Water pills??? I don't get it

A friend of mine was anorexic and still kind of is ...  she looks better and eats more, but doesnt have a healthy relationship with food.  she also takes water pills every day (not sure how many a day) that are prescription, she says for bloat.  she also takes a mild laxative every day "to keep her regular".  I was just wondering if thats ok for her.  I am by no means a dr. so i dont know, but taking so many things is strange to me.  I guess I am also curious as to why someone would take water pills everyday.  ive read websites about water pills, but i dont quite understand them.  any thoughts or information to share?

is her ed interfering with her ability to drink water normally? even so, I agree that water pills would be a strange way to do it...

Is it possible that the doctor is giving her something ELSE but is not telling her the truth because he/she does not want your friend to be upset or not take them?

Also google "the placebo effect"

And whatever you do, support your friend by supporting her doctor. If the laxatives were not prescribed then it could be a problem but you didn't quite make that clear..

no she drinks plenty of water and the laxatives are not prescription.  she wants the water pills, asker her dr for them... says shes ALWAYS bloated... everytime i see her she talks about being bloated.  i think she takes them because they make her feel/look thinner... just curious if thats what they are used for or what?

Water pills (or diuretics) are usually prescribed to people who have trouble removing fluids from their bodies.  You've seen old ladies with very fat ankles and feet?  That's often because their heart isn't functioning properly and they're getting a build up of fluids.   If they're prescribed then presumably she needs them.  And people who have had anorexia can often come out of the other side with a weak heart.  So that could be one reason.

BTW... people do take water pills in the mistaken belief that they will make them feel and look thinner.  In people who don't need them they can put the kidneys under a lot of strain, cause dehydration and - ironically - cause fluid retention.

Prolongued use of laxatives can lead to a condition called 'lazy bowel' which, you can imagine, is pretty horrible.  Again, laxative abuse is a common disordered eating behaviour and there's the mistaken belief that if you can make food shoot through your guts very quickly you don't absorb all the evil calories...  totally wrong.   Someone with a very poor diet, who avoids eating fat for example, eats irregularly or who doesn't eat enough food in total can find they have a big problem with constipation.  But if it carries on then they should be asking their doctor about it rather than self-medicating.

Just want to add that there are plenty of doctors who are happy to prescribe a patient anything she wants, no questions asked. And there are plenty of gullible ones who will prescibe a patient things without much pause if the patient fakes symptoms. Doctors get a lot of pressure from patients to prescibe, and sometimes do so so that the patient doesn't go to someone else who will write a script. Psychiatrists are particularly bad about this. So just because she has a script doesn't mean she needs it.

To add to emily's theory, her doctor COULD be giving her anything she wants, just to keep her eating.  If he feels like she would revert back to starving herself if she didn't get her pills and laxative, he may think this is better.

It's not, for all the reasons gi-jane laid out.  If she's asking for them and he's not suggesting she takes them, I'm inclined to think this is just another form of her distorted eating.

As for what to do about it......I don't really have an answer there.  How comfortable is she about discussing her ED?  If she's fairly open about it, you may want to bring up the symptoms that could result from taking these things, and suggest she get a 2nd opinion.  If she's not very open and you think she'll get upset with your interference, then I dunno....talk to her mom maybe?

These are US doctors you're talking about that hand out meds on the whim of a patient?  That's a horrifying thought. I'm used to the UK system where GPs have notices in surgeries stating 'don't expect to leave with a prescription' and where budget constraints and professional ethics mean they are not so free and easy with powerful drugs.  Frankly, if a doctor is keeping a patient sweet by prescribing drugs they don't need he shouldn't be in the profession.

Given, this is my opinion. It is shared by most people I know, but I feel pretty strongly about this, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

I don't know how it is in other countries, but we're conditioned in the US to expect a script from the doctor. There's a huge problem with overprescription of antibiotics (and poor directions for taking them) that led to the MRSA outbreak here.

Drug company reps sweeten the pot as much as they are legally allowed to. Once I had a psychiatrist keep me waiting 45 minutes past my appt time because he was meeting with a drug rep, and then he immediately tried to prescribe me the meds that the drug rep was pushing. That's only anecdotal, though.  

Part of the problem is that since psychologists only do therapy, most psychiatrists have no other role but to dispense meds. So if you have a psychiatrist and he's not prescribing meds, he's seen as not doing his job.

Regardless of whether she should or should not be taking these meds, it sounds like she's still very preoccupied with her body shape, which is an ED symptom. It's not normal to talk about how bloated you are every time you see someone. You could try pointing out that you've noticed certain things, and just saying that you care about her and you're there if she ever needs support.

I take a daily water pill.  I take them because of a heart problem I have.  I can see someone being turned on by them because they really do make you pee a lot and of course in-turn makes you feel lighter/smaller.

That said, I cannot wait until I'm off the script.  Of course the kidney problems you can cause yourself by being on this med for too long is a big reason I can't wait to get off.  I was on 2 water pills for a while and that's been dropped to 1, the weaker of the two.  Also, I drink tons of water regularly in hopes of lessening any damage this may cause.

well she is not open about talking about it... the ED started junior yr of college, we are now 3 1/2 years out of school and i have listened to the bloating for YEARS.  she thinks she is better now because her hair isnt falling out, and her skin isnt awful.. she does look better, but shes still incredibly thin, to be honest im glad shes eating.  her parents know of her situation though took action VERY late and only because she was seriosully ill (drop foot, if anyone knows what that is).  i am really not in the position to do anything anymore, ive said the same things over and over the past 3 plus years to no avail... i now live across the country from her.  i dont worry about her as much anymore, but i just wanted some insight as to what water pills are for/do, if i should be as worried as i was before.  (i.e. ppl use laxatives as a form of bulemia, but it doesnt sound like water pills are used in the same way)  thanks for all of the feeback!

Original Post by gi-jane:

These are US doctors you're talking about that hand out meds on the whim of a patient?  That's a horrifying thought. I'm used to the UK system where GPs have notices in surgeries stating 'don't expect to leave with a prescription' and where budget constraints and professional ethics mean they are not so free and easy with powerful drugs.  Frankly, if a doctor is keeping a patient sweet by prescribing drugs they don't need he shouldn't be in the profession.

Yeah it's the same in Canada - we don't expect a prescription and we only get it if we need it.  At least, that's been my experience.  But I've heard of US doctors being completely pushed around by the drug companies, prescribing everything and anything they can.  It's pretty scary!

The US medical system seems bizarre to me.   I see so many people on these boards struggling with quite serious medical complaints but not going to see a doctor because their insurance has 'run out' or 'doesn't cover it'.... i.e. if you're poor it seems you're left to suffer and die.  And on the flip-side doctors with medical ethics skewed either by demanding patients or pushy drug companies or both.   'Public health' as an objective seems very low down on the national agenda.   I remember the Clinton era when Hilary was trying to push through a health service of some kind but it never got off the ground.  Makes me very glad that my UK taxes cover a health service that is largely free at the point of need.  It isn't a perfect system by any stretch of the imagination but at least no-one dies just because they're too poor to call out a doctor....

Well public health (in the form of universal healthcare of the Hillary variety) was pretty high on the agenda until the economy crashed. Obama has, I believe, promised something of this sort. Here's hoping it comes through.

If you go to the ER, you can't be turned away for lack of insurance or inability to pay. So they won't leave you to die, but I believe (don't quote me on this) that the gov't ends up paying.

forgive me, i know this thread is pretty old but seeing this i just couldn't let it go and not post....

if you don't have any insurance and you are very sick and go to the ER, yes you cannot be turned away but believe me the gov't does NOT pay for it!

we lost our insurance several months ago and then my 3yr old daughter got sick and started running a temp of close to 104 for 3 days. i was scared and had no other choice but to go to the ER. they did a few simple tests, strep swab, blood work , ect. no xrays or anything like that. they ended up saying it was just extreme tonsilitis (sp) and gave me a script for antibiotics....

a couple of weeks later i get a bill for almost $1000! i have a short amount of time to get it paid and if it's not paid off soon then they take me to court and sue me for the balance.