Drug	Dosage	Side effects	Comments
Appetite stimulants
Megestrol (Megace)	800 mg once daily	Mood changes, fat gain, edema, amenorrhea	No survival advantage demonstrated, contraindicated in pregnancy
Dronabinol (Marinol)	2.5 to 10 mg four times daily	Sedation, confusion	Potential for psychologic dependence
Cyproheptadine (Periactin)	4 mg three times daily	Sedation, anticholinergic effects	Anecdotal reports only
Anabolic agents
Oxandrolone (Oxandrin)	20 mg once daily	Cholestatic jaundice, peliosis hepatis, androgenic effects	Low androgenic effects, oral dosing
Nandrolone (Deca-Durabolin)	100 mg IM every 2 weeks	Cholestatic jaundice, peliosis hepatis, androgenic effects	Low androgenic effects, parenteral dosing only, low cost
Oxymetholone (Anadrol-50)	50 mg twice daily	Cholestatic jaundice, peliosis hepatis, androgenic effects	Little data in HIV
Testosterone	100 to 400 mg IM every 1 to 2 weeks	Cholestatic jaundice, peliosis hepatis, androgenic effects	High androgenic effects
Androderm	2.5-mg patch once daily	Local reaction to patches	High androgenic effects, expensive
Testoderm	6-mg patch once daily
rhGH (Humatrope)	0.1 mg per kg (up to 6 mg per day) SC once daily	Edema, arthralgia, hyperglycemia	Expensive, no survival advantage
Other
Thalidomide (Thalomid)	50 to 200 mg once daily	Teratogenic, sedation, neuropathy, dry mouth, hepatotoxic	Expensive, possible teratogenicity, no long-term or efficacy data