Increase in children abusing laxatives for weight loss

Increasing numbers of teenagers are using laxatives to lose weight, with some taking dozens a day and seriously risking their health.

The charity Beat has been monitoring numbers and says 80% of people with anorexia or bulimia have taken the tablets and many of them are children.

Hospitals are reporting cases of children who have overdosed or suffered long-term damage.

Former anorexic: 'I was eating 20 laxatives a day'

      

Teens are turning to stimulant laxatives to rapidly lose weight, with some children known to be taking dozens of laxative pills on a daily basis, the UK's leading eating disorder charity East has said.

Medical professionals warn that laxative abuse can cause diarrhoea, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances that can lead to kidney failure.

Lottie Hall, who is 17, started taking stimulant laxatives to help her lose weight when she was 13-years-old and now has long term damage from laxative abuse.

"[It was] probably about 3 years before my parents found out and I started getting help for it," she told BBC Watchdog's Fiona Philips.

You can see the full report on BBC Watchdog at 20:00 BST on Thursday 16 January.

From BBC-Health