Pica Eating Disorder is Not About Food

Dec 28, 2006 11:34 AM

katy :

I feel like i am going crazy, i cannot stop eating cigarrette butts. It has been going on for years. Of course I know the health risks it is a horrible compulsion that I cannot seem to stop. I would like to talk to some one else with this problem. I really am a pretty normal appearing person, hold a good job, have a great family. What is wrong with me??????????

Dec 28, 2006 6:42 PM

Lori Henry :

To start with, NOTHING is wrong with you! Although eating cigarette butts may not be very common behavior, that does not mean that many others have the same issue.

Have you ever spoken to a professional about this? Perhaps they could help you to figure out why you are behaving this way and, therefore, decrease it.

Finding someone who specializes in eating disorders is ideal, as they have probably dealt with Pica-like symptoms before. Let me know how it goes.

Nov 8, 2008 10:05 AM

Guest :

Can eating cornstarch be harmful to you, even if you don't comsume alot? Also, I have a craving for powdery substances, but I don't think it's because I have a vitamin deficiency; can I eat something powdery and it not be harmful to me?

Nov 30, 2008 4:37 PM

Guest :

HI I DONT KNOW WHAT WORNG WITH ME. I SEEN THE TYRA SHOW SHOW SOME MONTHS AGO AND I COLUDN'T BELIEVE IT. THERE WAS WOMEN WHO ATE FLOUR LIKE ME. i AM 18 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE BEEN EATING FLOUR SINCE I WAS 12 OR 13 I THINK. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT STARTED BUT ONE DAY I JUST FEEL LIKE EATING IT. I KNEW IT WASN'T NORMAL BUT I DIDN'T THINK I HAD A DISORDER. I DID RESEARCH AND I REALLY THINK I HAVE THIS. THERE NOTHING WRONG WITH ME, IT NOT MENTAL AS I HAVE READ. I DO HAVE ONE SYMPTOM I A HAVE IRON DEFICIENCY. I READ ALOT OF WHAT PEOPLE SAY AND I CAN RELATE TO A LOT OF PEOPLE COMMENTS. I DON'T EAT NON FOOD ITEMS BUT I DO EAT FLOUR WHICH IS ONE OF THE THINGS IN THE INGREDIENT SECTION. MY FAMILY FOUND OUT ABOUT IT A FEW YEARS BACK. THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT IT MUCH BUT WHEN THEY FIRST FOUND OUT THEY SAID SOMTHING WAS WORNG WITH ME I SAID IT WASN'T. KNOW THAT I GOT THIS INFO AM AFRIAD TO GO TO MOTHER FOR HELP BECAUSE I KNOW SHE DOES UNDERSTAND IT OR HAVE EVERY HEARD OF IT AND WILL THINK I AM CRAZY.

Jan 21, 2009 10:37 AM

Guest :

I started eating paper when I was pregnant then once I had my baby I stop, and for the past year I started buying copy paper and eating it.

Feb 16, 2009 12:28 PM

Guest :

i have had pica for some time now and i dnt knw what to do because i cant stop i am 18 and started when i was 6 ..
ive eaten everything thats weird chalk,clay,ice,burnt matches,paper and pencil it starts then stops for 6months straight or so i dont know i personally think alot of what i am obsessed with eating has got to do with bad experience in my life and in those moment i turned to eating strange ..everytime i feel bad its what i do

Mar 11, 2009 3:54 PM

Guest :

Hello, none of you are crazy! I used to eat a pack and a half of cigarette ashes a day. I went to a Hematologist and found out that I was severely anemic. I started getting iron infusions once a month and the Pica went away. Literally, the urge that I could not fight if I tried just slowly started to subside. I even threw away my old cigarette butts I was saving to eat. My iron got low because I missed a few sessions and low and behold next thing you know I'm looking at my cigarette to eat. I started my treatments again and it went away again. I know is some people Pica is a psych issue, but I know SO MANY people who I know are low in iron that have some form of this disease. Please check with a doctor if you are able and have them check you hemoglobin level.

Mar 12, 2009 8:06 PM

Guest :

I am just drawing the conclusion that I have got to have a problem. I do not smoke, but I found myself eating a cigarette today. People have always noticed that I consume large amounts of ice. I also, periodically, crave coffee beans and ground coffee, even though I am not a real coffee drinker. There are other things like Listerine and Hall's regular cough drops. Really anything with menthol and eucalyptus. I have suffered from severely low iron in the past, but would that trigger such a brosd range of cravings? These items do not seem to have any connection.

Mar 13, 2009 10:28 PM

Guest :

Um, well... since I've been about 4 years old I've always had this infatuation with powdered laundry detergent. I want to eat it all the time, I even run my fingers through it. I get all shivery and excited because to me the texture is just amazing. I eat cornstarch, flour, and I constantly get cravings for ash, chalk powder, and fine sand, especially if the sand looks hot! I usually don't go telling people but my mom has told me that I probably have Pica... so I'm guessing that's why I do this.

Mar 22, 2009 11:18 AM

Guest :

I've struggled with the shame of Pica for many years. It started when I'd go to the basement of my workplace, it had a musty smell that I liked and one day I was overcome by the desire to eat the finishing cement from the walls. I ate the finishing cement off the walls, and would find any excuse to go downstairs to do this. Then I started mixing cement at home. As you might imagine this caused some very painful problems so I stopped, but the desire has never gone away. I like to eat ice, snow, cigarette ash, kaolin clay. It's shameful, and I feel crazy for doing it, but I cant seem to stop myself. I've gone to 2 family physicians and admitted my problem, but they either didnt believe me or didnt know what to do, so they both just ignored it. I discovered I'm anemic, but Iron supplements make me ill. Funny eh? I'm fine with ash and dirt, but iron supplements make me ill! I frequently try to stop, and I'll be successful for a few days or even a couple weeks, but then I just have to eat some clay! I'm normal in every other way...but I'd be mortified if people found out.

Mar 27, 2009 12:18 PM

Guest :

hello. i have read all your comments and i have a 12yr.old daughter with a pica disorder. she "chews" foam, from where ever she can get it. couch,chairs,toilet seat,mattress and stuffed animals. when i say "chew" meaning she does not swallow it. she says she just has to do this and cant stop,like a compulsive behavior. i have tried everything to get her to stop. nothing works.please help. if anyone out there with any support and ideas to help us,please contact me at: jt11racin@yahoo.com
thank you.

Apr 17, 2009 7:31 AM

Guest :

since the past 2-3 years i have been eating cement from the walls in my house oddly i just cannot stop doing it. my parents found out because there were lyk holes all over the house. its just the musty smell of it that i love and the texture too. i researched this and came across the term pica, i consulted my doctor and he suggested i had a blood test you guys shud try it too just to make sure !!!!

Apr 21, 2009 10:16 AM

Guest :

Every morning since i was about 5 i have been waking up wanting to eat dust balls from my moms bathroom. I like how it feels in my hands and in my mouth when its fresh and dry. I need help, i have a problem. Please i want to be able to be thought of as normal and and not have a crusty mouth.

Apr 23, 2009 1:51 PM

Guest :

I am a person who knows what you are going through. I have been eating cigarette ashes for over 14plus years. It do seems like you can't stop. I even ask my doctor about it and she have no clue to what the problem is. All I can say is pray and when I found out more we both can help each other. But, I want you to know you are not alone. There's others that just don't want to admit there problem.

Apr 25, 2009 2:23 PM

Guest :

I'm 16, and I've been eating couch foam from anywhere I can obtain it.. I am in need of help.. I have recently stopped because I have totally ran out of it in my home.. and it feels like an addiction and I need it.. :( help!

May 1, 2009 8:04 PM

Guest :

i think i seriously need help. im sixteen and ive been eating toilet paper since the seventh grade.i do have a lack of iron in my blood. but im scared to tell my mom that i eat it, but ive tried to stop but it never works.

May 15, 2009 12:30 PM

Guest :

i have been eating laundry powder in small quantities for a good few years.
i am anemic and have low iron levels, so this must be why i have pica. i'm so glad to find out it's an actual disorder and i'm not crazy. it worries me terribly however about the effect on my body it will be to consume washing powder. :(

May 17, 2009 7:05 PM

Guest :

sandra
My crave for eating bath soaps started 11 years ago.
I need help. Right throughout the day I just keep biting little chunks
of soap. Right now my mouth is watering for a bite.
I fear that it will affect my health. I need help to stop!

May 17, 2009 10:55 PM

Guest :

Im Currently Pregnant & i cant stop eating toilet paper,obviously not dirty toilet paper but the clean kind. I can even taste the chalk in it sometimes. I have been taking iron pills,(found out im anemic) & pills that are recommended by my doc- but i still want to eat paper :(
I feel like im addicted & im scared it could be harmful to my baby!
Im trying really hard to not give into my desire for paper! Its really weird. Wish Me Luck !!!

Jun 11, 2009 7:35 PM

Guest :

I have been eating Toilet paper since for a long time I guess you can say I hate eating thick tissue. Is it bad for my health? Does It make me lose weight?

Jun 16, 2009 9:33 AM

Guest :

hey can any one tell me how eating cigerret ashes can affeect you? ive been eating them for years but nothing happens to me. i need help i try to give up but i cant!!!

Jun 17, 2009 7:52 AM

Guest :

Hello There, Is This What It Really Is??? Ive do feel mad, I have eaten washing powder for 3 years now, it started by craving the smell when I was pregnant and I'd pour cup fulls into the box and smell it on the way passed my nose, Then I wanted to smell it longer so I'd wash (smother) my hands with it,(even after I had my child, I still craved it) then it got worse, when the washing powder was wet, I didn't want to waste it so I'd scrape it into another laundry powder cup and lick tiny bits. Then it got worst again Once it was in the cup I'd hide it away, wait until it was quite a solid rock then crush it into little chunks and eat them, It got to the point where'd I'd have a cup full of dry powder and a cup full of damp powder, my refill... I'd eat at least a laundry cup full of powder a week... I really indeed thought I was mad but some how convinced myself I needed it for the sodium or salt??? I don't know why, I don't know why I ate it either, This Was Until; My Lungs Collapsed!!! Indeed!!! I had cysts on both of my lungs and now have asthma, where None of these are common in my back ground, neither is munching on washing powder, I know... But that's what you get aye... So Be Careful what you munch on.... PS: I'm still craving the washing powder (SURF-TROPICAL,Mmmm.Damn It) but I know its not worth lung surgery again... Xx PPS: I DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHY I DID THIS... I do have Anemia!!!

Jul 9, 2009 9:02 PM

Guest :

WELL YU GUYS ARE NOT ALONE I BEEM EATING TOLIET PAPER SINCE I WAS IN THE TH GRADE AND I WAS LIKE 13 AND I STILL EAT IT TO THIS DAYAND I AM NOW 18 YEARS OLD I WONT TO STOP BT I CANT I PRAY EVERY DAY TO ASK GOD TO HELP ME BUT IT DONT SEEM TO WORK I HOPE AND PRAY THAT IT GOES AWAY ONE DAY AND THAT DAY IZ GOING TO BE THE EST DAY OF MY LIFE SO YU GUYS ARE NOT ALONE BELIVE ME I HATE EATING IT BUT ITS GOOD TO ME!!

Jul 29, 2009 11:27 PM

Guest :

I been eating toilet paper since i turned 16 i think. Im 22 now, and i get worried this will affect my health. I guess my system got used to eat this already, but sometimes im scared im going to chocke...sometimes i get bad stomach pains...BUT I cant stop...i try but im so addicted to it... How can i fix this? How can i stop from doing this... can somebody help?

Aug 13, 2009 5:16 PM

Guest :

i dont know if i have a problem but i really like to eat paper all the time. and not only that, but i do eat coffee grounds and beans and oh boy a whole lot of ice. I also like to chew on plastic, i dont usually swallow it, but sometimes i do. I never knew there was a condition like this.

Aug 13, 2009 8:39 PM

Guest :

Just add me to the list, I found out about pica maybe 10 yaers ago from a doctor but like everyone else has said no cure.
My craving has been for cig ashes,but as I did a invintory of my pastI see where its presents has been all my life.At about 8 to ten it was nestle quick the grainy texure,folgers instant coffee at age 11,fourteen was crushed ice,then pot ashes out of the pipe,no longer use street drugs sober ten years but I smoke about a pack a day and eat the ashes too they are better if hard and crunchy,the staller the cig the better,I find myself hiding ash trays waiting for every one one to go to bed so I can eat alone it is obssesive once I start I need to countinue.I get very pertective over my ash trays no one can put anything in them.I have related my feeling and actions to that of a active drug addict,I save the cig butts to reroll for they perduce a cruncher ash,in the car I will drive around the long way to countine to partake ,it taks time away from my children,I become self center and unavailable to them in a way if they need me at night i will direct them to go back to bed if they want to spend time with me I will tell them no this is my time or turn off the lights and hudle in the corner of the couch while we watch a movie with a coushion separating me from their full veiw my children are 8 an 10 the amazing thing is right now I havnt eaten any the hole time I have been typing but my mind says its tempoary I get to it in a minute .
I do want to share also that I had iron fuion at one time and the cravings went away no thought about doing it any more, I also have no idea what the damage it is dong to my body ,my teeth though are starting to wear down and break and are very sharp,It is imbarrasing ,I have had ptsd for many many years and the action is quit satisfing,I smoke to eat them,I have tried to get the chantex for a long time now thinking I will quit smoking this will help,medicade wont give it to me I'm 37 this habit and all the disfuntions and hiding carring the ash trays etc. has been going on now for @19 years.

Aug 17, 2009 6:02 PM

Guest :

hi, i'm not sure if i have Pica or anything but i'm 15 almost 16 and i eat toilet paper and paper towels a lot. I have tried to cut down but i seem to find myself always going to get toilet paper and i eat a lot of it like almost a roll a day. i have tried to ease my mom into the fact that i think i have a problem and when i brought up Pica she told me that people with that are mentally ill which kind of made her a person i didn't really want to talk about it with. i dont know who else to turn to so i decided to past a comment looking for help. How do i bring this about to my mom or dad? I dont want them to think i am crazy.

Aug 19, 2009 9:14 AM

Guest :

I used to be a serious pican. I ate starch, ice, flour, baby powder. even though I had been diagnosed as having iron defiency anemia and was taking iron pills, i could not resist the draw of starch. i continued to eat it. The anemia got so bad that I had to have two blood transfusions because I only had half the amount of blood that was needed in my body. In 2002 when I went to see my gyn he told me I had large fibroid tumors in my uterus and i would need a hysterectomy. After the surgery he told me the reason why i was so anemic was because the tumors were growing off my blood supply.The cravings disappeared after the surgery and I have been pica free ever since. I started a group on Yahoo called the PICA SUPPORT GROUP.Its purpose is similar to this site, to educate people about pica and to give support and encouragement to people who wish to become pica free. It is possible and I'm not saying you would need surgery. That was just my experience. But sometimes the solution is as easy as taking a pill. But you must talk to your doctor first to make sure of what is causing the pica.If you would like more info on the group or to be sent an invitation to join,please email me at jata2001@yahoo.com.

Aug 26, 2009 11:51 AM

Guest :

I began with eating paper at the age of 10 and thought it was normal first but when I realised its not I hid it from everyone. Then by the age of 15 i started eating thread. I stared tearing off jeans and clothes to eat the thread from it. At the age of 16 I satrted eating ice and still havenot stopped but since I've come to college I have another thing i crave .ie. the wool off my quilt. I am anemic and lack iron. What do I do?

Sep 2, 2009 4:05 PM

Guest :

Wow there are a lot of us with Pica! I am pregnant with my second child. I have eaten Chalk with both pregnancy's and my dr said that as long as i keep eating other foods its OK. I have ALWAYS craved chalk. There are certain smells that make me crave it more. I first ate chalk when i was in the 1st grade. Then because i was told that it was bad i didn't do it again for YEARS!!!!!!!! There isn't a cure besides getting the minerals and nutrients that your body is craving some other way. My advice to anyone who is having "unusual" cravings is to talk to your primary care doctor, and if they are CLUELESS, look up pica on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_%28disorder%29 take the information that you find there to your doctor and see if there is anyway that they can help you find a substitute for your craving.

Oct 3, 2009 1:14 AM

Guest :

hi im 20 years old and since the age of 12 i have been obsessed with foam. at first i would just chew on the foam i got from the couchs but now for the past 4 years i have been chewing it and swallowing it. it like im addicted to it i tryed to stop many times but it never works i dont know if there are health risk and im afraid to tell me docter because it just makes me feel crazy most of my friends know about it and my sister. my sister told me about picas disorder and i think i might have it i dont know what to do please help. it anyone has any information please email me at missy_me_509@yahoo.com

Oct 5, 2009 9:09 AM

Guest :

hello i also smell washig powder it started out when i wuz 14 or 15 and it wuz xtra liquid detergent then it stated out with gain and other smelling good products i still have the addiction n i really want to stop

Oct 26, 2009 11:53 PM

Guest :

Hi everyone umm im 18 years old...not quite sure if i have pica or not but i love ice...i simply cant get enough of it i have stopped eating it but i really want it all the time...i also eat pencils...umm and paper and pens not the ink just the plastic...oh and i also like the popcorn kernals that arent popped i really like plastic...and also i used to chew on anything that was wood and had paint on it..i wouldnt swallow it but i still needed to chew on it..dont know y...tho i have never ate tiolet paper or cigarette ashes however im addicted to the smell of cigarette smoke

plz add me on yahoo im my email is msthng4664@yahoo.com

Oct 31, 2009 4:04 AM

Guest :

I have been eating washing powder for two years now, I can't get enough of it even when i'm doing the laundry i end up opening the drawer and scooping all the damp powder out hmm. i really want to stop but i can't resist the smell, texture the look of it. need a scoop now!