Posted by Racer on August 17, 2000, at 1:35:50
In reply to Re: binge eating disorder- amyw, posted by amyw on August 15, 2000, at 21:05:08
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> Racer,
> His binge eating started after a bout he had with a kind of anorexia where he didn't like how he looked,
This doesn't surprise me. Good news/bad news time: The impaired self image involved in anorexia doesn't exactly go away. I still have trouble with it, though I've found that there's a 'critical mass' point I get to where everything seems to go away or come back (depending on whether I'm gaining or losing past it.) For me, the set point seems to be about 145 pounds, or about 10 pounds more than I'd like to be. Oh, well...One of the problems with anorexia treatments is that they don't really get to the root of the problem: they have to address the physical side first, then the mental or emotional side of it. That's all easy, since a starving brain can't function, and physical treatments alone won't fix the problem. Unfortunately, anorexia changes the way your brain and body work together to process food, hunger, appetite, and insulin. I can't tell you what it will take to fix the problem, because I still haven't found the answer. All I can say is that when my weight is up, I don't want to starve myself, and don't really overeat.
My depression effects my eating, though. First of all, when I'm depressed, I want to stop eating. It's partly punishment, since if I deserved to eat, I'd be better and not depressed. Partly, it's because I can't think clearly when I'm depressed, and I can't think clearly when I'm not eating. I do know that studies showed anorectics had a higher level of dopamine activity than normal, more like speed freaks than starving people. That's got to be involved in the process.
> I can't actually say that other than the inital tremendous boost that you describe, only xanax as needed at least helps.
Xanax, as an anti-anxiolitic, makes sense. There's a tremendous amount of anxiety to eating disorders. First, you don't want to eat, then you do eat, so you're a failure, so you don't deserve to eat more. Anything which reduces the anxiety will help with both sides of the eating problem.
Again, for me the Effexor was a miracle drug. While it didn't fix the depression, it did reduce my anxiety immediately, which started me eating again. (Some of the old-timers here may remember that I switched from Serzone to Effexor, the Serzone made me throw up anything I ate, so that exacerbated the eating disorder... Funny, huh?)
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> I keep thinking htat part of his symptopms are from his still low body weight,Very likely. A starving brain can't function. It's not just his body weight, though: his body has to get back to a state of health, a state of adequate nutrition, before he can think well enough to recover his equalibrium.
but that is another problem. THe wellbutrin made him lose 5 pounds.Wellbutrin is supposed to be countermanded in the case of eating disorders because of the risk of seizures. Does his doctor realize he's suffering from eating disorders? Since anorexia is overwhelmingly a female disorder, the doctor may be missing the symptoms. Check into this one, since it's pretty serious.
What can you do for your son? Bad news, Mom, you can't do much. Love him, make good food available to him without pressuring him to eat, make it easier for him to get to appointments by offering him rides. If you can think of little things you can do for him, bringing home a magazine he might like from the store, cooking eggplant because he likes it even though you're not crazy about it. Stupid little things, but not too many of them. Remember: you can't make him recover. Right now, if he's experiencing anything like what I have gone through, he's feeling so wretched that he probably thinks he doesn't deserve any sort of kindness on your part. He's probably thinking that he's such a drag on you, such a problem for you, that he's torturing you by being alive. Making it easy for him to get to the doctor, helping him get through to his doctor that these drugs ain't doing the job, and helping to reduce pressure on him may help. Remember, though, that he probably feels guiilty and hopeless because you're reducing that pressure! Argh! What do you do??? Take a deep breath. Make yourself a cup of tea. You can't remmove all pressure from his life, but you can help him with the worst of it.
Also, look into some of the support groups and advocacy groups out there. There are organizations like the Depression Manic Depression Association, or the Manic Depressive Depressive Association, or others, that hold meetings where you can sit and listen and feel less alone. They do help, and I can't recommend enoug hthat you take him to one. If he won't go, or won't go again, try going a few times yourself. At least you can get some direct support and maybe some good ideas.
And get some support for yourself. You can't help him if you fall apart.
Take good care, Amy, and best luck to you and your son. He's lucky to have such a loving mother.
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> Any ideas. I really appreciate your feedback
poster:Racer
thread:42753
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000811/msgs/43142.html