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Original poster

2 year old with megarectum - how to get him to take Movicol?

17 replies

AngryBirdsNoMore · 05/10/2023 22:59

I’m tearing my hair out here and my happy, confident, loving boy has turned into an unhappy, anxious, weeping mess as he is refusing liquid and is in discomfort from the medication.

Please help.

2 year old DS1 has a megarectum - chronic constipation caused by his rectum having stretched to ‘orange’ shape, with impacted stool inside. He can’t poo by himself without discomfort / pain, so poo is just leakage. This is sometimes ten times a day. It is very uncomfortable.

Gastroenterologist has prescribed muscle stimulants - fine, they taste sweet - and movicol laxatives.

We cannot get the movicol into him. He can taste it in milk, oat milk, squash, water. He is now refusing to drink anything as he thinks we are trying to trick him into drinking movicol.

Help? How do I get him to drink it?

OP posts:
HumphreyCobblers · 05/10/2023 23:02

Jelly?

Canibearsed · 05/10/2023 23:03

Ask for the paediatric laxido/ Movicol unflavoured. We mix it in milk or yogurt and it really cannot be tasted .

HumphreyCobblers · 05/10/2023 23:05

Yes the one we get is unflavoured. But in the past we have used the chocolate one in chocolate milk.

PickAChew · 05/10/2023 23:07

It has a texture, though. As pp. I would get him trusting drinks again, or else he will never get any relief, and mix it in with something like yoghurt or maybe what I do with ds2's medicine - soak it into cake and mush it up with custard so both taste and texture are masked.

FaintlyMacabre · 05/10/2023 23:12

Nesquick was the only thing that worked for us. I think DS had a daily Nesquick for about a year. He was a bit older and I used to mix the Movicol powder with the nesquick in a formula powder dispenser and he would make it up himself with the milk. It’s at least 10 years ago now and I don’t think he’s twigged yet!

Original poster
AngryBirdsNoMore · 05/10/2023 23:22

Canibearsed · 05/10/2023 23:03

Ask for the paediatric laxido/ Movicol unflavoured. We mix it in milk or yogurt and it really cannot be tasted .

It is plain movicol we have. You can taste it in milk unfortunately. Possibly because of how much he needs - 3 sachets ie 190ml water.

He now won’t drink milk.

OP posts:
Original poster
AngryBirdsNoMore · 05/10/2023 23:23

FaintlyMacabre · 05/10/2023 23:12

Nesquick was the only thing that worked for us. I think DS had a daily Nesquick for about a year. He was a bit older and I used to mix the Movicol powder with the nesquick in a formula powder dispenser and he would make it up himself with the milk. It’s at least 10 years ago now and I don’t think he’s twigged yet!

This sounds like an idea - sorry, could you explain the formula dispenser bit?

OP posts:
Original poster
AngryBirdsNoMore · 05/10/2023 23:24

It’s so awful and I’m just so so sad about it because he’s in pain and discomfort, and he now doesn’t trust me to give him milk either. I wish I could help him and I wish he was happy again.

it’s so horrible to see.

OP posts:
Original poster
AngryBirdsNoMore · 05/10/2023 23:27

littleducks · 05/10/2023 23:16

Have you seen this advice sheet with suggestions and explanation: https://eric.org.uk/how-to-use-macrogol-laxatives/

Thank you - I hadn’t seen that. Porridge, jelly and nesquick are all things we’ll look into.

he’s at nursery four days a week so need to work out how they can get it into him too. They’re having no more luck than I am.

OP posts:
nocoolnamesleft · 05/10/2023 23:27

Have you played around with temperature? Tend to taste things more acutely at room temperature, and less so when fridge cold? Can he use a straw (bypass some of the taste buds). Tastes less granular if mixed up a while in advance, and then remixed, as it dissolves more thoroughly.

WhichOfThePickwickTripletsDidIt · 05/10/2023 23:28

Your poor baby OP, I’m sorry. It is miserable seeing them in distress for any length of time. No advice to offer but sympathy to you all.

Original poster
AngryBirdsNoMore · 05/10/2023 23:32

Thank you @WhichOfThePickwickTripletsDidIt

I have a 12 week old too and it’s just too much.

OP posts:
orande · 05/10/2023 23:38

Hello fellow mum with a very upset toddler here too.

We have cosmogol which is the same stuff.

Please make sure you always mix it with the right amount of water before then adding that to anything else otherwise it won't work. I didn't know this until someone on my post said!!

We have plain and she takes two sachets a day with squash. Movicol was resisted by her and my son who had the same issues!

Would it be worth trying cosmocol?

showmethegin · 05/10/2023 23:39

Have you tried the chocolate flavour one? DS 15 Months is currently on movicol due to an impacted bowel (will most likely be one them for a good few months yet) and he adores the chocolate one! But the plain one he simply will not touch, and as you said it put him off all liquids, and he is so good at drinking water usually!

AdoraBell · 05/10/2023 23:44

Hope one, or more, of these tips help.

SWmum21 · 30/06/2024 13:29

AngryBirdsNoMore · 05/10/2023 23:32

Thank you @WhichOfThePickwickTripletsDidIt

I have a 12 week old too and it’s just too much.

Hello - just found this post and wondered if you had any success with movicol in the end and how? In a very similar situation with our toddler (and also have a newborn) and it’s unbearable. Have plain and chocolate movicols and tried all sorts of drink combinations but she just will not drink anywhere near the required amount (if any).

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