Withholding Insulin for Weight Loss By Rosemary Black, Reviewed by QualityHealth’s Medical Advisory Board
“It’s most common in teenage girls who are very concerned about body image,” she says. “This allows them to eat as much as they want without gaining weight.”
The most immediate consequence of withholding insulin is a high blood sugar, explains Stuart Weiss, MD, an assistant clinical professor at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. “They feel very sick with all the symptoms hyperglycemia brings,” he says. “That’s the short term. One long term consequence is that they develop bad eating habits. They think they can eat a lot and they lose their ability to regulate food.”
Among the consequences facing someone who engages in this practice, McNally says, are dehydration, fatigue, as well as stunted growth and development in the teen years.
While diabulimia so far is not a recognized medical term, it’s a risky, worrisome practice for a diabetic. “It’s a pretty common phenomenon,” McNally says. And it’s important to note that it doesn’t just happen to young women. It can affect men, too, as well as women who might be trying to lose weight after having a baby.”
If you’re wondering whether your daughter or someone else in your life could be abusing insulin, here are the warning signs to watch for, McNally says:
- Chronically high blood sugar
- Being hungrier than usual
- A high hemoglobin A1C (if this suddenly becomes elevated, it’s a sign something may be going on, McNally says)
- Missed menstrual periods
- An unwillingness to go to the doctor for routine appointments
- Very low energy level.
And if you suspect that someone you know is trying to lose weight by abusing insulin, seek medical help. Not only are there short and long term health consequences, but not taking necessary insulin can be deadly.
Purposely withholding insulin shortens one’s lifespan, McNally says. “The death rate for diabetics is about three times higher for those who are abusing insulin,” she explains.
