Bulimia Side Effects

Bulimia side effects have implications both short term and long term on both the body and mind of the sufferer, negatively impacting all areas of their life and the lives of their families.

Medical evidence shows that overtime bulimia has the potential to inflict damage on every single system in the body, some of it irreversible, such as infertility, an increased risk of osteoporosis, heart problems and some can cause death.

Bulimia is a progressive disorder with the side effects becoming worse over time. In the early stages of bulimia, bulimia side effects are not always apparent and this can, unfortunately, create a false sense of security for the sufferer or for someone practising bulimic behaviours. However, beneath the surface a great deal more is happening; many of the most dangerous bulimia side effects are beyond the limit of what can be seen or felt before it is too late.

Depending on its severity, bulimia can take over someones life to the exception of all else. However an important point to note is the particular bulimia symptoms and effects can inflict, the time it takes for the more serious conditions associated with this eating disorder to develop and the degree of damage caused will vary, not necessarily due to the severity of bulimia itself, but because of pre-existing weaknesses in an individual’s body.

So any sufferer lulling themselves into a false sense of security with the idea that their bulimia is ‘not that bad’, ‘that it’s under control’ or they ‘can stop any time they want’ is playing an extremely dangerous game. In fact, anyone thinking that they’re ‘not that bad’, that ‘it’s under control’ or they ‘can stop any time’ should know that this is the voice of the eating disorder and a sign that things have actually already gotten out of control.

Other signs that things are getting out of control is when someone is beginning to manage their lives around the eating disorder. In the beginning, purging is used as an ‘occasional’ compensatory measure for eating too much. However at some point the sufferer discovers that bulimia seems to have taken on a life of it’s own – that is, the urges to binge and then purge are overwhelming and uncontrollable – and bulimia has them.

It’s also common for the sufferer to believe that there is some positive benefit in continuing with the practice of binging and purging; that bulimia is their friend and it helps them cope with life.

Unfortunately, many of the psychological and behavioural side effects actually fuel and perpetuate the problem of Bulimia creating a downward spiral.

Although someone can’t scare themselves into recovery, it is important to learn about bulimia side effects, their implications, possible dangers and life changing conditions that they can inflict.