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How to overcome laxative addiction?
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Suppositories for constipation should only be used on a temporary basis because if overused, the body can become dependent on them. If this happens, the person is unable to defecate on their own, without the use of suppositories. What is laxative addiction and how to get rid of it?
What is laxative addiction?
Psychological dependence is a mental addiction to a particular substance. While drug use can lead to physical dependence, in which the body reacts negatively if the drug is not available, psychological dependence convinces the person's mind that they have a constant need for the drug. While there is a difference between addiction and dependence, their treatment is similar, and these people often need help from family, friends, and therapists.
If constipation is chronic and accompanied by bloating, abdominal pain and cramps, excessive gas, and rectal bleeding, a doctor's services are needed as soon as possible. Although these symptoms may be associated with minor illnesses, they may also signal serious gastrointestinal or genital diseases.
Details about laxative addiction
Laxative addiction is often defined by having a "lazy colon," which is an organ that requires stimulation from a laxative in order to function properly. On the other hand, laxative addiction may have little to do with a person's inability to have a bowel movement, and may instead be related to an eating disorder.
Abuse of laxatives is very common among people who want to lose weight quickly. Some people have a habit of taking laxatives more than four times the normal dose. The weight loss is only water weight, and the person gains weight again if he drinks water again.
To overcome a laxative addiction associated with an eating disorder, the safest way is to see a doctor. Eating disorders are very destructive to the human body and sometimes lead to death. Some people who have suffered from laxative addiction have been able to quit smoking by simply not taking it anymore and at the same time return to a healthy diet.
For most other people, quitting any addiction, including laxatives, is not so easy and requires help from friends, family and doctors.
[ Negative effects of enemas and suppositories
If the symptoms of constipation persist or become worse, the person should stop using all these medications and consult a doctor. In most cases, enemas and suppositories may cause minor symptoms, such as mild discomfort that will soon pass. However, it may happen that an enema can cause mild abdominal cramping pain and a strong desire to evacuate feces from the intestines. Suppositories and enemas should not be used if constipation is accompanied by severe abdominal pain, vomiting, blood in the stool, nausea, fever, or without consulting a doctor.
One example of drug interactions with enemas and suppositories is alcoholism. Alcoholism is a disease, but many alcoholics have residual amounts of alcohol in their bodies more often than healthy people. Alcohol can destroy the effects of a laxative or enhance it, depending on the level of alcohol and the type of laxative used.
How to fight laxative addiction?
It is important that patients do not use enemas or suppositories unless directed by a doctor. Enemas can cause damage to the colon if used too often. Suppositories are generally not absorbed by the body, but they do cause rectal stimulation, which can cause problems. If the anus and rectum are stimulated too often by suppositories and enemas, a person may have difficulty passing stool without additional stimulation. This can lead to dependence on suppositories and other laxatives.
A person's age, weight, height, and physical activity will also help determine what dose of laxative is needed. A general rule, although not always true, is that younger people need less laxative than adults. By the same token, there is an unspoken rule that heavier people need stronger medicine. This is because a person's weight and height are an indicator of how quickly the medicine can be absorbed and metabolized.