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Colonoscopy hack is a strategy for getting the best out of your colonoscopy. If you or your loved one is scheduled for a colonoscopy, these hacks can change your experience from awful to pleasant.
Colonoscopy Hack #1: Google your doctor
Google your physician: Even though there is poor correlation between physician online rating and quality of care, online information about your physician is still helpful. Is she board certified? Where did he train? How does she perform on quality measures such as completion rates (cecal intubation rate), complication rates, and the ability to detect pre-cancerous polyps (adenoma detection rate)? For additional information, read The 3 P’s of colonoscopy: Factors that determine the outcome of colonoscopy.
Colonoscopy Hack #2: Pick prime time
What is prime time is different for many people. You should pick the prime time that satisfies your health condition and circumstances.
- If you are diabetic, pick a morning appointment. This will avoid prolonged period of fasting and fluctuations in blood sugar.
- If you work late into the evenings or nights and can only be off for 1 day, consider an afternoon appointment. This gives you time to do your bowel prep.
- Pick the day and time that is convenient for the person that will take you for the procedure and take you back home.
Colonoscopy Hack #3: Split the prep
There are many medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration as bowel cleansing agents. These include Colyte®, GoLYTELY®, NuLYTELY®, TriLyte®, HalfLytely®, MoviPrep®, SUPREP®, OsmoPrep®, and Prepopik®.
Regardless of the bowel cleansing agent used, the split dose regimen has been proven in multiple studies to be the most effective way to use the medication. In the split dose regimen, half of the bowel cleansing agent is taken the evening before the colonoscopy. The 2nd half is taken 4 hours before the scheduled colonoscopy.
Colonoscopy Hack #4: Chill the prep
Bowel cleansing agents are better served cold. Chill the bowel cleansing liquid by putting it in a fridge or ice bucket.
Colonoscopy Hack # 5: Suck on candy
Sucking on menthol candy while you ingest the bowel cleansing liquid has been shown to improve the taste, leading to better bowel preparation.
Colonoscopy Hack #6: Add flavor
Add flavor with lemon juice, lemon slices or sugar free flavor enhancers like Crystal Light®.
Colonoscopy Hack #7: Lube and Wipes
The bowel cleansing agent will cause diarrhea, so stay near a toilet. Use a soft toilet tissue. For anorectal irritation or discomfort, use baby wipes, Vaseline, Desitin or hemorrhoidal agents.
Colonoscopy Hack #8: Use a straw
Use straw to drink the bowel cleansing agent. Sipping is better than gulping and reduces the bitter taste.
Colonoscopy Hack #9: Get a champion or navigator
- Get someone to motivate you. The person can be your friend, partner or relative.
- Get a guide. Visit BOWELPREPGUIDE.COM.
- If available through your physician, take advantage of patient engagement and reminder tools like mobile device app, text messages, or email.
Colonoscopy Hack #10: Be a scout
Go prepared:
- Get the day off.
- Arrange for transportation and escort. You need an adult and responsible person to take you home.
- Wear loose and comfortable clothing.
- Keep expensive jewelry and other valuables at home.
- Go with a photo ID, insurance card and a form of payment for any copay or deductible.
Colonoscopy can be hacked. If you know any hack that is not mentioned here, please let us know.
This is EXCELLENT information, thank you! I would add a couple of tips that worked for me yesterday/today:
1) if your doctor prescribed zofran for nausea, take a tablet 1/2 hr before starting bowel prep
2) consider drinking hot tea or hot chicken broth in between the ice cold prep solution (otherwise, your stomach may not tolerate it and you may vomit; if you do, take a break and split prep i.e., try re-starting 4 hrs before the procedure
Again, thanks for posting this for us newbies!
Thanks. I will include your tips in future updates.
I live in PA and am preparing for a colonoscopy tomorrow. My bowel prep is take 2 Dulcolax pills at 4 pm, then dissolve 7 caps of Miralax in a clear liquid and start drinking at 6 pm, then the same dose of Miralax at 11 pm, and of course the liquid diet the day before and day of the procedure. I didn’t know if this was an old article, but this is how I’ve prepared for the last 2 colonoscopies too, which were both 5 years apart. Members of my family haven’t had to drink that awful prep liquid for years. Just sayin . . . .
Many bowel cleansing agents exist for bowel prep prior to colonoscopy. Miralax-Gatorade has been studied; It is very common even though it is not FDA approved for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy.
Read https://bowelprepguide.com/split-dosing-dosages-for-bowel-preparation-agents/
Read https://bowelprepguide.com/how-to-use-your-bowel-cleansing-agents/
I just finished my prep, and the two tips that are most important are 1) suck on a quarter of a lemon after each gulp of prep. Takes the taste away and keeps you from gagging, if that is a problem. Also 2) do a liquid diet or eat very minimal, soft food (i.e., mashed potatoes) on the day before the prep day. Everything came out as it should after six hours and my MD said it was a good prep.
Hold your NOSE, while drinking the solution. Keep holding it until the first half is gone.
Then spit out the residual taste in your mouth and drink 4 oz of ice water.
This works like a charm.
Thanks for the tip.
Agreed. The key is to not even know what you’re drinking. After I started plugging my nose, rinsing my mouth & drinking water in between slurps, then chewing gum until next drink, I stopped vomiting.
I chased by sucking lemons with salt works with Tequila lol worked for me 👍🏼
Drinking sips of water to chase the prep works great. I always hold my nose and getting it down between sips of water as quick as possible works the best.
Eat gentle, low fiber/low residue foods 2-3 days before colonoscopy. You’ll get cleaned out better and prep is less painful. (Think as if you were planning to big sick with a stomach bug!)
Pack Gas-x in your bag to take after the procedure in case of discomfort from gas & bloating.
Wear Depends to bed & to the colonoscopy. You’ll be able to relax better not having to worry about a potential accident.
Sleep as late as possible on prep day so the time passes quicker and you’re not hungry as long.
Some less thought of clear liquids that can be a treat to have on prep day- Icees (not red), sorbet (not sherbet!), Honey, gummy bears (not red or purple), hard candies (life savers, jolly ranchers).
Awesome! Thanks for the tips.
This is my 5th colonoscopy and/or endoscopy and I am doing the split prep using Gatorade and Miralax. I put the two 32 oz Gatorade in the fridge this morning to chill. About an hour or so before I was to start my prep, I mixed the Miralax into them. I put one of the 32 oz Gatorade prep solution back into the fridge. I put the other Gatorade prep solution in the freezer an hour before starting my prep (a little bit would not fit back into the bottle so I just poured it in a glass and added it to the solution after drinking the first glass). I would pour out 6 oz into a small glass mason type jelly jar – I had to drink 5 of these glasses (instead of the four 8oz glasses), BUT it was easier to get down this way. I put the prep back in the freezer each time as well and shook it when taking it out for my next dose 10-15 minutes apart. It continued to get slushy(er) each time and was far more tolerable. The straw idea did not work for me. I felt it took longer to get it down and it seemed to me I tasted it more. I would just pray, take deep breathes, take a big gulp, and swallow. TRULY the slushy mix had less taste. I am preparing for the 2nd portion now ….. here’s to a clean colon and a healthy report!
I agree with your approach
Followed your helpful hints and Im pleased , thank you
My favorite hack: I drank only smoothies the whole day before the prep. (two days before the procedure). I started drinking the prep at 2 pm, I was completely clear at 5:15. No cramping whatsoever, even though am having the procedure due to symptoms.
What was in your smoothies?
I used a heating pad to alleviate some of the stomach discomfort from ingesting the cold prep.
Did anyone take ducolax with the prep agent
Some people especially people likely to have inadequate bowel prep take dulcolax with the bowel cleansing agent. Read https://bowelprepguide.com/how-to-use-your-bowel-cleansing-agents/
I find it helpful to: make sure the temperature in your home is comfortable enough for extended time on the toilet, keep a radio and reading materials in the bathroom (gossip magazines are great because they don’t require any thinking!); if you are not going to stay in the bathroom the entire time following drinking the prep, then make sure you are using adult diapers, keep old towels or sheets on the floor between where you are waiting and the bathroom; keep paper towels and bathroom cleaner close at hand (a clean space is good for morale). Bring an extra set of clothes to the procedure, just in case you need them.
Thanks for the tips.
Okay. Suprep is really rough!
But I tapered off my diet- the week before and added miralax 2 months prior.
Suprep on the side Clearfast Watermelon 🍉 not great but helps – the nasty 🤢 Suprep taste.
Fair warning ⚠️ the second time is a lot worse. I took 4 or 5 breaks in between- to breathe, and stretch- so I wouldn’t vomit.
Freezing the clear juices in ice cube trays then crushing them and eating like a slushy on prep day is a great and satisfying snack. It adds a little crunch to an otherwise soggy day of liquids. Happy prepping to all! 🙂
Since Im sensitive to the ingredients in these preps, Ive done clear luquids & only used 2 bottles of magnesium citrate in lemon flavor. It was SO tolerable. No one knew I did this & my doctors said I was all cleaned out. I didnt tell them my hack , bec I had asked them prior to the procedure if I could use the mag citrate & they said no. Dont know if this woukd work for anyine else, but it did for me. I also replaced thegatorade/propel/pedialyte with coconut water. My ladt dr wanted me to take 4 dukcolax pills, 2-3 bottles of miralax plus 2 gasX pills per miralax dose. Forget that. For me, I was more concerned about the garbage in these prep supplies & having an allergic reaction to them.
I feel ya! I’m on my 4th bottle of magnesium citrate. I slammed the last 2 in an hour. I took 4 docolax earlier today. Almost clear and it’s 10 pm. I’m about to take more docolax before I chill for the night. I’ll be up at 430 am for a 630 am appt. This is my 3rd procedure.