Laxative abuse is common in eating disorders, as it’s a simple and effective way of losing weight quickly. And since laxatives are readily available on store shelves, this means anyone can take them without a doctor’s prescription. But there are many dangers with short and long term laxative abuse.
How Laxatives are Meant to be Used
Laxatives are used to relieve occasional constipation. There are currently numerous kinds of laxatives widely available at any local drugstore or pharmacy. Prolonged use of laxatives, especially stimulant laxatives such as cascara, senna (sennosides) and bisacodyl, intensifies and perpetuates the condition for which they are used. Your body can actually become dependent on laxatives, requiring that you continue to use them for normal bowel movements.
The Problem of Laxative Abuse
People with eating disorders use laxatives as a way of ridding their body of unwanted calories and for promoting weight loss – a dangerous tactic . They also abuse laxatives because they are constipated as the small amounts of food do not provide enough to stimulate regular bowel movements. This creates a vicious cycle.
Those with eating disorders may take one laxative, two or even the entire box for one dosage. Many individuals have spent hours in the bathroom suffering the ill effects of laxatives. Those who take laxatives are only encouraging their body to lose water and nothing else. Weight loss may be noticed but this is temporary as the weight will return as the body rehydrates itself of water loss. Calories are not excreted in the urine or on the loose bowel movements the laxative creates.
Once the water loss has taken place, it can lead the body to retain water leaving the person feeling even more bloating. In some cases, individuals take even more laxatives as a way to relieve the water retention and bloating they feel. The cycle continues.
The Effects of Laxative Abuse
There are many short and long term effects that laxatives can have on the body. Some effects are more severe than others.
- Colon infection
- Constipation
- Death
- Dehydration
- Diarrhea
- Electrolyte imbalance – this often leads to death as electrolyte balance is necessary for a regular heartbeat
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Laxative dependency
- Stretched colon
Withdrawal from Laxative Abuse
Laxative withdrawal affects everyone differently, so there is no answer as to how it’s going to affect your body. Some people have withdrawal symptoms for days, weeks or even months. Laxative withdrawal is especially difficult for people who have eating disorders. If individuals feel fat, the symptoms associated with laxative withdrawal only make these feelings worse. You might find you’re tempted to take laxatives to avoid these symptoms.
Common symptoms of laxative withdrawal include:
- Bloatedness
- Constipation
- Fluid retention
- Temporary weight gain
There are several things you should do if you’ve been abusing laxatives:
- See your doctor
- Get rid of all laxatives in your house
- Know you will have withdrawal symptoms
- Eat more fiber
- Drink more water
- Have supportive people around you
You can stop abusing laxatives and you can recover from your eating disorder. Look for professional medical help from your doctor or a qualified mental health therapist.