How to Wean Off MiraLax

gastroenterologist is no help, he says it's fine to take every day. I'm a healthy 75 except for hemorrhoid I got that has put me on a course of misery. Then last December I had a bowel inflammation, nothing major, CT saw it but WBC wasn't elevated. NP in the overworked community hospital ER put me on augmentin, huge mistake. After five pills, two days worth, I developed a systemic yeast infection that required diflucan and destroyed my bowel biome. I literally couldn't poop so gastroenterologist put me on a cap of miralax in the morning. I changed my diet by reducing fiber somewhat, since that's what caused the inflammation. But because of the bowel biome, without miralax I get sliw motility and more difficult to pass stool, something I haven't had more than once or twice a year, and then the hemorrhoid blows up, it's horrible. So I can't stop the miralax.

Gastroenterologist offered zero advice on how to restore bowel biome, zero. What good are these people! I began taking acidophilus 1billion count tiny pearl. It gave me very unusual stool. I stopped it for 2 days and it's going back to normal now. So acidophilus might not be a good idea. During the antibiotic poisoning I tried Florastor, forget it, unbelievable gas and diarrhea. If I reduce the miralax, stool becomes more difficult to pass. Ordinarily, I'd just deal with it but at this point my anus has had it and I'm having a colonoscopy end of October which will turn it into a horrific ordeal. Trying to get it better for that prep. I know this is alot of info but it's all necessary to understand my dilemma.

Should I go to the Nutrition center and seek dietary guidance? I can't eat prunes, have to be cautious with the amount of fiber, eat salad every lunchtime, actually my diet is so repetitive and I don't enjoy eating at all now. I'm afraid to take the advice of a dietician who doesn't know me and how difficult it is to balance the fiber in my diet. The stinking hemorrhoid and concomitant anal issues are ruining my life. If anyone has had a similar problem, I'd like to know how you got off the miralax. I don't like how gassy it makes me at night. Thanks.

I'm 71. Fiber destroyed my digestion. I went to a Gastro for hemorrhoids, and she did banding (which I found painful) and told me to eat more fiber. She never asked how much fiber I was already eating and I was already eating a lot. I did as instructed, and got onto a bad cycle of more fiber, more hemorrhoids, more bandings. The last time injured me permanently, causing anal stricture, and I was on my own. I did the research and devised my own protocol, which I confirmed with my PCP. Now, I'm on a very low fiber diet. I use Miralax three days, then magnesium three days, back and forth. I miss my fruits and veggies, but anal stricture can be a serious problem necessitating surgery and I want to avoid that. Fiber has become a kind of cure-all mantra on the internet, but too much fiber can cause harm.

In short, if miralax is working for you, don't be afraid of it. Best wishes and good health to all.

gastroenterologist is no help, he says it's fine to take every day. I'm a healthy 75 except for hemorrhoid I got that has put me on a course of misery. Then last December I had a bowel inflammation, nothing major, CT saw it but WBC wasn't elevated. NP in the overworked community hospital ER put me on augmentin, huge mistake. After five pills, two days worth, I developed a systemic yeast infection that required diflucan and destroyed my bowel biome. I literally couldn't poop so gastroenterologist put me on a cap of miralax in the morning. I changed my diet by reducing fiber somewhat, since that's what caused the inflammation. But because of the bowel biome, without miralax I get sliw motility and more difficult to pass stool, something I haven't had more than once or twice a year, and then the hemorrhoid blows up, it's horrible. So I can't stop the miralax.

Gastroenterologist offered zero advice on how to restore bowel biome, zero. What good are these people! I began taking acidophilus 1billion count tiny pearl. It gave me very unusual stool. I stopped it for 2 days and it's going back to normal now. So acidophilus might not be a good idea. During the antibiotic poisoning I tried Florastor, forget it, unbelievable gas and diarrhea. If I reduce the miralax, stool becomes more difficult to pass. Ordinarily, I'd just deal with it but at this point my anus has had it and I'm having a colonoscopy end of October which will turn it into a horrific ordeal. Trying to get it better for that prep. I know this is alot of info but it's all necessary to understand my dilemma.

Should I go to the Nutrition center and seek dietary guidance? I can't eat prunes, have to be cautious with the amount of fiber, eat salad every lunchtime, actually my diet is so repetitive and I don't enjoy eating at all now. I'm afraid to take the advice of a dietician who doesn't know me and how difficult it is to balance the fiber in my diet. The stinking hemorrhoid and concomitant anal issues are ruining my life. If anyone has had a similar problem, I'd like to know how you got off the miralax. I don't like how gassy it makes me at night. Thanks.

I had been on Miralax for 6 years, and maybe more than that. I, too, decided that I wanted to try to wean off of Miralax. I adopted a dietary regimen of oatmeal in the morning with added prunes and also a tablespoon of psyllium (not the capsules - the whole product). I am also aware that I need to eat more vegetables and salads have become a favorite. That said, I invested in acupuncture for specific constipation. I have had 5 sessions now, a week apart. My digestion is normal now, something I thought I would not be able to accomplish.

@noelles Thank you for the reminder of acupuncture. I've used it for many things but never constipation. i'll make an appointment today. I've been on a combination nightly of Miralax, Sennakot and an Chinese herb. I often have diarrhea which is preferable to me than being constipated. That being said, I still have times ( like right now) when I get constipated. I have struggled with this since I was five years old. Today I'm wondering how much of the pain I have right now is from the Miralax etc., and how much is constipation. I have ended up in the ER three times with extreme pain all three times to be told I have a lot of stool in my bowel. One time close to an obstruction. I am a vegan. I eat vegetable, oats, beans, lentils and some chocolate. Over my lifetime I have tried everything I hear talked about without result. Any fiber makes my constipation worse. I do take magnesium every night for general health. I feel kind of despondent about it. My most recent GI doc told me that what i'm taking is okay because it is pretty benign, but everything I read says the opposite. I get afraid I've damaged my motility and peristalsis. I really appreciate this place ot talk about it. i'm off to make an acupuncture appointment.

@noelles Thank you for the reminder of acupuncture. I've used it for many things but never constipation. i'll make an appointment today. I've been on a combination nightly of Miralax, Sennakot and an Chinese herb. I often have diarrhea which is preferable to me than being constipated. That being said, I still have times ( like right now) when I get constipated. I have struggled with this since I was five years old. Today I'm wondering how much of the pain I have right now is from the Miralax etc., and how much is constipation. I have ended up in the ER three times with extreme pain all three times to be told I have a lot of stool in my bowel. One time close to an obstruction. I am a vegan. I eat vegetable, oats, beans, lentils and some chocolate. Over my lifetime I have tried everything I hear talked about without result. Any fiber makes my constipation worse. I do take magnesium every night for general health. I feel kind of despondent about it. My most recent GI doc told me that what i'm taking is okay because it is pretty benign, but everything I read says the opposite. I get afraid I've damaged my motility and peristalsis. I really appreciate this place ot talk about it. i'm off to make an acupuncture appointment.

@noelles Thank you for the reminder of acupuncture. I've used it for many things but never constipation. i'll make an appointment today. I've been on a combination nightly of Miralax, Sennakot and an Chinese herb. I often have diarrhea which is preferable to me than being constipated. That being said, I still have times ( like right now) when I get constipated. I have struggled with this since I was five years old. Today I'm wondering how much of the pain I have right now is from the Miralax etc., and how much is constipation. I have ended up in the ER three times with extreme pain all three times to be told I have a lot of stool in my bowel. One time close to an obstruction. I am a vegan. I eat vegetable, oats, beans, lentils and some chocolate. Over my lifetime I have tried everything I hear talked about without result. Any fiber makes my constipation worse. I do take magnesium every night for general health. I feel kind of despondent about it. My most recent GI doc told me that what i'm taking is okay because it is pretty benign, but everything I read says the opposite. I get afraid I've damaged my motility and peristalsis. I really appreciate this place ot talk about it. i'm off to make an acupuncture appointment.

@noelles Thank you for the reminder of acupuncture. I've used it for many things but never constipation. i'll make an appointment today. I've been on a combination nightly of Miralax, Sennakot and an Chinese herb. I often have diarrhea which is preferable to me than being constipated. That being said, I still have times ( like right now) when I get constipated. I have struggled with this since I was five years old. Today I'm wondering how much of the pain I have right now is from the Miralax etc., and how much is constipation. I have ended up in the ER three times with extreme pain all three times to be told I have a lot of stool in my bowel. One time close to an obstruction. I am a vegan. I eat vegetable, oats, beans, lentils and some chocolate. Over my lifetime I have tried everything I hear talked about without result. Any fiber makes my constipation worse. I do take magnesium every night for general health. I feel kind of despondent about it. My most recent GI doc told me that what i'm taking is okay because it is pretty benign, but everything I read says the opposite. I get afraid I've damaged my motility and peristalsis. I really appreciate this place ot talk about it. i'm off to make an acupuncture appointment.