Question:
miralax...?
ok, so what is miralax? and is it safe to take daily? (accidently deleted all blogs on my profile, but had wls 4/24/6 and have to date lost 114# and have 58# to lose, it was lapro rny) anyways, of course i am stopped up all the time, and need something other than water, which does work, and i get it in every day, at LEAST 64oz. but i need something more, i got every 3-7 days and then am so sick by the time i need to go that for the entire day all i do is lay in bed and go have a BM. you wouldnt believe all that comes out! (sorry if this is too graphic) but i need something to make me go more often. so what is miralax, and is it safe, is it expensive? — squeekypete (posted on March 2, 2008)
March 2, 2008
I really think miralax is a very strong laxative. That is what they have
you use to prep for a colonoscopy. It used to be a prescription.
— Tawnda C.
March 2, 2008
Miralax is an over the counter laxative that up until recently, was
prescription. It is safe to use every day. The active ingredient is
Polyethylene Glycol 3350. It comes as a powder to be mixed in a few ounces
of liquid (I use crystal light). I just bought a 30 dose container at
Walmart for 18 bucks and change. It is also available in a seven dose
bottle, so you could try it to see if it is helpful. Be sure you read the
precautions on the label to be sure there isn't some reason you shouldn't
use it. This is what my doctor recommended I use. Good Luck!
— Shirley D.
March 2, 2008
Laxatives might give you a one time result for a long term problem. I am 4
yrs post op and have found a product that I now use "it" twice a
day. I tried everything and yes I would get relief but nothing made
"it" regular. Check out www.newyouhealthclub.com. All natural
and if you check out what the professionals say, click Dr. Titus Duncan.
He's a bariatric surgeon. I honestly have found phenomenal results with
these caspules. They also offer chewables. Let me know if you have any
questions.
— bariatricdivalatina
March 2, 2008
A daily regimine of stool softeners works well. I attend 3 bariatric
support groups monthly, and speak with dozens of post ops. Many are 5+
years out, and the vast majority of them take stool softeners daily. I take
2 each night and one each morning. I'm never constipated and go at least
once daily. Generic or brand name--either will work. Colace, Senakote, etc.
— Dave Chambers
March 2, 2008
Miralax IS NOT used as a prep for colonoscopies...I worked in endoscopy for
years...their preps are much harsher. You may want to try Milk of
Magnesia. I have irritable bowel syndrome and go back and forth and I am
very sensitive to laxatives. It comes as a chewable I believe and also as a
liquid. Best to check this with your surgeon's office however. If you rely
on Colace type stool softners you MUST drink extra water as they work by
pulling water to the bowels to soften the stool. Good luck to you.
— Gena L.
March 2, 2008
Miralax is safe to use everyday, even long-term. Costco sells it for about
$29.00 for 2-30 dose bottles. I'm using 2 doses of Miralax along with 3-4
Colace (OTC, too) everyday, results are not consistent or predicatable yet.
As with everything in 'our' world YMMV (your mileage may vary). I almost
6-3/
4 years post-op.
Blessings,
Anita
— ALF
March 2, 2008
Miralax IS used as a prep for a colonoscopy. My husband just had a
colonoscopy two weeks ago by a very reputable gastro at one of the top
hospitals in our city. The gastro prescribed Miralax as part of the prep
for the procedure.
— LauraLea
March 2, 2008
Hi Stephanie. Miralax is a crystal/powder type product that you take with
water or juice or some type of fluid. I use a half dose because a full
dose gives me stomach pain and gas. It is very safe, it is not a strong
laxative, but a gentle one. I use it when I have problems, and you should
try for daily BM, every 3 to 7 days is really hard on the body. It causes
more absorption, and the water you drink is not getting to your bowels for
some reason. Exercise also helps get the water there as well, but it has
to be regular exercise. It costs about $18 for a container that will
probably last you around a month. Once you get regular, you might want to
take it every other day instead of every day. I also eat raisins to help
keep my stool soft. Softners never worked for me either. But Miralax
does, and so does raisins. I am 4 years out, but have eaten raisins since
about 6 mos out. Hope it helps, give it a try. My mom is elderly and uses
it daily, it really works for her, and it does for me too. It will take
about 3 days for it to begin to work, but when I am stopped up for more
than 3 days and use the miralax, I also use an enema the first day to get
the bowels moving, and take some of the discomfort away. I don't use
Miralax every day because I try other stuff first, like raisins and fluids,
but after 3 days or so sometimes I have to help myself out. Most times for
me, I don't, but when I do, I begin with an enema, then miralax and
raisins. Hope this helps. Your body is asking for help, I hope you give
it. Take care. Patricia P.
— Patricia P
March 4, 2008
My surgeon suggested Fiber - one teaspoon of benefiber in each protein
drink. It is tasteless and non-thickening. Also walking every day will
help. My system moves food through slowly and water and exercise seem to
help the most. Dairy products seem to bind me up also so I limit them.
Keep your chin up. : )
— Bigwyfan1964
March 6, 2008
According to my GI, safe, daily, for life. It is not a clean out. The
person who introduced me to it back in 1999 was a pediatrician, so even
safe for infants! I am still able to get the generic by Rx, so I pay $20
for 6 BIG jugs. OTC is about the same for one big jug. But you can pay
about $8 for a small one to try. And I'll post how I finally solved my 11
yrs of constipation issue here:
I had chronic constipation for 11 years. I tried: more fiber, less fiber,
soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, no fiber, both fibers, stool softeners,
Smooth Moves & Correctol teas and Metamucil wafers, together, apart,
more water, less water, cut out anything but water (and protein), senna,
cascara sagrada, everything one could possibly try until I was basically
dependent on enemas for 3 yrs.
Miralax helped the stool be passable. It was rx and finally became
generic, so went from $80 for 3 months to $20 for 3 months. Now it is OTC,
but is about $8 for 5-6 servings. If you can get the rx, it is much
cheaper, safe, daily, for life, according to my GI doc.
The stool softeners are store brand equal to Colace, not PERI-colace.
Word was that magnesium citrate was such a great thing. This is pills, not
the green bottle, so I tried it and nothing happened, and so I kept
increasing it. What DID happen is that my foot and leg cramps ceased. So,
I kept doing that and tried magnesium oxide. This is small, cheap, found
anywhere, like drug stores. And finally, it worked. Mine are 500 mg and I
take 2.
My final formula:
1 serving MiraLax (rx)
4 stool softeners at night
1 mag ox with lunch, 1 with dinner
In the morning, hot beverage first thing on empty gut
This has worked for more than 2 yrs now.
— vitalady
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