Loss of appetite can result from diseases, including some types of cancer, physical or emotional stress, and medications and therapies used to treat illnesses. The resulting decrease in food intake often leads to severe weight loss and malnutrition. Patients describe a very prominent lack of desire to eat or drink, even when there is no nausea present. Prescription appetite stimulants can restore this desire, regardless of the cause.
Dronabinol
Dronabinol is a man-made form of cannabis, which is known as marijuana in its herbal form. It is prescribed to treat weight loss and decreased appetite in people with AIDS. It is also used to treat nausea and vomiting, along with reduced appetite in patients who receive chemotherapy and in whom other medications have not been effective. The starting dosage is 2.5 mg twice daily before meals. This dose can be reduced to once per day or increased up to 5 mg four times daily depending on the patient's response to the medication.
Megestrol
Megestrol is a man-made form of the female hormone progesterone. In doses of 160 mg to 320 mg it is given to treat breast and endometrial cancers. As an appetite stimulant it is prescribed in larger doses of 625 to 800 mg per day. Megestrol is given to treat loss of appetite with significant weight loss in people with AIDS. This drug does not work for everyone, but Drugs.com suggests treatment should be continued for at least two months to determine effectiveness.
Cyproheptadine
Drugs.com lists appetite stimulation as an off-label use for Cyproheptadine, which is approved for use as an antihistamine to counteract allergies. Merck and Co. responded to a letter to the editor in an issue of "Canadian Family Physician" in 1994, describing the decision to delete this indication from the label: "An effective, short-acting, well-tolerated appetite stimulant appropriate for use in some clinical situations ... current medical opinion no longer supported the use of the product for this claim...". It is still prescribed by some physicians for patients who have a suppressed appetite.
Mirtazapine
Generally prescribed as an antidepressant, Mirtazapine has also been found to stimulate appetite in some populations. An article in the February 2002 issue of "American Family Physician" asserts this treatment may work by virtue of treating depression. Use as an appetite stimulant is not a labeled indication for this drug.
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