Like so many on here, I have found Movicol to be wonderful. I was on Dulcolax which worked but is quite severe. I'm pleased to say the transition from Dulcolax to Movicol was incident free. Movicol is certainly more gentle and appears to be well tolerated. However I am hoping to reduce my dosage. I am taking two sachets (2 x 13.8mg) a day, one in the morning, one in the evening.
I want to start cutting down the dosage because I fear a dependency setting in. By way of background, I have had 3 weeks between tears before now, but then a difficult BM has set me back to square 1. I am now in week 4 but I am still scared I am hiding behind the Movicol. I have no pain whatsoever, my stools are soft and my diet isn't too restrictive, BUT that's because I have the Movicol.
I want to see if I can lower the dosage, but should I drop the morning dose and just take a sachet at night, or should I reduce each 12hr dose to 50%? Or should I switch a sachet for a glass of prune juice/lactulose?
I feel I can't ever say I am healed until I am medication free, eating normally and enjoying normal BMs that my body makes without the aid of medication. Or am I expecting too much? Am I now a fully paid up member of the AF club with a lifelong membership which requires me to take meds from hereonin?
I welcome any thoughts from anyone who has been through this and is now 'on the other side' (if such a place does indeed exist).

Scrap this question. I'm a million miles from ever needing to know the answer to this.

i can't help much beacuse I am still in the middle of this. but would it really be so bad to be on something the rest of your life? All we really want is to feel pain free. SO if taking Miralax or something till I die will help, then so be it.

You're right RMB, if there are truly no side effects. Also, after having had a relapse I fear even the medication route isn't working so my anticipation at maybe cutting back is now a distant pipe dream.

don't give up ukguy. I've been doing this 5 months. I am honestly not sure if I am getting gradually better or just getting used to the pain. My GI (doctor number 4 of 7) said it is safe to take the rest of my life, so i probably will. I have learned that 1/2 dose miralax plus healthy eating and lots of water works the best for me.

Thanks. So what is your current experience, are you having occasional setbacks or are you always slowly improving? I would be happier if people said the occasional setback was to be expected, but to me, a bloody BM is a sure sign things are fully broken again.
When do you take your half a dose? Last thing at night or first thing in the morning? My 'normal' BM would be in morning so I thought last thing at night would be best?
I would love to get down to 1/2 dose, I could certainly live with that.

Hey, it's nice to have someone to talk to that understands. I've seen so many people on this board get healed but not yet me. I was first told i needed LIS but when i had seoncd opininion, said it was healed- still felt some minor pain and even pain with gas, but now i have this different pain higher up- muscle spasm? (sciatic nerve?) I don't know. Wish someone would just put me out of my misery.
I never had blood, just pain, pain, pain. I take 1/2 dose at night before bed. I also drink a large glass of warm water with lemon in the am- that helps a lot. If you only have blood and no pain-- then at leasst you can say you are better than I. :)

In the past I always had blood and pain. This morning for the first time I had blood but no pain. Blood is very 'shocking', not sure its any better than the other way round to be honest ;-), but I guess both are better than blood and pain!
I'm going to try warm water and lemon. Many thanks.

sorry to hear. :( yes do try the water and lemon. that with the miralax has been best for me. Everyone is different but I found personally that too much fiber for me makes my stools too wide. (i've always been a fiber eater and still constipated). The more watery foods i eat the better off I am, but everyone is different. The other odd thing I found to help some is icyhot (like bengay). I always smell like peppermint. I put it as low as i comfortably can to help with the aches and spasms.

Hi UKguy
I'm in a very similar situation to you. I'm on Movicol as well (excellent stuff) but I'm too scared to ever stop using it.
I started with one sachet a day which I took before bed, and found that it worked great. I was pain/blood free for about 3 weeks and basically ate anything and drank little water and still found that Movicol worked. I've never been much of a water drinker lol. Anyway, stupidly decided to eat a massive bag of corn chips and paid for it the next day. After the set back, I was back on track the next day and was pain free for about a 2 weeks when I stayed over at my boyfriend's house and forgot the Movicol! Yes, another retear. So for me anyway, I'll be on Movicol a while. I don't care that it tastes gross or that I might need to take it for another year...it allows me to eat the vast majority of food (including fish and chips!) without consequences :) I also managed to cut down to only half a sachet a day and have it still work!
Currently I'm having another set back :( No idea why..I took a sachet and a half and still had a retear. Most likely that it's because I started on the pill again,albeit a different brand, which is what made me constipated and gave me the AF in the first place. ugh..you just can't win. Sorry for the long post but just wanted you to know that I'm basically in the same situation as you!