Eating disorder and laxative abuse

by Corinne
(Pennsylvania)

On weekdays, I skip breakfast, take 2 tablespoons of milk of magnesia, and sometimes 1 caffeine pill. For lunch, I have propel zero calorie vitamin water and 3 ounces of grapes which is 50 calories. When I get home, I take 2 more tablespoons of milk of magnesia, and then binge on junk food. I then sleep because I normally feel nauseous. I wake up have a little bit less for dinner than everyone else and sometimes normal. I try not to eat a snack. Before bed, I take 2 tablespoons of mineral oil and sometimes do my exercises which are crunches. I do between 100 and 150 at a time but different kinds of crunches. On weekends, I continue the laxative use but eat a lot of food. I am 105 or 106 at my highest and can get down to 102-103. I am 17 years old and am 5'8''. My doctor told me not to go below 110. However, he does not think I have a problem because I weighed 112 at last appointment in September but I gained on purpose before appointment. This Friday I have a blood test and I am worried my laxative use will show up. This has been going on for a month and a half now. Will my blood tests show my lax use and not eating enough?

Your Eating Disorder

Corrine, thanks for getting in touch. As you say in the title, you clearly have an eating disorder and need help with this. I fully understand the laxatives and diet you take is designed for weight loss, but it is not so much what you take in. It’s the health consequences of doing this to your body. Poor nutrition means your immune system will be low and you are at risk of developing severe infections. The more nutritionally deplete you are, the more likely this is going to happen.

You are trying to deceive your doctor, but this really won’t work whether you think it will or not. Your doctor isn’t someone that can be deceived in this matter. It is irrelevant whether your doctor can detect laxatives in your blood test or not as this isn’t important. The important thing is that doctors are trained to pick up problems clinically i.e. what they see in front of them as well as on blood tests. The blood tests are more to look at the nutritional issues that your abuse is causing on your body rather than looking at how you’re abusing yourself. Your doctor is fully aware that you are abusing yourself.

Corrine, I understand that if I said to you “stop abusing your body”, this will have no effect as this is an addiction and compulsion far beyond being given such simple advice. However, you do need to understand the health strains this is putting on your body as well as those on people that love you and are around you. Your eating disorder is such a specialist issue and one that needs to be handled by a specifically trained person. I don’t profess to being such a person. Do you feel brave enough to show your doctor the question you have asked me? It could be life changing for you. Good luck.

My name is Dr Peter Thatcher MBBS, MRCPI and I am a consultant physician and gastroenterologist in the UK. I have an interest in internet based medicine and administer this site in my spare time. I hope you find this site useful and informative. If you have any suggestions, please Contact Me or if you would like to comment on my site, please do so by Clicking Here. If you like the site and would like to make a donation to support what I am doing please do so by Clicking Here. Thank you for visiting and please drop by again!