Final answer:
Laxative abuse can lead to numerous health issues, with diarrhea being one of the most common due to the disruption of water reabsorption in the colon. It can also potentially cause abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, and even intestinal obstruction.
Step-by-step explanation:
Laxative abuse can lead to diarrhea, which is the expulsion of loose, watery stools more frequently than normal. When laxatives are used excessively, they can cause a variety of health issues including diarrhea, abdominal pain, and in severe cases, vomiting, nausea, and intestinal obstruction.
The colon, which normally reabsorbs water from fecal material, becomes irritated, leading to a failure to extract sufficient water, thus creating watery stools. Also, emesis, or vomiting, can be caused by various irritants affecting the digestive tract, such as bacteria and viruses leading to conditions like stomach flu.
It's important to note that if defecation is delayed due to laxative abuse, additional water can be absorbed, resulting in firmer feces and potentially leading to constipation.
However, laxative abuse typically causes the waste matter to move too quickly through the intestines, preventing adequate water absorption and causing diarrhea. This is because many laxatives work by stimulating the movement of food wastes through the large intestine.