What Drugs Cause Loss Of Appetite And Severe Headache?

Posted on Mon, 21 Sep 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 Answered on

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : When my stepfather died, I remember seeing a sign in his office that said "if patient experiences long term appetite loos, and or a long-lasting severe headache -- call our office immediately. My step-father had both. That was a few years ago. Now my Aunt (97 years old) was taken off coumadin and put on one of the new drugs. She has lost her appetite completely - she has been on for a few weeks. True, she may be shutting down, but do you have information on which of the new drugs can cause both of these side effects. I don't remember which my step-father was on and I want to avoid another unnecessary death. She had been doing well in Rehap but down seems to be going downhill. Any assistance would help!
Thanks,
XXXXX
YYYY@YYYY

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
some of the cause loss of appetite

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

it is true that some of the new antithrombotic drugs do cause loss of appetite like Eliquis or Xarelto but before attributing any symptom to a drug, the doctor has to eliminate other potential causes first. Infection (fever is a frequent sign) is a common cause of energy and appetite loss in old individuals. Other potential causes include thyroid disease, anemia, electrolyte imbalance, etc.

The causes are too many to mention here but the doctor should try to find signs during the clinical examination and with carefully selected laboratory tests. Of course the frailty of old age might be the real cause but this is also a diagnosis that requires elimination of other causes.

I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.

Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar