Nutrition and weight maintenance

November 2004     View PDF     En español

Appetite stimulants

Some people find they need appetite stimulants in order to maintain their weight and good nutrition. Many people believe that marijuana may help stimulate their appetites and calm their stomachs. Some people prefer baking it into brownies since smoking marijuana can be hard on their lungs.

The chemical in marijuana, THC, has been synthesized. It is the active ingredient in dronabinol (Marinol), approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an appetite stimulant for people with HIV. But absorbing dronabinol into the body is problematic. Sometimes it works perfectly; sometimes not at all. At other times it works a little too well, leaving folks too euphoric or “stoned” to carry on with normal activities. These stimulants also may not be appropriate for people in recovery programs. For more information, read Project Inform’s publication, Medical Marijuana.

A number of studies show that Megace, a synthetic female sex hormone (progesterone), increases appetite and weight. One study suggests that most, if not all, weight gain associated with Megace is in the form of body fat, not muscle. However, these studies show that people taking Megace reported improved weight and general well being. Side effects include blood clotting (rarely) and breast enlargement in men. Megace should not be used by pregnant women because of possible harm to her unborn child.