Too much Movicol - do I reduce dose or stop altogether??

[preggersneveragain]

I know this should really be one for the doc, but our family GP has gone on long term sick and we have no continuity of care just now. I have an appointment booked for DS on Wed, and I'm thinking of calling the surgery for telephone advice later today, but I know we'll get 30secs speaking to a doc we don't know and who doesn't know DS! Alas, I know there are a lot of mumsnetters who are 'experts' on Movicol...

Basically we increased the dose from 2.5 sachets to 3 sachets per day as of last Friday. We just had an 'explosive' incident earlier this am. No more so far. Next dose is due tomorrow AM - do I go back to say 2 sachets per day, or stop altogether???? Dosing is for faecal impaction, and we've been on movicol for about 6 weeks now, not really getting very far but that is another story! HELPPPP!!!

Also, DS is due at nursery tomorrow as I work part time - I don't want to risk putting him in if there is any chance of more serious accidents, it's not fair on him! Anyone know how long he's likely to have the runs for? The same thing happened when we were on lactulose and senna last year and he had diarrohea for almost a week..

I would go back to 2 sachets,the explosive incident has no doubt cleared the impaction.

Feel for you,we are going through the same with ds-we had a poo yesterday after 3 weeks of nothing!

He's currently on 4 movicol sachets and it's really not working as well as could be (I have been told you can take it right up to 8 sachets a day to clear them out)

We have a hospital appopintment on the 10th march and are at wits end (he already has missed school last week as he was pratically incontinent with the overflow )

Thanks Poshwellie, isn't it awful? I know there are worse things in life, but I just worry what impact all this is having on DS. Nursery have been good about it all so far, like your DS, he's practically incontinent just now and back in nappies on nursery days.

I'm going to push for a referral to the clinic when we see the doc on Wed, but really appreciate the advice in the meantime. We are new to movicol so haven't been through this yet. We've had one more small accident since, but he seems to have settled down again. I'd like to think that was the blockage cleared, but i'd expected more....

My dd has had chronic constipation for 2 years and been on movicol for 18 mth. Do not stop it because it will just all impact again. Just go back to your normal dose. My dd has been up to 8 sachets and still nothing, if movicol fails the next step is usually picolax (used pre-op to empty bowels) this is not nice stuff but sometimes needs must unfortunatly. You will feel at your wits end at the moment i can remember being in tears over it all but i have found movicol fantastic. My dd takes one a day now (weaned down from 8), we cant go lower than that cos she stops going again. Stick with it x sympathies

yes, don't shop but be prepared that he could have more accidents tomorrow. I know how horrible it is, dd who is 4.5 has missed loads of school as well due to this, either when she constipated and having over-flow or when for whatever reason the dose affects her too much and she has the runs. It is not much fun for anyone. We had to stop the dose for one day last week as dd had the d+v bug but it's had dire consequences and now we're almost back to square one and are waiting for the big explosion. One thing I do it to make sure staff at school now and also to make sure dd always has a change of clothes as she worries a lot about accidents. You have my sympathies.

Thanks Mtpebs and Hbb, much sympathy to you both also.

Well, we did as suggested and went down to 2 sachets and have stuck there. I'm really pleased as DS seems to have settled into a regular bm once per day (you can set your watch by him, 8-8:15am every day since mon!) This is a huge breakthrough as he has been constantly soiling for a couple of months now, so I think we must have cleared the blockage after all .

Hopefully we are on the home straits with this episode, we also have the referral to hospital agreed. Will be good to get a bit more ongoing support for the longer term.

I didn't know all this Movicol experience existed on here! My DS has been on Movicol-half for ages, the consultant just told me to switch to adult Movicol, give as many sachets - he thought 1/2 to get a result which he warned could be quite explosive - and then stabilise, on whatever was needed to get a poo a day. Seems like you have had a breakthrough preggers -really glad!

Good luck with the change in regimen London.

We have just got our hospital appt. through - unfortunately we have 5 weeks to wait. In the meantime we had a major regression, I'm convined because DS had a tantrum around the time of his regular BM. We're back on track again, but it took a week of soiling before he just suddenly settled down again.

We've stuck to 2.5 sachets the whole time, but I was in a quandry for days over whether to increase the dose again or not.

Just goes to show how complex the problem is. I'm really hoping the clinic can give us a bit more support in trying to wean him off the stuff.

My DD, just turned 6, has been on Movical Paediatric since Christmas as she has been getting very constipated to the point I was running around at 6pm on Christmas Eve trying to get her some because she was in such pain and had been struggling for a week before. Had tried lactulose, syrup of fig, lots of fruit juice, warm baths, tummy massages, but nothing had worked. Thankfully the Movicol Paediatric worked wonders. Just a good thing we were spending Christmas day at home this year ??. Anyway she has been on it ever since and goes to the loo everyday but it stops if I stop giving it to her.

However I am worried I gave her one of my sachets yesterday morning in error (I take the adult Movicol every night).

Will it do her any damage?

Xx

Approximately, 1 adult sachet = 2 paediatric sachets. Not quite exact, but the salts to polyglycol (thing that hangs onto the water in the gut to soften the poo) ratio is very nearly the same. So you shouldn't have done any harm...you've just given more than you meant to, so things may go softer than you intended.

Thanks so much for your reply ?? I haven't given her any of her paediatric sachets since just in case I did. I haven't noticed a big difference in her toilet activities since I may have got it wrong so may have got away with it. Xx