Really, what do you do if you throw up your prep?

I haven't done so...yet...but I firmly believe I will this time. After getting everything switched over to a new gastroenterologist (due to terrible communication issues with my previous one), I found out he completely refuses to prescribe anything but Suprep or the gallon. If I would have known that, I wouldn't have gone through all of this, but you can't even set up a consultation with him until you send your records. Maybe that's typical but ugh. Anyway...

To say I'm bad at drinking gross liquids (or eating gross foods) is an understatement. I'm like those of you on here who just CAN. NOT. Mind over matter doesn't work, tips and tricks don't work, nothing. For my first two scopes, I was able to use Prepopik, which was a dream. For my third scope, that was no longer available, so I was given Clenpiq. It was another low-volume prep but way nastier and stronger than Prepopik and I couldn't finish the second dose. But this new doctor won't even let me use Clenpiq again, despite it working very, very well (I didn't know that much liquid could come out of me at once). Suprep is my only option since there's no way I could do the gallon. I really, truly believe I'm not even going to be able to do the first dose. I was given a sample to try, but that won't tell me if I'll be able to drink a lot of it. It's not necessarily high volume but it is significantly more than what I had to drink for Clenpiq.

I'm asking him to give me an antiemetic (Reglan, never had it before) but will it really be enough? I'm so scared. Since there has to be a lot of people who end up throwing up, what do you do in that situation? Some seem to still be cleaned out enough. Some cross their fingers but are turned away and have to start all over again. What. Do. You. Do?? If you call the doctor's office they'll just tell you to sip slowly. Oh gee, thanks.

I also hear so many stories about people who couldn't drink certain things anymore because of their prep experiences, whether that was a certain flavor of gatorade or the prep itself. Once you've been through it and know how much you hate it, I feel like it's even more impossible the next time. I'll try the lemon and/or menthol cough drop tricks but I still don't think I can do this. I know it's hard for everyone but I'm seriously doubting my ability to do this. Help.

I've always had problems with the prep. I tried the Suprep too and couldn't do it. I'm like you, I can't stomach it. Some people say Suprep tastes super sweet and they do well (!), but to me it tastes thick and salty. I now do the miralax prep. Like CCinPA said, eat lightly a few days beforehand. Can you ask your doctor if you can try that? Otherwise you can search through this forum and find lots of tips people have tried that could help you.
Good luck!

I second the mag citrate/dulcolax prep. It is easy, not a ton of fluid and doesn’t make me feel like I am going to throw up. I take 4 dulcolax then over a 30 minute period I drink 1 bottle of mag citrate. Work to get a liter of clear fluids in over the next couple of hours, then repeat the process without the dulcolax 4-6 hours later. It takes a couple of hours to do anything for me, but it works well, I have always been told my prep was “excellent” with this method.

decaf4me said...
I've always had problems with the prep. I tried the Suprep too and couldn't do it. I'm like you, I can't stomach it. Some people say Suprep tastes super sweet and they do well (!), but to me it tastes thick and salty. I now do the miralax prep. Like CCinPA said, eat lightly a few days beforehand. Can you ask your doctor if you can try that? Otherwise you can search through this forum and find lots of tips people have tried that could help you.
Good luck!

Thank you, I'm seeing more and more people say they've improved their chances by eating lightly a few days before. Glad you understand. It's crazy that even with the solution being diluted, it's still thick tasting. Blechh.

First time I had colonoscopy I drank Gatorade. Threw up. After that, I used white grape juice. That was much better.

suchatravesty said...
Your GI will have no clue what you use. I third the dulcolax & miralax route. Miralax doesn't really have a taste if you mix it with something flavorful. Plenty of clinics have instructions online that you can follow. I am 100% doing this the next time I have a colonoscopy -- I have managed to chug down the other stuff before, but it was painful and disgusting.

That's what I've heard...I'm nervous about that though. So I'm supposed to not tell him my plan and keep my fingers crossed? Like, if you tell the doctor that's what you're doing, can they refuse to do the scope?

momto2boys said...
I second the mag citrate/dulcolax prep. It is easy, not a ton of fluid and doesn’t make me feel like I am going to throw up. I take 4 dulcolax then over a 30 minute period I drink 1 bottle of mag citrate. Work to get a liter of clear fluids in over the next couple of hours, then repeat the process without the dulcolax 4-6 hours later. It takes a couple of hours to do anything for me, but it works well, I have always been told my prep was “excellent” with this method.

Hmm, definitely worth looking into. Is that a split dose approach then or do you have to repeat the above process twice? That probably doesn't make sense the way I'm phrasing it.

talliecat said...
I have the same issues as you.. whereas I have thrown up all of the preps. One of my gastroenterologists prescribed Osmoprep ( pills) you can drink with water.. in combination with anti nausea medication ( zofran?) as well as a valium. I also start the prep about noon the day before and as others have said.. eat light the day or so before. One idea is to google different preps. Some are over the counter.. as long as you are cleaned out I think its fine... I still have some Osmoprep pills as I didn't need to use them all. ( I think they are no longer prescribed).

Man, it's such a bummer that Osmoprep is no longer available. I never got the chance to try it. Did the zofran help you?

Michelejc said...

GloGirl504 said...

Michelejc said...
First time I had colonoscopy I drank Gatorade. Threw up. After that, I used white grape juice. That was much better.

Michelejc said...
I did the miralax prep. I cannot even look at Gatorade without gagging now. I did the lime flavored one.

Ugh. Did you just not like that flavor, or could it have been any flavor but drinking that much of it is just a different story? I do wonder how we, as people who need to get scoped regularly, can keep changing up the liquid we use to mix it with so that we don't get immediately repulsed by it the next time. If that makes sense. Like, if someone used watermelon gatorade one time and then after that couldn't handle even thinking about watermelon gatorade, what if that happens with every flavor and they run out of options?? This is what my mind does to me...

You just drink two 8 oz bottles, 1 with dulcolax and then 4-6 hours later you drink the second one without the dulcolax.

GloGirl504 said...
Ugh. Did you just not like that flavor, or could it have been any flavor but drinking that much of it is just a different story? I do wonder how we, as people who need to get scoped regularly, can keep changing up the liquid we use to mix it with so that we don't get immediately repulsed by it the next time. If that makes sense. Like, if someone used watermelon gatorade one time and then after that couldn't handle even thinking about watermelon gatorade, what if that happens with every flavor and they run out of options?? This is what my mind does to me...

Thankfully miralax doesn't have a taste so I just distracted my mind from the fact that this was a prep...

If it really comes to that and they have to turn you away I would stand up for myself and demand a different prep. This is now the second post I read here today where I find out a GI refuses to give the preferred prep? What has this come to?

My GI always gave me the one that I requested. I tried surprep and I threw up at the second session in the morning. I had a friend come over with enemas to get myself cleaned out as much as possible. In the end I was still clean enough for the scope luckily. After I threw up I needed a moment until I could continue. Needless to say I have never used surprep again.

I hope it doesn't come to the worst and you'll get through it.

BTW this is the prep I followed for my very last scope https://www.unitypoint.org/madison/preparing-for-a-colonoscopy-miralax.aspx

Andrina said...

GloGirl504 said...
Ugh. Did you just not like that flavor, or could it have been any flavor but drinking that much of it is just a different story? I do wonder how we, as people who need to get scoped regularly, can keep changing up the liquid we use to mix it with so that we don't get immediately repulsed by it the next time. If that makes sense. Like, if someone used watermelon gatorade one time and then after that couldn't handle even thinking about watermelon gatorade, what if that happens with every flavor and they run out of options?? This is what my mind does to me...

Thankfully miralax doesn't have a taste so I just distracted my mind from the fact that this was a prep...

If it really comes to that and they have to turn you away I would stand up for myself and demand a different prep. This is now the second post I read here today where I find out a GI refuses to give the preferred prep? What has this come to?

My GI always gave me the one that I requested. I tried surprep and I threw up at the second session in the morning. I had a friend come over with enemas to get myself cleaned out as much as possible. In the end I was still clean enough for the scope luckily. After I threw up I needed a moment until I could continue. Needless to say I have never used surprep again.

I hope it doesn't come to the worst and you'll get through it.

BTW this is the prep I followed for my very last scope https://www.unitypoint.org/madison/preparing-for-a-colonoscopy-miralax.aspx

I know, it's infuriating that some doctors refuse to be open to other preps. I understand some don't work as well, but do they think we want to waste our time any less than they want to waste theirs? We wouldn't put ourselves through all of that for nothing. Sometimes I really want to shove the nastiest prep I can think of down their throats. Thank you for the link. I'm leaning more and more toward the miralax route, at least as a backup.