This is not a substitute for direct care by YOUR doctor. Confirm with your doctor before doing any of the following.
Colonoscopy Bowel Preparation
- Preparation quality is your responsibility—it is critical that you follow these instructions. The effectiveness of your colonoscopy in finding polyps and preventing cancer is largely dependent upon you providing an excellent colon preparation. Failure to take the prep as indicated below may result in a poorly cleansed colon and possible cancellation or rescheduling of procedure.
- General instructions
- If you take a beta blocker, you can take that the day of surgery with a sip of water
- If you are on a blood thinner (or you are told to take aspirin by your doctor), this is typically stopped 1 to 7 days before surgery. PLEASE DISCUSS THIS WITH YOUR DOCTOR before your colonoscopy.
Three Days Before Your Colonoscopy
- Take a dose of Milk of Magnesia at bedtime.
- Follow a soft diet. Do not eat legumes/beans, peas, carrots, corn, popcorn, tomatoes, whole grain bread, or nuts for three days before your colonoscopy. Small seeds can interfere with the doctor’s ability to suction remaining fluid from the colon.
- Stop all iron, fish oil and other seed oil.
Two Days Before Your Colonoscopy
- Take a dose of Milk of Magnesia at bedtime.
On the Day Before Your Colonoscopy
- Do not eat any solid foods or dairy products. NO SOLID FOOD, MILK, OR MILK PRODUCTS!
- Drink only CLEAR LIQUIDS for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the remainder of the day.
- Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day.
- You may refrigerate the prep after it is mixed.
- CLEAR LIQUIDS include: Water Clear fruit juice without pulp (apple, white grape, white cranberry) Lemonade (without pulp) Clear broth Coffee or tea (without cream) Sports drink (not red, purple or blue); brands include Gatorade, Powerade, All Sport, etc. Carbonated soft drinks (7UP, sprite) Kool-aid or similar drink (not red, purple or blue) Plain jello (without added fruit, not red, purple or blue) Popsicles (not red, purple or blue)
- SOFT DIET Includes: Non-alcoholic beverages, any Soft breads and rolls, crackers, cereals (must not have seeds, nuts, dried fruit, avoid coarse bran cereals) Cakes, pudding, custard, ice cream, sherbert, gelatin, popsicles, fudgesicles (must not have nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or coconut) Fruit juices, cooked or canned fruit, banana or other ripe soft fruits without seeds All lean, tender meats, poultry, fish Eggs, mild cheeses, yogurt Smooth peanut butter Potatoes, white rice, pasta Soups made with allowed foods from this list Butter, margarine, oils, gravy, ketchup, sugar, honey, syrup, hard candy, seedless jams, chocolate, are all allowed
- STARTING 3 DAYS BEFORE THE COLONOSCOPY AVOID: All vegetables Nuts, seeds, popcorn Dried fruit and coconut, berries, pineapple or hard/unripened fruits Strongly favored, spicy, or highly seasoned foods, meats and sauces
- HELPFUL HINTS: You may add crystal light lemonade to the laxative prep. We recommend adding it one glass at a time. It is better to drink the prep quickly-try using a straw. You may suck on hard candy or chew gum between glasses.
- Suprep Prep
- The kit comes with two, 6 oz. bottles of medication and a 16 oz. drinking cup.
- Pour one, 6 fl oz. bottle of SUPREP liquid into the supplied drinking cup, add cool drinking water to the FILL line on the cup, and mix carefully.
- Part 1: 6:00 p.m. on the evening before your colonoscopy. Pour one 6-ounce bottle of SUPREP liquid into the mixing container. Add cool water to the 16-ounce line on the container and mix. Drink all the liquid in the container. Drink two more 16-ounce glasses of water over the next hour.
- Part 2: six hours before you are scheduled to show up for your colonoscopy. Pour one 6-ounce bottle of SUPREP liquid into the mixing container. Add cool water to the 16-ounce line on the container and mix. Drink all the liquid in the container. Drink two more 16-ounce glasses of water over the next hour.
- MiraLAX prep
- Starting by 4pm (at the latest) on the day before your procedure, you are going to consume an entire bottle of Miralax (238 gram or 8.3 oz) as slowly or as quickly as you would like as long as you have drank the entire bottle of MiraLAX at least 3!! hours before your procedure.
- Mix 2 capfuls with 8 ounces of liquid. Let the powder dissolve for about 10 minutes. This will substantially reduce any bad taste. Drink the liquid. Repeat this until the bottle of MiraLAX is gone. You can drink a glass as often as every 15 minutes.
- The goal is to have clear affluent (clear stool)
- You will also take 4 dulcolax tablets during the evening. These can cause cramping so stop this step if the cramps are painful.
- "Split Prep" option
- This options splits drinking the MiraLAX into half at night and half in the morning and has been shown to cleanse the bowel better.
- You still need to drink the entire bottle of MiraLAX by three hours before the procedure
- Two Day prep
- If you have a history of significant constipation or incomplete bowel preparation in the past, a two day prep may be a good option for you.
- This means you start a clear liquid only diet two days before your procedure.
- Typically, the MiraLAX is drank slowly over the full two days, completing it on the morning of the procedure - at least 3!! hours before your procedure.