Not eating and absolutely no appetite... any suggestions

[Jane_s]

I am now into week 26/48 and have found all of a sudden I have no appetite. Up until the last week I was eating OK but now it is a continual struggle to eat anything. I'm just not hungry and I find the thought of food turns my stomach. I struggle to eat a little each day and even when I buy expensive tempting treats or cook my favourite meals they end up either in the bin or the freezer. I eat in a day about the same most people eat for breakfast... any suggestions as to how to make food more appealing again?

[patra_]

And if you 'just want to talk to someone and have or had hepc, go to the Hepatitis C Social Community - all kinds of things are discussed there, mostly having to do with hepc or treatment but not all.  We post humor, quotes, musings, too.  

To get there, go to the top of this thread, all the way up above the Tree of Helping Hands and select 'Communities' .  Once you get the drop down boc, go down the list to the 'h's and select Hepatitis C Social.

Good luck!

[hepc4Sandi]

Hi Sue, this thread is 11 years old. If you have a new question, click the green "post a question" up above, and people will be glad to help you. There is no "speaking" on the forum. If you need to have a phone conversation with someone about hcv, call the toll free help line that Gilead has.

[Sueb1kinobe]

Can we speak...this hep c is taking me down...just want to speak with someone

[shebee]

I'm not on tx, but Ensure might be a good option.  B vitamins make me hungry.

Last year I was working too long and too hard and started losing weight...about a pound a day.  At first I didn't care because I started looking great, but I soon realized that I shouldn't drop any more weight.  I used Slimfast as drink with my meals...an extra 200 cal.  LOL!  It worked! Don't tell anybody.  LOL!

Your body needs for you to eat so you can heal.

Best wishes,
Shebee

[MS_Vicki]

Listen ti these folks here,,, cause I lost over 50 lbs with this TX... & did NOt properly take are of myself... sometimes I would go 3 or 4 days without eaTING OR DRINKING ANYTHING!

[MS_Vicki]

BTW= when nothing else taste good... try at least eating a yogart!!
:)

[GulfCoast]

I'm going thru the same thing. My appetite isn't what it used to be. I've lost 25lbs in 4 months. It's not that I can't eat, it's that many things have lost their savor.

I do feel that this is a "good" benefit as I needed to lose some weight. I agree with with previous posters. A toaster, blender, juicer and good nourishing soups will take you a long way. Take your supplements and try to make what you do eat "liver healthy" and you'll do ok.
Peace - Gulfcoast

[DRAGON SLAYER]

I know the feeling Jane. I used Cold Ensure when I was on Tx. It did help me thru Tx although I lost a lot of weight (went from 66kg to 56kg). No easy way to make food appealing just EAT it in spite of not wanting it. FOOD is a significant factor in achieving SVR & staying in one piece thereafter.

Good luck to all
Ben

[Sioux]

that happened to me also. I mostly ate oatmeal, cherios, mac and cheese. Alittle chicken. Most cooking smells discusted me.

[scruffy]

I lost my appetite right away on tx and food tasted crappy. I highly endorse soup-I liked it on tx but normally it does'nt hold a lot of appeal. Just make sure you get the nutrients you need for your health even if you don't feel like it.

[Lucky Lou]

after extensive reserch, privately funded of course.i suggust the following:

Reffer, wacky weed, pot, houchey ko, joints, hydro, mexcian high line, Thai sticks, Jamacian Red, Oregon high alttiude hybrid, Colombian skunk (buds only) or a combination of any together. Smoke three joints every two hours. If you still are not hungry you won't remeber anyway so relly will not matter........ who said that?....oh sorry...anyway I will continue to throughly reserch this topic for you.. No No..do not thank me..It is my job and a sacrific I make freely for the good of all man....now if you will excuse me i have to make a bologna, peanut butter and banana sandwich..grilled of course..with ketchup...yah...ketchup....! Got to go!

Smoke a joint jane..you'll be fine! screw the persrciption...I know a guy...shhhhh

Lou

[DonL]

I lost my appetite and interest in cooking. Ironic since I write a series of food articles. I found that pasta with tomato sauce or meat sauce was what I wanted more than anything. I took a lot of vitamins (no iron) and lost 15 pounds. I finished tx in Sept and everything tastes good again. Gained back 5, trying to hold it there. I also ate a lot of fruit--apples, grapes, pears, watermelon. Good luck.

[Jane_s]

Thanks Guys, I'm actually not nauseous, just not hungry... well at least i can be slim for a while :-)

[jonihs]

When I lost my appetite it was from nausea, and my doc rxed raglan or reglan. It really helped.  Joni

[susan400]

I recommend that you try something like Ensure or some other similar supplement and then, try soup.  This has worked for me.  Every day, by lunchtime, my appetite is gone, but I can eat a small bowl of soup.  Then, in the afternoon around 4 pm, I have a bowl of ice cream.    By suppertime, my appetite picks up a little better and I'm able to eat better.  Try not to eat too much in one sitting, but eat smaller portions/snacks, more often.  If you let your stomach get too empty, then, it actually makes the nausea worse.

Susan400

[new-sojourn]

I find smoking a joint helped.  and I didn't get the munchies, I was just able to eat a little.

Also, I made blended protein/fruit drinks w/all sorts of stuff and juiced my veggies-carrot and apple w/celery was my fav.

2-3 meals of protein drinks and veggie juice, a carton of yougurt an enlish muffin and your vit/sup pills and you're good to go.  nibble on cheese or peanut butter and unsalted crackers, a bannana and peanut butter whole grain sandwich is more than a meal.

if you don't wanna eat, don't pick food that needs lotsa preparation and dirty lotsa pots ans pans.  A blender, a toaster and a juicer are all I needed for wks @ a time.

[harley dude]

Jane,
     Alot of people lose their appetite while on tx, I did. I started taking xanax midway through tx and for whatever reason it made my appetite come back and also made me cope with the sides alot better. They also have that other thing that increases your appetite(or aka the munchies), but I'm not going there. - Good Luck and you'll be finished before you know it. See Ya- Harley Dude