Posted by Racer on March 29, 2005, at 13:11:29
In reply to Re: Anorexic on the Edge » Racer, posted by narcissistic_martyr on March 28, 2005, at 13:40:27
> Racer--
>
> Indeed, my school has a health center, and i see the dr there for regular vitals checks and weigh-ins.That's a good start, good for you for being proactive in keeping yourself going.
>I also see the school psych for meds (which do absolutely sh*t for my mood, but that's another story).
I'm guessing that the meds involved are likely SSRIs? They've been shown, in countless studies, to be basically worthless for anorexics. For one thing, you can't increase the amount of serotonin available by blocking its reuptake IF THERE'S NOT ENOUGH SEROTONIN IN THE FIRST PLACE! Serotonin production is dependent on supplies of the dietary precursor tryptophan. If you're not eating enough tryptophan sources, you're not going to get adequate benefits from any SSRIs because there's not enough serotonin to begin with.
So, you're right, medications of that sort aren't going to help. Unfortunately, SSRIs are about the only meds that are safe to give to an anorexic. Don't you feel better now? (Please -- don't jump off the bridge yet. I felt that way, too, when I read those studies. Cymbalta, a new dual action anti-depressant might help and should be safe. And, of course, nutritional rehabilitation will help.)
>There is also a dietrician who i've seen a couple times, but i didnt see much point to it since i already know so much about nutrition (it's just that i dont *use* this knowledge, or do so in a way that suits my ED).
You know, I thought so too, but I went so that I could tell everyone who urged me to go that they were wrong. Guess what? A good N who has experience with EDs is profoundly helpful. My N has taught me a lot of things about nutrition that I really didn't know, which surprised me a lot, but the most important thing she does is to help me apply that knowledge to my own situation. Every week, we go over what I've eaten, why I didn't meet my goals for the week (which, alas, is more usual than not), and what stops me. We also talk about ways to get me past my blocks about food. I urge you to try again with the N at your school, and see if maybe she can be helpful.
There's no question that it's hard to deal with the fear and guilt around eating. That's the nature of the beast. But just because something is hard doesn't mean it's impossible.
>Also, as irrational as it may sound, since I'm not @ my lowest weight, I don't feel that I really "need" help...which is completely stupid, since when I was @ my lowest, I ended up in a hospital, where i constantly berated myself for not being able to "turn things around" before they reached a critical point. well, now here i am again, teetering @ the edge of another "critical point", and once again, I can't seem to turn things around...
OK, if you can see all that, isn't it time to make a decision for yourself? You know that, when you were in crisis, you felt bad that you hadn't made more of an effort at a less critical point. You're at a less critical point, physically, but you don't think it's worth working on because you're not in a crisis? Hm...
Listen, I'm 41 years old, and I have been anorexic -- with periods of normal weight and semi-normal eating -- since my early teens. Trust me on this one: you do not want to end up like me. Hell, last autumn, during a bone density scan, I discovered that I had shrunk more than an inch in height! That was the most devastating physical finding for me, much more so than the actual bone loss.
I don't know what to suggest to you, besides what you already know. (For that matter, since you've already had some treatment, you probably know more than I do about it all. This is the first time I've received any treatment, and it's quite limited by the fact that none of the ED specialists in my area will take on an adult with AN.)
I hope that helps.
poster:Racer
thread:476427
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/eating/20050314/msgs/477228.html