The last year I have started excersing and eating right. I have this major chocolate problem and I have a emotion eating problem and with my man in the army now I have been craving more chocolate than usually I have been taking about 6-10 exlax and 4 laxative pills a day..can this cause any long term problems and can anyone that has had a problem help me by telling me what they did..maybe drinking something to flush out your system. I don't want to hurt myself I just have regrets after I eat these foods..

http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wave.gif Hi MICKEYGIRL!

I, like you, abuse laxatives. I'm not sure why I do because they don't really work. The weight you lose is just water weight, but that empty feeling is what I crave so...I continue to abuse them. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif There is long term damage which can arise by abusing laxatives. Constipation is the number one. You can also develop colon cancer, hymroids, and instinal bleeding and ulcers. Laxative abuse is dangerous no matter how you look at it. However, if you want to keep regular and take a milder, less harmful laxative...take fiber pills such as Fibercon, or take a stool softner. These provide the same effects just in a less dangerous way. I'm very glad that you posted. It shows that you are at a point to ask for help and that isn't an easy thing to do. GO YOU! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dance.gif

-Carlie

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Scales are for fish.

lilrayofhope

Thank you for answering..one thing I know I suffer from is cramping and let me tell you I dont' know why I take them I have really good selfesteem and I am a very confident person but I feel like they are in some way the cause of my weightloss so in my head I am like if I stop the weight will stop coming off. but the pain I feel is sometimes unbearable. and I have to cover it up so no one ask questions.

Hi Mickeygirl http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Like Carlie said there are serious long-term effects to laxative use. It's good to hear that you feel self confident! That's a positive thing. Do you find that your self-confidence comes from the use of laxatives or the feeling of being "empty"? Just curious. I know I have problems with that. I often association positive thoughts/feelings with my weight.

Becareful with laxatives. Do you engage in any other behaviors?

I've never abused laxatives, so I have very little to add, I just wanted to let you know that we all have our own little issues, and we all need support. This board is a wonderful place, good luck, and my thoughts are with you!

NEVER GIVE UP
~sarah~

Thanks Sarah

No I always have been a confident person I have great self esteem..I actually just started the laxative couple of months ago..advice from a friend..I am going to start weining myself as of tomorrow..

thank you all for your thoughts and advice..they honestly helped in my decission

It's really improtant to catch this early. I've been abusing laxatives for over a year and it's totally killing my body. Now I'm dependent on them. Trust me when I say, it's scary. I'm proud of you that you're going to wein off of them. THAT IS SO AWESOME!

http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/biggrin.gifance: GO YOU!

-Carlie

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Scales are for fish.

Thank you
I know this is the wrong section for this topic but I am figuring you all will be able to help me..I have terriable hemroids from the laxatives how do I get rid of them..


(I did not take my evening laxatives lastnight..feel weird toda but I will make it through)

WOW I am so proud of you! You didn't take your evening laxatives?! WAHOOOOOO! You're awesome!

Anyways...there are some over the counter medicines and creams (yuck!) that can help with hemroids. AND then theres always a quick visit to the doc, but well...that can be tough cause then you might have to explain how you got the hemroids. I don't know of any specific thing that could help though, sorry. GOOD LUCK. Hemroids are no fun!!!

-Carlie

Hi there Mickeygirl I just wanted to say that I used to have a problem with laxatives, I probably still would have if my mom and boyfriend hadn't caught me taking them and helped me to stop. You know I've stopped taking laxatives since like a year now and till this day I have serious constipation problems, I mean I can go over a weak-10 days without any bowel movement at all, at first it was because I hardly ate anything, but now I've been eating fairly well for months and still go through this. There was a time when I was taking laxative that I could take so many at a time and the didn't do anything because my body got used to them, so I took more and more and still nothing. I hope this hasn't happened to you, so pls take care, you might not think it is a serious problem but it is, and it has serious health consecuences. Hope I helped.
God Bless Y'all

I've had a horrible laxative habit for years. I bet it's not as bad as most people's, b/c I would make sure I would leave enough weeks/months b/w my doses so that they would be more effective. I haven't done them this year yet, since I've moved in a small apartment w/ my mom & she would definitely notice my running to the bathroom all night. Also, the thought of laxatives makes me sooo sick, since they give me heartburn, terrible cramps & make me feel nauseaus. I was lucky enough not to get overly constipated from years of such misuse, but I've heard that laxatives ruin people's digestive systems & many of them end up w/ pouches later. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif Congratulations to all of you trying to fight this monster & those of you debating whether to try it or not, please don't start, b/c there are pricy consequences to pay.

Hey there Mickygirl! I can relate to your problem of eating when you have emotional issues! That is me! I have trouble binging, and luckily I have avoided the purging and laxative bit! But the binging is a problem all in its own! I LOVE chocolate , too and eat a lot of it when I am down or sad or heck, all the time really! But in all seriousness when I am down and out chocolate is my craving and I do mean craving! I am a newbie in actually admitting that I have a problem with food so I have not a lot of advice for you just some words to let you know that you are not alone! I am proud to hear that you are weaning yourself off the laxatives and that you went a night without them! That is a big deal and you should commend yourself for that! And just a few words to you and to all that may be reading this reply post, we all seem to get down on ourselves and feel like we are crazy, disgusting for our problems with food and purging and the other issues. ANd I know a lot of times we do not give our own selves credit for when we do make some good choices such as Mickeygirl did by not taking the laxatives one night. It is not just NOT taking them ONE night that is a HUGE step for a lot of us and it should be taken with one day at a time, or even one minute or second if need be! I applaude you for your day of surving without the laxatives and good luck to you! Hope to hear back from you as well!
Tracie

i had a problem with takeing laxitives, i would take so many and it got to the point also that i would not go to the bathroom , its been a year now and every night i take 2 stool softners and i haft to use a suppositorie every morning and i have a bowl movement, thats what many years of laxitive abuse done to me, so the dr has me to do this, this is a lot easier for me i dont have the bad gas pains and bloating and nausa from all those lax. i took for years. yes, when i took lax. i lost weight but its not worth all the pain lax. gives you. i only put 3lbs back on in 1 year after lax. abuse!

I have abused laxatives for 2 years and my body is a mess I am so bloated and dehydrated and I take so many they don't even work anymore. I've probably messed my body up for life and have to wear something people call a poop bag attached to my body. STOP NOW...if you can it is a dangerous dangerous thing to do. You can have a heartattack from taking 2 many and die. It is such a terrible terrible thing to do to your body.