miralax for constipation - Children's Health Message Board

Mom22greatkids · 05-16-2006, 08:10 AM

Does anyone's child take Miralax for their constipation? My 4 year old daughter has had constipation issues for a long time now. I have been giving her the full dosage of Miralax (actually the generic form - Polyethylene Glycol which I'm pretty sure is the same) every day. It helps some but it seems it is not working well lately. It recently took her about 5 days to have a bowel movement. This is getting to be quite an issue because she is avoiding eating because of her constipation. The doctor says it is perfectly safe to use this every day but from what I've been reading it seems she can become dependent on it. I'm at a loss of what to do. I try to make sure she eats fruits and vegetables and healthy foods but it is a struggle to get her to eat. Any suggestions? I don't like giving this to her every day.

tommy124 · 05-16-2006, 03:25 PM

There are products made from psyllium seeds, which can't be digested. One is metamucil, but there are others, which don't have sugar...I think Konsill or something like that. I found it at WalMart. They are a bit grainy, but they are very safe, and work well. If you can get it into her, it should do the trick nicely.

Mom22greatkids · 05-17-2006, 11:03 AM

Thanks for the reply. I would rather give her Metamucil but the container says age 12 and up and she is 4.

Misty800 · 05-17-2006, 11:37 AM

I am an adult taking Miralax and it works great "IF" you drink plenty of water. Miralax works by bulking up the stools.

Be sure your daughter drinks plenty of water. Also, the full dose may be too much for her. Have you tried 1/2 dose and plenty of water during the day? The full dose may be contributing to constipation if there is not enough water consumed.

Be sure your daughter is not eating a lot of constipating foods.

The name alone indicates this med is a laxative, but, it is the same type med as Metamucil, Konsyl, etc. Supposedly it is not habit forming.

My meds for health problems contribute a lot to my constipation problem and Miralax has been a blessing for me.

jande · 05-17-2006, 12:09 PM

I have been having this same issue with my 3 year old! She has the largest stool I have ever seen (especially for a 3 year old) I think what happened is that it was so big that she didn't want to go - because - well, it hurt. So I have been researching, researching - cuz I didn't want to put her on any type of stool softner - so I read that I should start giving her mineral oil - I give her about a tblspn every night - they say to give it to them at night - because it also washes some minerals out - anyway it really has started to work - she is starting to go everyday - we actually went for 2 weeks without a bowel movement (which I'm sure added to the size) Anyway, maybe it is worth a try for you - it seems to be working quite well for Erin. Good luck!