Are you in crisis? Contact the Crisis Line from anywhere in BC no area code needed : Read Our Stories. Watch Our YouTube Channel. Locate A Program. How do I know if I have an eating disorder? Dangerous Eating Behaviours People with eating disorders use many different ways to try to lose weight or control their weight. For example, they may: Diet or take diet pills Purge by using laxatives and diuretics, or making themselves vomit Exercise too much or too often Cut out certain types of food Fast go long periods of time without eating These are very unhealthy behaviours, and can be VERY dangerous.
Some of the different ways of purging are: Self-Induced Vomiting: Many people with eating disorders make themselves vomit as a way to try to lose weight. They force themselves to throw up right after a meal. For some, vomiting is linked with bouts of over-eating or binge-eating. Most people induce vomiting by sticking their fingers down their throat.
For this reason, they often develop a scar, or some hard skin, on the back of their hand. Self-induced vomiting can cause: damage to your esophagus, the tube that transports food from the mouth to the stomach damage to teeth that come in contact with stomach acid dehydration — loss of body fluids that have important minerals and electrolytes to help the heart and other organs to work properly Some symptoms of repeated vomiting are muscle weakness, irregular heartbeat, and heart failure.
In BC, the number for Poison Control is: 1. Laxative Abuse: A laxative is a medication that is usually used to treat constipation. It acts on the large intestine to trigger a bowel movement. Laxative abuse is when you use laxatives to try to get rid of food you have just eaten.
Some people take a laxative after eating a large amount of food including after binge eating. People who abuse laxatives believe that they can empty out the food before their body can absorb the calories.
They believe this will help them to lose weight, or control their weight. The truth is that laxatives do not stop your body from digesting food. They act on the large intestine, but most calories and fat are absorbed before they get to the large intestine.
It is mostly water and minerals that are emptied from the body at this point. This weight will return as soon as you drink something. If you continue to use laxatives and do NOT drink any fluids, you can become very dehydrated.
People who are dehydrated feel weak and confused. It can do serious damage to the body, and to organs like the heart and kidneys. In extreme cases, you may have a heart attack or your kidneys may stop working properly. Many people need medical treatment to recover from dehydration. Diuretic Abuse: Diuretics are sometimes called water pills because they help to get water out of your body.
From detox teas to trendy diets , we've seen countless products and practices that people claim are quick, easy, and harmless ways to lose weight. Unfortunately, this might be one of the longest running and most popular misguided methods for weight loss, especially among young women.
One study looking at 13, people published in the journal Pediatrics in July , found that Misusing laxatives is an all-around bad idea.
Laxatives are a type of medication used to treat constipation by loosening stool or encouraging bowel movements, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIDDK.
Nearly everyone experiences constipation at one point or another. There are approximately a zillion causes , including dietary issues too little fiber, too much dairy , certain medications antidepressants , lifestyle changes not pooping when you have to go, traveling , medical conditions hypothyroidism, IBS , and even stress. Not only does constipation feel miserable—it can cause complications like hemorrhoids or anal fissures if you strain too hard to poop.
Lifestyle modifications like eating more fiber-rich foods, exercising regularly, and drinking enough water should be your first move, as SELF previously reported. But sometimes, you might need a little extra push. This is where laxatives come in.
My secrets were many. And they kept growing. A girl in my biology class taught me an excellent exercise: Suck in as deep as you can, flexing your stomach muscles to shrink your waistline as much as possible. Then push all the air out of your lungs. Count to 10—or until you get dizzy. And then repeat. She said it would tone and define my quickly shrinking stomach muscles.
I'd do the exercises four times a day—once in the morning before classes, twice after lunch, and once before bed. Afterward, I'd measure my stomach, cupping one hand around each side of my waist. If my gut stretched beyond the limits of my thumb and forefinger, I'd punish myself. Only half a cup of bran cereal today—no milk. A born perfectionist and people-pleaser, I was determined to become as skinny and perfect as could be.
Away from my mother, who had tenderly raised me on fattening foods like lemon meringue pie, cheese toast, buttered grits, bacon, country-style steak covered in gravy, and cream chipped beef slathered over slices of bread, I no longer felt I had to please her by appreciating the food she had so carefully prepared. I tightened my self-control, acing tests and joining clubs. I would become a perfect Southern lady.
Indeed, by the 11th grade, I hit a perfect size 2. Boys smiled at me; grown men gawked from their cars. I met a handsome year-old boyfriend through my aunt, and I invited him to my junior prom. Not that it was always a breeze. That spring, I spent prom night on the toilet. Soon after, my stomach stopped responding to two pills a day. Now my system needed four to perform.
Lunches with friends in the cafeteria morphed into isolated events in my room. Sure, my friends were on laxatives, too, but I had taken my quest to a much deeper extreme.
I installed a mini fridge in my room, telling myself it was to keep the milk fresh. But really, I just didn't want to eat in front of anyone anymore. I was becoming paranoid, and I feared being judged—even by the same girls who'd taught me my tricks. It got to a point where I could hardly concentrate on anything but eating—or not eating.
I often felt light-headed, dizzy, and daydreamy; visions of Dawson's Creek floated through my head during history class. Yet no matter how I looked in the mirror, the girl I saw there just didn't seem thin enough. I couldn't see the skin and bones I'd become. The girls who called me "Anna-rexic" behind my back? They were just jealous. And again, no one spoke up. No one dared to disapprove or tell the former fat girl that she'd gone too far. After a year-and-a-half of my rigid routine, my mission finally came to an end.
That fateful morning in the shower, I fell unconscious. Another study also concluded that laxatives were not effective at controlling weight, noting that laxative use was more prevalent among overweight and obese teenagers than those of a normal weight 4. To date, there have been no studies supporting the idea that laxative use can lead to lasting weight loss. Instead, it can lead to dangerous side effects like dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and possibly even dependence.
This is because many laxatives work by drawing water into the intestines from other tissues, resulting in a loss of water through the stool 1. Common symptoms of dehydration include headaches, reduced urine output, increased thirst, fatigue, dry skin and dizziness. Electrolytes are substances dissolved in your bodily fluids that are important for helping your cells and tissues function normally 5.
If the balance of these essential electrolytes is thrown off, it can cause dangerous side effects including seizures, confusion and coma. Laxatives may lead to the loss of important electrolytes. This could create an electrolyte imbalance, one of the most dangerous side effects of laxative abuse 6 , 7. Another study in 2, people showed that the laxatives commonly used to prepare for colonoscopies increased the risk of electrolyte disturbances 9. Common symptoms of electrolyte imbalance can include thirst, headaches, heart palpitations, fatigue, weakness and muscle aches.
Although laxatives are generally safe for short-term use, some people worry they may lead to dependency with long-term use. This may be especially true for stimulant laxatives, which work by speeding up the movement of the intestinal tract to induce a bowel movement.
Despite some reports of individuals developing a tolerance to or becoming dependent on stimulant laxatives, there is little evidence showing these effects actually happen In fact, some researchers have noted that tolerance to stimulant laxatives is uncommon and that there is minimal chance of dependency More research is needed to evaluate the effects of long-term laxative use and the risk of dependency.
In addition to causing dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and possible dependence, laxative use has been associated with a number of other dangerous side effects, including:. If you are using unhealthy weight loss methods like laxatives, purging or severe food restriction, stop and seek professional help to prevent long-term consequences to your health.
There are many better, safer and more effective ways to lose weight without putting your health on the line. If you want even more ideas, check out this article, which lists 30 easy, science-backed ways to lose weight. Laxatives can be an effective remedy for increasing bowel movements and preventing constipation. However, laxative use is unlikely to lead to long-lasting weight loss.
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