Miralax/Gatorade Colonoscopy Prep Instructions

Important: You must have a ride home; you must have discontinued medications if instructed below. Diabetic patients need additional instructions.

If you have any concerns regarding these instructions please call our office day or night at 541-386-1818.

The Miralax Preparation requires a total of 3 different Laxatives:

• You will need a bottle of Miralax (238 gram bottle) to be purchased at your pharmacy.
• You will need to purchase a 64 ounce bottle of green, yellow or clear Gatorade, Propel or Crystal Light to mix the Miralax in. No red, orange or purple liquid may be used.
• You will need to purchase a 10 ounce bottle of Magnesium Citrate (Green or Clear only) at your pharmacy. No prescription required.
• You need to purchase 4 Dulcolax tablets.

Take all regularly scheduled medications unless otherwise specified by your physician here.

7 DAYS prior to your procedure:

STOP PLAVIX, COUMADIN, ASPIRIN. Stop all iron and vitamin E supplements. You may take your other vitamin supplements. STOP herbal medicine therapy including: ginger, garlic, valerian root and fish oil. Check with your physician first please.

3 DAYS Prior to your procedure:

Eliminate all seeds from you diet. Examples: multigrain breads & cereals, poppy & sesame seeds, all fruits with seeds, jams, tomatoes, cucumbers, popcorn, nuts, etc.

THE DAY BEFORE PROCEDURE:

Clear liquids only all day. No solid foods of any kinds all day.

• Clear liquid examples are: Water, black coffee, tea, broth, plain Jell-O, popsicles, Crystal Light, Gatorade, Propel, soda pop. No red, orange or purple Jell-O, soda pop, popsicles, Crystal Light, Propel or Gatorade is to be used.
• You are encouraged to drink plenty of clear liquids the day before the exam to prevent dehydration and for optimal preparation.

You may drink Boost or Ensure (without FIBER) for extra protein but only until you start drinking the laxatives.

At 5:00 pm: Take two Dulcolax tablets NO MORE BOOST OR ENSURE

At 6:00 pm: Drink the 10 ounce bottle of Magnesium Citrate.

At 7:00 pm: Mix the entire bottle of Miralax in the 64 oz clear liquid of your choice. No red, orange or purple liquid. Mix until completely dissolved. Drink ½ the bottle of this mixture at the rate of one 8 ounce glass every 15-30 minutes until half the bottle is gone. The remainder of the mixture is for the next day.

You can expect to have multiple bowel movements soon after.

Continue to drink clear liquids all evening.

DAY OF PROCEDURE:

6 hours prior to procedure: TAKE THE REMAINING TWO Dulcolax tablets.
1 hour later: Drink the rest of the Miralax mixture at the rate of one 8 ounce glass every 15-30 minutes until it is entirely gone.
Drink 3 more 8 ounce glasses of clear liquid over the next hour.
Expect to have another series of bowel movements, the color of urine.
Continue drinking clear liquids up until 2 hours before your scheduled procedure.
2 hours prior to procedure: Nothing more to drink.

Additional instructions for diabetics must be obtained today.
Typically Diabetic patients will be scheduled first, and should take ½ of their usual insulin dose the morning before the procedure. Do not take metformin, glyburide or other diabetic pill medications the morning of the procedure.