Miralax is not approved for long-term use in chronic constipation. Use Miralax as needed to relieve occasional attacks of severe constipation. If you need a long-term alternative, a bulk-forming fiber laxative such as psyllium Metamucil is a reasonable alternative. Learn more. To relieve severe constipation, you have to stick to the standard diet and lifestyle modifications.
This will help to improve your bowel movements without the need to increase your laxative doses or using a more powerful alternative. A study concluded that taking the two laxatives can combine the advantages of fibers and isotonic solutions. You can only use this combination for a period of a week or two. Never exceed 2 weeks of this combination without permission from your doctor.
You can use Psyllium Metamucil alone after the period of two weeks and then use MiraLAX for occasional attacks of severe constipation. Skip to content How much can you take Miralax for severe constipation? Evidence-based Written By A Doctor. Increasing the dose of MiraLAX without the permission of your doctor can lead to side effects such as: Nausea, and even vomiting. Abdominal cramps. Upset stomach. Aim for grams of dietary fiber per day, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains such as bran fiber, whole wheat, or oats.
Walk as often as tolerated. Managing constipation Use over-the-counter Senokot-S which is a combination of Senna and a stool softener. Take 2 tablets every night at bedtime. However, it may be best to take it in the morning. You should only take MiraLAX once a day, unless your doctor gives you different instructions. Your doctor may recommend MiraLAX for colonoscopy bowel preparation. For this purpose, MiraLAX is sometimes used by itself or in combination with other laxatives.
Bowel prep procedures will cause diarrhea. Therefore, you should stay near a toilet as you conduct the procedure. MiraLAX is classified as an osmotic laxative. This means that it works by drawing water into the colon. The water softens the stool and may naturally stimulate the colon to contract.
These actions help ease bowel movements. MiraLAX is an osmotic laxative used to treat constipation. There are other osmotic laxatives, and other types of laxatives, that can also be used to treat constipation. Examples of these laxatives include:. You may wonder how certain products compare to MiraLAX.
Below are comparisons between MiraLAX and several other treatments. MiraLAX is an osmotic laxative. That means it draws water into the colon, which softens the stool and may naturally stimulate the colon to contract. Metamucil is a psyllium fiber supplement that works as a bulk-forming laxative. Like osmotic laxatives, Metamucil draws water into the colon and makes the stool softer. But in addition to that, its fiber content bulks up the stool, which naturally stimulates movement of the colon to pass the stool.
MiraLAX is used for short-term treatment of constipation and long-term treatment of chronic constipation. Metamucil is primarily used for preventing constipation. However, it may also be used for short-term treatment of constipation, as well as long-term treatment of chronic constipation. Metamucil is also used to help treat diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome IBS , diverticulosis, and high cholesterol. MiraLAX comes as a powder in bottles and single-serve packets. You mix the powder with four to eight ounces of liquid and drink it once daily.
Metamucil is available as a powder and as a capsule. You mix the powder with 8 ounces of water and drink it one to three times daily. For the capsule, you typically take two to five capsules up to four times daily. However, this side effect may decrease or go away with continued use of either product.
Taking Metamucil without adequate liquid can cause choking. Be sure to take Metamucil with at least 8 ounces of liquid. MiraLAX and Metamucil are both effective for treating constipation, but they have not been compared in clinical studies. Guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons recommend increasing dietary fiber or using fiber supplements such as Metamucil as a first-choice option to prevent and treat constipation, including chronic constipation.
They also recommend osmotic laxatives such as MiraLAX for treating constipation, including chronic constipation. Colace is a stool softener. It helps to draw water into the stool itself to make it softer and easier to pass. Colace is used short-term to prevent and to treat constipation. Colace is commonly used after surgical procedures to help prevent constipation. In some cases, it causes loose stools. Diarrhea is considered a rare side effect. MiraLAX and Colace are both effective for treating constipation.
Dulocolax bisacodyl is a stimulant laxative. It works by irritating the intestines and causing them to contract. It also works by increasing water in the intestines. Both of these actions help cause a bowel movement. Dulcolax is used for short-term treatment of constipation. It should not be used long-term. Dulcolax may also be used in combination with other laxatives including MiraLAX for bowel prep before colonoscopy or other procedures.
Stimulant laxatives, including Dulcolax, are also more likely to cause laxative dependence when used long-term. This can cause severe constipation when the medication is stopped. MiraLAX and Dulcolax are both effective for treating constipation. Dulcolax is considered a second-choice option for short-term treatment of constipation.
Another difference is how long these products take to work. MiraLAX usually takes one to three days to cause a bowel movement. Dulcolax tablets, on the other hand, usually cause a bowel movement within 6 to 12 hours. And Dulcolax suppositories typically do so within 15 minutes to an hour.
It works like an osmotic laxative. Milk of magnesia is used for short-term treatment of constipation. Milk of magnesia is the liquid form of magnesium hydroxide. Milk of magnesia products come as liquid suspensions. Magnesium hydroxide products also come as oral tablets or caplets that are typically taken once daily. Milk of magnesia and other magnesium hydroxide products can cause the same side effects as MiraLAX, as well as:.
If you have kidney problems, you should not use milk of magnesia or other magnesium hydroxide products.
These products can cause high magnesium levels in the body, which can cause dangerous side effects such as:. An analysis of studies comparing MiraLAX and milk of magnesia for constipation in children found conflicting results.
Some of these studies show that MiraLAX might be slightly more effective than milk of magnesia. However, another study in the analysis found that milk of magnesia may be more effective.
Guidelines for treating constipation in children recommend MiraLAX as a first choice for short- and long-term treatment of constipation. Milk of magnesia is considered a second-choice option. For adults, guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons recommend osmotic laxatives such as MiraLAX for treating constipation, including chronic constipation.
Another difference between MiraLAX and milk of magnesia is how long they take to work. Milk of magnesia, on the other hand, usually causes a bowel movement within 30 minutes to 6 hours. Benefiber is a wheat dextrin fiber supplement that works as a bulk-forming laxative. Like osmotic laxatives, Benefiber draws water into the colon and makes the stool softer. Benefiber is primarily used for preventing constipation. Benefiber comes as a bulk powder and in single-serving packets.
The powder is mixed with 4 to 8 ounces of water or another non-carbonated beverage and taken 1 to 3 times daily. However, taking the 34 g dose for several days was associated with increased side effects reference. But you cannot use the bowel preparation dose for the relief of constipation. Such a dose may lead to serious side effects if used without medical supervision. MiraLax is classified as an osmotic laxative. These side effects are more likely to occur if you take an overdose of MiraLax such as 3 times a day for several days.
The potential drawbacks of taking MiraLax 3 times a day for several days are discussed in the section below. Diarrhea is common after Miralax overdosing such as taking it 3 times a day. And of course, the incidence of diarrhea is much greater if you take MiraLax 3 times a day. As diarrhea, taking an overdose of MiraLax 3 times daily for several days will lead to more bloating and gas.
Taking MiraLax 3 or more times a day may induce frequent nausea. Other side effects of frequent MiraLax use include abdominal pain cramps , continuous comfort in your belly, eructation, and dyspepsia reference.
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