Laxatives are generally safe to help with constipation, but they should never be used for weight loss. They’re not only unsafe but also ineffective.
Water loss, not weight loss
If someone tells you they’ve lost “several pounds” over the past week from taking laxatives, they may be telling the truth. But what they don’t know (or aren’t telling you) is that those pounds were simply water weight, not body fat. For the most part, laxatives have little to no effect on calorie absorption.
Most laxatives fight constipation by assisting your gut in either absorbing more water from the body or keeping it in the gut around the stool in order to soften it. This is also why many people who take laxatives get a watery stool or even diarrhea.
Other side effects
In addition to possibly causing diarrhea, misusing laxatives can lead to a host of other problems. These can include:
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Dehydration: If you take too many laxatives and get diarrhea, you may start feeling the symptoms of dehydration, which include thirst, headaches, dry mouth, decreased urination, dizziness and weakness.
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An electrolyte imbalance: Depending on the type of laxative you take, your body could either absorb large quantities of sodium and phosphorus from the gut or cause low blood levels of calcium, magnesium or potassium.
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A dependent intestine: If you take laxatives too frequently, your body could become dependent on them to move stool through the gut. This means that when you stop taking the laxatives, your body may have become so dependent on the stimulation from the laxative that it may not be able to move food along the digestive tract without them.
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Irritation to the gut lining: Excessive laxative use can irritate the lining of the gut and give you bloody stools.
Don’t rely on laxatives to help you with weight loss. Diet and exercise are really the safest and most effective ways to reach and maintain a healthy weight.
