colonoscopy prep question and taking my other meds

The prep you describe does sound like a lot of liquid to consume. I've never been advised to do that. Is there an easier prep your doctor could suggest?

There are two that I think would be easier -- 1) the pills. You take a ton of pills with a lot of liquid but at least they don't taste bad. 2) The Fleet phososoda solution that you mix with 8 ounces of beverage. I think you do this only twice within about 18 hours. It tastes horrific but it's not so bad if you mix it with something strong tasting.

I was surprised to read "gatorade" in your post. Normally, you're supposed to avoid anything with artificial colors before a colonoscopy. I assume that the instructions advise you to choose a flavor that doesn't have red or orange color?

Maybe someone else knows why doctors advise their patients to do all kinds of different preps. It seems like the easiest and gentlest one should be the standard.

Can you talk to your doctor or a nurse in the office to get some advice and express your concerns? There should be someone on-call over the weekend if you call and say it's important.

Okiemom, I used Miralax for my prep last month. Tip: drink the mixture through a straw. You can suck it right into the back part of your mouth, past your taste buds so it's easier to take. This works will for any liquid you don't care for the taste of.

My prep was clear liquids the day before, some Dulcolax tabs in the afternoon and the miralax cocktail starting at 5 PM. I drank it all in the recommended time, and had real issues with urgency and incontinence, plus I threw up a couple of times after the other end dried up. Next time, I'd move the whole prep back a couple of hours and drink the "cocktail" more slowly, as I felt and my doctor agreed, that the problems were from drinking it too fast.

The mag citrate does sound like a bit of overkill, and I think it's the nastiest thing I've ever taken for a prep. No, it isn't milk of magnesia. It's a bottle of a clear liquid. The taste is a bit like over-carbonated, slightly salty 7-up. But for me, it burns like fire coming out the other end. I'll do any prep before I drink that stuff again.

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Judy