Deterioration of appetite or aversion to food can lead to a deficiency of nutrients in the body that are needed for its full functioning. Tablets to increase appetite in the form of dietary supplements (dietary supplements), vitamins and medications can help with this. It is worth noting that It is not always the case that when a patient loses their appetite, they gain weight. The help of an endocrinologist is required if the patient’s weight gain is the root cause. If the reason lies in psychological trauma or stress, then the help of psychologists is needed. In all other cases, special pills that improve appetite will help. This will be discussed in more detail in this article.
Pills to increase appetite
Medication
It happens that the established diet does not help, then the doctor prescribes medication.
Periactin
Cyproheptadine hydrochloride. A medicine often prescribed by medical professionals. Normalizes the production of gastric juice during major weight loss. Helps with pathological conditions due to prolonged refusal of food.
Peritol
Tablets to increase appetite in adults, blocking the production of serotonin. Capable of increasing the need for food. The standard dosage of the medicine is 1 tablet every 6 hours, 3 per day. If necessary, the doctor increases or decreases the amount of the drug taken.
Apilak
The drug is able to relieve pain and helps in regeneration. Apilak is a general strengthening medicine. There are no contraindications for use. Prescribed for diseases associated with weight loss. Release form: powder, ointment, tablets.
Elkar
Compared to similar drugs, Elkar is significantly more expensive. Used to treat dysfunction of the digestive system, as well as pathologies associated with improper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Release form: chewable tablets, solutions and tablets.
How to choose the right one
At the pharmacy you can buy children's vitamins to increase appetite in the form of syrup, solution, powder, chewable tablets, dragees. When choosing vitamins, you need to take into account the child’s age and the doctor’s recommendations.
Popular children's vitamins:
| Name | Age | Release form and composition | Notes |
| Elkar | from birth | L-carnitine solution to improve digestion | Up to 3 years of age, prescribed by a pediatrician |
| Cavit junior | from 1 year | Chewable lozenges of 11 vitamins and calcium help restore appetite | Pastilles with chocolate and apricot flavor |
| Pikovit | from 1 year | Pikovit syrup contains a complex of 9 vitamins | Available in several forms and complexes. |
| Vitrum Kids | from 4 years old | Chewable tablets include 12 vitamins and 10 minerals | Chewable tablets in the form of figures are taken after meals. |
When choosing, you need to pay attention to the manufacturer, the composition of the vitamin complex and the expiration date.
dietary supplement
Dietary supplements are used to restore appetite. By having a normalizing effect on the food digestion system, they eliminate the result of forced fasting. Dietary supplements are not a substitute for either medicine or food. They are used to enhance the effect of drug treatment. Let's look at the names of a number of drugs.
Stimuvit
The supplement is available in gelatin capsules. Affects the central nervous system. Those taking the medicine are not advised to drive.
Limontar
A drug involved in the body's metabolic processes. The positive effect on the digestive organs begins after 20 minutes. There are no contraindications for use. It is acceptable to prescribe to both elderly people and pregnant women. Release form: tablets dissolved in warm water.
Daily dosage
In order not to harm the baby, vitamins should be given according to age, preferably taking into account body weight. What are the daily doses of nutrients that can be given to children?
| Child's age | A, µg | C, mg | B1, mg | B2, mg | B6, mg | B12, mcg | PP, mg |
| 0-6 months | 375 | 30 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 5-6 |
| 6 months-1 year | 375 | 35 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 7 |
| 1-3 years | 400 | 40 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 10 |
| 3-6 years | 500 | 45 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 12 |
Finding the right doses of vitamins on your own is a rather difficult task, so you should take the issue seriously. The best solution for parents would be a vitamin complex that contains all the substances the child needs in the required quantity.
When choosing vitamins, you should pay attention to the following nuances:
- You should not buy tablets for children that claim to contain more than 20 vitamins and microelements. Often they do not combine well with each other, as a result the child’s body will not absorb even the minimum.
- Children's vitamins can be in drops, in the form of syrup or tablets (more details in the article: what are the children's vitamins to boost immunity from 4 years old?). Typically, syrup contains auxiliary substances that give taste, color and aroma. All this does not have the best effect on the child’s liver, kidneys and pancreas. In addition, you may be allergic to some types of flavors and dyes. The drops contain the least amount of excipients.
- Some multivitamins need to be taken 2-3 times a day. If parents do not have the opportunity to control the intake of the drug three times a day, it is better to choose one that needs to be taken once a day.
The vitamins in syrup are not very good due to the presence of flavorings and dyes
Vitamins
Along with medications and dietary supplements, vitamin complexes are in demand. Doctors advise taking B vitamins and ascorbic acid to increase appetite.
Among the vitamin complexes offered by pharmacies, Dotex and Pikovit are distinguished. Among individual vitamins: B2, B5, B3, B12.
When choosing vitamins to stimulate your appetite, you need to know the rules for combining vitamins. By taking the wrong combination of vitamins, one achieves either a lack of effect from the medications taken or a negative treatment result.
"Undevit"
The drug is a multivitamin complex that is prescribed to people to compensate for the deficiency of useful components in the body and prevent premature aging.
Dragees are prescribed to adult patients and children over twelve years of age for the treatment and prevention of hypovitaminosis and vitamin deficiency during the body's increased need for vitamins:
- Frequent colds and infections.
- Diets with limited protein, carbohydrates, salts and fats.
- Puberty.
- Long-term therapy with antimicrobial drugs.
- Bad habits such as smoking, coffee abuse.
The cost of the drug is 60 rubles.
Folk remedies
The drug has a therapeutic effect, but has a lot of side effects. Therefore, for those who decide to use exclusively natural methods of treatment, folk remedies offer medicinal plants. Tinctures, decoctions and herbal mixtures have an irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, which leads to the development of motor function of the intestines and an increase in the secretion of gastric juice and appetite.
All effects performed by natural ingredients are safe for human health. Passing through the digestive system, extracts of medicinal herbs help increase the secretion of bile into the duodenal ducts, have an anti-inflammatory effect, and help speed up metabolism. Herbs that help improve poor appetite are:
- Dandelion, used to improve the desire to eat, normalizes the functioning of the stomach and intestines.
- Tarragon is able to improve appetite, normalize the secretion of gastric juice and eliminate dysfunction of the digestive system.
- Cetraria Icelandica. This is not grass, but moss, containing large quantities of iodine, starch, phenolic acids, and vitamins. The presence of paralychesteric acid makes cetraria an assistant that increases the desire to eat.
Why does my child eat poorly?
First you need to figure out what is the reason for a child’s poor appetite. In addition to the obvious - illness or some kind of shock, others can be distinguished:
- Lack of mobility and physical activity. A child who is engaged exclusively in mental activity, spends little time in the fresh air and does not play active games, does not feel the need for new calories.
- Exaggerated attention of parents to eating. Sometimes a mother or grandmother regularly persuades and even forces the baby to eat well, putting “adult” portions of food on the plate. This behavior can lead to food aversions.
- Worm infestation. The presence of parasites in a child’s body can cause both increased appetite and lack thereof.
- Vitamin deficiency. Processing and assimilation of food is a rather complex process that occurs in a child’s body. With a lack of vitamins and microelements, digestion slows down, food is poorly absorbed, the child becomes lethargic, and apathy appears.
Each of the listed causes of poor appetite can be corrected, but we will talk about hypovitaminosis. If there is a vitamin deficiency, other signs will tell you about it:
- restless sleep;
- fatigue unusual for a child;
- absent-minded attention;
- “jams”, dry skin, cracked heels;
- poor condition of hair and nails.
Fatigue may be a sign of vitamin deficiency
Not all of the listed symptoms are always present in a child. However, if parents notice two, three or more signs, most likely it was a deficiency of vitamins that led to the baby not eating well. Moreover, these two problems are interrelated - poor appetite and sluggish digestion can also lead to hypovitaminosis. The child simply does not have time to absorb the nutrients that he should receive from food.
Drugs for adults only
Along with medications that are used to treat illness in children and adults, there are medications approved for use exclusively by adults or people over 17 years of age. To solve the problem of appetite, you need to resort to the help of chemical medications as rarely as possible.
Periactin
A more popular drug that helps in the fight against painfully low body weight. Among the indications for use, it is indicated that the drug will help in the treatment of pancreatitis. Helps cope with insufficient secretion of gastric juice. The side effects of the drug include: nausea, vomiting and insomnia. Available in the form of tablets and syrup.
Ferrovin
The drug contains iron. Consumption helps produce blood cells and increases appetite. Available as a solution for injection and as tablets.
Apilak
General strengthening effect. Relieving spasms and cell regeneration. The cost of such a medicine is high. But the advantage is the absence of contraindications. Available in injection solutions, syrup and chewable tablets.
dietary supplement
In the last decade, doctors have often begun to prescribe dietary supplements. The dietary supplement is produced in the form of jelly capsules, inside of which there are concentrates of natural biological elements.
Dietary supplements are represented by the drugs Stimuvit and Limontar.
Vitamins
Vitamins do not act as medicine and are not as effective as medications. If the appetite has disappeared not due to a lack of certain nutrients, then the use of vitamins will be justified. Ascorbic acid or vitamin C is available in the form of chewable tablets and intramuscular injections.
Folk remedies
Bitter herbs are used to normalize appetite. It has a stimulating effect on the stomach, and then on the entire digestive system.
"Supradin"
The drug is produced in the form of effervescent tablets, which have a pale yellow tint interspersed with orange. The medication is intended for dissolution in water and subsequent consumption of the resulting liquid. After dilution, a green or orange solution is obtained with a slight sediment and lemon aroma.
The drug is prescribed to people to eliminate and prevent hypovitaminosis, as well as vitamin deficiencies and lack of mineral components in the body, in particular:
- with poor nutrition;
- with increased physical and mental stress;
- on diets.
While using Supradin, a person’s urine color may change, which is due to the high concentration of vitamin B2 in the drug; this is not at all dangerous.
The structure of the complex includes sodium, which must be taken into account when prescribing to people who follow a salt-free diet. If you are hypersensitive to lactose, Supradin should be taken with extreme caution.
Effervescent tablets do not affect a person’s attention and ability to drive vehicles. The cost of the drug varies from 400 to 1300 rubles.
Medicines for children
A child’s refusal to eat creates many ailments. If he doesn’t eat, it means that the body becomes deficient in nutrients, vitamins, and hormonal levels are disrupted.
Before purchasing medications for your baby that stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, you should consult a doctor to determine the cause of the refusal and prescribe adequate treatment. For children, medications are available in the form of tablets and syrups.
Primobolan – Depot
Solution for intramuscular administration. Increases physical activity and promotes weight gain. Normalizes the functioning of all internal organs in case of growth and development disorders. Can be used from birth (as determined by the doctor).
Peritol
Not given to children under 2 years of age. Blocks the production of substances that provoke food refusal. Drink 2 tbsp. per day.
Homemade drops Montana
Strengthen the peristalsis of the digestive organs, promote greater production of gastric juice. Drops are used when gas formation increases and in the absence of bowel movements.
Loss of appetite in a child is a symptom that requires treatment. Both parents and the doctor must be patient as the baby recovers. A correctly identified cause and developed effective measures, consistent adherence to all recommendations of a doctor, nutritionist and psychologist will lead to the long-awaited result.
Good appetite without pills
We have sorted out the medications, vitamins and dietary supplements - they are prescribed by the attending physician. But are there ways to increase your appetite without using pills? To do this, you need to follow the following recommendations:
- eat small meals . This means that you need to eat often, but in small portions. This will speed up metabolic processes in the body;
- try to decorate all prepared dishes so that just looking at them will increase your appetite;
- keep drinking regime . It's no secret that clean water is digestion's best friend, so you need to drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day. This is the adult norm;
- add spices and seasonings to your food - this will speed up metabolic processes. Of course, spicy seasonings should be consumed in moderation so as not to provoke other health problems;
- correct mode . Try to eat at the same time every day. This is a golden rule that must be followed not only by adults, but also by children.
Where to look for vitamins
When digestive problems arise, many people immediately run to the pharmacy. But you should understand that not all drugs can help you specifically, since you do not yet know the true cause of loss of appetite. Therefore, before use, you should definitely consult a doctor . This will not only increase the effectiveness of therapy, but also prevent the development of complications caused by taking the “wrong medications.”
Conclusion
A beautiful figure is not a gift of nature, but the result of hard work on oneself. To gain weight and normalize metabolism, adhere to a healthy lifestyle, moderate physical activity, a balanced diet, drinking regime, avoid stress and follow a rest regime. To support the body when it is weakened by the struggle for the desired result, it is recommended to additionally consume vitamins A, B, C, E. They will protect against viral attacks, strengthen the nervous system, improve the emotional state, provide energy, and accelerate the growth of muscle tissue.
Regularly monitor your diet and emotional state, which have a direct impact on body weight. Strengthen your immune system, sleep more, worry less, and the results will not take long to arrive.
Everyone needs vitamins: sick and healthy, thin and overweight. Don’t forget to keep your body “afloat” and regularly take “vitaminized” courses twice a year: in spring and autumn.
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Author of the article:
Tedeeva Madina Elkanovna
Specialty: therapist, radiologist.
Total experience: 20 years.
Place of work: SL Medical Group LLC, Maykop.
Education: 1990-1996, North Ossetian State Medical Academy.
Training:
1. In 2020, at the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, she underwent advanced training in the additional professional program “Therapy” and was admitted to carry out medical or pharmaceutical activities in the specialty of therapy.
2. In 2020, by decision of the examination committee at the private institution of additional professional education “Institute for Advanced Training of Medical Personnel”, she was admitted to carry out medical or pharmaceutical activities in the specialty of radiology.
Work experience: therapist – 18 years, radiologist – 2 years.
“Apilak”
The drug is considered a biogenic stimulant with a general strengthening effect.
“Apilak” to increase appetite is a unique complex of biologically active substances, which includes vitamins, as well as mineral components and twenty-three amino acids.
The drug has a tonic and antispastic effect. The drug has a positive effect on restoration processes and cellular metabolism, and also increases tissue trophism.
For children over two years old, the drug can be prescribed in the form of tablets - one tablet twice a day. Tablets to increase appetite are recommended for adult patients to take for two weeks.
A single dosage is ten milligrams. Adults should take these doses three times a day. The tablets should be placed under the tongue and dissolved. They cannot be taken orally, as gastric juice decomposes royal jelly. The duration of treatment can vary from one week to two months. What medications can be given to a child for appetite?
"Alphabet"
A line of vitamin and mineral preparations that are widely used for the prevention and treatment of hypovitaminosis.
The pharmacological effect of “Alphabet” is due to the substances included in its structure, which are selected taking into account scientific recommendations for the joint and separate use of beneficial microelements, which ensures their maximum absorption and practically does not provoke allergies. The cost of the drug varies from 180 to 350 rubles.
“Periactin”
According to reviews, it is known that the drug has antihistamine activity. In addition, it reduces spasmogenic and other effects provoked by serotonin. Periactin also has an anticholinergic effect. It has an antiallergic effect. This remedy is especially effective for itchy dermatoses.
The medication blocks increased secretion of somatotropin in acromegaly and the production of adrenocorticotropic hormone in Itsenko Cushing's syndrome.
There are many positive reviews about this drug. It helps to gain weight and increases appetite.
"Complivit"
The drug contains both vitamins and minerals, which determine the therapeutic effect of the complex.
Vitamin C is responsible for the production of collagen, strengthening teeth, bones, and cartilage. Without this component, the maturation of red blood cells and the formation of hemoglobin cannot be complete.
Nicotinamide is a substance that takes part in carbohydrate metabolism, as well as in the process of tissue respiration.
Lipoic acid corrects carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, affects cholesterol metabolism, and activates liver function. Cobalt stimulates the body's immunity and metabolic processes. Manganese is necessary for strengthening cartilage and bone tissue, as well as for metabolism.
“Complivit” was created taking into account the body’s daily need for minerals and vitamins. Patients with physical and mental exhaustion give especially good feedback about the drug. The cost of the drug varies from 180 to 350 rubles.
