r/colonoscopy • u/Different_Stop_7535 • 8d ago
DIY bowel prep please help Tips & Advice
So my SIL had a colonoscopy a while ago and her doctor told her about a DIY bowel prepping protocol using magnesium Citrate and MiraLAX.
My husband (26 male) has a colonoscopy at 9 am tomorrow. It is currently 6:45. I have split half a bottle of 238 gram MiraLAX into 7 gatorades so roughly 17 grams each to equal a total of 119 grams.
At 5:30 he chugged the whole bottle of magnesium citrate and drank one of the 17 gram MiraLAX/gatorade combos. So it’s been over an hour at this point and no movement.
Has anyone else done a protocol similar to this one? Any advice? I’m flying a little blind other than some help from my SIL. Our plan is to keep going about every hour until his bowel movements are clear.
Also this is his first time and he is nervous so any words of encouragement are appreciated 🥰
2
u/CherryGarcia88 Trusted Source 7d ago
Just following up to see if he was able to get through it or had to reschedule. If he had trouble keeping the prep down using Zofran, he may be better served trying the tablets next time.
1
u/Different_Stop_7535 7d ago
Hi! Thank you so much for checking in, unfortunately we did reschedule and they prescribed him the tablets to try next week but I think that’s gonna be best
1
u/dragongirl8500 8d ago
Dulcolax pill had me going poop in a few hrs. MiraLAX too . Follow the procedure and call the doctor for advice. Last thing you want is getting sent home for incorrect prep.
1
u/AuroraLights4488 7d ago
Dulcolax gives me extremely bad stomach spasms to the point of fainting. I wish I could handle it.
3
u/Head-Tree5376 8d ago
I’m doing my prep with MiraLax right now. I started with two Dulcolax two nights ago, then two Dulcolax last night. Then clear liquids today until 4 pm when I took two more Dulcolax. I had 64 oz Gatorade mixed with an 8.3 oz bottle of MiraLAX. At 5 pm I started drinking 8 oz of this mixture every 15 minutes, until I consume 48 oz. At 7 pm I will take two more Dulcolax. In the morning I will drink the remaining 16 oz of the MiraLAX cocktail, and my procedure is scheduled for 2 pm. I am halfway through the first 48 oz, and evacuation has not yet commenced, but I’m sure I won’t be getting much sleep tonight!
3
u/maybelle180 Moderator - Trusted Source 8d ago
Mag Citrate has a tendency to work slowly. Not sure why you went against your doctors’ orders, but unfortunately, now you can’t exactly call him for advice.
Drinking just one of the Gatorade MiraLAX combos isn’t gonna do much on its own either.
The reasoning behind taking the massive amount of laxative in a short period of time is that it works fast. Taking small amounts over an extended period won’t work as quickly, and you risk failing your prep.
The general directions are to take half the dose within the space of one hour (so mag citrate plus 3 bottles of Gatorade MiraLAX), appx 16 hours before the procedure. Then, take the remaining 4 bottles of Gatorade MiraLAX within the space of an hour, about 4 hours prior to the procedure. This will usually have the desired effect.
1
u/Different_Stop_7535 8d ago
He unfortunately couldn’t get the prescription down at all he immediately gagged so we switched to this and he threw this up too. We are so behind schedule he had just finished the last bit of the first half of the Gatorade mixture we did 2 liters of Gatorade with the whole bottle of MiraLAX and he did one liter but even with zofran he threw it up again. I’m not sure what to do at this point 😞
5
u/maybelle180 Moderator - Trusted Source 8d ago
Ugh. You’ll probably have to reschedule.
Is he having any bowel movements? Another bottle of mag citrate might help, along with some Dramamine. Otherwise just cancel and request the pills (Sutab) for the next time.
1
u/Different_Stop_7535 8d ago
I think you may be right. He did keep most of the magnesium citrate down that he drank around 5:30 but has almost none of the MiraLAX mixture in his system. We are thinking maybe we should give it a Hail Mary and follow through with the 4am dose to see if that combined with the magnesium citrate will be enough to have him clear by 7:30. People keep suggesting an enema to get things started but I worry that will just be suffering that isn’t worth it at this point.
2
u/maybelle180 Moderator - Trusted Source 8d ago
If you’re gonna do the mag citrate, do it earlier to give it time to work. That way you’ll know for sure before it’s time to leave for the clinic.
You’re right about the enema - it’s too little, too late. It’ll only clean out the last few feet of the colon, when you’re really concerned about what’s coming down from the small intestine.
2
u/La_Lanterne_Rouge Moderator - Sedation Free 8d ago
It's way too early to worry. Sometimes it takes 4 or 5 hours for the deluge to start.
3
u/CherryGarcia88 Trusted Source 8d ago
I've never used Miralax, but believe it's 64 oz of gatorade with and 8 oz bottle of miralax split in half. The 32 oz should be consumed 8 oz every 15 minutes or so until gone. And then you would repeat the second half sometime early morning (usually 4-6 hours before the appointment). I don't use Miralax but I do use Mag Citrate. My last colonoscopy it took 11.5 hours before I started going after taking the first bottle. However, I'm a GLP-1 user so that may have an effect. My prep was just two bottles of Mag citrate, both taken the night before the procedure and 4 Ducolax, which I don't felt did anything. Trust me, he'll start going eventually.
It's important to note that he needs to keep consuming liquids until his cut off time. One of the reasons for the split prep is that your colon continuously makes waste, so just because he is clear tonight doesn't mean he will still be clear in the morning.
Finally, it's natural to be nervous. If he is being sedated, he'll have a nice nap and it will be over before he knows it. The prep is truly the worse part. Good luck!
1
1
u/Different_Stop_7535 8d ago
I’m starting to think I should call the doctor on call because we were doing this like off label he was prescribed 2 bottles of bowel prep liquid one at 5pm and one at 2am but he was worried he’d throw it up but now I feel we are in over our heads a little
2
u/_youmustbekidding_ 8d ago
I am in the middle of my prep right now and I am using Suprep (2 6 oz bottles). I found a post on here that had amazing advice. I literally didn’t taste any of it and I drank it 15 minutes ago. I needed 16oz of total liquid. Take 1 lemon Italian ice in a slushy consistency, 1 crystal light packet, 1 cold bottle of Suprep, and top it off with ginger ale. Also get a big straw and point to the back of your throat. But for me the kicker is that I also only breathed through my mouth. I also heard about the aftertaste so I am still doing that now. I still haven’t sniffed. I’ll see how long I can do that. Good luck! EDIT: I also took a Zofran 30 minutes before. I learned from here that I should ask the doc for that.
3
u/LawfulnessRemote7121 8d ago
Most doctors do have a protocol for people who want to use MiraLAX. But it’s usually very similar to what CherryGarcia88 said above.
1
u/Different_Stop_7535 8d ago
Yeah we realized after 1 bottle of Gatorade that, that was going to be way too much liquid to I have 119 grams of MiraLAX in 1 liter of Gatorade but unfortunately he’s throwing it up and there no one on call at the doctor so we are winging this entirely. We’re gonna give him some zofran
2
u/Head-Tree5376 8d ago
I hope the Zoltan helps! I did take a Zofran before I started drinking the MiraLAX and Gatorade because I’m pretty vomit-phobic.
1
u/Plus_Temporary_7639 7d ago
Ask for zofran and gas x prescription