When you are very stressed out, do you lose your appetite?

Is it normal to lose my appetite whilst on antibiotics?

• I was prescribed Penicillin for a chest infection and since I started taking them on Wednesday, my appetite has just been zapped. It's not the infection itself that's caused it as I was ill with that for five days before seeing the doctor and I still did have a reasonable appetite. Since taking the antibiotics, my appetite has just dwindled and now I am eating a couple of bowls of cereal a day and I've lost four pounds in five days. I just don't have that urge to eat or a sensation of hunger at all, even when I first wake up in the morning. I'm only eating because I know that I need to. It's not a big issue in terms of my weight as I'm a UK size 14 and I'm nowhere near at risk of becoming underweight or anything like that - in fact I have welcomed the weight loss! But I'm not sure if this is something to be concerned about. I still have two days left and I've been advised to complete the course even though my chest infection is pretty much cleared up now, except a bit of a cough I've been left with.

• Answer:

  It's probably more a result of the infection than the antibiotics.