Mind and men's health
When you can barely eat
When eating too little needs care, and what's known about appetite, muscle and protein.
Eating less comes with these medicines. Some days it goes further than it should. First, when to get care.
When to get care
Now
If your belly is swollen and hard, with strong cramps and vomiting, and you can't poop or pass gas, get emergency care now.
The labels list reports of blocked bowel with these medicines.
Now
If you faint, feel confused or are barely peeing, call emergency services now.
Losing a lot of fluid can harm the kidneys. Training, sport in the sun, heat, sauna and hangovers all add to the loss.
Today
If vomiting or diarrhea won't let you keep fluids down, get care today, from your doctor or an urgent care service.
The same if vomiting lasts over 2 days, diarrhea over 7, there's blood in your stool, or dark, scant pee and dizziness when standing don't improve with oral rehydration salts.
Soon
If you feel more tired than you'd expect, notice heavy hair shedding, or your skin turns flaky or itchy, talk to your doctor in the next few days.
When you eat very little for a long time, these can be signs of missing nutrients.
Soon
If you're skipping meals on purpose, going a whole day without eating, or feeling strong guilt after eating, talk to your doctor or a psychologist in the next few days.
These are worth a calm conversation, with no blame.
What's known
Less appetite is one of the listed effects: in the large trials it was reported by about 1 in 10 people, against about 1 in 30 on placebo.
When you eat very little, part of what you lose is muscle. In the trials that measured it, 25% to 40% of the weight lost was lean mass. When eating less without exercise, men lose almost twice as much muscle as women for the same weight lost.
Guidelines for people on these medicines put protein at every meal and strength training together: protein alone is probably not enough to keep muscle.
What usually helps
- Small portions, more often
- Protein first on the plate
- Fluids in small sips through the day
To take to your appointment
- Some days I can barely eat. How do I make sure I get enough protein and nutrients?
- Should I have any blood tests for nutrients, like B12, iron or vitamin D?
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