Summary: Anorexia is the loss of appetite. There are several causes of anorexia in all people, but the most common cause in cancer patients, is the chemotherapy. Cancer appears to not only change your desire to eat but also how you perceive taste. Tastes change in many people with cancer. You can also get sores in your mouth referred to as ulcers from chemotherapy. When you lose your appetite, caloric intake is diminished, and that in itself can make people feel poorly. There are a number of medicines that can stimulate the appetite but each has risks as well as benefits. The drugs include steroids like decadron, amphetamines, Marinol, a derivative made from marijuana, and Megace. These drugs do have the potential to put you back into positive caloric balance. Don’t forget the dieticians; they often understand how to modify the diet to be tolerated better by cancer patients.
