To ask if anyone has ever had to drink this vile stuff?

[el1zabeth]

I know this isn't really an AIBU topic, but it seems to get the most response when posting here hence my reason for doing so. I have a colonoscopy booked for the morning and I have to drink 2 litres of the most vile drink known as Moviprep. It's supposed to clear you out in order for the bowel to be completely empty for the procedure, but I just don't think I can drink it all. I have until around midnight to consume it but it's soooooo vile, it's already making me heave when I take a mouthful. I hold my nose when I sip it so I can't taste it fully, however, the last sip made me heave so much that I think it's going to come up rather than 'go downwards' to do the job it was meant for. Has anyone else ever had to drink this and if so, are there any tips on what I can do to get it down?

I can't drink either of the two preps they use so have a virtual Colonoscopy done via a CT.

My poor 16 year old ds did twice. We went with take a swig then take a massive drink of lemonade or Fanta and repeat.

He was on the loo for bloody hours in tears poor thing. Good luck!

OP (and everyone else that's had to endure this truly awful sounding drink) - so sorry. It sounds bleak. I gagged on a soup DH made the other day, so I applaude your resolve.
I just wondered though (and I appreciate this is a tad off topic, but Google is not helping me), is Moviprep the same as Movicol? DD has had the latter every day for the last 3 years, and I'm now filled with gullt that I've quashed any kind of enthusiasm she might ever have had for beverages.

@el1zabeth, I've just started mine at 7pm. Appt in the afternoon tomorrow.

I struggle to drink a lot volume wise anyway and only drink plain water or tea normally so I'm really struggling with the taste ans the sheer amount.

Only had about 400ml and I'm feeling really sick. Never done it before, so not sure what to expect either. Also, got a headache already.

@Letticerabbit my experience was pressure going in but not pain. A few very uncomfortable moments inside when navigating bends but a good hand hold and deep breathing helped. Weird sensation coming out like losing control.
No sedation either time and was okay. In fact first time no sedation was because I had an exam that afternoon. I was only 16!

Bless you l had to have it a few years ago and l couldn't stomach drinking squash for weeks afterwards.

Sorry, namechanged!
I’m an endoscopy nurse. Could try to answer some of the questions raised?
The great thing about this test is you get a real visual picture of the bowel. So you will definitely get some results on the day. You usual get a printed page that tells you why you were having it done, what they did, what they saw, what the plan is.
You will have to wait for biopsy results etc. 6-8 weeks.
Yes, most people say the prep is definitely the worst bit. An enema will only clear out the lower part of the bowel. We need thewhole bowel cleared. If poo is still there, you can’t see the whole wall, so might miss a polyp or something else significant.
We put lots of air in to inflate the bowel. This causes trapped wind type pain. Pass the wind if you can. Going around vends is more painful but passes quickly.
If you have haemorrhoids you could ask for some instilligel, which is a anaesthetic gel that can be appplied to them before hand.
Drink plenty of plain water as well op, you can’t be too cleared out!

@Wavingwhiledrowning no it's not my DD has movicol as well and movicol is nowhere near as bad.

Oh my days... You have my sympathies OP. I had to drink it last year for a colonoscopy... I ended up staying in bed.. Rushing to the loo... It tastes vile... 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮

I have only part of a stomach after a previous surgery, so I really struggle with volume anyway.

I've no idea how I'll drink a litre in 2 hours as I'd normally have to space that amount out over most of a day.

Horrible stuff!

OP- is heard loads of people saying stay close to the toilet but for me nothing happened- after 3 hours I was WTF is wrong with me- why haven’t i gone yet!? And then, well...I was in the loo for a few hours. Baby wipes are your friend, and magazines- portable mobile phone charger :)

You have the prep, the first dose the night before and the second very early in the morning (times might change depending on when your colonoscopy appointment time is).

The prep tastes awful but just keep sipping. You also need to drink water with this. The second dose will bring on most unpleasant effects. But the goal is for the camera to be able to see clearly.

You do get a sedative and having done one recently I can absolutely say that the procedure was much easier than the prep. I also had an endoscopy and that really is much worse.

@LadyTiredWinterBottom2 oh phew! It never occurred to me to try it (she drinks it, so I assumed it was OK), but then reading this it occurred to me that it's literally all she's ever drank as a 'sentient' person so who knows what she can put up with!

Please don’t demand all the drugs! It’s not necessary.
If you would like sedation you can have it! Makes no odds to us whether you take it or not.
It won’t knock you out. You will still be awake. It’s just relaxes you. You will still have some discomfort.
We offer gas and air too, which is popular. 95% of people have the same amount of sedation. You won’t get ‘more’, than anyone else.
Lots of people prefer to have scopes with no sedation.

Sympathies. I’ve had to do this twice, and it’s truly horrendous. I mixed it with a bit of squash, but it was just gross. And then, when I had the colonoscopy, the idiot woman who carried out the procedure made sarcastic remarks to the rest of the team about things not being fully ‘clear’, as though implying I’d not bothered with the drink. I’d have loved to leap off the table and crap it all out all over her

I hope it goes well for you tomorrow. This time tomorrow it should be over

I had to and I have sympathy for you! Also don’t expect to get any sleep as I found from my second lot I had cramps and was on and off the toilet! Good luck for the morning it was truly the worst thing I experienced

You usually get preliminary results on the day with photos. Just have to wait for biopsy results.
You tend to be offered enema if it is just the lower part of the bowel and your having a sigmoidoscopy.
It is more uncomfortable than painful. I had my first with gas and air as I was breastfeeding it was tolerable and I got out of there a lot quicker than those that had sedation so since then I've just had gas and air. Occasionally as they go round the corners it's uncomfortable and also when they fill you with air. Don't try holding it in it'll make it worse the nurses/ drs are used to patients passing wind!

Baileys4Two We're in this together! I have a headache too, but not sure if it's connected to the massive amount of liquid I'm trying to take in, which like you, I don't typically drink a lot of anything so this is way out of the norm for me.

I knew it was going to be this or Picolax. It really is horrible stuff - sympathies! Has anyone shown you this yet? Might raise a smile: singletrackworld.com/2009/02/the-picolax-thread-returns/

Very long story kept as short as I can manage. Due to one incident of family history bowel cancer I was offered a colonoscopy. Moviprep disgusting but done. Colonoscopy not completed as my bowel "was too sensitive to being stretched" (not my words, arrogant rude man who treated me appallingly put this in his report but forgot to mention he needs to have a bedside manner overhaul) and the pain at each turn was really strong. He recommended a CT scan which I had and all clear thankfully. I had no symptoms anyway.

CT scans are not given out if avoidable as they are vastly expensive.

CT scan itself was quick and painless of course but the inflating of air up and around my colon gave me cramps and was not good but by the time I had moaned a third time the whole thing was finished. (prep for CT scan was not a laxative but it did have that effect)

Everyone and every "body" reacts in their own way and no one is a wimp just because they felt pain. Those who breeze through these things with barely a twinge are lucky. Pain threshholds vary. I know 4 people absolutely terrified of the dentist, one so bad she has not had her teeth or gums checked for over 20 years. I have never had this fear of dentists.

Having invasive examinations is a walk in the park for some but for others it causes untold dread and in extreme cases they say they would rather take the consequences of being ill than have the tests.

The stress it causes is unhealthy too but people can not just switch off their fears.

What happens if you cannot actually tolerate the Moviprep? Is there an alternative?

Sip it through a straw to reduce the chance of tasting the vile stuff and keep close to the loo.
Hope the procedure goes ok

For my colonoscopy I asked for a different brand (can't remember the name) as you drink much less. It's still awful but there's far less of it.