She won't eat. How can we improve her appetite?

Yes, What kind of cancer

Can you fill us in a bit more? How old is the patient? Is she concerned about loss of appetite? And what kind of cancer?
I had a family member who was prescribed a cannabis extract to improve appetite--but this was thirty years ago and the drugs may be more sophisticated now.
It can be hard to encourage someone to eat if they don't want to. I hope you and the patient are doing ok.

Hello @jonathanwinters. Cancer can take a toll on the body and mind, not just the disease itself but also the treatments and medications. It’s not unusual for someone going through cancer treatments to lose their appetite or just lose interest in eating. People in treatment may lose their taste buds and also the sense of taste. So food simply has no appeal.

But nutrition is extremely important throughout the journey. I’m sorry to read that someone you care about is not eating due to their cancer. Equally as sorry to hear that there’s an insurance denial for an appetite stimulating drug.
Has the doctor or medical team stepped in to appeal the denial? I had a drug that was intitially denied but my doctor wrote a narrative and actually called the insurance company to demand approval. It worked…hoping you might be able to do the same. Don’t settle for a no answer! Keep pushing.

You mentioned cannabis for appetite stimulant. There is another discussion in the forum from another member who had the same question. Here is a link to this conversation.
Cannabis use to stimulate appetite
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/cannabis-use-to-stimulate-appetite/
Is your loved one going through treatment at this time? Is she nauseated? Has she been given anti-nausea meds? Is she not eating at all?

The doctors tried me on a CBD (cannabis-based derivative) for pain control while I was in hospital. It did nothing for my appetite (which was suppressed to almost nothing after a prolonged post-surgical ileus; I could stomach only about 800 cal/day), and didn't help much with the pain either, so we moved on.

Long story short, everyone's response varies. I hope you find something that will work for her. For me it was tea and toast. Seriously. As soon as I was allowed to transfer to the wheelchair unassisted, I started going to the patient lounge and making my own loose-leaf tea and toast every morning. Having that autonomy (vs being given hospital food) rekindled my appetite, and I count that as my turning point back.

Look at the side effects of all of the medications that she is on. Often pain medications can cause loss of appetite. I had severe migraines and took strong pain medications that caused me to lose my appetite. I lost 30 lbs. Once I quit taking the pain medications I gained weight again. I realize there may be some medications that can't be eliminated. However, there may be one that if discontinued, could make all the difference.
I'll say a prayer for you.
PML

@jonathanwinters Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Not knowing who "she" is, or the type of cancer, I can only take a general stab at an answer.

Sometimes the treatments we do just make us feel poorly. Or we get nauseous at the sight/smell/taste of food. Eventually, we decide to try for whatever appeals to us, even if we shouldn't be indulging too often. A small dish of ice cream? Yeah, go ahead! A bag of chips in a flavor you like? Sure! A few home-baked cookies? Why not?

For me, I go through periods when nothing appeals to me. But, I know I need to keep my strength up. That is where a homemade protein shake comes in. Banana, frozen blueberries or mixed fruit, Greek yogurt, protein powder, almond milk. Blend well. This will fill me up, usually cause no stomach distress, and be tasty. There can be a lot of experimenting there! The thing is to keep her hydrated, keep her going with protein. Sometimes people will use Ensure or Boost type product, and make a shake with that. Hoping this will help?
Ginger

It is a very strange sensation for me, eating when I don't feel hungry. I think it may be due to dry mouth. But once I start eating a meal, usually dinner, the salivary glands start working again.

I had trouble eating. We found this great cookbook - The Cancer Fighting Kitchen, written by a chef who solely works with cancer patients.

It had great recipes for all types of cancers - how to handle throat and stomach cancer treatments, food for infusion days, adding foods like flax that have been shown in studies to improve outcomes in breast cancer, etc.

It also had methods to adjust taste due to chemo and other treatments distorting taste of foods.

I don't know how old she is or in what stage of treatment but hopefully this will be a small help.

Yes. She is 45-years-old and has a glioblastoma. It is deep in her brain and inoperable. She was diagnosed 8 months ago. She has done surprisingly well, but she's lost all short-term memory capabilities and she's lost 25 pounds. She's at 120; 5'9". She just has no interest in eating, not even her very favorites. We were hoping to give her the munchies without getting her confused or too high.

Thank you for responding and sharing. My daughter is 45 and has a glioblastoma. She was diagnosed 8 months ago but has gradually lost her appetite. I can certainly understand how losing tastebuds or sense of taste (even smell) could destroy an appetite. Thankfully, her treatments have not nauseated her. We will ask her docs to resubmit and call the insurance company on her behalf. My daughter worked as a genetic counselor at Duke, where she's being treated, and they have been wonderful for her! So I'd imagine they've already appealed, but we'll certainly verify. Thanks again!