A Better Colonoscopy Prep

That won't hammer your gut in the process

One of the non-joys of turning 50 is having to get a colposcopy. The procedure itself is only 20 minutes and painless. Unfortunately the prep for the procedure is, pardon the pun, a really shitty experience. It involves food restriction to start then a liquid only restrictive diet and then drugs and laxatives. the goal is to completely clear out your colon.

I had my first one at 50 and now that I am 60 I was dreading having my second. The physician prescribed the following drugs/laxatives:

• SuTab bowel prep (sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and potassium chloride) - take 12 (yes 12 - an entire bottle) pills. SuTab has the following side effects:

  • Effectively wipes out both good and bad bacteria, temporarily reducing microbiome diversity.

  • Temporary gut irritation – Some people experience bloating, cramping, or mild inflammation in the intestines afterward.

  • Possible increased permeability ("Leaky Gut")

• Ondansetron - is an anti-nausea medication commonly prescribed for chemotherapy. SuTab will make you nauseous so this is to mitigate that. Possible side effects:

  • Slows gut motility – Ondansetron reduces peristalsis (gut contractions), which is why constipation is a major side effect. Seems strange to take a laxative and then something that gives you constipation.

  • Disrupts natural serotonin function in the gut – The gut produces 90% of the body's serotonin, which regulates digestion. Blocking 5-HT3 receptors may temporarily interfere with normal gut function.

  • May alter gut microbiome – While not directly proven, slowing digestion and changing gut serotonin signaling could affect microbial balance over time.
    

Is there a Better Way?

Since I did not want to wreck my gut I did some research online and with the help of Chat GPT came up with this as a simple, gut friendly alternative:

• Take two doses of magnesium citrate instead of SubTab and Ondansetron. I chose TopCare Magnesium Citrate Laxative Oral Solution. The key ingredients are 2900mg of magnesium and 10mg of sodium. Other ingredients (unfortunately) include benzoic acid, citric acid, disodium EDTA, flavor, sucralose, water. The benzoic acid, citric acid and disodium EDTA have very minimal impact on the gut.

I sent the alternative suggestion to the doctor and he approved it and said it would work fine (and it did). I wonder why they don’t prescribe this in the first place?

What I Will Do Different Next Time

Thankfully I had no issues so my next colonoscopy will be 10 years from now. Here is what I am going to do differently:

• I am simply going to take the key active ingredients:

  • 2900 of Magnesium Glycinate. Bulk Supplements make good product and is available on Amazon.

  • 10mg of Sodium - again I would go with Bulk Supplements available on Amazon.

This solution has no artificial sweeteners, preservatives or flavor enhancers -just the ingredients necessary to clean out your colon. Your gut will thank you!

Obviously, run any alternative prep by your physician.