Health & Support
Moderators: positivelinny, devilish_patsy, lalabanana, peaches0405, ksylvan, nycgirl, iae, smwhipple



LOCKED TOPIC

Took laxatives... and almost fainted. Are the two linked?


( P.S:  I used to be Bulimic, and abuse laxatives ect...  and i am making alot of progress in recovery. But, sometimes i relapse) Last night, i got out of bed to go to the bathroom (had taken laxatives before i went to bed) , and i began to feel really nauseous.

I began walking back up the stairs, but i couldn't walk straight, and i started falling over and stumbling.
My head felt a really blunt pain, and my ears went half deaf momentarily.

I made it up the stairs after falling over 5 times, and eventually climbed back into bed.

Then, the exact same thing happened when i woke up this morning.

I just woke up again, and i feel fine now.

But what happened!? I have taken laxatives many times before, and this has never happened.

Edited Jul 26 2009 18:13 by nycgirl
Reason: Locked as against posting guidelines. Please contact your medical professional immediately. Please read the educational posts within this thread for more information.
6 Replies (last)

Go see your doctor. Now.

A) go see your doctor

B) you could have been dehydrated, make sure you are drinking plenty of water now.

1 lock this

2 go to a doctor

I'm feeling better now though..,  i feel good, and i've eaten really well today and drunk a lot of water.

Should i just see how i go?

I'm sorry for posting this, i realise that it was inappropriate..

Fainting is not normal.  Please go and seee your doctor or go to a clinic and get your blood pressure checked and some bloodwork just to be sure that everything is okay.

I suggest you contact your doctor immediately and ask him/her the question you ask us here. We are not medical professionals and cannot answer your question because 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 the feces. 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.

The damage can 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.

From the Ask Mary section of Calorie Count:

It is a bad practice to use laxatives on a regular basis to keep your weight down?

Laxatives do not create a calorie deficit or promote weight loss. They are not meant to be used for longer than one week. Overuse can make the bowel less responsive to working on its own and so more laxatives are needed over time. Laxatives can also hide symptoms of medical problems that are important for your doctor to know about. To prevent constipation and bloating, eat a high fiber diet, drink plenty of fluids, and get regular exercise.

Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management. We do not and cannot support the abuse of laxatives, and we will moderate, delete or lock threads violating our posting guidelines.

6 Replies (last)
Join Calorie Count - it's easy and free!
CREATE FREE ACCOUNT
Advertisement
Advertisement
Your Personal Nutritionist
Featured question:

Is my sodium intake too low?

You have nothing to worry about because sodium deficiency is extremely rare. In fact, there is not even an recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA... Read more