Addicted to Laxative Pills on Lose Weight Diets

This article was very helpful when writing my senior research paper! Thank you for your time and knowledge.

I am crying because you have just described me, but after reading both of your posts it has encouraged me to take that first step. Today is day one of the rest of my life and I am taking it back, I refuse to be a slave to food and laxatives,I am terrified that my colon has forgotten how to function. If anyone is reading this and has just begun laxative use - STOP NOW! Save yourself a lot of suffering!

I have spent years of my life dealing with an eating disorder along with laxative abuse - brought on by the image i see of myself! This article made me more aware of the damage i am doing to myself and has allowed me to acknowledge i am not alone in this battle. my friends and family have known for years about my eating disorder but today after reading this article i made the first steps in recovering my life back by admitting to myself and friends/family that i abuse laxatives - i feel almost empowered admitting this and felt i owed thanks to this article for giving more strength to fight on with.

Thank you so much for adding your comments, Guests. This is the reason that I share what I've learned from having an eating disorder, so that those who are struggling can find the inspiration to get help. One tiny and courageous step can often change your whole life!

i am an 18 year old girl trying to take care of my 15 year old sister, she recently told me about her laxtive abuse. i am so scared that i wont be able to help her and that she wont ever get over her weight obcession. but seeing that many people here have had eating disorders and have actually made it through them wanting to be healthy gives me hope. thank you.

Lisa 32
I am currently trying to come off laxatives. I have been abusing laxatives for 6 years. I am finding it so hard but im getting help this is the hardest thing ive ever had to do and im scared. Guess what im trying to say is DONT START TAKING LAXATIVES its not worth the pain trying to come off them.

it's so easy to write type that down..but you obviously came to a point where everything was enough and you got out of that frame of mind and your mental state changed...not alot of people can do that

hi my name is ashley i'am both anorexic and bulumic addicted to laxatives and dieting pills i need alot of help i tried many timesd to get help but have found nothing but ling waiting liststo seek inpatient traetment for my illness if u have any suggestions pls forward to me at chic.kita@hotmail.com thanx take good care of yourself

Great information...a lot I didn't know...thanks!

i am a 18 year old girl and for the past 6 years i have suffered from a eating disorder on and off but this last year i have overcome that problem.i have gone to 3 different counsellors in the past few years which i do think will scar me for life and also i have abused laxatives at times.i had never suffered any health problems over the years.Only last week i collasped and was told by doctors i had anemia.my blood count had gone so low i was days from being put into hospital and being hooked to machines.well i guess is what i am trying to say is that just because you think your not damaging your body because your having no effects,well i am afraid your mistaken.i taught i was past everything but it has caught up with me in the end.I now have to go to doctors every few days for injections.i am doing my leaving cert this year nd i have no energy to study because i am so tired due to my anemia.my grades have slipt,i really have damaged my future to some extent.it was really not worth it.so please anybody reading this dont develop a eating disorder before its to late

I am 19 years old and about to be evaluated for my eating disorder. I'm not exactly sure if I belong in this program. I maintain a normal weight, yet I'm addicted to laxatives. I was addicted to exercising as well, until i gave myself a stress fracture and had to go to the hospital after running five miles and then going to the gym. I'm
afraid that without laxatives my body will never be the same. I used to eat compulsively and then purge, but now i've moved on to laxatives. I still don't eat normal and I fast whenever I feel I've eaten too much. I'm just overly afraid of gaining weight. There is nothing I want more to just be happy with my body. I'm afraid of gaining weight, but overall I'm afraid that I'm making myself sick and shortening my life. I try to speed up my metabolism by smoking cigarettes after every time I eat. I just want this obsession to be over. I can't control it anymore. I have a problem.

I am struggling with laxative abuse right now..I am trying to stop, but I just do not like the way my body looks. I am going to the gym regularly and eating well (to almost nothing). I was bulimic in my teens (now im mid 20's) but was able to stop when I asked my family for help (kept it a secret for 1 year). I hate myself for hurting my body..but at the same time, I feel happy when I use the laxatives. I know, its stupid, and will do my best to stop. Someone please tell me how you stopped.

I've been addicted to Dieter's Tea (senna) for nearly 20yrs. I've wanted to tell my doctor that I can't use the bathroom without it, but it was just so embarrasing. I've seen ads that products like Activia by Dannon can help. Has anyone found that to be the case?

I've recently slowly started to reduce my intake of laxatives and diet pills and am finding it really hard. As i've been abusing laxatives for the last 3 years its obviously taken its toll and now ive come to start reducing the amount i take i find im bloating, feeling fat and am in quite a lot of pain. I've tried to eat food with a good level of fibre in it but nothing really seems to be working, does anyone have an tips on how to combat this??. I've never seen my gp about it and im wondering if i should go and see her to see if she can help manage the pain and the bloating. I'm worried about what she'll say and what will actually happen though. My one current success though is i have progressed from weighing myself daily to not having weighed myself in almost a week! Good luck to everyone who is seeking help or caring for friends and relatives in a similar situation. x

Hi
My sister is addicted to laxatives and reading your article rings so true to me. The only thing is she is still in the denial stage and thinks nobody knows what she does and always brushes it under the carpet. I've tried everything I can think of to make her stop. I've done the soft choice with the hints which have never worked, the sister option of I know you're hurting yourself and I only have 1 sister and I don't want to lose you and lastly the arguing.
Her shoulders and very rounded and every day she is in constant pain from this. I think it's her bones weakening and crumbling. Her liver is inflamed and she takes milk thistle every day.
Where am I going wrong? How can I make her stop??

I have been abusing laxatives for over ten years ,at the begining i used to take a lot ,now i take one pill or two every week ,i have so much abdominal disconfort ,gas ,bloating and like you ,i feel clean when i take a laxative ,i really think i need help ,i dunno what to do ,i am desperate ,
I am in a relationship and i haven't told my BF yet ,i'm afraid to be judged ,but he always ask me why my stomach hurts .

I recently started taking 14-20 laxatives a day after years of being constipated. I started taking 4 a day as prescribed by my GI dr., then I figured I would take more to see if that help in my constant battle to lose weight, and it helped. At least for a while. I am always trying to lose weight and go on eating binges where I eat lots of junk food, then torture myself, try and fast for a few days after the binge. Its very frusturating and consumes me I would love to not worry about it. Unfortuneatley its not that easy. I go through a bottle of 100 laxatives in a week or less.Any one have any suggestions for help ?I am affraid to go to the doc about it for a couple of reasons, the first is I work in health care myselp and I want to have plastic surgery and feel that eating disorder diagnosis would prevent me from being able to have surgery/

I am very over weight and have been looking on the internet how to lose weight i am now currently on a weight lose plan but is going too slowly. I really am thinking about laxative use. Now I have read these posts I really dont know what to do for the best I cant cope anymore with the bullying because im fat, im depressed i hate myself and i just want to be happy.

I am and have been using laxatives for the last two years, and deep down i realise the damage i am causing my body, but i just can't stop. I feel so relieved when eating pizza, knowing that after im just going to get rid of it with laxatives anyway, and i don't think i'm ready to give up that feeling of security.

I have for the past 15 or so years used laxatives on and off, I have yo-yo dieted for countless amounts of years and after having 3 amazing children I am struggling to sort myself out. I am not obese by any means, I just have the excess from my boys and over eating! I would love to stop taking them but just can't! I know what they are doing to me, but I feel so much better afterwards, thinking at least it's all out! I feel better about myself knowing that I am not "full up" if that makes sense! I would never recommend this to anyone as it is so addictive! I know I should stop due to the effects and not wanting anything to happen to me as I couldn't bear the thought of my kids not having a mummy! Is this even a proper eating disorder??? I don't know what the hell it is, but I know it's bad when you have lazatives in your handbag ready for whenever you have eaten anything, or when they are hidden around the house just incase!! Can anyone please clarify what this "condition" is called? Thank you for letting me moan on!!

I am very happy that I read this article like the rest of you.. but people that have over come this illness needs to tell \us how they did it. I take laxatives almost everyday- prob an average of 4 a day and I'm scared to death about what I'm doing to my insides. I never realized the danger of taking them when I started. I wish I could go back! So anyone who is thinking of starting to take laxatives... DONT! I'm scared of gaining weight and not only that but the discomfort of being constipated is tiring alone! You feel heavy and depressed. Please help. I want to stop taking them. I was wondering if maybe taking healthy benefiber tablets with food and just eating certain foods that will be easy on the colon in the beginning? like baby steps? kinda like how you feed a baby milk and then soft food in the beginning of their life in order for their digestive system to register and work correctly??? Please someone respond to this post- I need help and I'm scared ;(

hi! I have been hooked on laxatives about 8 years and it was a mess. This little bottle was like the most important thing in my purse and schedule of my life was depent on the time when I take this "drug". It was so nice to have flat belly every morning... though my hair and my skin was looking rather sick. But now I am over it and I would like to tell everyone who has the same situation - be brave, you can make it! It is really possible to stop using laxatives. Just make this decision and listen to your body. your body will tell you what to do and what to eat for taking your system back to normal condition. Of course, from the beginning you may have troubles with stomach, constipation for few days. Try to eat vegetables, fruits. drink a lot of water, make sport. You will feel what product helps you. For me it was one spoon of olive oil in the morning and I eat beet everyday, drink green tea and even now without laxatives I have flat belly every morning! My skin looks very good and I hope to get my hair back as it was before addiction (I lost about 30% of my hair I think because I did not have enough of vitamins etc :( ). So good luck and dont be scared to give up laxatives! you can make it! p.s. Please forgive my english as it is not my native language.

Interesting. I do not have an eating disorder, but have been addicted to laxatives for several years because of chronic constipation. I eat an abundance of fruit and vegetablesa and take fiber, but I have not been able to get off them, and have found almost zero help online or in the Dr.'s office. (eat more fiber..) When I stop taking laxatives, I stop going to the bathroom. How pray tell, does one actually get off these damn things.?

i dont know what to do anymore, i know im ill and that i have a eating disorder but i just was scared to gain the weight back, scared too be the girl ppl all made fun of the girl who never belonged to anyone, i lost the weight the right way but i dont know what happened i felt so awful so i made myself throw up, i have the scars to prove where i bit into my hand to make myself purge, i just wanted pie cake sometimes but when i had it i felt nasty and fed up and my mouth soar of vomiting i switched to laxitives it was so much easier it became my salvation, my secret weapon, and sadly after so many years, so sadly i say with dispair that i am no longer the size 3 small girl, my fears came true, i tried to get off the laxitives but i sit here day after day tormanted because i jus dont go i have no bm at all ever so i panic thinking its in me, the food from last week is still there everything is still in me all the food because i just dont go..so i go back again and again its my addiction but now it seems i need it, i dont know what to do , i feel like i lost control and now im dependent on it im lost because im only 19 and this is my life i destroyed my body, i dont know how to take it back,

O.O I always wondered if laxi's would get my tummy flatter because they would get rid of all the shit and gas in there, and when i researched it i found that it works so i went out and baught some. I was just about to start taking them almost regularly coz i didnt know the consequences, and when I read this article I decieded not to. thanks a lot.

do not think that taking laxatives will make your belly flat and you will loose weight. It doesnt work this way, your body loose only water not fat. So laxatives pills are not make you slim, it is illusion. Just think about damage you are causing to your health. The only one chance to stop it - stop take them and have a proper diet.
Eat fibre, vegetables, fruits etc. Forget about heavy food! I know it sound boring and you heard this many times, but the fakt is that this is the only one solve problem. Nobody will advice you mirracle drug (substitution of laxatives) or something. Only proper diet and sport. We are what we eat. Girls, its time to love ourselves! Good luck to all

wow i never knew what laxative pills can do to you especially if you abuse form them, im not stop taking laxative pill, i dont wanna endanger my body really quick.....thank you for this article it is very interesting.!

I am 16 years old and have recovered from an eating disorder. Well, saying I've "recovered" would be deceitful. I believe it's impossible for anyone to "recover" from such a dysfunctional relationship with food. Similar to how Alcoholics Anonymous members state that they are "Alcholics" even though they have been sober for some time, I will always have body image issues, and I will always have an abnormal relationship with food. So I am nothing close to being recovered. I will forever be damaged. But there is always hope for making the struggle with food an easier battle. It's like a spiral staircase, as time goes on, the spiral gets thinner and thinner and the troubles slowly diminish.
In less than 2 yrs, I've gained almost 60 pounds. I became severley thin and was then forced to seek help from doctors, nutritionists, a therapist, and I checked in to a hospital to get weighed weekly. I became depressed and lacked energy and happiness. On the exterior, however, everyone thought i was perfect. I was pretty, talented, and smart. All I cared about was upholding this reputation really to satisfy my own self perception. After gaining back the weight I lost, I gained some more. But unfortunately, while I had the eating disorder, I refused to listen to my nutritionist. My nutritionist was trying to help me plan my meals out constructively, and get a better grasp of what it's like to eat normally. Well I was stubborn and discarded her advice. I was eating so little such that my body was in starvation mode and would need to retaliate. It would do so by making me binge. Once my parents when upstairs, I would storm through the cabinets like stingy mice, eating at bits of a variety of different sugary, fatty foods. And of course afterwards I would hate myself for it. This self destructive relationship continued. I developed a love hate relationship with food. This relationship would continue even after I gained back the weight. This reality was the most worrisome. It meant that I would have an uncontrollable relation with food. As the stress piled up, my eating schedule would grow out of hand. I would always weigh myself twice a day, because frankly, the weight balance was the only set of eyes that I could trust. It would take some time to retrain my appetite signals, and my eyes saw a very distorted picture. However, the weight fluctuated a lot, and at times of adversity, the weight would pack on. I heard someone who had an eating disorder mention laxatives. I didn't really understand what they did or were, but as my options were running out and my discipline was waning, I got desparate. I was 40 pounds heavier than I was during my eating disorder, which put me at 135, and I started abusing laxatives. It wasn't very often, but as things progressed, I used them more frequently. In fact, I'm still using them. I just had a really stressful week in school with AP's, SAT's, and musical productions, and the weight just came on. I hadn't gained weight for a while, but it just rapidly piled on. Being an adolescent and having to deal with this stuff is no easy job. I've tried weight watchers online, but its difficult to keep up with it. I'm going to start attending meetings though. Also, exercise is soo essential. I haven't worked out in a very long time because I've been kind of down in the dumps and consumed with studying. But I hope to get myself back on my feet. Well, the moral of the story is you're not alone if you're going through this, but more so, these issues won't magically end despite how hard you pray or wish. It takes work. It takes discipline. And it takes faith. But the first step is to treat your body with respect. Stop abusing laxatives. Stop purging. Stop eating destructively. Of course it's easier said than done, but it's all about baby steps. One day at a time. Get help. See a therapist and nutritionist. But seeking help will again not magically erase your problems because at the end of the day YOU are the one to make the decisions. So if you decide to seek help, remember that its one thing to listen, and its another thing to act. It's hard work. Redeeming yourself from an unhealthy relationship from food is no different than recovering from an addiction or an abusive relationship. But it's something that needs to be done if you want to live a happy, healthy life. You know you're not happy with how food is interfering with your life. So do something. Respect your body.

Thank you all of you who have posted! I am 16 and where I live (orange county,CA) body image and health are a part of life every day. I was planning on buying laxatives tommorow because of what I had heard about their help in weight loss but after reading these posts I don't think I ever will. This is clearly a miracle from God! To all of you who have sisters with eating disorders, I know how you feel. My little sister who is 15 has an eating disorder and serious depression. Don't cut off your relationship with whoever is hurting! And don't give up! For my sister, my parents made her go to therapy but the real breakthrough came when someone who had been through the same thing and more came and told her story. Even though she sat outside the door to talk, my sister came out crying and finally realized her life had to change. Talking helps! And so does a familiar story. It's a long list but there has never been a time in my life when I belive there must be a God out there or someone who loves us! This belief saved my sister. To the post that asked for a stepping stone to come off laxatives I think probiotics could help. They are good bacteria that help the digestive system and constipation. They are not addictive and are recommended by doctors to anyone who needs digestive help or just wants to keep a clean and healthy system. Sorry this is such a loooong post I have a lot of knowledge on the subject.

I would say I have been addicited to laxitives for 3 years. This morning I had blood in my stool. Light colored and I have no pains. I am scared and I do not know if this is common. Anyone??

I'm 33 years old, and have been using a laxative for the past 4+ years! I'm trying to stop but I can't go to the bathroom and I'm scared I've done major harm to my bowels. I use suppository, when I first started I would only use them on occasions, and then thought they would help me control my weight soo I began using them all the time!! BIG NO NO, did nothing to control my weight.

Now I'm controlled by these stupid things, and can't go to the bathroom normally. If I don't use them, I get really bad, stomach pains & bloated. Soo I just go back to using them. I actually panick if I don't have any.

Sooo now after speaking to my Mom (who is a Nurse) and my doctor, I'm trying to get off them.

I do eat very clean, and eat a fibre rich diet, and I drink a ton of water, other than my morning tea, I only drink water. This is not working!

I decided to try metamucil to increase my fibre intake and soo far that hasn't worked. Given I'm still using suppository at nite because I'm bloated from using metamucil.

I'm also trying stool softeners. My Mom suggested I try that. Only been day one soo can't really say if they work, but didn't today!

This is extremely frustrating and difficult too get off, I strongly advice anyone who is looking for this as an aid to weightloss, to be reassured this DOES NOT WORK!!!! Yes, you may get a flat stomach but it's only for a short period, this is NOT a long term solution!!

Any suggestions on how to stop using these would be greatly appreciated!!!

I was bulemic for about 10 years. I would take a 30 pack of the correctol laxatives every time I couldn't throw up all the food I bindged on.I have not binged or taken laxatives in over 2 years but my teeth are all cracked and I need to take magnesium daily just to go o the bathroom. I didn't care at the time I was doing this to myself because I thought it was worth it just to be skinny. But it's not, my stomach problems now control my life more then the bulemia ever did. You ladies still currently suffering from an eating disorder please think about your future before you continue doing this to your body. What your doing to your body now you can end up paying for for the rest of your life.

I don`t know what to do i know everything i read is true and i still do it , i need help and i dont know were to get it :(

Hi everyone, or to whom ever that is reading this. I have been taking laxatives for about four years nows, off and on. I've tried quiting in the past but always found myself buying a new pack every time the old pack ran out. I went two weeks without taking laxatives, everyone at some point will have to go, and for me it happened after two weeks, I finally had a bowel movement. But I had a very hard time getting it out, I felt that the muscles in the rectum did not want to work anymore and I had to work so hard, so hard that my legs were quivering after I finished ( not to mention I also had fissures from that). After that horrific trauma, I went back on laxatives. I am afraid because I know that I am doing damage to my body inside. I always have a dry mouth, which is not pleasant at all, and feel light headed when I stand up really fast. My advise to you is don't start!

When you used laxatives, did you see a physical change in your body?

is there any thing that could be done to help if you have permanently damaged your colon?

You know, it helps to read this - in some small way. I'm 28 and have been abusing laxatives since 19. In college, I was on a strict diet of restricting and extreme exercising. Eventually I got so hungry I would go on binges. I tried to vomit only once and never tried again so I turned to laxatives. I don't know why but I did. I would take 25-75 at a time and spend the night in extreme pain on the toilet. But, for some super crazy reason I thought they worked. I felt "empty" after all of it and felt "lighter". I had no idea the damage I was doing and the addiction I had begun. Fast-forward 9 years later. I CANT believe it's been that long. I switched to a senna tea for about 5 years - I thought it was more natural, but god did I have a disordered mind then. My then-boyfriend quickly discovered my secret and tried to help me but I was physically and mentally addicted - I felt so ashamed making and drinking the disgusting tea every night but it produced the desired results every morning. Eventually, I switched to pill laxatives b/c it was easier to hide and to "take". I was taking laxatives daily for years at that point and it never occurred to me to truly try to stop. I WISH I DID BACK THEN!!! That was 4 years ago. I've accidently skipped a night of laxatives and hated the way I felt the next day. I needed to immediately go buy a pack. PEOPLE CONSIDERING TAKING LAXATIVES PLEASE READ THIS: I am FINALLY ok with myself. I eat fairly normally and consistently, work out fairly regularly, go running, and I'm not perfect, actually a few pounds overweight right now - but I'm OK! I WANT so badly to stop taking laxatives. I've tried and the discomfort, bloating, was unbearable. I've found I'm able to make a bowel movement after a couple of days, but not enough. It's only a little and I know my colon has forgotten how to work. I did an enema after 4 days off of laxatives and it sucked, but still didn't cure the ultimate bloating. I went right back to daily laxatives. I'm going to try again I just want so badly to NEVER put another laxative in my mouth, but upping my fiber intake doesn't help, I already drink a ton of water a day and exercise and eat pretty clean, very little junk food... sooooooo I guess I'll have to see if my colon will relearn to work again. It's going to be painful but I have to do it. I cannot live like this anymore - my boyfriend of 2 years has no idea (I can't believe that but I do hide it well at this point) - and I don't want him to know because I'm afraid he will be disgusted or worse. No one in my life knows what I'm going thru - this note I'm writing is my first admission since my ex knowing (he thinks I'm off by now). *sigh* I wish someone had some real good, verifiable program that I could follow because I am ready to do it! I am 100% no longer mentally addicted to the laxatives, it's just that not "going" for days at a time is physically painful and very uncomfortable and makes you want to not want to eat at all (not good). PLEASE no none has shared a program that has worked! I need one - I'll never get off these things if I don't do it now...

Reading these comments i just cant believe how many relate to me, i am 23 and started taking laxatives when i was about 18, on and off but for the last year alomst every day. at first they made me feel great and my stomach was always so flat on a morning, i cudnt stop looking in the mirror, it would only stay like that if i didnt eat fo rthe rest of the day. when i was 16 i started making my self sick and that has also been on and off, although havent done it for the past few months. i always feel bloated now though and feel really really fat i am desperate to loose weight though, i am not over wieght but i am heavier then i used to be and i feel so uncomfortable. i am also really scared of the damage i am doing to my insides, its the not knowing and i am scared to find out. i am scared my bowels will just stop working and i will need one of those bags later on in life! they dont make me feel any lighter now or any better but i just cant stop taking them, they do make me feel cleaner and i like the fact the food is out my body. but i have such an obsession with food and at the minute feel really hungry and crave food. my teeth are suffering also and i am really worried about them, so that gets me down and feel depressed. i live with my boyfriend and he still doesnt know, i go in the shower on a morning so i can go to the toilet without him knowing, its horrible cos sum times i wake up early with pains in my stomach and just need to go to the toilet i feel so embarassed. i really need to stop but just dont know how, it is controlling my life and making me miserable.

I want to cry because this has been me for the last 6 months (relapse) and when I was a teenager - at one point I was taking up to 30 a day - I am so thankful that my body has not given up on me..
I have joined a support group today (after a binge and laxative weekend) and I feel so much better already. I am so so scared of what this could be doing to my insides and can only imagine the terrible realisation that if anything does go wrong, that it will be down to me and me alone, and my longing to lose weight and feel comfortable in my own body. I will take this one day at a time (im still waiting to get rid of these laxatives in my body from today), and just hope that people who are thinking of taking laxatives or are actuvely taking, read these articles and think twice about the harm they are causing themselves.

Thank you so much for the article. I had to take senna for constipation last night but I am a binge eater and addicted to food, thanks for helping me understand that I should not touch senna if I want to recover. Sensible eating and gym, that would work.

i have read a lot of the comments here and am thankful to know that there are people in the same boat as me. I have had an eating disorder since I can remember, but not a serious one. I started to be aware of it at 13 and developed a heavy drug addiction because of it for about 3 years. I am currently 21 years old and have been addicted to laxatives for 2 years and cannot come to terms with it, it has started to affect me in ways I never imagined and have no idea how to control it. I tell myself everyday I am not going to do it anymore but as soon as I eat to much or something that I know is bad for me I go straight to my laxative collection, I tell myself not to buy them but I do it anyway. I have never told a soul about this problem and am so scared of what it will do to my family and friends especially since I have been clean of hard drugs for 4 years now. It scares me to think I am killing myself but I don't know what to do. I guess this is my way of reaching out to people I don't know and don't have to hurt. help.

I am 21 and I am Bulimic even though I do not induce vomiting after meals I take 4 laxatives after a binge then fast for 24-48 housrs to rid my body of the hate and the fat and the bad I get crippling abdominal pain just before I have to use the bathroom and it gives you chronic diarroea I'm scared if I stop after on and off abuse for 6 years my bowels wont work without it but I'm addicted to it my weight goes up and down al the time. I started at 200lb went to 119 gained it all back and now im 210lb and losing fast with laxatives, diuretic and lipo bind slimming pill. I am emetaphobic so i am terrified of puking so I cant do it i get panic attacks when it happens to me. You can lose this weight this wy but it makes you dehydrated and can kill you or leave you with serious problems. Please don't start I wish I never had. I was just bullied so much for my weight...please don't do it...

I like this article very much i too have become addicted to laxatives in the past 2 years. And am now seeking professional help .... But i have fallen off the wagon so to speak twice now , i too have all the symptoms everyone here does... I feel like i want to get the food out of my system as quick as it goes in because i suffer from I.B.S. And it always makes me feel bloated and have pain after i eat ... How can i help myself to stop taking these laxatives in secret so i don't end up damaging my organs which i was told would eventually happen .... T hey also think i am on the road to anorexia with all this because i exercise whether i am sick or not and i don't want to gain any weight and i hate the bloating look in my stomach in the mirror.... Please help by giving me some tips to stop before it is too late.....

Thanks for everyone who has posted on this site! I have suffered with a bad relationship with food for about 2 and a halt years now! This has included throwing up after meals, binging on food and making myself sick. Taking diet pills and having 10 laxatives a day, at least! Sometimes 20/30. I would go to different chemists all around my town and at different times through out the day so noone would realise! I have come dependent on them. Everyday with out fail I would take 10 (when working) at 17.00 hours, so I knew that I would being going mainly to the toilet through out the night and only twice at work! However it was getting to the point where I would not dare eat or drink anything at work, because as soon as I felt as though I ate/drank anything I would have to shoot off to the toilet. And working in s health centre I was getting paranoid that the Doctors or Nurses would notice!
However it wasn't until December that I realised I was damaging my body. I was suffering from not being able to sleep, nightmares, grinding of teeth (am putting this down to the binging of diet pills before I went to bed) I was even abusing peppermint oil tablets. I had water infections, bad stomach aches, I wad suffering from actual sickness and nausea on a weekly basis. It wasn't until my periods started playing up, (even though I take the contraceptive pill) I'd have a period for a day, 2 at the most, the last 3 periods I have been unable to wear tampons and have had symptoms of a UTI or cystitis. I have not been to see the gp about this, but am sure it's related.
So I've decided to stop the laxatives, peppermint oil tablets and slimming pills. It's been 1 week now. I went to the toilet on the 4th day and 2 days ago I've started to take fibregel powder and drinks lots of water. I have had porridge about 11am and I've ate half a tin on beans on day and a can of tuna the day after. I haven't been to the toilet yet, I'm not feeling I'll at the moment, just bloated, and I've taken indigestion tablets. So am just holding out and seeing how it goes!! And truthfully I weighed around 8 and a half stone and I'm at the moment 8 stone 11 pounds and I have not really been to the toilet in 7 days.
Advice to anyone who is considering laxatives as an option, please don't start it, it is a downward spiral and a very dark and lonely world!! I have become so unsociable, grumpy and irritable!! I could have an argument with myself most days!
Good luck!! :)

im a 21year old female and i have been addicted to laxatives for four years...I started taking 3 a day and now i have to take 8 a day as the smaller amount would not work. i have been trying to stop for the past three years and can never succeed. If i miss a day i get upset and am disgusted with myself to the point i dont even want to look at myself. i am so scared my body wont function on its own and want to stop taking them but i am terrified that i will gain weight if i stop....it is a comfort to know others are going through the same situation and i am not alone and i hope that this will give me some strength to stop taking them altogether.

I'm 18, and I just feel fat. My body is super slim on top but I feel like my legs are hideous, I mix between fasting and 'popping' laxatives to being completely normal and helathy. My weight fluctates all the time and I haven't had a period in the best part of a year, although really I haven't lost very much because I'm always swapping between binging and starving. I'm quite nervous because my parents have noticed my abnormal eating habits and now I'm having to go to the doctors for another check up, the doctor said that eating disorders build up really slowly and although I said I'd try hard to stop now - I can't help but feel I'm on a downward spiral. I feel disgusting all the time, and have stopped being as sociable and cry a lot more, I can't physically make myself vomit which I'm seeing as a huge blessing despite my body issues. All my friends have had boyfriends and I feel left out because I haven't. Plus they suspect that the reason behind it is that I'm gay, which I'm not but I feel even more alienated when they say it. I'm reall'y academic so I don't want to fail my exams, but I need the energy from food to work. Equally if i eat - I end up eating tons and then I feel unhappy and miserable and too sad to work. This article hs sort of helped just because so many people have commented it so it obviously affects ALOT of people. All I can say is I'm worried - it seems to pray on my mind all the time, its out of my control.

Hello, I am 17 years old and have been addicted to laxatives for 3 years. I'm not fat, in fact I am underweight.. I started off with 3-4 laxatives a day and am now going through a pack of 200 in a week. This upsetted my family so my mum took all my laxatives away, but I just couldn't do it! I now buy the 200 pack every week.. I dont know how to stop, I practically changed my whole lifestyle so pop the pills in everyday at the same time, followed by liters and litres of water. I do not each any solids, I wake up to a flat stomach, and have black coffee the entire day. If for some reason I don't have any laxatives left, or forgot to take them with me to wherever I am, I go crazy!. Its become a must in my life and I can't do without them.. I desperately need help, and can not talk to anybody about it.
My advice to everybody out thee, DO NOT TAKE LAXATIVES! Once you get use to them, you seriously can not stop. Why put yourself through all of this? Spending hours on toilet seats all day!
Please help me somebody

so ive finally found that im not the only one! i went through a bad relationship and gained alot of weight , to then my boyfriend at the time told me i had to loose weight or hed leave me, so i panicked and stoped eating worked out every day and evertually got down to 9 stone. for some reason that wasnt enough for me and i turned to laxatives , at the start i would take 6 pills at a time , which then led to 30 laxatives after my one day a week of binging. for the last year i have starved myselfl all week , then on a sunday bbinge on everything and everything whcih would bloat me so bad i would put on half a stone from that one day , then take 30 laxatives , do a work out for an hour an then drink a strong bottle of wine and by the next day i would of lost 4 of the pounds id out on , i then dont eat all week but drink 2 or 3 times an for some reason it makes me loose weight. i know feel i can not give up this routine although i know its so bad for me i have been to a psychologist who refered me to their head psychiatrist as they were worried about me but i never followed it up , the knowing that it does make me loose the binge weight has controlled me in to a vicious circle were i cant give up , i already have low electrolites and have had heart ache and pins and needles constantly ll day in my hands , i just want a normal life im not unhappy with my body i just cant maintain it as my stumach cant handle the food and i bloat an put on weight if i eat more than 2 bags of crisps, i know im really affecting my body but i dont know what to do, has anyone got any advice to help me as i feel i cant ever seee myself being normal?! please email me , thank you for your post
amygoldman19@gmail.com