Question:
How long are the effects of this

I was told by my Dr.'s office to drink 10oz of Magnesium Citrate at 4pm today (Sunday)....my surgery is at 7:30am on Monday morning....I am wondering how long the effects of this are going to last...I will be making an hour and 1/2 trip to the hospital on Monday morning and I don't want any "surprises", as there are no bathroom facilities along the way...and since Oklahoma is known for it's "rattlesnake hunts", you can bet your sweet *&% I am not going to pull over along side the road!! lol So, I was wondering if it would hurt if I took this stuff, say, at around noonish instead of waiting until 4pm... I am on clear liquids until midnight, then NPO either way...just thought the extra 4 hours might turn out to be a blessing.. anybody have any ideas on this?? I could sure use some help here......thanx in advance!! Love & Light...Lisa    — medium (posted on November 17, 2002)

November 16, 2002
Actually, our surgeon has us doing a two-day clear liquid bowel prep before our RNY's. He has us doing the mag citrate early on day 1 and Dulcolax 4-5 hours after that. So, with that in mind, I think that you could take the mag citrate at noon or even a little earlier. It's not like you are going to be putting any solid food in your stomach after that. Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow...JR
   — John Rushton

November 17, 2002
Because I had to arrive at the hospital at 5:00 am and I wanted to get some sleep the night before, so I took mine at about 1:00 pm. The timing worked out perfectly.
   — Jennifer A.

November 17, 2002
I was to take mine at 6pm the day before surgery and my surgery was to be at 9am the next day. I had a 4 hour trip to the hospital so I stayed in a hotel the night before and took it at the prescribed time. It did not effect me that night. I was very worried the next morning on the way to the hospital, because....ummmm it had not taken effect. Due to scheduling issues my surgery was postponed till noon, thank god. I went back to the hotel to wait for my new surgery time and vwalla.....sooooooo, Im just saying it effects everyone differently.
   — RebeccaP

November 17, 2002
I was fine by morning. Just don't eat anything after you take it.
   — Linda A.

November 17, 2002
did the citrate for an GI once, and it took about 12 hours for it to "hit" me. Then after it started anything I ate, went right thru me. Good luck!
   — [Deactivated Member]