FAQ - Preps
(Click on question to view answer.)- 1. I vomited the preparation solution! What should I do?
- 2. I am having cramps during the preparation. Is this normal?
- 3. I have a headache during the prep. Can I take anything for it?
- 4. Is alcohol considered a clear liquid?
- 5. Is coffee a clear liquid?
- 6. I lost my prescription for the preparation. What should I do?
- 7. I don't think I am completely cleaned out after taking the preparation. Is that ok?
- 8. The preparation is making my bottom sore. Is there something to help?
- 9. Why can't I drink red liquids?
- 10. I was supposed to do the Gatorade and Miralax prep but I lost the instructions. Do I have to reschedule?
- 11. I cannot find the Fleet Phosphosoda prep! Now what?
- 12. What can I eat on the clear liquid diet?
Take a break from the preparation and then retry to drink the solution more slowly. If this does not help, call the doctor on call and ask for anti-nausea medication. If you can't consume enough to obtain clear bowel movements, have a family member obtain two fleets enemas (available in any pharmacy - they are in a green box) and use them an hour before leaving your house for the procedure.
This is normal and should pass as your bowels begin to move. Temporarily stop drinking the prep (i.e. wait 30 minutes) and resume drinking the prep.
You may use Tylenol. Do not use ASPIRIN, MOTRIN, IBUPROFEN, ADVIL, ALEVE, NAPRASYN, NAPROXEN, EXCEDRIN or any other over the counter pain medication. Often, these headaches are due to dehydration - so try to drink more water, or Gatorade, or juice.
No it is not. You may not drink any alcoholic beverage during the bowel prep. Nice try.
Coffee WITHOUT cream is permissible and can be consumed during the morning of the clear liquid portion of your prep. You cannot have coffee or anything else orally (except your meds with a sip of water) the morning of your procedure for am cases, or within 6 hours of afternoon cases. Tea (again, without milk) is another source of caffeine that is a clear liquid.
Most of our preps do not need a prescription. If you do require a prescription and lost it, you can call the office so we can phone it in to your pharmacy.
You can also use the Gatorade preparation, which requires no prescriptions:
All of the "ingredients" for this prep are available without a prescription. You will need: Four (4) dulcolax tablets. Make sure you get tablets, not suppositories!
A 238g bottle of Miralax. Make sure you get the right size!
A 64 ounce bottle of Gatorade. Do not get Orange, Red, Blue or Purple. You can use yellow (lemon-lime, my personal favorite). We often recommend Gatorade Rain, which comes in a variety of flavors. You can also use G2 (or Powerade) but be sure not to use anything orange, red, purple, or blue.
Two nights before the procedure, take two dulcolax before you go to bed. Take two more the next morning. That day (the day before the procedure), you will be on a clear liquid diet. Mix the Miralax, which is a powder, into the Gatorade (pour the whole Miralax bottle into the Gatorade bottle). Stir it (or shake it, if you are a James Bond fan) until the powder dissolves. Put it in the fridge to keep it cool. At 4pm, start to drink the miralax/Gatorade mixture. Drink one glass every 15 minutes or so. Try to finish the prep by 6pm or so. The earlier you finish, the earlier the bowel movements will start and finish and the earlier you can go to bed. If you finish the prep too late, you will up all night in the bathroom! All day, you can consume as much of the clear liquid diet as you care to, but remember not to eat or drink anything after midnight. You may have your medications in the morning with a small sip of water.
You can also use the Gatorade preparation, which requires no prescriptions:
All of the "ingredients" for this prep are available without a prescription. You will need: Four (4) dulcolax tablets. Make sure you get tablets, not suppositories!
A 238g bottle of Miralax. Make sure you get the right size!
A 64 ounce bottle of Gatorade. Do not get Orange, Red, Blue or Purple. You can use yellow (lemon-lime, my personal favorite). We often recommend Gatorade Rain, which comes in a variety of flavors. You can also use G2 (or Powerade) but be sure not to use anything orange, red, purple, or blue.
Two nights before the procedure, take two dulcolax before you go to bed. Take two more the next morning. That day (the day before the procedure), you will be on a clear liquid diet. Mix the Miralax, which is a powder, into the Gatorade (pour the whole Miralax bottle into the Gatorade bottle). Stir it (or shake it, if you are a James Bond fan) until the powder dissolves. Put it in the fridge to keep it cool. At 4pm, start to drink the miralax/Gatorade mixture. Drink one glass every 15 minutes or so. Try to finish the prep by 6pm or so. The earlier you finish, the earlier the bowel movements will start and finish and the earlier you can go to bed. If you finish the prep too late, you will up all night in the bathroom! All day, you can consume as much of the clear liquid diet as you care to, but remember not to eat or drink anything after midnight. You may have your medications in the morning with a small sip of water.
A colonoscopy is most effective when you are as clear as possible. If you don't feel completely cleared out, you can take one or two fleets enemas (available without a prescription in any pharmacy) an hour or two prior to leaving your house. Yellow fluid per rectum with a few flecks is usually clean enough.
You can use Tucks pads, Vaseline, Desitin, or Preparation H. A damp washcloth or baby wipes is also helpful during the prep. Soaking in the tub may also be helpful.
The food coloring in these liquids can make your colonic fluid look red and may limit the exam or be confused with blood. Purple liquids cause similar problems.
All of the "ingredients" for this prep are available without a prescription. You will need:
Four (4) dulcolax tablets. Make sure you get tablets, not suppositories!
A 238g bottle of Miralax. Make sure you get the right size!
A 64 ounce bottle of Gatorade. Do not get Orange, Red, Blue or Purple. You can use yellow (lemon-lime, my personal favorite). We often recommend Gatorade Rain, which comes in a variety of flavors. You can also use G2 (or Powerade) but be sure not to use anything orange, red, purple, or blue.
Two nights before the procedure, take two dulcolax before you go to bed. Take two more the next morning. That day (the day before the procedure), you will be on a clear liquid diet. Mix the Miralax, which is a powder, into the Gatorade (pour the whole Miralax bottle into the Gatorade bottle). Stir it (or shake it, if you are a James Bond fan) until the powder dissolves. Put it in the fridge to keep it cool. At 4pm, start to drink the miralax/Gatorade mixture. Drink one glass every 15 minutes or so. Try to finish the prep by 6pm or so. The earlier you finish, the earlier the bowel movements will start and finish and the earlier you can go to bed. If you finish the prep too late, you will up all night in the bathroom! All day, you can consume as much of the clear liquid diet as you care to, but remember not to eat or drink anything after midnight. You may have your medications in the morning with a small sip of water.
A 238g bottle of Miralax. Make sure you get the right size!
A 64 ounce bottle of Gatorade. Do not get Orange, Red, Blue or Purple. You can use yellow (lemon-lime, my personal favorite). We often recommend Gatorade Rain, which comes in a variety of flavors. You can also use G2 (or Powerade) but be sure not to use anything orange, red, purple, or blue.
Two nights before the procedure, take two dulcolax before you go to bed. Take two more the next morning. That day (the day before the procedure), you will be on a clear liquid diet. Mix the Miralax, which is a powder, into the Gatorade (pour the whole Miralax bottle into the Gatorade bottle). Stir it (or shake it, if you are a James Bond fan) until the powder dissolves. Put it in the fridge to keep it cool. At 4pm, start to drink the miralax/Gatorade mixture. Drink one glass every 15 minutes or so. Try to finish the prep by 6pm or so. The earlier you finish, the earlier the bowel movements will start and finish and the earlier you can go to bed. If you finish the prep too late, you will up all night in the bathroom! All day, you can consume as much of the clear liquid diet as you care to, but remember not to eat or drink anything after midnight. You may have your medications in the morning with a small sip of water.
That's because it's not on the market anymore! The FDA issued a recall of Fleet Phosphosoda after a number of patients developed kidney problems after using it. A number of these patients needed dialysis, some permanently. So this prep is no longer available.
