.uniq(aggregate, ['func', 'param'])
-        computed = pecan.request.storage_conn.get_meter_statistics(f,
-                                                                   period,
-                                                                   g,
-                                                                   aggregate)
-        LOG.debug(_('computed value coming from %r'),
-                  pecan.request.storage_conn)
         # Find the original timestamp in the query to use for clamping
         # the duration returned in the statistics.
         start = end = None
         for i in q:
             if i.field == 'timestamp' and i.op in ('lt', 'le'):
-                end = timeutils.parse_isotime(i.value).replace(tzinfo=None)
+                end = timeutils.parse_isotime(i.value).replace(
+                    tzinfo=None)
             elif i.field == 'timestamp' and i.op in ('gt', 'ge'):
-                start = timeutils.parse_isotime(i.value).replace(tzinfo=None)
+                start = timeutils.parse_isotime(i.value).replace(
+                    tzinfo=None)
 
-        return [Statistics(start_timestamp=start,
-                           end_timestamp=end,
-                           **c.as_dict())
-                for c in computed]
+        try:
+            computed = pecan.request.storage_conn.get_meter_statistics(
+                f, period, g, aggregate)
+            LOG.debug(_('computed value coming from %r'),
+                      pecan.request.storage_conn)
+
+            return [Statistics(start_timestamp=start,
+                               end_timestamp=end,
+                               **c.as_dict())
+                    for c in computed]
+        except OverflowError as e:
+            params = dict(period=period, err=e)
+            raise ClientSideError(_("Invalid period %(period)s: %(err)s")
+                                  % params)
 
 
 class Meter(_Base):
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_statistics_scenarios.py b/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_statistics_scenarios.py
index a836f63467..fb7c978ffb 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_statistics_scenarios.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_statistics_scenarios.py
@@ -180,6 +180,15 @@ class TestMaxResourceVolume(v2.FunctionalTest,
                              period=-1)
         self.assertEqual(400, resp.status_code)
 
+    @tests_db.run_with('mysql', 'hbase', 'db2')
+    def test_period_with_large_value(self):
+        resp = self.get_json(self.PATH, expect_errors=True,
+                             q=[{'field': 'user_id',
+                                 'value': 'user-id'}],
+                             period=10000000000000)
+        self.assertEqual(400, resp.status_code)
+        self.assertIn("Invalid period", resp.body)
+
     def test_start_timestamp(self):
         data = self.get_json(self.PATH, q=[{'field': 'resource_id',
                                             'value': 'resource-id',