Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Both men and women age 50 and older, and any one regardless of age who experiences problems such as blood in the stool, intestinal pain, internal hemorrhoids, should have a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer. If caught early, colon cancer is curable, making regular screenings imperative.

Prepping for a colonoscopy is considered by some to be the most uncomfortable part of the procedure. It is important to cleanse the bowel thoroughly so the physician who is conducting the colonoscopy can see the colon clearly. Your doctor will tell you how to prep for your colonoscopy, but in general, there are two main types of preparations – polyethylene glycol and oral sodium phosphates.

Polyethylene glycol – This type of laxative is available by prescription only and is sold under the brand names GoLYTELY, GlycoLax, Fortrans, TriLyte, Colyte, Halflytely, MiraLAX and MoviPrep. The solution is usually taken by mouth but is sometimes given in the hospital through a tube inserted into the nose. The solution acts as a laxative, causing mild diarrhea that flushes all solid material from the colon.

Oral sodium phosphates (OSP) – This saline laxative product, also known as OSP, is available by prescription under the brand names Osmo-Prep and Visicol and was once available over-the-counter under brand names such as Fleet Phospho-soda and Fleet Accu-Prep. The solution is taken by mouth according to doctors’ or the labels’ instructions. OSPs work by drawing liquid from the body into the colon, which can cause severe dehydration.

Earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black box warning on the prescription OSP products, Osmo-Prep and Visicol, warning of the risk of a rare but serious kidney injury known Acute Phosphate Nephropathy. The FDA also raised concerns about over-the-counter OSP products which led C.B. Fleet to recall its over-the-counter products. They are now available by prescription only.

While some patients, such as the elderly and those with kidney problems, may be at higher risk for the kidney injury, even healthy individuals have been diagnosed with Acute Phosphate Nephropathy following use of OSPs.

Before a colonoscopy, be sure to discuss options in bowel cleansers with your doctor and whether using OSP products is right for you.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 11:27 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.