movicol to firm up stools

[PinkDaydreams]

Hello all!
DS 4 is under the bladder and bowel service. After sending over two weeks of stool charts it's been recommended a laxative (movicol) be prescribed. This was mentioned a few months ago as well and the gp said no, which I was glad about as I don't think son needs them.
Anyway, today it's been recommended again. Stools 2/3 times daily, normally twice though. Normally a 6 or 7 on the Bristol stool chart. I told the service that gp in the past has said no but she said she's 'on the fence and want to write to the GP anyway'. She said that movicol can help with the diarrhea like stools and that it could be over flow that he's experiencing. I explained about diet (cmpa which has recently returned so have cut milk out again).
I suppose I'm posting on here to get a bit more insite please and see if anyone has found movicol to help firm up stools? My understanding is that it's a stool softener?

I typed out a long reply and it's disappeared!

Thank you for clearing it up @Akire, you're a star!!

I suppose I've been worried about diluting it too much as Google says to make up the 62ml with water and add a "small amount of juice/milk to disguise taste". But he's only on one sachet and as long as he gets that full sachet throughout the day then I presume it's fine to add small amounts of that initial 62ml movicol mixture to a large cup of water.
That'll be alot easier to get into him!! Thank you so much

Mine says mix with least 150ml (adult dose) and this does not count towards liquid intake

Ideally having it one go would probable
Work better but needs must, kids are not logical with medicine. Though dowing it in 70ml with bribe may get it over with faster. Good luck!

Thank you again

My DS had problems with constipation, he was prescribed movicol paediatric and pico sulphate, that solved his issues.

I just stuck it in my son’s squash which he drank throughout the day.

Unfortunately he won't drink any squash or milk, literally just water and that's it!

I sachet a day is going to do very little if he is impacted. Not your fault, but i wish gps/ health care providers actually followed the impaction pathway with their prescribing. They need a high dose for several days/week to clear out completely.
Your description of rabbit poosinterspersed with more runny poos sounds like classic impacted/constipation.

It isn't what you want to hear but if you dilute it too much it won't do what it's meant to. I've been through the impaction program twice with my son who's now on a maintenance dose and as @elaeocarpus says 1 sachet isn't going to stop his constipation. Can you go back to them and ask about possible impaction?
Is there a way of bribing him to drink it all at once? One sachet is only a small drink with the correct amount of water. Good luck, it's a minefield trying to get answers that work.

I’ve been reading up and no where does it say can’t dilute it more just states a mim level. Other wise once you have taken a dose there would be a warning like don’t drink in an hour or taking this medication to allow it to absorb or you will weaken the dose etc

I often dilute it further for my DC and haven’t noticed it not working as well when I do. I agree with PP I can’t see how it would reduce its effectiveness.
I also agree that if he’s impacted one sachet a day isn’t going to help, other than possibly stop it getting worse I suppose. I’d be asking them directly if they think he’s impacted and if so should be not be taking the dose for disimpaction? The ERIC website linked above is full of good info and guidance.
My DN has had to go through disimpaction more than once with very similar symptoms.

I haven't rtft but ERIC website and Bowel and Bladder UK have lots of resources incl podcasts on ERIC also laxido is another brand to movicol and tastes a bit different & also has different flavours incl chocolate which some add to milkshakes

I'm going to call them back on Monday and ask them exactly how he should be taking it as the only instruction on the pharmacy label is "as directed" and obviously there's a couple of different ways to take it.
I'll ask them to clear up as well if it can be taken with more water and I'll post back on here!
Thank you again so much for your advice and info, it's very much appreciated!

Movicol turned my daughters constipation into diareaherra. I found that by withdrawing her milk, swapping her bread, and an apple a day it has improved significantly.

You need dulcosoft. It's tasteless movicol. You will need to pay yourself though, they won't prescribe it.

Although sodium picosulplate has also had a big impact for us.

Keeping movicol in the fridge after making up can make it more palatable. Extra water is fine, you need the 62ml to bond to the movicol . But I agree one sachet doesn't seem right - it's not enough for treating impaction and if there isn't impaction it isn't helpful.

So since Friday evening DS has had three small sips of the water and one sip of milk. He can taste it in everything. I diluted about 10ml of the 62ml solution in 200ml water and he was still saying "juice yukky", he's calling it juice as he can taste that it isn't regular water.
I've tried different cups, bottle with sports cap, straw, me/dad pretending to drink it but nothing.
His poo last night was a lot firmer but prob cause he'd hardly had anything to drink.
I've tried the sweetcorn suggestion, even that I had to hide in beans and he still found it! Hopefully he swallowed a few pieces of it.

Sorry to moan, I'm just concerned now that this is going to make things worse as he's refusing to drink. I haven't made the sachet up today, going to try get some water back into him (even though he's still refusing as he obvs thinks it's the "juice"). I'll call up on Monday and explain that I just can't get son to drink it and that he's refusing all water.

You can buy dulcosoft in the supermarket.

He must have taste buds like Spider-Man! Looks like you are going have make big deal of putting meds away or fake in the bin and convince him they are gone. Then get him get his own water cup so he does drink as that’s going do more harm than good. I really hoped give him x Ray to make sure he was constipated before you had all of this rigmarole. When it’s been going on for years it’s very different to a child who’s not been for few days. Lactulose is another med does same thing but very sweet tastes like liquid sugar but it’s few ml for his age so easier in the bribe department.

Thank you @CottonSock. I'm worried though that this is another medication to add to his drinking water that he won't drink.
I tried the plain movicol and couldn't really taste it. I knew he was extra sensitive (he has spd) in some areas (hot/cold, sounds, touch) but didn't realise taste was also an area.

Thanks @Akire. He doesn't like sweet things which is why the docusate solution to start with I couldn't get in him. He won't eat chocolate, sweets, ice cream, which is good obviously but makes giving sweet tasting medicine difficult!
I asked about an X ray but she point blank refused. I'll ask again though and explain how difficult this weekend has been for him and that he's now refusing the water.

He doesn't respond to bribes at all, he just doesn't understand.
I feel like I'm making every excuse for him but I promise I'm not!

No I can well believe it! It sucks you don’t have much support after this has been going on for such long time. They can’t keep saying well if he wouldn’t take medication nothing we can do has to be something even if that by a drip, extreme but at what point is it an emergency? I realise it’s taken along time for them to even suggest this and it’s causing problems everyday.

I can really taste movicol in drinks it's a bit salty. My daughter hated it.
It really sucks. We took years to get sorted.