Any Moms Use Miralax?

Hi L.: I had the same problem w/my 3 yr old girl. & we tried the Miralax. I didn't really like it. It gave Grace terrible stomach cramps. I ended up using a childs laxative called Fletchers Castoria. It comes in many different flavors and worked great. Grace really didn't mind taking it and it worked in 2 days. I wish you all the luck.....it's not only difficult for the child but hard on you too!

Hi L.,

I am SO in your boat! My pediatrician recommended it for the same reason, so we have been using it for about a month. It works- thank god! It dissolves right into whatever they're drinking so they don't even need to know. I was worried about it too but i am putting my trust in her!
Good luck!

My son who will be 3 in August is on this also for chronic constipation. It works very well and is much better for long term use than laxatives like milk of magnesia because it doesn't have all the metals, etc that those laxatives have. It may just take a little while to figure out the correct dosage. I started my son with half of what was marked on the dosage cup, so I believe he was getting 8 grams once a day in the morning if my memory serves me. I've since cut that in half. The advice my doctor gave me in adjusting the dosage was to give any adjustments 2 days to take effect. He said that it would take the body that long to adjust accordingly. My son was supposed to be on it for 2 months which would have ended this month, but the doctor advised us to continue it through the summer since we tend to be less hydrated in the summer due to sweating, etc.

So have no fear, it's been working great for us and probably will for you too. I just hope my son gets past this. We're attributing it to him holding it in too long, but of course we don't know for sure if it's more than that or not. We've been having trouble with potty training because of his constipation but hopefully it will all pay off soon. Good luck to you!

Hi L., my daughter has been on Milk of Magnesia since she has been 3 due to an anterior ectopic anus-which causes her to get severely constipated as well...many tripts to the hospital! Well she's almost 10 now and about 2 years ago the doctors said to give her the Miralax instead because the M.O.M. is so awful...well she liked her old M.O.M. and we never finished a whole bottle of Miralax. Now she rarely uses it-she knows she has to eat well and drink lots. I have a friend at work whose son had this same problem-have you seen a pediatric surgeon? My daughter went through tons of awful tests and poking and prodding and it took a surgeon just LOOKING at her to find this. It was not noticeable to my eye. Good luck!!!

A.

Yes! My daughter is almost 18 and been on Miralax for most of her life. My nephew takes it also daily. My daughter has Cystic Fibrosis that affects her digestive system more than her lungs and it helps tremendously. If taken properly it doesn't give them the runs or anything like that. It just softens the stool and helps them go easier. My daughter and nephew have a powder they mix in juice. I am not sure if there are other forms and how you take it but they both take one tablespoon daily. They took my daughter off it once and tried something else and she got a block and was in the hospital to get cleaned out. She will never go off it after that experience. I do not see anything wrong with your son taking this. As far as I have seen with these two family experiences it is nothing like mineral oil or such stuff that you have to sit next to a toilet and the cramps. Good luck.

I am sorry to hear this. I have a son who also battles with consitpation. He is now 5 years old and we still have problems with it every now and then. I give him high fiber cereals, breads, and lay off the bananas and cheese. I also give him a mix of prune juice, water, apple juice (to make it taste better) and, a drop of mineral oil at least twice a day. This seems to keep him going every 3 days. I have to be consistant though, cuz if I miss one day of this mix he'll get backed up again.. His doctor did prescribe a liquid laxative, but I was not comfortable giving it to him.. I did for a little while, but it didn't seem to make a big difference so I took him off it and am doing my best to stay on top of his diet and to make sure he gets his daily dose of the mixed drink. I know other Moms that have had success doing this also. It couldn't hurt to give it a try. Good Luck!!

Hello my daughter is three aswell and also very constipated.we started her on miralax when she was about six months. It worked at first but it seemed that once her body became used to it, it stopped working. We tried it all too prunes,pears high fiber and vegetables you name it we tried it.We took her back to the doctor and she put her on colace and it did start to work but it had to be added to juice or milk and once she realized it she would not drink it anymore. I get very fustrated because she get so backed up and her stomache starts hurting. I feel so bad.i don't know if you want to try the colace but it did work and it was only 1/2 teaspoon one a day. Let me know if you find anything else. Thanks, E.

L., My son has had a constipation problem since he was 4 months old. He is now 4 years old. We had him on all of the right foods and fiber, he ate only organic fresh foods and still continued this problem. Just this past winter he finally got so constipated that he ended up with being impacted and had to spend a few days in the hospital. His problem had worsened when he started to be potty trained at 3yrs. He started holding in his poops and that is where we really ran into trouble.
My son has been on the miralax for about 2 years now. It works wonderfully, but the only trouble that I had was regulating it with him. A full dose was too much and then I would cut back and then it wasn't enough. I have finally got him with the right amount for him and it is like Christmas everyday now that he is pooping on a regular basis!!
They now make it available over the counter, you used to have to have a prescription for it. CVS and Walmart have it for about $11.00 and some change. I just give it to my son every morning mixed with his orange juice. He knows that it is his "pooping medicine" (that is how we refer to it).
My son has had all of the tests done for chronic constipation. His last test that he finally had after his hospital stay was the rectaly biopsy. They wanted to rule out "Hershprung's". We were pretty sure that this was not the case, but it was the only thing left to r/o.
We didn't know if it was a medical problem or behavioral. After all of his test came back normal we decided that he was "holding back" because of the fear that it was always going to hurt him to let it out. So now what we finally had to do was first make his poop so soft and almost runny so that he was not able to hold it in. After about 6 months he finally has learned that he can go poop easily and pain free when he takes his miralax everyday. If he misses a day he does get slowed down.
If you ever have any questions or concerns don't hesitate to ask me. I have been dealing with this for almost 4 years.
I too am a Christian mom and also an M.A.. I worked for a large Internal Med. practice for 15 years until I changed and went to work for a surgeon in southfield. I loved both of my jobs but now have the best job ever! Raising my boys. I have the 4 year old and a 7 month old. God has truly blessed me also!! I didn't start trying to get pregnant until I was 40 and had my second baby at 46!! I still can't believe that God gave me two beautiful and healthy baby boys. I didn't have any outside help getting pregnant, just me, my husband and God.
Good luck with your boy.
R.

My daughter was prescribed Miralax when she was around 7 or 8 and she did fine. No effects at all. Good luck!