Is it harmful taking a laxative without having constipation?

Why would you want to take laxatives if you arent constipated? Only thing i can think of is you want to pass something quickly or you are using them to try and be regulare either way there are better things out there than laxatives. Bran is better and healthier for your colon. This question is weird but i hope our answers are helpful nonetheless Mike.

Mary is right.
The dangers of laxative abuse (taking laxatives when there is no constipation) include laxative dependency, cathartic colon, and electrolyte imbalance. Laxative dependency is when a person cannot stop taking laxatives without facing constipation as a withdrawal symptom. Cathartic colon is a syndrome of physical damage to the large intestine. An electrolyte imbalance is an unhealthy level of a minerals in the blood stream.

Even being constipated, if you take laxatives all the time, your body will become dependant on them. Not a good idea especially if you are not constipated. You are not having eating problems like bulimia are you?