Eating Disorders Support Group
Eating disorders are marked by an obsessive need to control the intake and/or purging of food. This community is dedicated to those struggling on the road to recovery. Join to discuss your experience with others and find support. Get advice, ask questions, and meet others who are going through similar struggles.
I had a relapse today - I binged and purged. I was doing good for a week because I was in the hospital because of my Schizoaffective disorder. Then they gave me Klonopin for anxiety and I thought it was going to help me not binge anymore (anxiety triggers my binging) but I guess not.
I also had anxiety and panic attacks. I was on Paxil for 10 years and it helped a lot with my anxiety. After 10 years though it stopped working. I have also tried Klonopin but I use that more for certain events like going to the dentist.
Anxiety is one of those diagnoses in the medical community that is, from what I have read and lived through, disputed. Some believe it is a chemical imbalance that requires medication and others believe that it is caused by a traumatic event. Heal the trauma and the anxiety goes away. All my life I was told I had a chemical imbalance but I knew in my soul that something caused it. I just didn't remember what it was and wouldn't remember for another 30 years. Once I did remember the trauma I worked on healing it which ended my anxiety and panic attacks and helped me heal the ED.
When I had anxiety I either binged or starved. It really depended on what I was anxious about. Taking Paxil did stop the anxiety but it did not cure the ED. Whenever I was stressed about anything I still turned to the ED to help me cope with the feelings. And all anxiety is...is feelings. It's fear. Fear that is trapped within us that leaks out every now and then in the form of anxiety or panic. And fear is hard to cope with so we turn to our coping mechanism, the ED, to help push that fear aside so we don't feel it any more. My point with all that I'm saying is, meds may help the anxiety but may not help the ED.