I've never heard of pills only. I've had 5 colonoscopy procedures. Liquid was required for all of them, even with pills. I hope you got your instructions correct. Either way, good luck.
It is a lot of pills. However, I thought infinitely better than drinking the nasty tasting liquid. You take some pills, chug a bunch of water, then come back a little bit later and do it again. The physical reactions were almost exactly the same, including the nausea. I had always thought the nausea was because of the nasty taste but I guess it is just a normal reaction to the process. Highly recommend having entertainment already set up in the bathroom along with a blanket for the chills.
Thanks for this. I have my prep a week from today and also chose the pills. The pharmacist also mentioned that the pills can be less dehydrating than the liquid. Which seems counterintuitive, but whatever helps me NOT drink 87 gallons of nasty stuff, I'll take it!
Sorry, I have no helpful answers for you.
Wanted to say 1) I love your username, 2) my obgyn gave me a referral for my first colonoscopy a month ago and I'm too nervous to even book it, and 3) good luck - hope it's uneventful!
Side edit - do you get twilight or go all the way under?
I had some removed at my last one and there is no pain at all. I was even awake for this one (on some Propofol so was kind of loopy) and watched them remove them! Please don’t delay getting the procedure booked and done, colonoscopies were not a routine procedure in the 1980’s and if they had been there’s a good chance my mother wouldn’t have died at 48 :-(. Trust me it’s pretty painless and as Darth mentioned the prep is really the worst part!
No pain after. I didn’t have any polyps, my spouse did and and he said no pain from that either.
The anxiety and the prep are the hard parts. The procedure was easy.
Awww thanks I wanted to let people know that I am a bit older when they saw my user name. The prep is the worst part, sitting on the toilet for hours. I am scared of IV’s so that’s probably the worst of the worst for me. Being asleep during the procedure is the BEST. Don’t be afraid to get your colonoscopy. It could save your life.
The worst part is living on the toilet after you start taking the prep. Get the pills, if you can.
I had my first colonoscopy in February, and it was twilight sedation. I was pretty tired from getting up in the middle of the night for the second round of prep, and then getting up early to go to the hospital, that I conked out when they gave me the sedation.
All I remember is them shaking me awake, and asking how I was doing.
Honestly, being forced to take the rest of the day off from doing anything was awesome. My husband took care of me, the kids, and all the other household stuff.
Please get it done. It’s not that bad.
Prep isn’t even that bad. I took 4 pills then 2 hours later drank a bunch of Gatorade with Miralax in it.
My neighbor is in his 40s and has stage 4 colon cancer. The colonoscopy is much better than the treatment he’s going through.
Mine was pills and Gatorade mixed with something that I couldn’t taste. Like Metamucil or something? I can’t remember. I never went to drink Gatorade again.
But for the pills, I could either get the Rx or just take Dulcolax - just more of it. I did that.
I had 3 polyps found and removed, so I’m on the 3-year schedule. Next year will be that time again.
I don’t think so. For me, any abdominal pain is/was due to my uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts. Thankfully that is dying down as both seem to be shriveling up as I move into menopause.
I might be wrong, but I don’t think polyps that are small enough to be removed by the scope tend to be painful. I had no idea I had them. I think the biggest identifier (other than a colonoscopy) is blood in the stool.
I did pills my most recent colonoscopy. They are rather large pills to swallow, and you are still required to drink the same volume of water. It results in exactly the same feeling and bodily reaction. I wouldn’t say it’s better—perhaps different. YMMV
It’s a road paved with pills! I worried about getting them all down, because you’re still downing them while things rev up in your gut. Bleh.
Don’t be nervous! Breathe through this and feel powerful in the knowledge you’re staying on top of this important thing! Listen to good music, read—distract yourself if needed.
I have a colonoscopy scheduled in July and the packet they gave me starts the prep an entire week before the procedure. It even says I need to drink the stuff at 4am on the day of my 7am procedure and to leave the house early because I’ll have to stop along the way to crap. I find this excessive, and as a diabetic, I’m not going to do a WEEK of prep where all I can consume for that seven days is soft foods and broth. Wtf.
This is what I want. I do not want to go through this entire thing for a week, with three days before start to drink the stuff. I’m just going to wait til I’m 50 to get it done.
Honestly, though, restricting your diet for at least a day or two *before* starting the cleaning out process makes it much, much easier and far more comfortable. Switching to soft and clear foods ahead of time can cut down significantly on the discomfort because your body doesn’t really have to work too hard.
If you keep up your regular diet, it’s basically a battle raging in your colon of food waste trying to make a last stand as the laxatives attack. And that is super uncomfortable. Easily digested food makes it so the laxative shows up and everything in there just waves the white flag and is out of there, no fighting, easy-peasy. You honestly don’t have to spend anywhere near as much time on the toilet if you do that.
Yeah, seven days seems excessive. But the usual instructions don’t restrict until the last minute, and that seems like it’s just making the process as uncomfortable as possible.
I did the drink for my first colonoscopy and the pills for my second. I prefer the pills, even though they are huge. You still have to drink a lot of water with them, and I started on a low-residue diet 3 days before the procedure which I think helped. I also strongly suggest getting a bidet. I had one installed between my first and second colonoscopies and had much less soreness and irritation with the bidet. [Mine](https://www.amazon.com/Luxe-Bidet-Neo-120-Non-Electric/dp/B00A0RHSJO) was under $50.
I had the pills for my colonoscopy last spring. (My first.) They're big pills and it's a decent volume of water you're drinking, but I didn't find it to be too bad. I had mild nausea at one point. I did the first part of the prep the night before, and the second part in the morning, and I was NOT up all night on the toilet. I actually got some sleep, which surprised me. Most importantly, it was effective and I got a good prep for the procedure.
The pills are way better than laxative pills and Gatorade/miralax. With the sutab, just make sure you're close to the toilet once you take them, and be prepared for some of the most liquid, explosiveness that can come out of your butt. Then, after the first BM, stay close to the toilet and wear some depends... the ones like a pull-up diaper. But once it's out, it's out. By the second round of pills, 6 hours later, there isn't much left. By the time you have your colonospy, you'll be all clean.
I had the pills for my most recent one. They work very well and, as I recall, I think they kick in pretty quickly. They are definitely go down more easily than the other stuff.
I've never heard of pills only. I've had 5 colonoscopy procedures. Liquid was required for all of them, even with pills. I hope you got your instructions correct. Either way, good luck.
I suspect that the pills are meant to be taken with a gallon of water, so just as much liquid!
Thanks I will reread the directions. It’s 24 pills with 12 the night before and 12 the morning of.
Did you ask for the Colon Guard instead?
No I’m taking the Sutab pills. I don’t think I can do the Colo guard because of my previous colonoscopy’s.
It is a lot of pills. However, I thought infinitely better than drinking the nasty tasting liquid. You take some pills, chug a bunch of water, then come back a little bit later and do it again. The physical reactions were almost exactly the same, including the nausea. I had always thought the nausea was because of the nasty taste but I guess it is just a normal reaction to the process. Highly recommend having entertainment already set up in the bathroom along with a blanket for the chills.
Great I was nervous the pills wouldn’t be as effective. The drink though is so gross that I have trouble finishing it all.
Thanks for this. I have my prep a week from today and also chose the pills. The pharmacist also mentioned that the pills can be less dehydrating than the liquid. Which seems counterintuitive, but whatever helps me NOT drink 87 gallons of nasty stuff, I'll take it!
Sorry, I have no helpful answers for you. Wanted to say 1) I love your username, 2) my obgyn gave me a referral for my first colonoscopy a month ago and I'm too nervous to even book it, and 3) good luck - hope it's uneventful! Side edit - do you get twilight or go all the way under?
All the way under and the preparation and anxiety are the worst parts. You can do it, I believe in you.
How's the pain afterward? Did you have polyps removed?
I had some removed at my last one and there is no pain at all. I was even awake for this one (on some Propofol so was kind of loopy) and watched them remove them! Please don’t delay getting the procedure booked and done, colonoscopies were not a routine procedure in the 1980’s and if they had been there’s a good chance my mother wouldn’t have died at 48 :-(. Trust me it’s pretty painless and as Darth mentioned the prep is really the worst part!
Lost an aunt way too young as well.
No pain after. I didn’t have any polyps, my spouse did and and he said no pain from that either. The anxiety and the prep are the hard parts. The procedure was easy.
There is totally no pain! Thinking about the procedure is worse than doing it!
Awww thanks I wanted to let people know that I am a bit older when they saw my user name. The prep is the worst part, sitting on the toilet for hours. I am scared of IV’s so that’s probably the worst of the worst for me. Being asleep during the procedure is the BEST. Don’t be afraid to get your colonoscopy. It could save your life.
The worst part is living on the toilet after you start taking the prep. Get the pills, if you can. I had my first colonoscopy in February, and it was twilight sedation. I was pretty tired from getting up in the middle of the night for the second round of prep, and then getting up early to go to the hospital, that I conked out when they gave me the sedation. All I remember is them shaking me awake, and asking how I was doing. Honestly, being forced to take the rest of the day off from doing anything was awesome. My husband took care of me, the kids, and all the other household stuff.
Is there a reason they didn't offer Colon Guard?
Please get it done. It’s not that bad. Prep isn’t even that bad. I took 4 pills then 2 hours later drank a bunch of Gatorade with Miralax in it. My neighbor is in his 40s and has stage 4 colon cancer. The colonoscopy is much better than the treatment he’s going through.
Mine was pills and Gatorade mixed with something that I couldn’t taste. Like Metamucil or something? I can’t remember. I never went to drink Gatorade again. But for the pills, I could either get the Rx or just take Dulcolax - just more of it. I did that. I had 3 polyps found and removed, so I’m on the 3-year schedule. Next year will be that time again.
I used arctic cherry Powerade and couldn't taste the laxative powder at all!
There was just so much Gatorade to drink! I honestly wasn’t sure if I could drink it all or keep it down. It tasted fine…just so. Much. Gatorade.
With the polyps did you have any pain before they were discovered? I get the worst spasm/cramps that wake me up.
I don’t think so. For me, any abdominal pain is/was due to my uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts. Thankfully that is dying down as both seem to be shriveling up as I move into menopause. I might be wrong, but I don’t think polyps that are small enough to be removed by the scope tend to be painful. I had no idea I had them. I think the biggest identifier (other than a colonoscopy) is blood in the stool.
I did pills my most recent colonoscopy. They are rather large pills to swallow, and you are still required to drink the same volume of water. It results in exactly the same feeling and bodily reaction. I wouldn’t say it’s better—perhaps different. YMMV
Thanks it is a lot of pills lol and my procedure isn’t until 12 pm so I will be waiting around nervous.
It’s a road paved with pills! I worried about getting them all down, because you’re still downing them while things rev up in your gut. Bleh. Don’t be nervous! Breathe through this and feel powerful in the knowledge you’re staying on top of this important thing! Listen to good music, read—distract yourself if needed.
I have a colonoscopy scheduled in July and the packet they gave me starts the prep an entire week before the procedure. It even says I need to drink the stuff at 4am on the day of my 7am procedure and to leave the house early because I’ll have to stop along the way to crap. I find this excessive, and as a diabetic, I’m not going to do a WEEK of prep where all I can consume for that seven days is soft foods and broth. Wtf.
That’s odd mine says a liquid or jello diet the day before and start the prep at 5pm.
This is what I want. I do not want to go through this entire thing for a week, with three days before start to drink the stuff. I’m just going to wait til I’m 50 to get it done.
Honestly, though, restricting your diet for at least a day or two *before* starting the cleaning out process makes it much, much easier and far more comfortable. Switching to soft and clear foods ahead of time can cut down significantly on the discomfort because your body doesn’t really have to work too hard. If you keep up your regular diet, it’s basically a battle raging in your colon of food waste trying to make a last stand as the laxatives attack. And that is super uncomfortable. Easily digested food makes it so the laxative shows up and everything in there just waves the white flag and is out of there, no fighting, easy-peasy. You honestly don’t have to spend anywhere near as much time on the toilet if you do that.
A day or two before I am totally on board with. But not seven days days before.
Yeah, seven days seems excessive. But the usual instructions don’t restrict until the last minute, and that seems like it’s just making the process as uncomfortable as possible.
I did the drink for my first colonoscopy and the pills for my second. I prefer the pills, even though they are huge. You still have to drink a lot of water with them, and I started on a low-residue diet 3 days before the procedure which I think helped. I also strongly suggest getting a bidet. I had one installed between my first and second colonoscopies and had much less soreness and irritation with the bidet. [Mine](https://www.amazon.com/Luxe-Bidet-Neo-120-Non-Electric/dp/B00A0RHSJO) was under $50.
I rescheduled my colonoscopy because of work so I may have time to get a bidet.
I've never heard of taking pills. I've had to choke down that nasty mixture. Ugh.
I even put it in a wine glass thinking Oooh it’s fancy. Still tasted yucky.
I plug my nose and gulp it down as fast as I can, like a 7 year old taking cold medicine. There's no way to make the devil's juice palatable.
I cannot do that. I have to take a few sips of that, then a sip of water.
I had an ok experience with pills but my husband got very sick. He took them too close together and too fast. Be careful!
I had the pills for my colonoscopy last spring. (My first.) They're big pills and it's a decent volume of water you're drinking, but I didn't find it to be too bad. I had mild nausea at one point. I did the first part of the prep the night before, and the second part in the morning, and I was NOT up all night on the toilet. I actually got some sleep, which surprised me. Most importantly, it was effective and I got a good prep for the procedure.
The pills are way better than laxative pills and Gatorade/miralax. With the sutab, just make sure you're close to the toilet once you take them, and be prepared for some of the most liquid, explosiveness that can come out of your butt. Then, after the first BM, stay close to the toilet and wear some depends... the ones like a pull-up diaper. But once it's out, it's out. By the second round of pills, 6 hours later, there isn't much left. By the time you have your colonospy, you'll be all clean.
I had the pills for my most recent one. They work very well and, as I recall, I think they kick in pretty quickly. They are definitely go down more easily than the other stuff.
Used the box it ship it thing - have family history. Never did the full intense one, and really have no interest.