Which prep is easier for colonoscopy

To improve visibility of the polyps, cut back on high-fiber foods days before your colonoscopy. Although it may be tempting to eat a lot before you go through your colonoscopy prep, you may benefit from eating smaller meals a day or two beforehand. Taking this approach may help you empty your bowels more easily and make the prep more comfortable.

Find the right prep for you. Colonoscopy preps come in a variety of forms, flavors and liquid volumes, so you should work with your doctor to find the right prep for you. Or, if cost is an issue, your doctor can recommend an over-the-counter prep that costs significantly less than a prescription prep.

If you have other health conditions, your doctor will consider those when making a recommendation. Chill it, flavor it and drink it through a straw.

Drinking through a straw also may help. If your prep is unflavored, you can add Crystal Light, Kool-Aid powder or mix it with water and lemon. However, stick with lemon, lime and orange flavors and avoid liquids with red or purple dye as they can interfere with colonoscopy results. After you drink your prep, you can wash it down with another clear liquid or suck on a lemon or hard candy to get rid of any aftertaste. Stay close to the bathroom.

Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing and make sure you have things to help you pass the time such as books, magazines, a tablet with your favorite movies or apps or a crossword puzzle. Share your concerns with your doctor. If you have any questions or concerns about your prep, share them with your doctor. In addition to discussing how a proper prep can help you to get the most benefit from your colonoscopy, your doctor can help you feel less anxious about the whole process.

He or she will prescribe another prep that is more likely to be successful. If you have trouble getting the prep down, antinausea medications may help. Cheney says that taking ondansetron Zofran an hour before the first laxative dose and every six to eight hours during the process is effective for most people. The days of downing a gallon of laxative in one dose are gone. The newer preps are often lower in volume and divided into two doses, the first taken the night before and the second six hours prior to your procedure.

A few examples are listed below. Prep: Sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate, and magnesium sulfate Suprep. How to take it: Two ounce doses, each followed by a quart of water.

Prep: Sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, and citric acid Prepopik. How to take it: Two 5-ounce doses, the first followed by five 8-ounce servings of clear liquid; the second followed by three 8-ounce servings of clear liquid. Prep: Polyethylene glycol, sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium ascorbate, and ascorbic acid Moviprep.

How to take it: Two 1-liter doses, each followed by clear liquids as directed. Prep: Magnesium citrate many over-the-counter brands. How to take it: Two ounce doses. Some doctors add the laxative bisacodyl Dulcolax.

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Recent Blog Articles. Health news headlines can be deceiving. I had a breast reduction 3 yrs ago and did ok with it but I still fear it. Just wondering how it all went for you last year, Jody. Any advice? The cleanse I used 9 months ago did not completely clean me out.

I am having a repeat tomorrow. I am on clear liquids today and tomorrow, start prep tomorrow at 4pm, then finish the prep at 10pm with procedure at 7am. The doctor told me to use magnesium citrate tonight though. I have the 10 oz bottle. Do I drink this all at once? Can I drink gatorade after? The diet is only for one day of your life! Should be a no brainer!

Have a history of colon cancer in my family so my PCP suggested I get one asap. Endured significant anxiety in the days leading up to the procedure. Needless to say it was completely painless. Got myself all worked up for nothing. As far as the prep goes, my doctor prescribed Prepopik. It was an orange flavored powder that you mix with 5oz of cold water.

Follow that up with five 8oz cups of water that you drink at your own pace over the next few hours. It taste nasty. Stop with that. They treat you with respect.

Thank you for the insight. This has put my mind at ease. My mom is prepping for colonoscopy tomorrow. She drank half the laxative ending around 6pm. So far she is only voiding water not diarrhea. Does that sound normal? Everything I read says prepare for massive diarrhea voiding. Thank you. Thank you for the suggestion. It sounds most helpful. My husband went for an emergency appendectomy which was supposed to be an outpatient procedure, and ended up staying 9 days in the hospital because they had to remove about 4 inches of his colon.

It was cancer. I have an appointment Tuesday, and this site has been helpful in finding out what to expect. Years ago, my cousin had one and was traumatized so much that I chickened out.

First time for everything, I guess. I work in a colonoscopy department and I say this with concern for you. Please see someone for your irrational thoughts of being assaulted with a colonoscope.

You are right about people dying from the anesthetic and unknown health conditions…but the team of Drs and nurses do not assault people! But they can also become somewhat desensitized to procedures such as colonoscopy that they routinely perform. Comes with the territory and allows them to perform their work efficiently.

If the procedure is done with their full consent, without undue pressure and with them having a clear understanding of the benefits, side effects and potential risks, the patient will be less likely to perceive the process as an assault. Try taking a handful of antibiotic before a twice yearly dental exam. A precaution I must take because of my having had hip replacement a couple of years ago. The SuPrep I took last time, not very diligently, did not work.

I have a bidet, and believe me, this has made this Pre-process amazingly comfortable. I just realized on the day before I woiuld need to avoid any solid foods and to stick with a clear liquid diet.

Polyp growth on almost every one of them. Great process for preventing colon cancer. The process is no big deal. But the prep sucks. I have such a hard time drinking that Miralax concoction. Nausea, bloating, I end up with a few dry heaves. But eventually, the action kicks in, and I wear out the floor enroute to the library. When the inspection is complete, the nurse brings some crackers and coffee. In the first one discovered the cancer,2weeks later I had surgery then chemo which left me with neuropathy, no balance,I walk like a drunken duck!

A nurse advised keeping the prep in the fridge in a large jug. Ipour it glass ,put cling film over it ,make a hole and drink it through a straw! Still not nice but I can drink it! Thanks for the tips! At age 54, I am getting my first coloscopy this week. I have a family history of cancer, but those who suffered from it also suffered from stomach problems forever before they were screened and diagnosed.

One thing I noticed is that everyone I know who has had a colonoscopy tells horror stories about the prep and sometimes the procedure. Jane, I am actually having a hard time sleeping I am so upset about this. I am not a weak, fragile female. My husband is confused as to why I am so traumatized by the thought of doing this test because he knows how strong I am. But I have zero trust in the medical profession. I went to the hospital in April with chest pains and spent 3 days there getting a heart scan and heart cath all because of an incompetent doctor who gave a false positive on a stress test.

They must not have been making budget and needed to shove through some more expensive tests. Doctors act like a colonoscopy is no big deal but they are wrong. Anytime you introduce foreign objects into your body you risk infection and injury.

Thousands of people die or are injured by this test every year — I have read stats as high as one in every thousand people die — I made a deal with my doctor. I will let her do these tests this one time but when they come back clean she is not to ask again in 10 years. And no men in the room. Bad enough I have to be unclothed and unconscious. To Danielle Burgess — the alternative tests you suggest would not replace a visual examination.

I have a colonoscopy scheduled for Jan 11 and I am scared and angry about it. I HATE giving up control of my body to a doctor. They tell me the colonoscopy is a great cancer screening tool and then present me with a list of cancer causing pseudo foods to poison myself with two days prior. She suggested gatoraide which is just another version of koolaid. Why are they so beholden to big pharma that cares nothing for health and sees only profit in keeping us sick?

I also agree that it is absurd to advise ingesting toxic substances as part of this procedure. Guess that means no colonoscopy for me. It is also not that minor a procedure. I am midst of trying to get the movie prep down. It makes me gag even tho dr gave me phenegren. But BM have already started and I am behind on drinking the prep. I wonder if I even need it all. I ate very light for 2 days before. I just had my colonoscopy and it was seamless…. I ate lightly 2 days going into the prep, lowered my calories..

I did a leading dose of bisacodyl at pm, the day before the procedure. It worked, I was not happy getting up at night to go potty, but I was totally cleaned out by the procedure.. I got good new, an all clean, she removed on small polyp and I was completely knocked out. I want some of the that drug to take home!! I am so relieved, colon cancer runs in my family and with a mother and sister having it, I want to be sure nothing bad is lurking in my body. My doctor said to use Miramax gm in gatorade 64 oz.

So much better than that nasty prep I had years ago. I am 25 and having my first colonoscopy. Thanks so much for the tips! Here is what helped me with the gallon of drink.

DO NOT put flavoring in mix. Instead pour it in your glass and mix in Crystal light Lemonade until you like the taste, easy to drink. Between drinks, suck on a banana popsicle. These were tips given to my by the nurse in the office from what she has collected for patients—trust me, makes a big difference.

Thank you so much for all your tips. Am having my second colonoscopy this pm. Am concerned, because they removed several polyps last time, and one was pre-cancerous and embedded in colon wall.

The thing that helps me not get sore is that I apply a generous amount of butt paste for babies before I start to drink the liquid.

I do not recommend magnesium citrate at all the sparkling laxative! It is not safe for those with renal issues and can mess up your electrolytes. It is an old medication rarely used any more for those reasons. It is not recommended by the medical profession. If your MD recommends it, get a new doctor. Barbara, RN. I am to have my colonoscopy done on Friday. This will be my fourth one. The prep drink is awful because I start to vomit sooooo Between the required glasses of the gallon of prep, I gargle a bit of strong mouthwash to clear out the yucky taste—it really works.

Spit it out of course. Sucking on a lemon between the glasses of prep sounds good, too. Although thie procedure is NOT fun, I am sad thinking of my 56 year old nephew jusr diagnosed with advanced colon cancer who never had a colonoscopy. Hope all went well, Tommie. Great tips thank you. Thanks for the detailed comment. I did not even think of getting depends!

That would be a huge relief just in case. Two days away from my first colonoscopy. Wish I would have read the material a week ago. Of course I had popcorn and chocolate covered peanuts last night. First of all, I cannot stomach the large quantities of the typical preps and I hate having to hang out at the toilet alll day long. I do eat lightly 2 days before the exam and I do a clear liquid diet the day before.

I drink 2 bottles of Magnesium citrate on the day before, one in early morning and the other in early afternoon. Then I do the rest of the prep, using large volume saline enemas NOT the fleet enemas. By large volume, I mean I typically take 2 of these enemas in the early evening. If I have a late morning or early afternoon appointment, I also take one more so that it is finished 2 hours before my appointment.

I was only able to do this once and the doc remarked on how clean I was. Again, this may not work for you, but it works for me — no nausea and no waiting around the toilet all day. Thanks for the quick reply… I am currently putting down the miralax and may take ya up on the phone number!

Im totally bugged out about a second test, but I know if I dont get it done it will be a bad thing. I just keep having flashbacks of the 6 week hospital stay and 9 operations I went through the end of last year! I know my insurance company was not happy with the 1. Short version of why I am so worried.. Has anyone else ever gotten perforated by colonoscopy?

I spent 4 days in the hospital then had some major medical issues directly after that some people are saying was caused by the perforation in my colon.

My new gi doc is aware of the previous issues and told me its a 1 in odds of having it happen followed by a 1 in millions with the rest. Hey Robert, we have heard of this happening to other patients, although it is not the most common story following a colonoscopy we hear. If you need to speak with someone, our toll-free line has live counselors on the line who may be able to help.

I loved the prep! The only thing that seems different about me is I also like citric acid candy, like the old Fizzers. I had lemon ice cold and I easily could have kept drinking it. But of course, what worked for me may not work for everyone. I put ice in it but after two glasses, there was no way I could down anymore.

I had to take breaks and sip. I have acid reflux to boot so it wanted to come up. Came out fuzzy but no pain or nausea. Needed to pass all the air gas they put in me. That was the only uncomfortable moment.

This prep is one that has been modified a bit over the years but works really well and is far less difficult to tolerate than the IMO antiquated Golytely and Magnesium Citrate type preps. I am about to go in for my 9th colonoscopy since having found a small cancerous polyp and had it removed by colon resection back in My first colonoscopy prep was recommended to me by a very nice lady I met on an IBS friends board on the internet.

She found that eating a light, lower residue meal the night before prep day and taking two dulcolax tablets that same night at 10PM was a good start of the prep. The then next day you went on a clear liquid diet, took 2 more Dulcolax at 10 AM, slammed liquids all day and took two more Dulcolax at 4pm with nothing else by mouth after midnight.

This worked well for me. However, my gastro doc wanted more…so she modified the prep for subsequent procedures to taking 2 Dulcolax at 12 noon, drinking 64 oz of Gatorade mixed with the huge mg bottle of Miralax in close intervals until its gone… plus two more Dulcolax at 4pm and nothing after midnight.

This also worked well though for me I have a rough time drinking that much liquid of any kind, much less in a limited amount of time. I am a bit skeptical about being able to tolerate this level of Bisacodyl as well that much Polyethylene Glycol. Some people sleep when they give them their medicine , i was awake and watched it on the screen what they were doing. They are checking for polyps and seeing what causes my lower stomach to hurt. I have an upcoming colonoscopy.

The instructions say to start at 6pm should end the first solution by pm. Recently, I had diarrhea and had blood from either a hemorrhoid or an anal fissure. Any suggestions or thoughts? I have an auto immune disease that wipes me with these types of procedures. I have scope scheduled for the 26th. Prescribed OsmoPrep. This is new to me. The last time I had the 4 liter jug and started vomiting just part way in.

Not fun. Has anyone used this? Can someone answer this question. I drank the 1st half in about two hours this evening. I went about four or five times it was loose.

The last bowel movement occured three hours after the start of the drink. It was brown. I have to do the other half late tonight.

Is it normal that so far, this evening, the bm is not clear? Should it have already been clear? I followed the dietary instructions all day. No solid food, nothing red or blue no dairy. I have a hard time with change: this will be my 4th colonoscopy.. My boyfriend is having stomach issues.

Nor sure what yet. My question is, should he contenues the prep and just deal with the agonizing pain? He has a Dr. He has the nausea pills and he did take one. But his pain is intense. Should he contenue? Hi Laura, this is a good question for his doctor. Wanted to weigh in here as I had my first colonoscopy yesterday. I lost a cousin to colon cancer at 36, leaving behind 2 toddlers and seeing that… well I decided to go at 51 years old. Any Moms out there — compared to childbirth this is a walk in the park.

Seriously — Diarrhea — Yes, but not out of the ordinary. I read all the tips. I think the reason it was so easy was a few days before I changed my diet. It was scheduled for Wednesday am. Saturday before had Chinese with chicken, veggies, white rice. Sunday I again just ate light, cheese pizza.

Monday, white rice for breakfast, mashed potatoes for lunch, tuna sandwich for dinner. Prep day, coffee, tea, clear gummi bears at work. Started my prep at pm. Set up in the bathroom with laptop, radio, applied diaper rash cream, baby wipes. An hour later movement. But it was no big deal — again, nothing as violent like norovirus was. Drinking the lemon-lime prep — I did refrigerate in morning.

Drank in big gulps with straw toward back of throat. Sucked on a lime in between. Was done in no time. Salty lemonade was the taste but not enough to make me vomit or anything. Drank the rest of prep at pm. Was done at pm. My elimination looked like chicken broth at that point. With my depends on placed a towel on the bed just in case and went to bed.

Wore depends in car did not need though. They removed 3 polyps so awaiting pathology. Definitely glad I had a driver, was a little more groggy than I thought I would be. Hubby took me to breakfast, got home and took a nice nap. Piece of Cake. People need to read the directions and prep correctly.

Also did learn that I could have asked for the prep where you only drink like oz bottles of a different prep and then sub in your own drinks in between. No big deal though. Great to hear you had such a positive experience and the tips for how you got ready days before. Thanks for sharing! How did this prep work for you? My prescription is Having colonoscopy on Friday. I took Movi-Prep the night before, sipping it slowly as instructed, using a straw. After two hours I vomited it all up.

Dreading the next time. Does anyone have any advice? Hey Val, there should be other prep options… I would ask your GI clinic. Some require prescription and costs vary, but you do have options when it comes to prep.

Clear broth, chicken or beef is very satisfying. It makes me feel so much better than using only the sweet options. You know you gotta do what you gotta do and this is the way my doctor prescribes the prep that I feel is really the way to go…. These items are all sold over the counter. You do not have to purchase the name brand, Generic works just as well. Generic name is Bisacodyl.

Generic name is Glycolax. You will need to mix your Miralax powder with your Gatorade or Powerade. Mix the entire bottle grams of the Miralax powder with the Gatorade or Powerade. Refrigerate the mixed solution. This should be 4, 8 oz glasses. It helps me so much! Had a polyp as big as a grapefruit in my stomach at Surgery removed it. After removing my whole stomach. Now me and my two daughters have to get our colon checked often.

Both daughters are doing awesome now. We all have no stomach. My other daughter has no stomach and just a little bit of her colon. We eat everything we want r doing great. But the Lemon???? FightCRC Logo fcc-logo-light. Search for:. Thank you for the tips and the comradery! Trying to stay positive today. One day down, one to go! Stay well! Hello everyone! Here are some tips that worked for me but they might not work for everyone I started my low fiber diet 2 days before the recommended date That kaiser told me.

Unlike in the past, this way I had no cramping, previously cramping had been severe. Good luck! Thank you for this post of tips, it will help individuals to get ready. So far, have not had any discomforts like feeling faint or stomach pain from the prep procedure.

As suggested above definitely get some Vaseline or other type of cream for your backdoor lol. I am a 61 year old male and had my first colonoscopy yesterday. Thanks for sharing your experience, Chris! Yes, this is one of the most helpful posts! Should be near the beginning of this thread. Hi all! Having my first colonoscopy and endoscopy at the same time on Friday!

Thank you for your insight! It was easy peasey! No one seems to answer questions on this site, but here goes … Just wondering how it all went for you last year, Jody.

It was easy to drink and worked fast. Highly recommend this approach.