About Your Colonoscopy with Miralax Prep

A colonoscopy is an exam of the colon (large intestine or bowel) using a slim, flexible, lighted tube with a camera at the tip.

What should I eat or drink?

3 days before your exam

You should start eating a low residue diet. (For example, if your colonoscopy is on a Friday, you'd eat the low residue diet on Tuesday and Wednesday).

• Low residue foods are easy to digest and make only a small amount of waste in your bowel. We'll give you a copy of a 2-page handout that explains which kinds of foods are low residue.

The day before your exam

Complete the colonoscopy prep instructions described below.

• You may have only clear liquids the entire day.
• Things you can have for your liquid diet are:
  • apple juice, soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, 7 Up)
  • Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Kool-Aid-type popsicles, Jell-O (but no red or purple)
  • tea and coffee (without lemon or cream)
  • clear beef or chicken bouillon (cube only; no more than 3 cubes for the whole day).
• Things you should not have:
  • dairy products, solid foods, or pudding pops
  • red or purple liquids of any kind
  • alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco products
  • chewing gum or hard candy.

The day of your exam

• You may continue to drink clear liquids up to 4 hours before your exam.
• Wear loose fitting clothes, remove jewelry.

What are my colonoscopy prep instructions?

A nurse will speak with you by phone before your exam to go over your medical history. Do not buy or start the prep without speaking to a nurse first.

You will need to buy over the counter:

• one Miralax (238 gram) bottle
• one bottle (1 oz) of simethicone liquid (for example, “Infants’ Gas Relief Drops”)
• one (64 oz) Gatorade (no red or purple).

The day before your exam

• Between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. mix the entire bottle of Miralax and the bottle of simethicone (1 oz) with the entire bottle of Gatorade in a large container. Stir and shake it well.
• Begin drinking half of the mixture. Drink one (8 oz) glass every 10 to 15 minutes.
• Save and refrigerate the second half of the mixture for the following day.

The day of your exam

• Begin drinking the second half of the mixture. Drink one (8 oz) glass every 10 to 15 minutes until completed. A nurse will help you calculate the time you need to start the second half of this prep.
• The prep solution will cause a rapid cleansing of your bowels and diarrhea. If you have nausea, vomiting, or bloating, drink the solution at a slower pace. But you must drink all of it.

Will I get anesthesia or sedatives?

Yes, the exam is usually done with anesthesia or sedatives. If so, a responsible adult must come with you to the appointment. This person must stay in the waiting area and drive you home.