Miralax, Anyone concerned?

[credcat7]

Have seen a couple articles about pediatric use of miralax and an FDA approved study being conducted to determine validity of concerns.
We dose baby every night per Dr. It helps so much but I am not sure if we should stop until we discuss these recent findings.

[credcat7]

Feb 19, 2017 13:10:27 GMT -5 @hilarityensued said:

Okay well what are the recent findings?

Sorry. I'll find the article and post.

[credcat7]

abc7news.com/news/parents-say-over-the-counter-medicine-is-sickening-kids-/1760065/

[Cherhorowitz]

Yeah I've seen it. We used to use it every day but now we use it when needed (maybe once a month). I tossed the Miralax. My understanding is the studies being done at CHOP are still underway and there are no conclusive findings but since we don't rely on the Miralax anymore, we opted to just stop using it for the time being.

[joy]

Huh. This is interesting and I hadn't heard about the study yet. Thanks for posting.

Side note: I use PEG3350 almost every day at work, but I'm an X-ray crystallographer. I don't know why I'm always surprised when the stuff I use in lab ends up in every day products, but I continually am.

[sleepymonkey]

Honestly, until more research is done, I'm not overly concerned. DD is 3 and has been on Miralax daily for almost a year. She eats a very healthy diet rich in fiber but has had constipation issues since infancy. Her stool would be so hard and she would have such a hard timing passing it that she would become physically ill until it passed. The pedi recommended Miralax and it has been awesome for her. I will be keeping an eye on the studies but for now, I'm not stopping.

[hotcoconuts82]

Feb 19, 2017 17:03:54 GMT -5 sleepymonkey said:

Honestly, until more research is done, I'm not overly concerned. DD is 3 and has been on Miralax daily for almost a year. She eats a very healthy diet rich in fiber but has had constipation issues since infancy. Her stool would be so hard and she would have such a hard timing passing it that she would become physically ill until it passed. The pedi recommended Miralax and it has been awesome for her. I will be keeping an eye on the studies but for now, I'm not stopping.

This was my oldest dd exactly. She was on miralax for several years. Her quality of life would have been horrible without that stuff.

[g33kyg1rly]

For those looking for an alternative to Miralax, we used Pedialax chewables in the past with success for constipation. (It is essentially milk of magnesia in pill form.)

But that said, I would probably take that news article with a grain of salt. While the article is concerning, so far, it is only based on the reports of parents, not the results of actual studies. (The CHOP study is still ongoing.) While adverse effects of Miralax use in children have not yet been proven, the effects (and risks of permanent damage) of chronic untreated constipation in children HAS been proven, so if your kid needs it, I would personally say that the benefits seem to outweigh the risks at this point.

I also wonder if it could be a case of "which came first, the chicken or the egg." Conditions such as anxiety, autism, etc. are known to cause GI problems. Could it be that some of these kids had pre-existing neurological conditions that triggered the constipation, rather than the treatment for constipation causing the neurological symptoms? I am somewhat reminded of the claims of vaccines causing autism, when it has been proven that the neurological changes that cause autism begin in utero. It is human nature to look for something or someone to blame when things don't go as planned. Thus, if it were me, I'd wait for the results of the CHOP study before taking any drastic action.

[Deleted]

In short. No Im not. We used it semi regularly in the past- as many users report here, and now infrequently as I have gotten better at knowing what he needs foodwise to keep things moving. I use it more for myself now, and I keep it on hand but weve gotten away from anything but infrequent use.

[Cherhorowitz]

It was a lifesaver for us so I don't know what we would do if we were using it daily. But this has been discussed at length on another mom's group I am in and some of them said they were told to discontinue use for now. They suggested some alternatives that I haven't tried yet: Lactulose, a spoonful of butter, fiber gummies, Culturelle, flaxseed oil, coconut oil, Benefiber, mineral oil, among the other usual suggestions. Just in case anyone is looking for an alternative.

[Deleted]

We used it for DS on and off for a few months when he was constipated from age 2-2 1/2. i found the pedialax chewables worked better for him. I also found eating oranges helps and blueberries to get things going. Flax seed in cereal or smoothies.

Now that he's a bit older it's easier to know what constipates him. I'm going to not use miralax for his younger sister until the results of the study are posted.

[Deleted]

Feb 20, 2017 13:08:24 GMT -5 @mrspanpan said:

Feb 20, 2017 10:40:13 GMT -5 Cherhorowitz said:

It was a lifesaver for us so I don't know what we would do if we were using it daily. But this has been discussed at length on another mom's group I am in and some of them said they were told to discontinue use for now. They suggested some alternatives that I haven't tried yet: Lactulose, a spoonful of butter, fiber gummies, Culturelle, flaxseed oil, coconut oil, Benefiber, mineral oil, among the other usual suggestions. Just in case anyone is looking for an alternative.

Spoonful of butter?

huh

Probably works similar to cod liver oil. If you add oil you get slippery poo. Like if I eat at a certain Mexican food restaurant that fries everything I have to go poop before I get home every time. Tmi?

[Deleted]

In light of the testing that showed traces of antifreeze tyoe ingredients I would explore all other options rather than use it every single day. It us likely "just fine" for occasional use but every day use that trace amount may build up to excessive level in immature organs.

[peachesncream]

That article read a little bit like it was written by a 6th grader. Yes, Miralax contains polyethylene glycol. This is no secret - it is literally the only active ingredient listed on the label. Yes, PEG is found in antifreeze. It is also found in many, many other foods. Numerous studies have been done that confirm it is safe. As with any other food ingredient (salt... cinnamon... water...), it is toxic in excess. Miralax is not recommended for use in children under 16 without the guidance of a doctor (and probably at a reduced dosage compared to that suggested by the label).

We have never used Miralax but I would certainly not discontinue use over a few outspoken alarmists. No link has been strongly demonstrated or proven.

If you're a nerd like I am and are up for a good read, there are a number of toxicity studies that can be found here, all of which support the finding that PEG is perfectly safe for human consumption: www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/scientific_output/files/main_documents/414.pdf

[Cherhorowitz]

Feb 20, 2017 13:08:24 GMT -5 @mrspanpan said:

Feb 20, 2017 10:40:13 GMT -5 Cherhorowitz said:

It was a lifesaver for us so I don't know what we would do if we were using it daily. But this has been discussed at length on another mom's group I am in and some of them said they were told to discontinue use for now. They suggested some alternatives that I haven't tried yet: Lactulose, a spoonful of butter, fiber gummies, Culturelle, flaxseed oil, coconut oil, Benefiber, mineral oil, among the other usual suggestions. Just in case anyone is looking for an alternative.

Spoonful of butter?

huh

Multiple, multiple, multiple people recommended it.


I never heard of it but lots of people swore by it. Worth a shot. @hilarityensued loves butter and I bet she poops regularly.

[Cherhorowitz]

Feb 20, 2017 16:06:19 GMT -5 peachesncream said:

That article read a little bit like it was written by a 6th grader. Yes, Miralax contains polyethylene glycol. This is no secret - it is literally the only active ingredient listed on the label. Yes, PEG is found in antifreeze. It is also found in many, many other foods. Numerous studies have been done that confirm it is safe. As with any other food ingredient (salt... cinnamon... water...), it is toxic in excess. Miralax is not recommended for use in children under 16 without the guidance of a doctor (and probably at a reduced dosage compared to that suggested by the label).

We have never used Miralax but I would certainly not discontinue use over a few outspoken alarmists. No link has been strongly demonstrated or proven.

If you're a nerd like I am and are up for a good read, there are a number of toxicity studies that can be found here, all of which support the finding that PEG is perfectly safe for human consumption: www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/scientific_output/files/main_documents/414.pdf

Okay but just because you don't like how the article is written, it's a big news story right now, not just one obscure article:

www.schmidtandclark.com/miralax-lawsuit

themagicwithinus.com/2017/01/24/max-and-the-dangers-of-miralax-told-by-the-parent/

6abc.com/news/parents-say-over-the-counter-medicine-sickening-kids-/1753317/

There's a major study taking place at CHOP, which is a respected hospital. Doctors have been prescribing it differently than the instructions on the label (not for use for people under 17, not for use for more than 7 days). Plus, in light of the recent news stories, some doctors have been suggesting alternatives in lieu of Miralax or discontinuing use.

So I don't feel like it's one of those things that you should go off the medical advice of people on a message board nor should you brush off some serious side effects as "a few alarmists".

I think the best course of action is discussing it with your doctor.

[peachesncream]

Feb 20, 2017 17:17:12 GMT -5 Cherhorowitz said:

Feb 20, 2017 16:06:19 GMT -5 peachesncream said:

That article read a little bit like it was written by a 6th grader. Yes, Miralax contains polyethylene glycol. This is no secret - it is literally the only active ingredient listed on the label. Yes, PEG is found in antifreeze. It is also found in many, many other foods. Numerous studies have been done that confirm it is safe. As with any other food ingredient (salt... cinnamon... water...), it is toxic in excess. Miralax is not recommended for use in children under 16 without the guidance of a doctor (and probably at a reduced dosage compared to that suggested by the label).

We have never used Miralax but I would certainly not discontinue use over a few outspoken alarmists. No link has been strongly demonstrated or proven.

If you're a nerd like I am and are up for a good read, there are a number of toxicity studies that can be found here, all of which support the finding that PEG is perfectly safe for human consumption: www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/scientific_output/files/main_documents/414.pdf

Okay but just because you don't like how the article is written, it's a big news story right now, not just one obscure article:

www.schmidtandclark.com/miralax-lawsuit

themagicwithinus.com/2017/01/24/max-and-the-dangers-of-miralax-told-by-the-parent/

6abc.com/news/parents-say-over-the-counter-medicine-sickening-kids-/1753317/

There's a major study taking place at CHOP, which is a respected hospital. Doctors have been prescribing it differently than the instructions on the label (not for use for people under 17, not for use for more than 7 days). Plus, in light of the recent news stories, some doctors have been suggesting alternatives in lieu of Miralax or discontinuing use.

So I don't feel like it's one of those things that you should go off the medical advice of people on a message board nor should you brush off some serious side effects as "a few alarmists".

I think the best course of action is discussing it with your doctor.

Well OP was discussing going off of Miralax against the instruction from her doctor (or at least that's how I interpreted it) so yes, I absolutely agree with you, discuss the use of Miralax with your doctor.

I am confused about why all of these articles are referencing how they were "shocked" to find PEG in Miralax when that is literally the active ingredient.  Yes, it is also used in antifreeze.  Both of those things have been true since Miralax was invented.

I skimmed the middle blog post and it sounds like a case of malpractice to me.

I was just responding the the only article link that had been presented, thank you for sharing more.