i need help to get of laxatives - Eating Disorder Recovery Message Board

sunny68 · 09-06-2007, 03:00 PM

Hi i have suffered from ED for nearly 20 yrs. With the help of a loving family and partner i have been in what i call recovery for about 7 yrs. I still have bad days, but i do eat well, and not dont throw up any more. I am still on AD which i have been on for 10 yrs. My problem is i am still taking laxatives. [removed] Iwant to stop taking them as my whole life revolves around the toilet. I am fed up with having to get up half an hour before any one else. always worried that i am going to have a accident, which has happened many times. I have tried to cut them down some more, but after being on them for so long my bowls do not work on there own. I want to stop them, but i am also so scared, they are the one thing i still feel i have control on. Can anyone out there please help me.:

abbec · 09-06-2007, 03:51 PM

hey sunny i to have the same problem i am taking way to many lax [removed] now which im meant to be cutting down but the more i try the more i freak out and increase..im also bulimic and restrict so my body is not thanking me for it after 2 years...i have been taking the lax for 8months now and i no what you mean about always having to factor in the toilet wherever you are incase it hits you..i went to the doc a few months ago and asked her what to do as i tried to stop taking them once for a day and felt like i was going to explode the pressure in my stomach and gut was so intense i looked like a balloon..she said to me that it will take months and months to get your body retrained into doing it for itself, you need to eat alot of fibre - dried fruit is really good like prunes and apricots..also you need to start eating things that have bacteria in them as the lax have stripped your gut of all bacteria which helps breakdown the food so yoghurt is great for that..she said to me if you were to put a camera inside and have a look at your gut lining it would be black and blood red as its destroying your insides and people if they continue to use lax at that rate for to long will end up having parts of their bowels removed (so try and think of that pretty pic next time you reach for the box of tablets - it does deter me at times but then again ED often wins)..she also said that you will need to give yourself enymas to clear out your insides as you go through this as you will get constipated because what a large amount of lax actually do is constipate you thats why you get runny tummy as your not actually going properly often its just expelling fluids more than anything...i hope this helps you and trust me im about to take this step to as there has got to be more to life than sitting on the loo 8 times a day! good luck

monk1e · 09-07-2007, 04:58 AM

Hi Sunny,

I can't say that i was on laxative for the same amount of time as you but I was taking them for 7 years. [removed]

I went cold turkey...it was the only way that I could think of doing it and it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do but I am SOO glad that I did.

Congratulations on cutting down so much and at least you have admitted that you want to stop completely.

comming off of laxatives is not going to be easy and you have to ready to follow through and stay off...notmatter what. I haven't taken a laxative for 8 weeks and I am sooo happy for it. I do eat a LOT of fibre and yogurts and spicy foods help aswell.

Eat small
Listen to your body
STAY AWAY from sugar

I have been known to panic if I don't pass one day but I will look at what I have been eating and that will tell me why. Also to keep passing you need to keep eating. I know that this may sound stupid and not really make sense, but by chewing you are activating your digestive acids and will help 'push' is through.

Also try some hearble tea which contail ginger or fennel seeds or peppermint, it does help and is quite soothing at the same time. Stay away from medicated help, try to keep it as natural as possible

I promise you that it will get better I put on weight and freaked...and yes I still freak out and cry a lot but I am feeling better without them than I ever did with them and I am no longer in pain.

Even better, I get a full nights sleep.

Let us know how you get on...I'm rooting for you all the way and if you have any further question I am more than happy to help. People have sworn by nutritionists so maybe you should see one of them. A nutritionist wasn't for me, neither was a therapist or doctors. It was something that I had to do for myself and it's hard....it's not going to be easy but you have to do it for you. Like abbec said, the insides of your digestive system might not look very pretty.

Listen to your body and listen to your heart.

good luck xx

sunny68 · 09-07-2007, 11:18 AM

Hi Girls, Thanks so much for your support. I will try really hard to do what you both say. It is so good to talk to people that know what it is like, although my family are great they dont really understand how scared i am. I have put my health at risk for far too long. I have lost quite a few of my teeth and i am unable to have children, but ED is so hard to control, but i know what a long way i have came, So anyone out there you can beat this as i know i will with the lax. Thanks again Girls, sorry or boys I will keep you all posted. sunny

neurowreck · 09-08-2007, 01:19 PM

Everybody's body is different- I had to taper. I tried the cold turkey thing, and didn't go to the bathroom for a week- it was horrendous when I did, and did not exit normally (enough said about that). With bowels getting used to laxatives, I personally think it's important to get an MD's advice. I ended up on a routine of softeners with a mild stimulant, and this horrible blend of pureed prunes, applesauce, and wheatbran (1/2 cup every day) with plenty of fluids all day long....eventually, it all got sorted out, yet I still (after 11 years ) have to take softeners with the mild stimulant since my guts are ruined forever from abusing laxatives. The routine at least keeps things relatively 'normal'-- but without the set amount of softeners/medication, I'd be in bad shape- and I can't afford constipation because of the blood thinners- I'd risk major blood loss.