laxatives?

What is your take on "laxatives"? I am on my way on buying some to flush my system of excess junk.

thank you!

They dehydrate you. I just make sure to eat foods that my system is happy about.

They dehydrate you, can be addictive (mentally and physically - some people lose the ability to go without them), and are not needed unless you are actually constipated.

They do nothing for fat loss.

I only use them on day 3 of no "dropped off kids"

Original Post by alinaali:

What is your take on "laxatives"? I am on my way on buying some to flush my system of excess junk.

thank you!

Probably not a good idea.  As sadinplaid said, they dehydrate you.  They can also cause pretty bad cramping.  And abuse can put you in the hospital.

Try eating fiber rich foods and lots of water instead.

Original Post by crazydiamondchrysalis:

I only use them on day 3 of no "dropped off kids"

Only three days?

I usually wait at least 7 days before I feel I need a laxative. But I don't take an over the counter type or sapository. There is this shell food we eat everyday here in The Bahamas that is like a laxative for me.

Every time I know I need to go but can't I just grab a bowl of conch salad from a local vendor and the next day the poop is coming out like I'm sick.

I used to use them for constipation...But you can get addicted.

Try fiber instead.

My take is if your just taken them for teh heck of it your crazy.


Laxatives are for people that cant GO.


Thank god i dont but if your taken them just to clean your system out you should think again......


I can see taken them if your constipated LOL for any other reason you need to seek help.

Original Post by epiphany323:

Original Post by crazydiamondchrysalis:

I only use them on day 3 of no "dropped off kids"

Only three days?

I usually wait at least 7 days before I feel I need a laxative. But I don't take an over the counter type or sapository. There is this shell food we eat everyday here in The Bahamas that is like a laxative for me.

Every time I know I need to go but can't I just grab a bowl of conch salad from a local vendor and the next day the poop is coming out like I'm sick.

 by day 2 I am miserable. :(

7 days? good LORD.

Original Post by crazydiamondchrysalis:

Original Post by epiphany323:

Original Post by crazydiamondchrysalis:

I only use them on day 3 of no "dropped off kids"

Only three days?

I usually wait at least 7 days before I feel I need a laxative. But I don't take an over the counter type or sapository. There is this shell food we eat everyday here in The Bahamas that is like a laxative for me.

Every time I know I need to go but can't I just grab a bowl of conch salad from a local vendor and the next day the poop is coming out like I'm sick.

 by day 2 I am miserable. :(

7 days? good LORD.

 Wow, I can't imagine! I don't think I have ever missed even one day! Just one of the benefits of a vegan diet I suppose.

depends on what kind of laxatives you're talking about.  After any kind of extended use of medical laxatives your body can have real problems going back to normal - and like eye drops or nose sprays it can actually rebound and make constipation quite severe. 

If you want something to help "move things along" and help clean out the system, maybe try something natural like a tea with Senna leaf (available in health stores) or just increase fibrous foods (Oatmeal with extra bran sprinkled on it!).

When I started my diet and was taking in more protein than carbs I would take Metamucil's natural blend twice a week and found it did a great job of naturally helping the process.  I did read that in low amounts this is fairly healthy and helps with cholesterol.  I continue to take a teaspoon in water once a week or so.

I had to do an enema when I had surgery a few months ago, and it was the worst part of the whole procedure.

Original Post by jcl76:

Why would anyone want to take a laxative? Having the sh*ts doesn't sound like fun to me.

I had to do an enema when I had surgery a few months ago, and it was the worst part of the whole procedure.

 because it hurts?

I'll start with citrucel and if no results in 24 hours, move on to a senna pill. (I think that is what it is). I always drink a ton of water to prevent but sometimes it just goes ahead and stops anyway.

C doesn't give me anything like the s**s, but the senna sometimes does. Its better than feeling bloated and nauseous and running to the bathroom for nothing all day. That is what gets me.. gotta go gotta go.. PSYCH!

Laxatives do not flush your system of excess junk!  Why do you think your system has excess junk and who told you that laxatives were a solution?  Have you tried eating fruits and vegetables with whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats?  Your body is a very delicate system that will respond positively to good input with the occasional treat and poorly to food with little to no nutritional value.

Laxative abuse is very, very serious. Laxatives remove water from your system, which can result in electrolyte imbalances. Throw your electrolyte levels off too much and you can have a heart attack. You also have risk of developing a lazy bowel, which is where your body becomes too used to laxatives and the muscles of your colon as a result are thin and weak and unable to push out your poo. It can also result in  tremors, dehydration, nausea, bloating and gas, and in the long term ulcers, colon failure, infections of the gut and the biggie, death. Digestion Health: Laxative Abuse Dangers

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You're being a little bit harsh Sara, threatening deletion etc...  First off, nobody ever said they intended to ABUSE laxatives, for all we know, the excess 'junk' the individual mentioned may be their way of saying they are constipated.

The discussion above, well until someone started going on about getting the poops seemed pretty rational.  Many cereals include Psyllium husks now to promote regularity and Senna leaf teas are widely accepted health food products.  I think everybody had suggested that if the author was talking about going and getting laxatives to specifically try and lose weight they would be making a mistake.  People can abuse just about anything - jumping down our throats isn't helping anyone learn what may be unhealthly.

Just my $0.02, but maybe try to have a little bit of temperment in posts rather than immediatley throwing the book at people and making threats. 

Harsh?  I'm not threatening deletion, that is part of the posting guidelines that are below the input dialog every time you go to post.  If it gets the attention of just one person who is thinking of using laxatives when they don't need them I'd gladly be thought to be harsh a hundred times.  Harsh would be taking the attitude of it's your body, do what you want, you'll pay the consequences and then you'll learn.

I truly wish that laxatives required a medical prescription.  The common misconception that laxatives are a good joke with ex-lax brownies, that the worst they can do is give you the runs...these are unfortunate misconceptions with extremely harsh consequences.

Do LAXATIVES cause damage ... answer from Claire from this thread:

Damage can occur almost immediately.  This article is a "MUST READ"

Laxative poisoning

100 doses of a laxative, over a month's time, is 3 times a day!  The damage would be catastrophic.  overuse of laxatives can cause fecal incontinance, or the inability to hold it until you can get to the toilet.  The sphincter muscles are weakened.

Your body can easily become dependant on laxatives.

That is a really really bad thing. Seriously.

Don't use them unless you really really have to. They are not to be used to "flushout" or to lose weight.

Have to chime in here, especially since Sara mentioned my prior post.

Everything a moderator posts here has been cleared in advance by the site administration.  Everything said is backed up with documentation and references.

Please do follow the links provided for more information. 

Laxatives are not for weight loss, and are not for "cleaning" the digestive tract.  They are used to treat constipation.

A high fiber diet with plenty of fluids is the best way to prevent constipation.  If you are constipated, see a doctor.  There may be a medical reason for it.

Original Post by epiphany323:

bowl of conch salad

We have that here (RI), it's very expensive and I haven't had it in years, but I loooooooooooooooooove it.

Laxatives scare the crap out of me! I took them once and had a bad experience.

I haven't gone #2 in 6 days and I still won't take them. I think I'm going to die.

I am sorry I caused a dispute! 

Thank you for the awareness!