Re: Miralax

[Guest guest]

I'm glad the pain has gone. Yes, keep us updated on how the divided

dose works for you in terms of managing to keep the bm's regular and

keeping you from getting constipated. I'm not crazy about miralax,

but I also know for people with complicated medical histories, or

like your situation where taking supplemental magnesium could end up

causing more harm than good, that it would be good to know if the

divided dose would alleviate the burden on the kidneys to process

the miralax that did pass through the gi tract wall, out and not

cause problems for the kidneys. It seems like a divided dose would

be better then, if that's the case.

Thanks for joining and do post again!

W

>

> Hi :

> Since I started taking the divided dose the pains have gone away.

My BM's

> seem to be good but it is too early to tell.

> I have not been on the divided dose long enough to determine if it

is going

> to be successful.

> Thanks

> Charlie

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Joan-- I'm catching up on old posts! Your first post did make it

through. Welcome to the board! What were the symptoms that preceded

her being put on miralax--was it just constipation? I don't know if

going on the miralax would be related to developing the ulcerative

colitis, but, from your description, I can't see why she would have

developed UC from anything else-- had she had any illness or been on

any other medications? I wonder if perhaps she had an allergy to the

miralax and it caused her UC?

My son had a very bad reaction to being on miralax but it was mainly

the psychological and physical changes like becoming very pale, dark

circles under his eyes, glassy eyed look like he wasn't

really 'there' anymore, facial grimaces/tics. I do not know if he

had any damage to his intestinal tract like ulcerative colitis.

How is she doing now?

W

>

> Hello All:

>

> I'm new to this board and sent a previous message and I'm not

sure I did it right.

>

> My daughter who is 5 was on Miralax for 6 weeks every day over

the summer. By August she was having a bowel movement with blood

every hour and stomach pain. I took her to a pediatric GI and they

diagnosed her with Ulcerative Colitis. This is a lifetime disease

with no cure.

>

> Has anyone experienced a bad reaction to Miralax? My daughter

never had issues with her bowels before.

>

> Thank you for your time.

>

> Joan

>

>

> ---------------------------------

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>

[Guest guest]

Well, I know that polyethylene glycol, in lower molecular weights,

had been found to be toxic when it was in a medicinal lotion, applied

to cut and/or burned skin. i.e. the patient was absorbing too much

of the polyethylene glycol. But, miralax is a higher molecular

weight, one that they claim is not easily absorbed. So it does get me

worried when I think about kids or adults with ulcerative colitis or

inflammed GI conditions using the product--is it being broken down

and getting absorbed, or contributing to the condition in any way?

There have been some studies done in children, for a set period of

time. One of them found a very small dose of miralax to be all that

was needed to soften the stool, so why the big adult doses for the

little ones is really odd. Another study I think had used something

around the adult dose. They say it is " safe " , however, like any

study looking at " safety " there are limitations. The size of the

study is always a factor--how many people were included to draw a

broad conclusion of safety? How many months or years does the study

look at-- a lot of studies finish up before the symptoms set in,

deeming them " safe " when really it was just a matter of " no/few

adverse effects were noted during the time period " . And when we read

on an almost monthly basis about medications that were once felt to

be safe for children, that are now exposed as having some serious

problems associated with them, then I do think that we all have to

know that " safe " is a relative term. People use it, and we even talk

about supplements as generally regarded as safe, however, everyone

does need to know that what could be safe for one, might not be safe

for another. Our bodies are all different, our rates of metabolizing

medications or supplements is different, and so we really can't get a

lot of assurances when we talk about " it's safe " . But I do feel that

going with some things versus others can be safER. For me, seeing

what the polyethylene glycol 3350 did to my son, I know it certainly

wasn't safe for him to take it.

In the Files section, there should be one of the studies that lists

out a formula for calculating their dose of miralax, per kilogram or

pounds of body weight. They felt that was an appropriate dose based

on weight of the child, so that they weren't getting the 17 gram

dose.

The thing is, if in the study that originally took place with

miralax, if 17 grams was determined to be an effective dose for an

adult's body, then how could 17 grams three times a day be an

appropriate dose for a child? It can't be. There's no way, no how,

that it could be safe and appropriate to give them that much. First

of all, it would beg the question of, why is this small child's colon

which is so much smaller than an adult, requiring three times the

average adult dose just to pass a bowel movement?? There should be

some investigating done to figure out why it would even take that

much to make a child go. Then, if they aren't passing the bowel

movement every day, what is happening to all that PEG that they are

taking in orally? If it's sitting in the colon, might some of it be

passing through the GI tract (again, see the Files section).

Possibly. And if it's in the bloodstream, where is it going? To the

kidneys? Possibly. Could it also be passing along the blood-brain

barrier if it is in the bloodstream? Yes, and would it be doing

anything harmful? Could be-- we don't know the answer to that. No

one has ever looked at that question. But I would bet that if it was

a child, taking three times the adult dose, every day, and not having

a stool every single day, that yes, that there could be a problem

with all that PEG in their system.

Remember, that what led to the advent of oral PEG 3350 on a daily

basis was the fact that doctors had been using the PEG 3350 with

electrolytes, (you know, the big jug that patients have to drink

before a colonoscopy) in smaller levels than what the jug

prescription was, on a daily basis, to help their constipated

patients. The whole reason for putting electrolytes in those

original prescriptions (colyte, golytely) was because they knew that

large amounts of an osmotic laxative (which means it pulls

water/holds water), would cause electrolyte imbalances through such a

heavy pull and hold of water. So the electrolytes prevented this

serious problem from occuring. So now, we have children, on

relatively large doses, given continuously over a long period of

time, much longer than the two week time period that the label

suggests for adult usage (remember, it is used " off label " in

children), taking large doses in comparison to their body weight-- is

anyone checking their electrolyte levels and kidney function? I

would be surprised if they were, but they should be doing it, in my

opinion. And I'm not a doctor remember, I'm just a parent. I'm just

throwing out some thoughts here that could help spark some discussion

with your own child's doctor about questions regarding " safety " .

:-)

W

>

> Hi :

>

> Thank you for responding. had a cut on her bottom that

would bleed when she went to the bathroom. They put her on miralax

to soften the stool to allow the cut to heal. The bleeding stopped

in a week, they kept her on it for two. A week after stopping it she

was very constipated and it started to show blood again. After a few

more weeks that is when she started to go with blood and mucus every

hour.

>

> I'm wondering how safe this stuff is for kids, is only 5

and is around 30lbs.

>

> Joan