what are the dangers of taking laxative to lose weight?

Question

my girlfriend drinks half a bottle of milk of magnesia every night so she can go to the bathroom and get rid of what she eats during the day. what are the most dangerous and specific dangers of doing this to your body so that i can tell her . and know all the facts

Answer 1

She could develop an electrolyte imbalance which can be serious and could lead to major heart problems. Remember Terry Schievo? Her persistent vegetative state was caused by this.

Answer 2

I know you don't want to hear about the dangers, but please hear me out. The abuse of captives can cause you to lose control of your bowels (Bowel Incontinence)! Meaning that you'll have no control over when you use the restroom, it'll just happen whenever! You'll have to take medication or worse: "SURGERY People who have bowel incontinence despite medical treatment may need surgery to correct the problem. Several different options exist. The choice of which type of surgery will be based on the cause of the bowel incontinence and the person's general health. RECTAL SPHINCTER REPAIR Sphincter repair is performed on people who have a rectal sphincter (muscle ring) that isn't working well as a result of injury or aging. The procedure consists of re-attaching the rectal muscles to tighten the sphincter and increase the capacity of the anus. GRACILIS MUSCLE TRANSPLANT In people with loss of nerve function within the rectal sphincter, gracilis muscle transplants have been performed to restore bowel control. The gracilis muscle is taken from the inner thigh and is used to encircle the sphincter, thus providing sphincter muscle tone. ARTIFICIAL BOWEL SPHINCTER Some patients may be treated with an artificial bowel sphincter. The artificial sphincter consists of three parts: a cuff that fits around the anus, a pressure regulating balloon, and a pump that inflates the cuff. The artificial sphincter is surgically implanted around the rectal sphincter. The cuff remains inflated to maintain continence. The person has a bowel movement by deflating the cuff. The cuff will automatically re-inflate in 10 minutes. FECAL DIVERSION Sometimes a fecal diversion is performed for people who cannot benefit from other therapies. The large intestine is directed to an opening in the abdominal wall. Stool passes through this opening to a special bag, called an appliance. The person will always need to wear an appliance to collect the stool." So, please consider finding a healthier way to lose weight!

Answer 3

Whats really going to hit first is a electrolyte imbalance i.e. potassium, calicium defiency. This will start with her being out of larthagic, and maybe moody. Then it can go onto heart failure do to the electrolyte imbalance.

What has happened in some cases is glucoglocemic shock wherein the brain shuts down to save energy because its not getting energy. This can make her go unconscious at an instant and possibly into a coma.

Not to mention the excess strain on the bowels could lead to IBS (Irrital Bowel Syndrome), and intestinal damage from having to deficate all the time so quickly. Hemmoroids from the repeated strain...

All in all she'll end up with an IV in her arm to fix everything at the end of it all.

Answer 4

Here's a link with info: http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Eating_Disorders/peacelovehope/laxatives.html

One interesting thing it mentions (paraphrasing) is that laxatives don't actually help you lose weight since all the calories are already absorbed by the stomach, and laxatives just clean out the colon.

Answer 5

Eat 5 6 small meals a day instead of 3

Answer 6

This is very unhealthy for her, and can cause more harm than good! Read below:

Laxative Misuse, Abuse, and Habit?
For the purposes of this article, these terms a defined as follows:
Laxative Misuse: A term used to
describe the misapplication of a laxative
beyond the scope of what is required
such as taking the doses too frequently,
overdosing, using a laxative for another purpose (such as loosing weight), using multiple types of laxatives at once,
taking a laxative when one is not needed, or using the wrong type of laxative such as taking a purgative laxative when a
stool softener would have been adequate. There may be other misuses.
Laxative Abuse: A term used to
describe both the repeated misuse and
repeated overuse of a laxative for the same reasons (and others) stated above.
Laxative Habit: A term used to
describe dependency upon laxatives in order to move the bowel. An individual with a laxative "habit' is unable to move their bowel without taking a laxative.

How Does Laxative Abuse Begin?
While misuse of laxatives may be
intentional, the abuse of laxatives is usually not intentional. It may simply start with the use of a stimulant laxative to achieve overnight relief from constipation. If an individual has been coping with constipation for some time, the relief from constipation can feel profound and may be enough to inspire further use (abuse) of laxatives.
Though these individuals may have
misconceptions about normal bowel
function, their aim is usually to restore normal bowel function, not to destroy it.
Below, some reasons why laxative abuse may occur:

Having false beliefs about the frequency of moving the bowel.
To experience the feeling of relief from the purgative action of laxatives.
Misleading marketing of laxatives
as chocolates, gum, or beverages implies that laxatives may be consumed without adverse consequences.
Attempting to cope with the constipating side effects of some prescription medications.
Attempting to loose water weight
(or relief from bloating) in preparation for a competition or exhibition (athletes, jockeys, models, etc).
Misguided dieters* attempting to loose weight.
Individuals with an eating disorder* attempting to loose weight.
*In these cases, the determination of
laxative abuse may be difficult. The abuser may vigorously deny laxative use.

Depending on the individual, and their circumstances, the abuse of laxatives can progress to a "habit" suddenly, or gradually.
From the outset, the purgative action of one single dose of a stimulant laxative will over empty the bowel. Three days may pass before the individual will feel the need to move the bowel again. With the passing of each day, anxiety to move the bowels can grow. By the third day of not moving the bowel, a concerned individual (fearing that they are now badly constipated) may take another dose.
Again, after achieving the desired
results, another three days may go by
before a bowel movement occurs. This
delay reinforces false beliefs about being constipated. Since laxatives available "over-the-counter", it is easy to continue to self medicate for this problem.
At this point, cultivation of the laxative "habit" has begun.
The packaging on many products
indicates that laxatives can be taken for up to two weeks. A vulnerable individual may easily conclude that they should continue to take the laxative (and take it everyday) to correct the problem. The problem is that after only a few doses, the colon may begin to deteriorate. With continued use, dependency becomes more and more likely as the deterioration of the colon lining progresses.
For a healthy individual who is looking for occasional relief from constipation,
laxatives are rarely needed beyond one
single dose. Individuals who abuse laxatives for a long period of time may end up taking as many as 6 to 8 laxatives a day.
Long term laxative use can damage
the colon. Because of the damage that laxatives can cause, ever increasing dosages of laxatives may be needed in order to achieve the desired effect. Where one laxative dose produced results, now two, then three doses a day or more, are required. At this point, the habit has become fixed. The individual is unable to move their bowel without the use of a laxative or other bowel interventions.


Good Luck Helping Your Friend

Answer 7

At the very least she will be at risk for electrolyte imbalances such as low potassium. After years of this behavior, her heart will become enlarged, her bones will become brittle, and her body will shut down. She is at increased risk of a heart attack, and susceptible to more infections as the body is fond of nutrients to do its job.

Answer 8

don t spend more time in front of the television

Answer 9

turn dinner into a healthy lunch the next day by wrapping your lean leftovers in a whole wheat wrap add a little dijon mustard or curry powder for added flavor

Answer 10

Get up and walk 10 minutes before each meal