Drug Addiction and Eating Disorders 

As eating disorders and various types of addictions have been diagnosed and studied for some time, interesting correlations are being made between that of drug addiction and eating disorders.

At one time, it was thought that eating disorders we simply related to unhealthy attitudes about food and various psychological conditions, but now other relationships are being discovered. For instance, it is theorized that some eating disorders are caused by drug addiction. This is not to say that the reasons for the drug addiction are not similar in nature to those that cause eating disorders, only that there may not be a direct causal relationship. There may be other cause and effect relationships that occur. Here is an example.

It has been discovered that some folks who are addicted to certain types of opiates don’t eat as much because the food interferes with the effects of the drugs. This lack of eating can continue and eventually lead to a full blown eating disorder. Another scenario that can exist is that of purging. Some narcotics have the effect of making a person nauseous and therefore lead to them throwing up. This throwing up constantly leads to them losing weight. They may like how they look and continue the practice of purging whether or not the drugs are in their system.

Another interesting and potentially incredibly harmful connection between drugs and food addiction has to do with the prescribing of medications to those suffering from eating disorders. Sometimes, doctors feel the need to prescribe medications to curb certain symptoms of eating disorders. Because of the patients weakened state both mentally and physically, they can often become addicted to these drugs. This leads the patient to CONTINUE to exhibit some of the traits associated with the disorder so as to try to keep getting the prescription of drugs. This can be incredibly hard to diagnose if it seems the patient is making some progress with the use of the drugs. If the drugs are taken away, the patient (sometimes knowingly, sometimes not) begins to exhibit more increasing practices of eating disorders leading the doctor to put the patient back on the drugs. It is therefore incredibly important that any physician or facility that you or loved ones seek to deal with this problem be well versed in the fine line that must be walked with acting to treat eating disorders through the use of drugs.

In addition, It is equally important for drug specific treatment facilities to understand the symptoms and signs of eating disorders as sometimes patients coming off drugs develop eating disorders to deal with latent psychological issues and the fact that they don’t have drugs in their system that before, acted to suppress their issues.

The exact relationships between drugs and eating disorders is not completely known at this time, but ongoing research should help paint a much clearer picture for both doctors and patients and lead to much more effective treatments for both conditions over time.