Dangers of Laxative Abuse: The Disorder No One Really Talks About
Written by ‘Ai Pono Hawaii Staff Writer
At some point in your life, you have probably struggled to go to the bathroom — it happens to everyone. You might have taken a laxative once or twice to deal with the discomfort and get things moving down there, so to speak. However, there are serious dangers of laxative abuse, and you might not even notice when you’ve crossed the line from use to abuse.
Read this article to find out:
Why people abuse laxatives
Why abusing laxatives will not help you achieve relief from constipation or weight loss
How to tell whether you (or someone you know) is suffering from laxative abuse
Short and long term side effects of laxative abuse
How to stop the cycle of laxative abuse, once and for all
Laxative abuse is something that no one really talks about. But over half of people struggling with an eating disorder have abused laxatives. You’re not alone. And you don’t have to feel ashamed to admit that you’re struggling.
What is a laxative and what do they do?
A laxative is any substance used to relieve the symptoms of constipation by helping to stimulate or facilitate bowel movements.
Symptoms of constipation include not being able to pass more than three stools per week, having lumpy or hard stools, straining to have a bowel movement, feeling as though you can’t get all the waste out of your body, and needing help to remove the waste from your body (pushing on your abdomen, using your fingers to remove stool from inside you, etc.)
Constipation is often confused with bloating and trapped gas, so consider whether your discomfort might be caused by these before you take a laxative.
Types of Laxatives
There are four types of nonprescription laxatives, which all help with constipation in different ways:
Bulking Agents (Fiber): These absorb water to form soft, bulky stools, prompting normal contraction of intestinal muscles.
Oral Osmotics: These draw water into the colon, making a “slippery” path in the intestines to allow easier passage of stool.
Emollient Laxatives (Stool Softeners): These add moisture to stools, which makes them less hard to move through your body.
Stimulant Laxatives: These trigger rhythmic contractions of intestinal muscles to eliminate stool, essentially speeding up bowel movements to quickly relieve symptoms of constipation.
You might encounter laxatives in the form of a pill, powder, liquid, suppository or enema (which involves inserting the laxative directly into your rectum, the area above the anus.)
They may be marketed to you as a “quick fix” or “detox” product — even as a “skinny tea” or teatox — by diet companies or “health and fitness” influencers. Pretty much anything that claims to “flush out the toxins” or “cleanse your system” is a laxative, even if it’s in pretty packaging or is backed by your favorite Instagrammer.
Related: Read more about the dangers of detoxes, including “teatoxing”, here.
Laxatives Abuse: Definition and Causes
Laxative products (and diet pills) are so easily accessible. Anyone, including children and teenagers, can find unregulated substances online or at their local pharmacy. Many people assume that some laxatives are safer than others — especially since you can find them right next to things like Advil and Allegra.
However, all forms of laxatives are unregulated by large health organizations, have dangerous side effects, and can lead to laxative abuse.
Laxative abuse is the consistent overuse of laxatives to either relieve symptoms of constipation or as a form of weight suppression.
Ironically, the longer you use laxatives, the more your body relies on laxatives to make bowel movements, for a few reasons:
Laxatives artificially stimulate the nerves in the large intestine to start up bowel movements. If you overuse laxatives, though, you risk damaging those nerves to the point where they can’t make bowel movements without that artificial stimulation.
Your colon might also become “weak” or “lazy” over time due to laxative overuse, since laxatives keep your colon so empty that the colon muscles don’t have to “work” to move any waste through.
One of the side effects of laxative use is trapped gas and bloating. Many people mistake these symptoms for constipation, and use more laxatives to try to get rid of the discomfort.
There’s also a psychological component of laxative abuse. Many people abuse laxatives because they enjoy the feeling of “emptiness” they get when using laxatives (especially stimulant laxatives). They may also get hooked on the appearance of weight loss after using laxatives, or use laxatives to “counteract” food consumption.
This “emptiness” is just a temporary loss of water weight — no one actually loses weight in the long-term with laxatives. Laxatives also do not keep your body from absorbing the nutrients and calories in food.
Related: This is how and why to talk to children about eating disorders.
Signs and Symptoms of Laxative Abuse
Needing to higher doses of laxatives over time to achieve the same effect
Lying about using laxatives
Hiding and/or hoarding laxatives
Overspending on or stealing laxatives
Going to several different stores to purchase laxatives
Taking laxatives immediately before or after eating
Feeling euphoric after using laxatives
Feeling nervous if you don’t use or have any laxatives
Structuring your day around bathroom breaks
Missing out on important life events due to complications of laxative use (such as constantly being stuck in the bathroom while important things are happening just outside the bathroom door)
Isolating yourself or skipping out on obligations out of the fear of having an accident outside of your home
Chronic dehydration, dizziness, weakness, headaches, nausea, and/or fainting spells
Chronic gas, diarrhea, and/or discomfort
Blood in stools or rectal bleeding
Heart palpitations
Dangers of Abusing Laxatives
Overuse of Laxatives Side Effects
In the long run, the overuse of laxatives can cause physical side effects such as:
Malnutrition
Chronic dehydration
Laxative dependence
An inability to absorb medications
Increased vulnerability to irritation and infections in the intestines
Rectal prolapse, where the insides of your intestines protrude outside of your anus (typically surgery is required to fix this)
Intestinal paralysis
Increased risk for colon cancer
Kidney failure
Liver damage
Heart attack
Overusing over-the-counter laxatives may not seem like a big deal, but people have died due to laxative abuse.
Emotional Side Effects of Laxative Overuse
Unlike other eating disorder behaviors that have been normalized by diet culture, the chronic overuse of laxatives can cause a sense of embarrassment, shame, and loneliness. Many sufferers of laxative abuse share stories of embarrassment over buying laxatives, shame when others find out about it, and loneliness because the disorder is not often represented in the media.
Laxative use may be the catalyst for another form of eating disorder, or it may be something someone with an eating disorder starts to suppress their natural weight.
Often, people with eating disorders use it to “negate” the effects of a binge. It may give you a temporary feeling of relief, since you feel like you’re “fixing” something. However, laxatives don’t actually stop your body from absorbing the calories and nutrients of food you have consumed, so it is not an effective mode of weight loss.
Treatment for Laxative Abuse: How to Stop the Cycle
If you are experiencing dehydration, drink water as soon as possible. Dehydration has so many adverse physical side effects, and it’s hard to think rationally when dehydrated. If you are chronically dehydrated, though, you may need to be rehydrated in a medical setting.
Here’s how to tell whether dehydration requires medical attention.
If you are experiencing any other severe or chronic physical side effects of laxative abuse, see a medical professional as soon as possible.
Otherwise, you have to stop taking laxatives as soon as possible — even if it will make you extremely uncomfortable. Do not use them again unless instructed by a physician to do so.
Make sure to drink enough water. You also have to eat enough food, and eat enough fiber, to ensure regular bowel movements. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains are excellent sources of fiber.
To relieve physical discomfort, Incorporate gentle movement into your day and try these simple yoga poses if you are cleared by a treatment professional to do so. Also, a hot shower, water bottle, or heating pad may relieve some of the abdominal discomfort.
Finally, get the help of an eating disorder treatment professional to help you with regular eating, drinking, movement, and weaning off laxatives. A lot of people who want to stop abusing laxatives struggle to eat normally. Others who stop abusing laxatives may turn towards other eating disorder behaviors, such as overexercise or vomiting, as a form of purging caloric intake.
Formal eating disorder treatment can save you from falling into other eating disorder behaviors, and help you stop abusing laxatives for good.
If you or someone you know is struggling with laxative abuse, or any eating disorder behaviors, take the first step today and talk to someone about recovery or simply learn more about the holistic eating disorder recovery programs we offer.