Just went through the HalfLytely/colonoscopy experience last month, so I know what you mean!
I used the lemon/lime flavor, still tasted pretty bad. And then there’s the “experience” afterward.
Ed
I have to do the prep Thu for the procedure on Fri. Has anyone tried the pills? Barbara Walters said she used pills instead of the gallons of liquid. I have a script for the liquid, was thinking about asking for the pills instead.
That’s another occasion for being grateful for having a bidet.
maladroit: Ask your doctor if you can use Fleet phospho-soda. If I remember correctly you use a few tablespoons in a glass of something like ginger ale and you’re done. It just makes it taste a little salty, nothing gross.
I still vividly remeber my “cleaning kit” when they needed to image my kidney stones.
Step one: Pills.
Step two: Horrid cocktail of lemon-lime and metal.
step three: Supository. Talking about trying to go north in the southbound lane, it remained for a time only meaurable in picoseconds.
All done. You will all be pleased to know (or maybe just slightly curious ;)) that I’m clean as a whistle…nary a polyp to be found.
I don’t have to have another one for five years. I don’t know what drug they gave me, but it must have been a short-acting one because the procedure only took 20 minutes. I remember it was thick and white, the anesthesiologist pushed it into my IV, said it will take effect in a few seconds, and bang…lights out!
I had a McDonald’s chicken sandwich and french fries afterward, and I’m going to have a bowl of Fiber One Raisin cereal with and English muffin a bit later.
Congratulations!
(Colonoscopy results are one of the few times in my life where I’m delighted to be merely, blessedly “normal”.)
Excellent news!
Sounds like Propofol.
[ul][li]GoLytely: polyethylene glycol 3350, sodium sulfate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and potassium chloride, dispensed as a powder with a 4L bottle for mixing.[/li][li]NuLytely: PEG-3350, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and flavoring packs, dispensed as a powder with a 4L bottle for mixing.[/li][li]HalfLytely: 2 bisacodyl tablets, and a 2L mixing bottle containing PEG-3350, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride.[/li][li]MoviPrep: PEG-3350, sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium ascorbate, and ascorbic acid, powdered and dispensed with a 2L bottle for mixing.[/li][li]OsmoPrep: 32 tablets containing two forms of sodium phosphate.[/ul][/li]
GoLytely and NuLytely use 4L of water and the medication to do all the work. The PEG-3350 (which is the same as MiraLax) causes the bowel movements, the other ingredients help your body retain its electrolyte balance even though it’s expelling all that water out the back.
HalfLytely uses two laxative tablets that you take up front. After your first bowel movement, you start on the 2L of liquid, with the PEG-3350 keeping you moving and the electrolytes helping maintain your balance. The good thing about this is there’s less of the fluid to drink.
MoviPrep is similar to HalfLytely, except it doesn’t use the laxative tablets and it’s supposed to taste better.
OsmoPrep is just laxative tablets – 4 at a time every 15 minutes with 8 oz of clear liquid for 5 doses, then a break, then 4 at a time every 15 minutes with 8 oz of liquid for 3 doses.
– brought to you by your friendly pharmacy tech, who has never suffered with this horrid process but gives this stuff out every day.
Are any of those more “effective” than the others? Or is it six of one and half-dozen of the other?
congrats on the good outcome Ivylass!
Basically the same. The OsmoPrep is a pill form of Fleet Phospho-Soda, and the others are MiraLax combined with electrolytes to keep you from suffering the effects of electrolyte loss. HalfLytely throws in two tablets to get things moving, but is otherwise the same.
GoLytely and NuLytely are available in generics, so they are the most commonly dispensed. Some insurances will not cover OsmoPrep, MoviPrep, or HalfLytely because the Go and Nu are available generically.