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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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4 Year Old Not Gaining Weight. What Can Be Done To Increase Appetite?

Hello doc,my son is 4 years old ,he is an active kid but his weight is almost same from last 2 years which is 14-15 kgs.he looks very weak although he is active.He is not at all fond of eating,i have to force him to eat his 3 meals.i consulted 2 doctors one of which prescribed me Practin and the other one did not encourage me for it.i started giving him Practin but did not notice any significant change in his eating habit and felt that he is rather sleeping early all these days.i thought may n=be he is exerting so much but now as i read that it causes drowsiness,is it reallly true??so what do u suggest me to give him for increasing his appetite???
Wed, 24 Apr 2013
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Pediatrician,  's  Response
Hi,

Thank you for your query on Healthcare Magic.

Practin contains cyproheptadine which is an antihistamine and its side effect is weight gain due to increased appetite.

At the same time it will cause drowsiness leading to sleepiness which may interfere with child intake of food leading to decreased food intake.

Around this age the gain in weight is not so dramatic and nothing to worry if the child is active, healthy, and playful.

Your child weight of 15 kg is corresponding to 25th percentile in CDC growth charts, so it means the weight is in normal range and nothing to worry.

I advise you to stop Practin and you can give one multivitamin supplement like syrup polybion-L 5ml twice daily for 2 weeks whenever he is having low appetite.

Hope I have answered your query.

Regards.
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4 Year Old Not Gaining Weight. What Can Be Done To Increase Appetite?

Hi, Thank you for your query on Healthcare Magic. Practin contains cyproheptadine which is an antihistamine and its side effect is weight gain due to increased appetite. At the same time it will cause drowsiness leading to sleepiness which may interfere with child intake of food leading to decreased food intake. Around this age the gain in weight is not so dramatic and nothing to worry if the child is active, healthy, and playful. Your child weight of 15 kg is corresponding to 25th percentile in CDC growth charts, so it means the weight is in normal range and nothing to worry. I advise you to stop Practin and you can give one multivitamin supplement like syrup polybion-L 5ml twice daily for 2 weeks whenever he is having low appetite. Hope I have answered your query. Regards.