Laxative Types

[Karina]

I'm scheduled for a colonoscopy soon but am having a problem deciding which laxative to take.  I recently saw an article on the net which stated that some patients have had renal failure when prescribed 2 Fleet phospho-soda oral laxatives in less than 24 hours.  My other alternative is to take the Go-Lytely, where you have to drink 8oz. of water every 10-15 minutes upto a gallon!  This seems very hard to do plus the fact that if you dislike the taste of the solution, it will be harder to be able to drink such an amount of liquid. The good thing is that the Go-Lytely has electrolytes.  I worry about bloating and nausea too.  I have occult blood in my urine which has been checked out, and nothing serious was found.  Also, have a cyst in one of my kidneys, so am a bit reluctant to take the Fleet.  I would like to hear how people have reacted also to the Go-Lytely. Thanks!

[Jaybay]

That is great news!  I'm so glad the prep went well for you and that you got those polyps nuked before they really do damage.  Congratulations!  :-)

[Karina]

I forgot to comment on one thing:  Drinking any liquid your body rejects with a straw helps greatly! I could hardly get the first Fleet down but I mixed the second with white grape juice and drank it through a straw and the experience was much better.  :-)

[Karina]

Hi Jaybay. Just thought I'd let you know I had the colonoscopy done and took the 2 oral Fleets. My Dr. knew of my worries and kindly changed the hours I took them so I could drink adequate amounts of liquids after each one. I will not take Fleet again until the FDA  approves 2 doses in 24 hours. So far, they have approved only one.  I'm glad I had it done because I had 5 polyps - 2 of which had the potential one day to turn malignant.  I was lucky I did it in time!

[Jaybay]

The visicol tablets are prescription only - just like the colyte.  I diluted the phospha soda with ginger ale as I've found that disguises the taste pretty well.  People get into trouble with OTC laxatives when they use them daily.  For a one-time use like you're doing for a colon prep, it's really quite safe.  After you've consumed everything, just keep some kind of beverage close by and keep sipping.  As long as it's something that isn't red (makes it harder for the doc to see inside), you won't have any troubles with dehydration.

Hope all goes well during your procedure.  Good luck!  :-)

[Karina]

I don't think I can get Visicol tablets where I live.  I was in a drugstore yesterday and saw the Fleet display and didn't see them. I've decided to take my chances and go with the Fleet. The one I bought has a ginger and lemon flavor, which I don't think will make much difference since I'm going to dilute it in a glass of juice.  Anyways, it's the same principal. I'd like to know what liquids and how much you were told to take after taking the Fleet.  What was the combination they gave you? An oral Fleet and an enema or 2 oral Fleets? The FDA long ago approved 1 oral Fleet in 24 hours, but it has not approved 2.  Around 15 years ago they started promoting 2 Fleets and as said, some people have had serious trouble.

[Jaybay]

You need to understand that the active ingredient in the phospha soda is the same thing that is in the colyte.  It works by sending a great deal of water from the body's tissues into the colon.  The only difference in the products is that colyte contains electrolytes so that you don't become dehydrated.  The Fleet enemas also use the exact same chemical.  I suspect the people that had problems with the phospha soda prep didn't follow the directions and take in enough fluids while they used it.  There is no reason this product should be a problem if one follows the directions.

I never could drink down the entire jug of colyte, and it mostly came back up.  That's why my doc got to using the visicol tablets for his patients who have trouble with the colyte.  Colyte and phospha soda both have kind of an odd, almost oily kind of taste.  I had to literally hold my nose and force it down and pray it would stay there.  When you speak with your doctor about your prep choice, why not ask him about visicol tablets?

[Karina]

Thanks for your comment.  I'm  scheduled for next Thursday and have to decide soon.  I don't want to take the Fleet twice in 24 hours.  If you do a Search on the Fleet Phospho-Soda, you'll find articles talking about lawsuits from patients who have had renal failure after taking it twice in 1 day.  I wonder if a Fleet and a Fleet enema would be ok.  At least one of them isn't oral.  I hope my Dr. agrees with this.  I know people who have had colonoscopies and have had one oral Fleet and the enema.  I have lots of Gatorade handy.  If he says no, then I'll have to have the Go-Lytely, which also might have serious side effects I don't even want to mention here apart from the nausea and bloating.  I just know that if I start throwing it up and having nausea, I'll have to stop drinking it.  When you had it, could you finish it all?

[Jaybay]

Personally, I can't tolerate the colyte (go-lytely).  It's just too much to contain in my stomach and usually comes back up.  Given a choice, I'd take the phospha soda since the volume isn't as much.  My first choice is visicol tablets.  Visicol tablets are pretty large, and you have to take several of them at intervals along with a lot of water, but they achieve the same result of cleaning out your colon.  You MUST drink the water as prescribed for them to work properly and so that you don't get dehydrated.  At least I could keep those down and avoid a last-minute enema.  :-)

If you're concerned about your kidneys, just make sure you take in lots of fluids the day of the prep.  Gatorade should be acceptable as long as it isn't red.  Pedialyte would be another alternative you can stomach the taste.  Ultimately, your doctor is the person to advise you about kidney concerns and the bowel prep.

With any bowel prep, you will probably become bloated before it kicks in.  Some people experience nausea - others have no trouble.  However, once you hit the toilet and get going, that will go away pretty quickly.  One nice thing about this stuff is that I have never experienced cramping.  Just have a book or magazine with you and wait it out.  :-)