Laxatives?

LisaJ2904

There's a medication called Orlistat AKA 'Alli' this is a lipo inhibitor which prevents your body absorbing as much fat and it passes out in your stools. This is available to buy over the counter but responsible pharmacists insist that you have an BMI which classes you as obese in order to sell it to you. It helps as part of a calorie controlled diet so for every 2lb you lose Alli helps you to lose an extra 1lb. HOWEVER it is not a laxative , laxative abuse is very very bad for you.

Check with your friend what the product is exactly and speak to a pharmacist for advice so that if you need to confront her, you can do it with the correct evidence. Best of luck x

mostein

Definitely try to encourage her to stop! I abused laxatives for years when ill with anorexia and bulimia and it was HORRIBLE. I haven't taken them in nearly 6 years and my colon still does not work properly. Laxatives do not help you to lose weight or prevent the absorption of fat, if she does notice a loss in weight it is only water weight which will come back. Once you become dependant on laxatives it is extremely difficult to come off of them. They are also extremely dangerous to overuse because you are flushing your body of vital minerals like potasium and sodium which can result in heart attacks.

kaydensmom12

As everyone else said it is extremely unhealthy and is bulimia. Yes it gets rid of fat and the other nutrients that your body needs. Your body needs fat also! It does not take long for your body to become "addicted" to the laxatives, meaning without them the muscles will not contract and she will not be able to have a bowel movement. She will have to retrain her body to go to the bathroom without them, which can be time consuming. why doesn't she just watch what she eats?

tomomatic

The body needs certain nutrients and vitamins to function. By not allowing your body to absorb something, the body will experience some kind of vitamin deficiency. In the long run(pun intended), there will be permanent damage. Most notably, your friend will very dehydrated.

Then there's the whole question of whether there's enough calories absorbed to support normal activity and if her body is going into "starvation mode."

btw, I have a friend whose hair started to fall out after she'd been abusing laxatives. That was the wake up call for her to get help. It could've been much worse. I hope your friend doesn't go that far. Thoughts and prayers.

dirtbikegirl5

Dangerous? Yes.
Of course, she is losing weight. She is forcing everything out of her body.
I have had eating disorders for most of my life. I took laxatives because I did not want any food to stick around in my body. It certainly didn't. I was up to 60 laxatives a day because one or two stops working. The down side is that there are side effects to doing this to your body.
If your friend doesn't want to absorb fat from food, Alli does the same thing, except she better carry around a couple extra sets of pants.
This is a serious problem.

LilRedRooster

Is it dangerous, you ask? Ummm...yes. It's called Bulimia.

That.

graelwyn

I cannot emphasise enough how dangerous this habit is. I abused laxatives for years and at my worst, was taking up to 70 a day. It can turn into a very serious addiction. When anyone tried to stop me from getting hold of them, I was like a drug addict needing her next fix. Even when I was hospitalised for kidney failure, I still panicked without them. In fact, my kidneys failed 3 times, and I almost died before I stopped taking them. They should really not be sold so easily, as they seriously dehydrate you and upset electrolyte balance which can lead to heart failure.

I am lucky in that I must have the constitution of an ox, having survived going down to 70Ibs at 5'11, abusing laxatives as well as purging in other ways and heart failure. I am glad to report I have not touched a laxative now in about ten years and have a phobia of doing so. I instead eat prunes or drink a glass of prune juice to ensure I don't get bunged up, but I am fortunate, as my bowels are pretty regular.

However, it did mess up my digestive system enough that I constantly get bloat and gas from foods that did not affect me before.

This sort of habit can kill you very quickly, and she really does need to be made to realise this.

BigDaddyBRC

_HeathBar_

I have a friend, yes a real friend, not me, who takes laxatives before/after she eats. She said it stops her body from absorbing the fat from the food. She swears she has lost weight from it, but it can't be healthy. Considering she does this on a daily basis, isn't it dangerous?!

If she's ok with pooping her pants then I'd recommend using Alli instead of laxatives. It's over the counter and FDA approved for preventing fat from being absorbed into the body.

HBBrown78

Yes its bad because the body is not absorbing the vitamens and minerals it requires. She will lose weight, mainly muscle-mass, then when she stops the laxatives she'll gain even more weight back.

This is just what I was going to say- Please try to explaine to ur friend and if you cant PLEASE do not do this yourself

Picola1984

I cannot emphasise enough how dangerous this habit is. I abused laxatives for years and at my worst, was taking up to 70 a day. It can turn into a very serious addiction. When anyone tried to stop me from getting hold of them, I was like a drug addict needing her next fix. Even when I was hospitalised for kidney failure, I still panicked without them. In fact, my kidneys failed 3 times, and I almost died before I stopped taking them. They should really not be sold so easily, as they seriously dehydrate you and upset electrolyte balance which can lead to heart failure.

I am lucky in that I must have the constitution of an ox, having survived going down to 70Ibs at 5'11, abusing laxatives as well as purging in other ways and heart failure. I am glad to report I have not touched a laxative now in about ten years and have a phobia of doing so. I instead eat prunes or drink a glass of prune juice to ensure I don't get bunged up, but I am fortunate, as my bowels are pretty regular.

However, it did mess up my digestive system enough that I constantly get bloat and gas from foods that did not affect me before.

This sort of habit can kill you very quickly, and she really does need to be made to realise this.

Such good words