Eating Disorder Research

Anorexia Symptoms: Laxative Abuse
by Sandra Kim Leong

Common anorexia symptoms include laxative abuse. These anorexia symptoms are a serious problem that that can cause devastating health complications as well as several elevated health risks. In fact, if you abuse laxatives for an extended period of time, you could even die from it.

This may leave you wondering what laxative abuse is. This is the use of laxatives over a long period of time by individuals who are trying to lose weight. You may want to feel empty and thin, so you use laxatives to achieve these feelings. However, you need to understand that this is a misusage of this over the counter drug. You should only use laxatives for their intended purpose. You should never use them in order to lose weight and most doctors will know that they are anorexia symptoms.

If you suffer from either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, you are most likely to abuse laxatives. Usually you will use laxatives after binging in order to empty yourself of food and calories through a bowel movement. You may think that this is a good way in which to control your weight while eating the food that you enjoy. However, if you abuse laxatives you can succumb to serious anorexia symptoms and complications.

You may not realize any of these anorexia symptoms exist because you may not be familiar with the laxative myth. This myth states that you can rush food and calories out of your bowels by using laxatives. However, this is not how your digestive system works. You cannot obtain permanent, stable weight loss through the use of laxatives. In fact, by the time your large intestine absorbs and uses these laxatives most calories and foods have already been absorbed by your body. Your small kidney actually absorbs these foods and calories long before laxatives can begin working.

So, you may be wondering how laxatives can lead to weight loss and why they are anorexia symptoms. This type of weight loss is a negative type of weight loss. Herein you are losing important nutrients such as electrolytes, minerals, indigestible fiber and water. This is what you may call “water weight.” Losing this type of weight will not result in permanent weight loss. If laxatives are used on a consistent basis this type of weight loss can result in health complications.

If you suffer from laxative abuse you may also try to avoid re-hydration in order to avoid gaining weight. This can lead to serious health complications. The more that you refuse to drink fluids, the greater your health risks will be. This may include permanent damage to vital organs, and even death.

About the author:
Surviving on 5 carrots a day? Sandra Kim Leong writes on anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating and binge eating. Learn about the dangers of eating disorders here at http://www.eating-disorder-research.com