Eating Disorders

» butterfly79 - Puzzled,,,,

I've been suffering from NES for the past 2 years without knowing what was actually happening to me. I've only recently realized that I have NES thanks to what I read on this site. I consulted a doctor and he seemed rather puzzled and surprised. He immediately prescribed an antidepressant called Lexapro, which I have now been taking for 3 days. I still feel the same as before or even slightly hungrier at night. I am also sleeping much less than before.... Can anyone please suggest whether I am on the right track or otherwise heading downhill?

-- posted by butterfly79

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» Lori Henry - Puzzled,,,,

In response to Puzzled,,,, posted by butterfly79:

I'm glad you found this site, butterfly79. Many Doctors aren't familiar with this type of eating behaviour and are not sure what to suggest. My philosophy is that I have to do a lot of the footwork if I want to get something done and in this case it is a good way to look at it. I would see a few Doctors if you can and try to get alternate advise than medication (ie. things you can do in your daily life, etc). Is there an eating disorder resource centre near you or a chapter of ANAD (www.anad.org)?

Let us know how things progress and hopefully others will share their experiences, too.

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» NightTerror - Lost

I am a recovering anorexic that has been been battling Night Eating Syndrome for probably about a year. It's ruining my life- I feel totally lost and hopeless. I'm not overweight, consequently people don't take me seriously when I express that I need help with this- and it's aggrivating.

The feelings of guilt and self hatred that come along with NES are overwhelming and are completely interfering with me living a normal life. I think the hardest part of trying to deal with this is the fact that I am also coming out of a pretty serious bout with Anorexia Nervousa- so this serves to make me feel even worse about eating than I already do.

I have tried taking St. John's Wort to see if maybe it would help with the depression and consequently alleviate some of the night eating- but to no avail. This problem branches out into and ruins so many areas of my life, especially school and relationships..I can't go on living like this- it's unbearable. I eat mostly bread and other starchy foods in the middle of the night- and this leaves me feeling bloated and swollen to the point that it's becoming a health issue. I swell up so much sometimes that I can't even wear my normal clothes- that's usually when worse stint with NES than usual. I attribute the swelling to digestive problems that I have from starving myself for so long; it's so uncomfortable and painful that when it is at it's worst I can think of nothing else. My mental and physical health are spiralling out of control and I am in serious need of help, but I don't know where to go. Regular eating disorder doctors don't seem to know much about NES- are there any support groups in the Tri-state area?

-- posted by NightTerror

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» Lori Henry - Lost

In response to Lost posted by NightTerror:

I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a hard time. Have you contacted ANAD in your area? You can do a search for groups in your area at www.anad.org.

Also, a great resource for finding specific therapists is ED Referral (www.edreferral.com). The woman who runs it is wonderful and has created this resource to help people find the specific treatment they need in their area.

Finding a professional that specializes in or knows about night eating disorder in depth will be a very helpful tool in helping to get through this. From your recovery from anorexia, I'm sure you know this, but it's frustrating that many professionals don't know much about it.

I recommend trying the 2 resources listed above, especially ED Referral. Let us know if you have any luck.

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» wanabphd88 - Help!!

I am an 18yr old female who is struggling with this disorder, NES. For some reason, I wake up after an hour of sleep and crave carbs like no other. I am conscious of what I'm doing but can't stop the urge. If anyone has any reccomendations of what to do to help this please let me know. It just started in August;I heard it is because of high stress or anxiety..???

-- posted by wanabphd88

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» Lori Henry - Help!!

In response to Help!! posted by wanabphd88:

Night Eating Syndrom is categorized as being stress-related and factors in your life that contribute to this are compounding the symptoms.

Although not very much research has been done on NES, scientists do seem to agree that stress-reduction techniques are helpful, as well as speaking to a Nutritionist about creating a meal plan that balances all of the foods that you need so that your body doesn't want to overload at night.

It might be worthwhile for you to see your Doctor for a full physical to see if there is anything physical that can be dealt with (ie. missing nutrients, etc.). There is also the option of being tested in a sleep laboratory, which some hospitals have, to see if they can give you some insight into your particular case.

It's difficult because so little is known about NES, but do go and speak to a Doctor and Nutritionist and see if they can help you.

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» crunch5678 - hello everyone

In response to Help!! posted by lorihenry:

first let me say i am veryy happy to have found this site..like most of you, i thought i was completely alone, and didnt recognize this as a syndrome affecting so many people.

i am 43 years old, a male, and a dentist in the u.s.

i have been at this for at lest 20 years...and have never slept thru the night...always getting up 2 or 3 times a night...springing to my feet just to devour food...god its so wierd.

all day i am in total control of my eating...probably eating less than 500 calories a day

i wake up faithfully @4 30 am and go to the gym

i dont have any weight issues because i am so in control during my waking hours

at night i consume over 1000 calories easy

i am just starting to focus my attention on this problem, and with the help of this forum maybe i can lick this NES thing

i ordered a book that hasnt arrived yet that claims to have the step by step solution to break this

i will post again when i read it and share any info i find

thanks and good luck to all of us

steve

-- posted by crunch5678

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» Lori Henry - hello everyone

In response to hello everyone posted by crunch5678:

I'm glad you found this site, too. Thanks for sharing your experience with Night Eating, as there are so many people who need to hear from others with the same behavior.

The thing that concerned me in your post, crunch5678, is the fact that you mention your total control of food during the day and the 500 calorie average.

That's extremely low and could very well be the reason you are craving food during the night. 500 calories a day is not enough to live on, so your body is begging for more.

Eating a well balanced diet is essential, but cutting back as much as you are is starvation.

What book have you ordered? I would be very happy to hear about what you thought and what things helped you.

In the meantime, try eating more during the day (still healthy, though) and see if that takes away the intensity of wanting to eat during the night.

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» crunch5678 - hello everyone

In response to hello everyone posted by lorihenry:

Hey Lori

i have to be honest with you,for so many years i felt my problem was a sleep disorder, doctor tried ambien, paxil...etc.....none of them touched the problem...i never associated the eating along with the disorder....i just figured i was a poor sleeper...so there was nothing else to do except eat...my wife and children sleep well..

so over the years weight slowly crept up on me.....i have tried eating 3 balanced meals during the day in hopes of not eating at night...but i would eat those 3 meals AND eat at night also....soooo...i packed on the pounds

the only way i have found to control my weight is to be careful during the day....that being said..i hope to gain confidance in my ability to control the night eating...and "let" myself start eating 3 meals a day again.http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...

thats the link for the book lori...

should arrive on saturday i hope

for me i think the issue is going to be locking up the goods overnight !!! LOL pathetic i know...but i know how i am wired

thanks for your response and i hope this thread becomes active

steve

-- posted by crunch5678

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» Lori Henry - hello everyone

In response to hello everyone posted by crunch5678:

Hmmmm, well, I would be very interested to hear what the author of the book recommends. Please do post with your thoughts when you have read it.

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