Miralex and other laxatives

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Miralex and other laxatives

Postby guest1 » 17 Feb 2014, 19:29

Hello all,

I am taking Miralex or PEG 3350 for last 2 weeks. In the beginning it gave very good consistency of stool, very soft, thin and thankfully to that I stopped bleeding. Yet somehow after a week of taking it I started to get a bit harder stools every 2 days, not sure why. I have limited myself more in a diet, removed almost diary and egg yolks, so I am just on vegetables and fruits, beans and fish.

So now I need to think how to get from Miralex since the recommended length of taking it is one month. However I am not sure if I will heal till then, since after a bit harder stools I get a bit burning and have some itchiness during 2 last days.

How long is it safe to take Miralex?
How to go from it?
what to take which is less addictive?

I have heard about mineral oil and magnesium. I do take also one capsule of sodium docusate with Miralex, did not stop it since I was taking it for last 4 months.
It is getting more complicated and I do not find that specialists are helpful. I went to CRS and he booked me for the test only in 2 months and even bad constipation and increased bleeding was not a good reason to make it faster. I am coming back to GI specialist that I have seen 3 months ago, hopefully he will tell something helpful. The y do not recommend botox saying that there is no evidence that it is better than ointments like nitro or calcium blockers. But I still want to try Botox.

I find that I need to make these decisions on my own and every day is unpredictable. Feel very discouraged and tired:(
Thanks for any comments
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Re: Miralex and other laxatives

Postby ButtQueen » 18 Feb 2014, 01:46

Hi there! Hope you are feeling better while you read this. Well, who told you that Miralax is addictive or recommended for only a month use? There are a lot of people who stay on Miralax for life. Miralax/Movicol is actually one of the stool softeners that are really safe for long time use. You can try lactulose, but there are mixed responses to whether or not it is safe for prolonged use. I have been taking it for three months now and haven't had problems at all. So I really think it is safe for prolonged use. Miralax is a life-saver for quite a lot of people here and is also considered quite safe.

Hope you heal soon!
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Re: Miralex and other laxatives

Postby guest1 » 20 Feb 2014, 06:55

Thank you ButtQueen, do you find that your bm is consistent in how soft it is with Miralex? My GP was reluctant to recommend any laxatives and response of a specialist was it is safe to be on Metamucil and stool softeners. so I did not take it for half a year and suffered with inconsistent bms. now it is much better, but still sometimes it is not so soft even with the same diet. but no visible bleeding or pain very minimal if there is . yesterday when I went to another specialist and told him about improvement with Miralex , he told me that you can use it as long as you need if it helps, because it is not absorbed by body. another concerns that I have now is upcoming sigmoidoscopy and weight loss with the prolonged dieting:(
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Re: Miralex and other laxatives

Postby ButtQueen » 20 Feb 2014, 07:16

Hi guest1! As I said I do not take Miralax, I take lactulose syrup and I find it works for me. What you need to do is to basically find what works for you and what gives you soft BMs. How about upping the dose of Miralax for a while? Having said that, are you drinking enough water with Miralax? Remember, the key to getting soft BMs is fiber AND water. Nothing is going to work alone. Make sure you are taking the right dose of miralax along with plenty of water (minimum eight glasses of water).
How long have you had the fissure? It seems you have been healing without the need of surgery, which may i add is a GREAT sign guest1!
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Re: Miralex and other laxatives

Postby ButtQueen » 20 Feb 2014, 07:17

Forgot to ask, why are you having the sigmoidoscopy?
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Re: Miralex and other laxatives

Postby guest1 » 20 Feb 2014, 17:57

I had a fissure since July this year. Actually today I had some bleeding due to a bit harder bm. GI specialist suggested sigmoidoscopy since he doesn't see anything externally. I guess I healed my initial fissure since he saw it when it was there. So I feel pretty anxious doing the procedure especially it bleed a bit and I have never done it before. Also if I want to do Botox and I understand I need to be checked first. Thanks for your support
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Re: Miralex and other laxatives

Postby notmuchfunanymore » 20 Feb 2014, 19:09

I've been taking 2-3 doses of Miralax for over two years since the beginning of my fissure life. It was the only thing that helps my fissures heal. My GP claims Miralax is totally safe. My CRS claims that it creates bowel dependency. I don't know what to believe, but it is better to take it than to suffer through the pain. However if you can successfully avoid all types of laxatives or stool softeners, than that is the ideal!
I myself might have continuing constipation & fissure issues due to the 'debatable' bowel dependency.
I say a Hail Mary when I poo.
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Re: Miralex and other laxatives

Postby suzyljank » 20 Feb 2014, 22:32

Hi miralax does not create bowel dependency because it's not a stimulant laxative. It's an osmatic. It draws water into your colon to soften the stool and make it easy to pass. None of it gets absorbed by the body. It is safe to use daily. They even use it in children. Some people prefer miralax because it's easy to adjust up or down, others like milk of magnesia or magnesium supplements. The one thing that is most important though is if you have an anal fissure you need to keep your stools soft and easy to pass. If you don't you will not heal and if by some chance you did your likelyhood of retearing is big. I'll have to take it the rest of my life even after I had my surgery but I don't mind. I only take 2 1/2 tsp. in the evening but I'm still glad a product like this is available. To me it's no different than someone who has to take blood pressure medicine. It's just what I have to do. Find what works for you but avoid stimulant laxatives and it should help. Suzy
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Re: Miralex and other laxatives

Postby vdb324 » 20 Feb 2014, 22:50

I have been on it for almost a year. The CRS didn't seem to have a big problem with that or any concerns and told me to continue with it for now. He just suggests that once things settle down that we try to migrate to just a fiber supplement, which is more natural.
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Re: Miralex and other laxatives

Postby notmuchfunanymore » 21 Feb 2014, 20:01

I know most doctors will say that its harmless since it is far better than stimulant laxatives, but if you think about it, it's a drug that is doing something your intestine normally does. It is plausible that by taking lots of that drug long term, your intestine quits it's job and may need "re-training", or worst case scenario, can't be re-trained. Just a consideration.
I say a Hail Mary when I poo.
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