prozac and bulimia?

[uggh5]

i was wondering if anyone on this board has been put on prozac for bulimia. i've been making myself throw up after every meal for about 3 years now and im starting to see the ill effect of my behavior. my teeth have gotten really yellow, my gums are swollen and bleed if i touch them, and the worst part is, im still fat. but ive heard that taking 40 mg of prozac can work as an appetite supressor and is prescribed to people with bulimia. does it actually work? and if so, what are the side effects? id rather not go so some doctor and talk about my 'feelings' unless its gunna be worth my time. i find that sort of thing uncomfortable and horribly embarassing. thanks.

[lucy1122]

Until you look at your feelings to understand WHY you are bulimic...all the prozac, appetite suppressants or quick fixes, aren't going to cure your eating disorder.  The bulimia is the behavior you use to cope with the emotional issues that lie within you.  There is no such thing as a cure for bulimia or any other eating disorder.  There are, however, ways to learn to understand yourself and heal from the inside out.  When you look at whats going on inside of you, the bulimia will much easier to manage...maybe even find some hope that you will one day be able to eat a meal and feel good about it.  

I was anorexic for fifteen years, bulimic/anorexic for another five after that.  I was sure there would never come a day when I could eat 'like of everybody else.'  Once I was prescribed prozac to help to manage my behavior, I threw the prescription in the garbage.  Another time, I had some wack job of a psychiatrist put me on a diet of rice and pears because he said I had food allergies.  The real turning point was when I realized that the eating disorders were the result of the disfunction that had gone on in my life and by stuffing and purging, I managed to stuff and purge my feelings at the same time.

Drugs, diets, none of it will work unless you get right with what's going on inside of you.

Good luck.

Lucy1122

[gabydamage]

I can tell you are young by the way you worded your post (maybe I'm wrong). Me: bulimic for 18 years. Tried Prozac at 20 years of age.....still bulimic. Tried another antidepressant Zoloft....still bulimic. Tried another antidepressant Celexa....still bulimic. Am currently on another antidepressant, Effexor, and an anti-anxiety medication, Seroquel. STILL BULIMIC. Get the point?!  Basically, the anti-depressants have helped me to be more "normal". I am much more happy, have more energy, and am overall  a much more content person. Do the antidepressants help with the bulimia? Nope (but I'm still trying to get better! ).

[gabydamage]

I can tell you are young by the way you worded your post (maybe I'm wrong). Me: bulimic for 18 years. Tried Prozac at 20 years of age.....still bulimic. Tried another antidepressant Zoloft....still bulimic. Tried another antidepressant Celexa....still bulimic. Am currently on another antidepressant, Effexor, and an anti-anxiety medication, Seroquel. STILL BULIMIC. Get the point?!  Basically, the anti-depressants have helped me to be more "normal". I am much more happy, have more energy, and am overall  a much more content person. Do the antidepressants help with the bulimia? Nope (but I'm still trying to get better! ).

[lucy1122]

No, I am not young.  I am 43 years old.  And I know what I know.  Bulimia is a side effect.  Not a cause.  Just like an affair in a marriage is a symptom...not the cause of a breakup.  Look further than your need for a quick fix.  There isn't one.  It is entirely possible that you will be content living life the way you are.  Good on ya, if that's working for you.  But there is a better way.

[gabydamage]

If taking one pill a day for the rest of my life stops the food obsession, the constant worrying about my weight, the need to "fill" myself up with food for comfort, then you can be damn sure I'm going to take it. Is it a "cure"? Of course not. But it makes me feel normal, and I am a more functional persone. Rather than lay in bed all day, or binging and purging all day, I can now actually go out and do the things I love. I've been bulimic for 19 years, and if there was a "better way", believe me, I would have found it by now.

[lucy1122]

I am not saying to you that taking an anitdeppressant is a bad thing!  I get it!  If it takes the edge off, then by all means go for it.  My suggestion to you is to look deeper than your disease and see WHY you need to fill yourself up.  What are you afraid to feel?  What are you stuffing??  Those are the kinds of questions that have to be dealt with before you will be able to even consider a life without anitdepressants and without the relentless worry and obsessing about weight and food.  My intention was not to upset you...my intention was perhaps to inspire you.

Good luck.

[krzeaz]

Hi, Uggh5, I have had bulimia since i was about 12 yrs old.  I no longer binge/purge, and have had counseling, group therapy, inpatient, and other help.  I am also taking 30 mg prozac daily.  I think it helps me.  It affects the serotonin levels in the body and for me, seems to help reduce the carb cravings.  It isn't the total answer for me, but it is part of what i do to stay free of bulimia.  I also had to 1.)stop starving myself   2.) learn mindful eating 3.) attended Overeaters Anonymous

Maybe some of the above mentioned options would help you.  One of the most important things is, you are looking at ways to stop binge-purge; that is the biggest step of all!!!!!!

[julianne07]

The BEST thing my doctor ever did for me, was write me a Rx for prozac, I had been bulimic for about 10 years and I demanded he put me on it, I was on 60mg and it helped more than anything I have ever tried. I stopped feeling the "need" to purge after about a week and went 3 months without doing it at all. I relapsed a few times but ultimately got better, but yes it helped me, and I would recommend it to anyone. Thats being said, the only way someone gets better is if they truly want to. It became a matter of life or death for me, and I had to choose to go on the medication and yes gain weight in order to live.