Dangerous Dieting: Using Diuretics & Laxatives to Lose Weight
July 2nd, 2008
While there are some highly effective ways of losing weight and keeping it off, there are also some very dangerous methods. Two of those unsafe techniques would be the use of diuretics and laxatives. Neither product is made as a tool for losing weight, and users (and their bodies) can quickly become addicted to them. While some people may see a slight decrease in the number on the scales, diuretics and laxatives generally offer more harmful effects than good.
Diuretics include any medications used to increase urination. They are prescribed to help treat such conditions as high blood pressure, glaucoma, and kidney disorders, but certainly not obesity. Diuretics can work in one of three ways: by forcing the kidneys to add more salt to the urine (less sodium means less water retention), by decreasing salt absorption in the body, or by reducing the production of a hormone that causes the kidneys to retain salt and water.
Laxatives are similar to diuretics in inducing excretion, though they provoke bowel movements instead of urination. They are often used to soften the stool and treat constipation, and as with diuretics, not obesity! They work by sponging up all the water in your body to ease your bowels. Abusers of laxatives often have eating disorders, such as bulimia, and think it is necessary to quickly rid the body of food after each meal so as to not gain weight.
The use of diuretics and laxatives can potentially be more harmful to your body than being overweight. The biggest reason for this is the addiction you can get by taking them, as well as the dependency your body may adopt. It may be hard for you to use the restroom after you’ve stopped taking these products because your body has relied on them, if only for a few days or weeks. Repeated use of either can also cause dehydration. Prolonged use of diuretics can cause kidney and liver damage, cramping, and thickening of the blood. Abusing laxatives may lead to irritable bowel system, renal failure, and pancreatitis.
As if the dangers of using these methods aren’t enough to make someone not use them, the results obtained from the use of diuretics and laxatives are often much less than satisfactory. If you do happen to lose weight, it will most certainly be for the short term and could be at the expense of causing other problems. Some people think if they rid their body of most of the water they take in, they can lose weight. In reality, that leads to dehydration, which will actually cause your body to start retaining water, adding water weight. These people may also think if they rid their body of all food as soon as they eat it, the fat will not be absorbed. Again, this is not true. By the time laxatives take effect, the food is in the intestines, and most of the calories and fat have already been absorbed into the body. Essential nutrients are sometimes not absorbed when laxatives are used, which can cause other organs to stop working properly.
Overall, the use of diuretics and laxatives for weight loss purposes is just not worth it. They offer many more negative effects than they do good, and those negative effects can be extremely dangerous to your health. Improper use of these products can lead to an obsession by you or your body, which will make it harder for you to stop use.
Entry Filed under: Weight Loss Articles
1 Comment Add your own
1. Janet McDonough | May 31st, 2009 at 7:37 pm
.I am a 60-yr. old female. Because of a failed spinal fusion 7 years ago, I have been and still are on potent pain medications…it was oxycontin, then after a recent surgery to remove the hardware from the fusion, I was switched to methadone. I also take a anti-depressant which is also constipating. To combat the severe constipation I have I have also been on one laxative or another, as well. I guess I never realized that young girls take laxatives as a “diet plan. Nonetheless, I recently have been having concerns about taking laxatives. Seven years ago, I was prescribed “Lactulose Solution” and to tell you the truth, taking that, as prescribed, twice per day, hardly did any good as far as moving my bowels…they still came out like marbles and I most usually felt like I was straining so hard, that my eyes were going to pop out! So, then, last October, I had to have an emergency surgery for a twisted colon…where by the surgeon had to cut and/or remove some of the bowel. I don’t know if it was just a cut to untangle it, or if he indeed removed some, or whether it was the “big” intestine or small one. I will be finding out this Thursday because 6 months after the surgery I made an appointment with him to find out these details…Not only was I left with a huge belly protrusion, like I am 9 months pregnant (I only weigh 124 lbs.), for some reason, but I am also experiencing some symptoms suggesting that I may be anemic or nutrient poor and it may be perhaps something like Malabsorption Syndrome. (Yes, I am seeing my own physician this week too for some bloodwork). My concern is not only about what the colon surgery may have done but also, I was switched from Lactulose (which, again, hardly worked, if at all) to Miralax, which REALLY worked very well with very productive, daily bm’s. Before even coming across your link, have recently been very concerned abouting taking the laxative, which cearly states to not take it beyond 7 days…which my doctor tells me to ignore if it’s working. Quite suddenly, my hair is not only falling out, but it is in a very distressed condition, that I have never experienced before, breaking off, splitting, being very dry and fuzzy like cotton candy…my nails are dry and yellow, etc. which is totally out of the norm for me, since I have always been very vigilent with my tresses and conditioning it, etc. It seems as though it were poisoned with something, or…not getting something it needs. This all seems to be happening since I was put on a laxative, Miralax, that actually works very well, and therefore makes me wonder if I am having a mal-nutrition problem from taking it, long term. But you do say that most of the nutrition and absorption of one’s food is done and over by the time a laxative kicks in…Is that actually correct? When does a laxative kick in during the digestive process? And, can you offer me any thoughts on what might be going on regarding the laxative or the twisted colon surgery that was needed? Thank you.
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