Miralax....

[MissAnn]

I have 2 kids from different families who keep their kids on Miralax. One parent seems completely obsessed with her 5 year old's poop habits. She asked me to take him off milk....but I told her I'd have to have a doctor's slip and a milk alternative. The boy never seems uncomfortable......wondering if it's mom over obsessing or what? The other kid is kept on Miralax all the time........and he cries when he has to poop....stomach cramps from the Miralax. I am wondering if they would just let them poop when they need to poop.......naturally...if all would be well.

[countrymom]

had a kid on it here too, so what does mom do, gives it to the sister too, omg the mess that I have to clean up is crazy. What they are not realizing is that they are ruining their bodies, they are going to have to rely on med. just to poop.

[CrayolaKids]

One of my current dcb was on Miralax for almost a year because of bowel issues. This was prescribed by a specialist though because he truly did have some medical issues going on. Turned out he had a fissure (or many..not exactly sure) in his colon because he would strain so hard to poop and literally cry because it hurt so bad to poop. If he would have any kind of juice, though, he would have a massive explosion...it would never be a happy medium or a normal poop. This was all BEFORE he was ever put on miralax. They put him on miralax to give his colon time to heal and he could then poop normally. Just throwing it out there that there are SOME instances in which it is necessary to give a child Miralax. I definitely don't think it should be an ongoing thing, though. Why on earth would you want your young childs body to be dependent on that stuff and not self-regulate itself?!

[MissAnn]

One of my current dcb was on Miralax for almost a year because of bowel issues. This was prescribed by a specialist though because he truly did have some medical issues going on. Turned out he had a fissure (or many..not exactly sure) in his colon because he would strain so hard to poop and literally cry because it hurt so bad to poop. If he would have any kind of juice, though, he would have a massive explosion...it would never be a happy medium or a normal poop. This was all BEFORE he was ever put on miralax. They put him on miralax to give his colon time to heal and he could then poop normally. Just throwing it out there that there are SOME instances in which it is necessary to give a child Miralax. I definitely don't think it should be an ongoing thing, though. Why on earth would you want your young childs body to be dependent on that stuff and not self-regulate itself?!

That's the thing.....neither of these kids have been put on Miralax from a doctor. Both boys have accidents in their pants that are so large I have a huge mess to clean up. The 5 year old will sometimes take off his underwear and hide them.....or even poop in places around my house. I just wish they'd take him off Miralax and relax a bit and see what nature does. It sets him up for failure because while on the stuff....he can't make it to the toilet sometimes. He goes to K next year......hate to see these things happen there. They are nervous parents and worry over every little thing. They think he should have a poop every day....and if he doesn't.....the give him the Miralax.

[cheerfuldom]

I have a nervous parent friend that constantly has her kids on miralax, allergy medications, breathing treatments (most or all self diagnosed). She will say her child was horribly ill and I see them the same day and they are running around just like any kid. She also feeds them a very poor diet (chocolate milk, uncrustables, etc) and doesnt change any of that for their "health issues". She relies heavily on medications and was so furious when one doctor told her to go home, there was nothing wrong with her kid.

[itlw8]

I had never had a child with any problems before until my dgd.... for her we found 1/8 cup of raisons each day solved her problem. After several months she is not afraid it will hurt and she is starting to be regular on her own. She only gets the raisons if it has been a few days. But that has not happene in a few weeks now.

[momma2girls]

I once had a 4 yr. old daycare girl, that was on Miralax all the time. I finally figured it out, that the parents would give it to her on her daycare days, instead of her preschool days. They would time it so she wouldn't have accidents in preschool. She had an awful, and I mean awful diarrhea mess here twice a week!!! I couldn't believe it!!! She would mess in her pull up every naptime!!! This lasted a couple of months, and I finally let go, when I figured out everything!! Can you believe it????

[wahmof3]

My 9yo is on miralax, prescribed by a doc. Doc says she should have a BM everyday.

I also have a dck that I WISH was on it bc he doesn't go enough (like maybe & I mean maybe) once a week. So when he needs to go its down right awful for dcb, mom & me. I have mentioned it to her, but she doesn't want to.

[MrsB]

Wow thats aweful! I fortunately have no kids on it!

That is really strange that drs are forcing it to be once a day. One time my DD hadn't gone for 3 days and doctor said it needed to be at least 7 days and then they would give her an enima.

I think if it was me and it was such a mess and became a problem at daycare, I would call and come pick up for diarrhea.

[safechner]

My 11 years old daughter used to be on Miralax by a doctor when she was 8 years old. She would held bowel movements for days. I was lucky that she had well check up and the doctor said she was full of poop inside of her when she pushed lower tummy. She said she would need to be on miralax to help her to make softer stools and smaller and it won't let her hold. One day, she had to go because she cannot hold it and she was so mad and it finally came out but it doesn't hurt her. I was like oh my goodness, it was huge. No wonder why she was holding for a while. She have to go everyday. Now she is doing fine but if it happens again and I would have to put her on again. It is quite expensive to buy Miralax.

Most kids would hold longer for days, maybe that is why they need to be on Miralax. I am pretty sure the doctor told the parents that they need to be on it.

[jojosmommy]

My son is on it, but we do not HAVE to give it to him everyday. He goes pretty consistently however diet changes can cause major issues for him. Dr told us he needs to go everyday and when they are learning to control it (learning to toilet) they often hold too long, then it becomes hard, they have bad poops and become afraid of going. My son had terrible issues for 2 weeks and dr said miralax was the fix. It NEVER gives my son watery stools- NEVER. They must give too much or the amount fo fruit/veggies is doing that. Also, I dont think the miralx causes stomach aches, too much bowel does. Whenever my son has to go and hasnt for a while he complains of sharp belly pains. That is before miralax has even been given.



One dck is also on it about 1x a week because she also holds stools. Lots of kids do it because they are learning to control their bowels and some are nervous about going in public or at daycare so they hold too long and that causes issues.

[Mommy2One]

My daughter takes 1tsp of Miralax every morning. This was recommended by her pediatrician after months of trying to give her relief through altering her diet. We tried giving prune juice and apple juice, increasing fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing the amount of cow's milk, decreasing the amount of bananas, apple sauce, rice and white flour based products, etc. It didn't matter at all what she did or didn't eat, the only way to get her to go to the bathroom was a warm bath followed by sitting on her potty chair and that still resulted in a toddler absolutely screaming in pain, with good reason (who also hated her potty chair because she associated it with pain) and who held it and tried not to go potty. After being on the Miralax for a while, she's finally no longer in pain, no longer holding it and is happily potty training but if she misses more than one dose she starts to have problems again. I hate that she's on this much medicine but it's what she needs right now. From talking to our doctor and researching online it appears to be a pretty common problem and there are many children who were on Miralax long-term who outgrew their toddler stage tummy issues and at 4 or 5 years old are medicine free and fine.

If they're having problems during day care, the parents need to work on adjusting the dose. Our pediatrician originally told us to give her 2 tablespoons. That was way too much for a maintenance dose and it took us a couple weeks to find a good balance.

[MNMum]

Miralax isn't like other laxatives. I've been on it after hemorroid surgery and my daughter was on it for 6 mos when she was 2. With that said, they should be followed by an MD if they are on it regularly. Read below:

Water is vital to your body for healthy living, and to help your digestive system stay regular. Constipation may occur when stool moves slowly through the colon, which could allow too much water to be removed. This can make the stool hard, dry, and difficult to pass.

MiraLAX® contains Polyethylene Glycol 3350, which is a completely different way to treat constipation. It works by gently replenishing the water to your digestive system, which helps naturally cause a bowel movement. This water both increases the frequency of bowel movements and softens the stool, making it easier to pass. Nothing works better than MiraLAX laxative to relieve constipation and soften stool with no harsh side effects.

No sudden urgency
No cramping
No bloating
No gas

[spud912]

I used Miralax for a couple of years myself and it was truly a godsend! After I had my children, my IBS seemed to resolve itself and I never needed it again. It does not cause cramping at all. Miralax basically works via osmosis....it contains a high sodium concentration that is not absorbed into the body, but it does extract water out of your body and into your colon so the feces is not so hard.

If the child has loose stools, then the parents either need to cut back on the Miralax or eliminate it all together. It should only make the stools "normal." I also think that all other more natural methods need to be exhausted first (high fiber diet, low glycemic index foods, dried fruits and prune juice). None of that stuff worked for me, so I had to use Miralax.

[Lilbutterflie]

My daughter takes 1tsp of Miralax every morning. This was recommended by her pediatrician after months of trying to give her relief through altering her diet. We tried giving prune juice and apple juice, increasing fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing the amount of cow's milk, decreasing the amount of bananas, apple sauce, rice and white flour based products, etc. It didn't matter at all what she did or didn't eat, the only way to get her to go to the bathroom was a warm bath followed by sitting on her potty chair and that still resulted in a toddler absolutely screaming in pain, with good reason (who also hated her potty chair because she associated it with pain) and who held it and tried not to go potty. After being on the Miralax for a while, she's finally no longer in pain, no longer holding it and is happily potty training but if she misses more than one dose she starts to have problems again. I hate that she's on this much medicine but it's what she needs right now. From talking to our doctor and researching online it appears to be a pretty common problem and there are many children who were on Miralax long-term who outgrew their toddler stage tummy issues and at 4 or 5 years old are medicine free and fine.

If they're having problems during day care, the parents need to work on adjusting the dose. Our pediatrician originally told us to give her 2 tablespoons. That was way too much for a maintenance dose and it took us a couple weeks to find a good balance.

My DD had terrible terrible constipation from the time she was about 1. After 6 months of trying to alter her diet the way the pp described, her pediatrician prescribed Miralax (you can get it OTC now, but not at the time). We had to alter the dosage many times, but eventually we got her pooping normally. She was on Miralax every single day from the age of 18 months until she turned about 4. That's when her bowels started to regulate on their own and she never needed it again. Occasionally she still gets constipated, but nothing like it used to be. Miralax was a such a blessing to us!

I agree that if the child/ren are having blowouts; then the dosage of Miralax should be decreased or ceased altogether for a few days and then back on a lower dosage. Every child with these issues needs a different dosage of Miralax to have normal bm's, and it takes a while to find the happy medium. And for sure, children who are using it long term should be doing it at the recommendation of a doctor.