? on Glycolax

[CathyE]

Mark ? told me about Glycolax.
I still have to find out if it is available in Canada, but if it is,
then I need to know if it is safe to take every day (even if the instructions say not to - as my stool softeners do).

I am anxious to finally be able to eat bananas, apples, cheese and rice again, as my doctor told me to cut out bananas and rice until my problems were resolved. And I figured out the apples and cheese are constipating!
Well, they keep on due to my meds.

So, Mark or anyone who uses it -what's the answer? safe to use daily, or does it work so that you don't need to?

Thanks,
Cathy

[Mark N]

Cathy, it is safe to take twice a day as that is the prescription given to me by my gastro doctor. Miralax is the OTC but it is about 3X as expensive. I hope it works for you as well as it does for me because without it I would be in real trouble.

[CathyE]

Thanks Mark.
I hope it is available here. Miralax does sound like one I asked my Parmacist about & we don't have it, but she said to find out the ingredients to see if we have it under a different name. Plus if I can get a prescription for it, it's free for me until I turn 63. I'm on LTD & at 63 I "retire" with no health benefits :(
I'm 56 now so have a few more years' coverage, thankfully.

PS at age 65 our government does pay for some prescriptions. Hopefully that won't change!

[shotspine]

Hi Cathy....

Ingredient is Polyethylene Glycol 3350 Powder for Oral Solution. The bottle I have is 527 grams and called GlycoLax. I don't know what this is but maybe it will help your NDC 62175-442-31 (on front label).

The name on back is Kremers Urban, LLC Mequon, Wisconsin 53092. Maybe they have a website you could order it online if you can't get it up there. I had my Dr. write an RX for it so I only had to pay the co-pay instead of whatever retail cost it is OTC.

My Drs. instructions were to take once daily until bowel movement. Then don't take again until you stop having them regularly. I have just now started using it so I can't tell you much from my own experience......except there is NO cramping or s/e that I noticed. It took 4-5 days for it to work 1st time.

Hope you find it!

[Kathi49]

Cathy,

I used to take Miralax and it worked very well. The only thing it did do after awhile was to cause my IBS to act up a wee bit. But that was probably only because I could have gone lower with the dosage. Anyway, I did ask my gastro about taking it long term and he said it really isn't a problem. But I also agree with Shotspine if you can just take it long enough to become "regular", then I would switch over to something like Benefiber. Then again, I know some people need Miralax all the time and I understand that. :) All I did was to take it long enough to get functioning properly and then just stopped it and used Benefiber. The key again is...lots of water! And, well, I could have used something this morning! :eek: But, my fault, I have upped my meds a bit and had a bit too much iced tea. It is dehydrating and and I should have just stuck with water all day every day this past week!

[CathyE]

Shotspine & Kathi49,
Thanks for the extra info.
I will ask my Dr. what he thinks at my next appt. S/B fairly soon, once I phone, it usually takes a little less than 2 weeks unless it's an emergency.
I repect him for not over booking! But I still have long waits when I'm there as he doesn't rush you out the door either! So he's a keeper!

I can't book early in the day as then I would be in rush hour traffic as he is about a 25 minute drive away. Our local doctors weren't taking new patients when our family Dr. retired a little early. But he was also a fair drive away as we moved further away (25 years ago!)

I'm giving the Bran Buds a good try, trying not to miss 1 or 2 days in a row!
Plus trying to eat fruit more frequently too.

Cathy

[Pike]

It works for a while as everything seems to stop working as well with time.

A cup of oats every day doesn`t hurt anything and could help.

Pike

[Mark N]

Cathe, I found out this month my insurance won't cover it since it can be gotten over the counter. It is disappointing to say the least.

[CathyE]

Mark, so sorry to hear that. Our meds and supplements sure add up, don’t they!

Pike, did you mean the Bran buds or the Glycolax eventualy stop working?
Anyway for now, when I remember to eat them! they are helping along with Docusate Sodium, (regular stool softeners). My Pharmacist said the Glycolax can make your bowels dependant on it. If the Bran buds etc. stop working for me, I will ask my Dr. what he thinks.
I am pretty sure my plan wont pay if it is available over the counter, but that I don’t know yet (in Canada)

I’m just having the best medicine, a visit from my big sister (2 years older than me). She arrived around 4 yesterday & will be leaving today around 1:00.
As we live about 2 ½ hours apart and I don’t travel well anymore, we’re lucky to see each other even twice a year, often only once.
This Neurological thing must be in our genes or something as she had Shingles and developed Post Herpetic Neuralgia - quite painful! What a pair we are, only she handles hers much better than I handle mine. I think having Fibromyalgia for awhile did me in and I am petrified it will come back as it was starting to last Dec, befoe I had my setting adjusted for 3-4 months to drain more.

Yesterday is the first time I had a chance to try to explain my Hydro to her (shunted at age 50).
But the bottom line is I can’t answer her ? will I get better over time and told her that I am pretty confused.
Canadian NS’s don’t seem to believe in operating for “quality of life issues", like finding the best valve or setting for you. But maybe my 1st NS was right. He thought I probably had compensated Hydro all or most of my life, and decompensated. He believes I can’t tolerate the shunt as I probably had large ventricles for years, he wanted to clamp it off when I still was complaining.
No way!!! It has helped my mind and got rid of my “Fibromyalgia” symptoms, so I’m keeping it!!! So I have a new NS now, but to no avail.?

I have a feeling since I have been taking more Tramacet lately that it might be it that is making my memory worse, not just the Hydro getting “worse”.

Wow, did I give a long response!
Chatty Cathy!
PS By the way, just the support I got here lifted my spirits a lot too!

[jane2]

I have bad IBS and find it hard to take gyclolax/miralax. I can't find a dosage that doesn't bloat me for four days, before producing a 3 pound poop and then giving me the runs. Sometimes the poop just sits there at the bottom of my bowel getting bigger and bigger and more uncomfortable I find that I need to take a stimulant with it, but that can be dangerous. Once it starts working, if you stay on it, things can get a little out of control.

I think if you can find the right dose it's probably a miracle.

I use flax seed oil. Too big pills every day. It's good for you and it works a little bit like mineral oil, which isn't good for you and reaches out all the oil vitamins.

Sorry for being graphic.