Side Effects of Anorexia

Unfortunately, when you're anorexic, you don't think you'll have any of the problems associated with eating disorders. You feel invincible. But you're not. If you experience any of these side effects, these warning signs of anorexia mean you will suffer more issues.

When the body shuts down, the side effects of anorexia are wide spread including:

• Low blood pressure
• Slow heart rate
• Muscle weakness
• Muscle loss
• Fatigue
• Dehydration
• Kidney failure (due to severe dehydration)
• Weakness
• Fainting
• Dry skin
• Dry hair
• Hair loss
• Lanugo – developing a thin, fuzzy layer of hair on the face and arms (your body’s way of trying to keep warm)
• Constantly feeling cold (decreased circulation in your body’s effort to conserve energy)
• Low potassium
• Heart arrhythmia (due to low potassium)
• Heart failure (due to low potassium)
• Dizziness (due to sudden drops in blood pressure, especially upon standing or sitting up after lying down)
• Problems with the immune system (due to low platelet count from vitamin B12 deficiency)
• Bruise easily
• Anemia (due to iron deficiency)
• Osteopenia / osteoporosis (thinning of the bones due to lack of calcium)
• Amenorrhea (loss of menstrual periods due to being underweight)
• Hormonal imbalances
• Infertility or Fertility Problems
• Problems during pregnancy (miscarriage, low birth weight, malnutrition in fetus, still born)
• Digestive problems (inability to absorb nutrients, inability to digest food properly, celiac disease, crohn’s disease)
• Seizures (from dehydration)
• Suicide
• Death (other than by suicide)

At first I really liked losing weight. Everyone noticed. I got to wear clothes I never could before. I lost my period. You don't have to deal with cramps or nothing. You just get to go on with your life and not have to have it. It's great.

But then my hair started falling out. At first there was just a little - like in the shower and on my brush. But then it was clumps - I could run my fingers through my hair and it was all over my hand.

Then I started fainting. One time I hit my head when I fainted and I had to get stitches. They tried to keep me in the hospital that time, but my mom just asked them to do blood work. I was anemic. They just told me to take iron pills - they gave me prescription. But I didn't take them because they made me feel gross.

When I finally went into the hospital after a long time being anorexic, they told me I had osteopenia and my heart was all weird. When I finally started gaining weight, my heart went back to normal. But they told me we'll never really know how much damage there was because your heart muscle loses weight as the rest of you loses weight.

I finally got my period back, but they're not sure if I'll ever have a baby. That's okay, because I'm too young now anyway. - J.V.

Go from Side Effects of Anorexia back to Effects of Eating Disorders

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