Coffee is among the most consumed beverages in the world. 64% of Americans consume coffee every day while an average coffee drinker drinks over 3 cups of coffee in a day. On the other hand, 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day around the world. People drink coffee for various reasons. Furthermore, the beverage is linked to a lot of benefits such as boosting energy levels, promoting weight management, lowering the risk of depression, and protecting against various chronic diseases, and lowering the risk of depression, among others.
One of the most common questions regarding coffee consumption is whether you can put Miralax in coffee. There are lots of conflicting answers to this question as a result of conflicting reports from doctors and researchers. Therefore, to clear out everything, we’ll answer the question of whether you can put Miralax in coffee, and discuss how to use Miralax in a safe and gentle way. Let’s begin.
What is Miralax
Miralax is a class of medication under osmotic laxatives that contains an osmotic agent known as polyethylene glycol 3350 that treats occasional constipation episodes. As the name suggests, osmotic laxatives are medications that work by attracting water and keeping it in your colon. This action hydrates and softens your stool, increasing the number of bowel movements, which reduces constipation. Additionally, Miralax unblocks your system without causing gastrointestinal side effects.
Miralax is used for short-term constipation treatment, and also a long-term treatment of chronic constipation. Let’s take a look at the effectiveness of Miralax in these treatments.
- Short-term treatment: Miralax is used for relieving occasional bouts of constipation symptoms. However, it takes one to three days for the effectiveness of the medication.
- Long-term chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) treatment: The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) concluded that Miralax medication improves the chronic idiopathic constipation symptoms. In this case, Miralax is more effective than a placebo since it promotes regular bowel movements, reduces staining, and normalizes stool consistency. Additionally, when Miralax is taken regularly, it helps reduce abdominal pain, burping, bloating, and flatulence.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) treatment: Despite the effectiveness of Miralax in easing constipation symptoms, the medication doesn’t appear to ease irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.
Can I Mix Miralax with Coffee?
Yes. You can put Miralax into your cup of coffee. Several studies show that mixing Miralax with your coffee increases the medication laxative effect. Additionally, coffee activates contractions in your intestinal muscles and colon that push body contents towards your rectum, which is the final digestive tract section. Usually, Miralax is effective with minimal side effects when taken according to dosage instructions. However, special care should be taken when it comes to those with underlying conditions and children.
How to Use Miralax
Miralax comes in a powder that easily dissolves into hot or cold beverages. Here are some steps to follow when taking Miralax.
1. Measure your Miralax dose using the cap on the bottle.
All Miralax bottle lids can be used as measuring cups. So, once you open your Miralax bottle, check inside for the cap that is marked up to 17 grams. 17 grams is the right single Miralax dosage. Additionally, you can purchase a box of single-dose packets of Miralax if you don’t want to measure out the dosage.
Fill the bottle cap with 17 grams of Miralax. You can tap or shake the bottle cap to level out the medication and ensure it’s at the correct gram line. Additionally, don’t take a larger Miralax dose unless instructed by a doctor. Moreover, consult a doctor before giving Miralax to a child who’s under 17 years.
2. Pour the Miralax into your liquid choice
As mentioned earlier, you can take Miralax with either cold, hot, or room temperature drinks. A single dose of Miralax will dissolve in 120ml of the drink. However, the results will be best when you dissolve Miralax in 240ml of the drink, which is equivalent to an 8-ounce cup of coffee. Additionally, you can mix Miralax with drinks such as plain water, coffee, tea, iced coffee, smoothie, lime juice, white cranberry juice, iced water, coconut water, iced tea, seltzer, or orange juice, since the medication is flavorless and non-gritty. Most importantly, avoid mixing Miralax with alcoholic beverages, syrupy substances, and carbonated beverages like soda since the mixture may bubble over when stirred, thus weakening the product.
3. Stir and drink the mixture
Use a spoon to stir the mixture until there are no visible flecks of Miralax. Drink the mixture within 10 to 15 minutes since keeping the mixture for later use will thicken it, making it hard to drink. Furthermore, you can mix the drink only when you’re ready to drink the full amount. Additionally, stir the mixture in between sips to ensure that the medication doesn’t settle on the bottom.
Miralax Dosage Tips
- You should only take the Miralax dose once per day. Furthermore, you don’t have to take the medication simultaneously every day. You can take it at any time of the day. However, don’t take Miralax more than once unless you have a doctor’s approval.
- You shouldn’t take Miralax for more than a week unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Additionally, consult a doctor if there are no bowel movements after using Miralax for 7 days. Miralax should produce bowel movements within 3 days of use.
- If you take Miralax and achieve the desired results such as regular bowel movements, you can stop using it until you need it.
- You can take Miralax with either a full or empty stomach.
- Store Miralax at room temperature and away from heat as well as moisture.
Safety Precautions When Using Miralax
As mentioned earlier, Miralax contains an active osmotic agent known as polyethylene glycol, which is the main ingredient in the product. Therefore, consult a doctor before using Miralax if you’re allergic to the ingredient. Equally important, talk to your doctor before using the medication if you have some medical conditions such as:
- Kidney disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Intestinal blockage
- Bowel obstruction
- Severe abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting
If you take Miralax with conditions such as intestinal blockage and bowel obstructions, you may experience life-threatening side effects. Therefore, consult a doctor before taking Miralax if you have the listed conditions.
Additionally, Miralax may interact with some common prescription drugs, supplements, and over-the-counter drugs. Therefore, ensure you consult your doctor before taking Miralax if you’re under any medications or supplements. Some of the drugs that are incompatible with Miralax include ibuprofen, oxycodone, acetaminophen, alprazolam, aspirin, melatonin, prednisone, and omeprazole, among others. Potential interactions of Miralax with these drugs may cause symptoms such as cramping, and dizziness.
Also, consult a doctor if you experience negative side effects after consuming Miralax. Usually, Miralax is well-tolerated by most people. However, quit using Miralax and consult a doctor if you experience the following side effects:
- Severe diarrhea
- Rectal bleeding
- Severe abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting
- Failure of a bowel movement within 8 hours
- Allergic reactions such as itching, sneezing, difficulty breathing, a rash, and severe dizziness, among others
Consult a doctor before giving Miralax to children under 17 years to get the correct dosage for the child. This is because overdosing on Miralax may cause watery stools which may lead to dehydration, while underdosing may lead to ineffectiveness of the medication. Additionally, stop the use of Miralax and consult a doctor if your child experiences any side effects as a result of the drug use. These side effects include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Rectal bleeding
- Abdominal pains
The doctor may advise you to offer the regular Miralax dose of 17 grams to a pre-teen or teen. On the other hand, the doctor may recommend a half-dose for younger kids. A half-dose will require you to measure the drug halfway through the marked line. The amount of Miralax that a child below 17 should take depends on the child’s age and weight. Therefore, let your doctor know your child’s age and weight to provide the correct dosage.
Use of Miralax for Colonoscopy Preparation
Interestingly, Miralax is used to prepare the bowels before a colonoscopy or intestinal surgery. The doctor will provide you with specific instructions for you to follow before colonoscopy. The instructions may include:
- Buy a standard-size bottle of Miralax (238 grams bottle) and a 64 fl oz of light-colored liquid (a sports drink like Gatorade is recommended). This is because Gatorade replaces electrolytes that are lost when your colon is emptied. However, the liquid you choose shouldn’t be orange, red, purple, or any dark color. Choose a clear liquid or a pale yellow liquid.
- Mix the full Miralax amount into the full liquid amount and shake up the mixture. Store the mixture in the fridge as refrigeration makes the mixture more palatable. However, only follow the specific instructions provided by the doctor.
- Drink up the Miralax mixture before the procedure. The doctor will give you a schedule to follow and you’re required to follow it precisely. Failure to follow the instructions may require you to repeat the process at a later date.
FAQs
- Can you mix Miralax with milk?
You can mix Miralax with milk for your child. However, if constipation is caused by milk or other dairy products, it would be best to avoid it.
- Which is the best time of the day to take Miralax?
You can take Miralax at any time of the day unless the doctor tells you otherwise. However, Miralax is better taken within the day rather than night if you have to use the bathroom because of it. Additionally, only take Miralax once a day.
- Should you drink water after taking Miralax?
You’re recommended to take 8 glasses of water every day to avoid dehydration.
- What are the best drinks to mix with Miralax?
You can mix Miralax with any clear liquid. They include water, white grape, white cranberry, coffee and tea without cream or milk (you can use sugar or lemon), strained fruit juices with no pulp, chicken broth, popsicles (no red), yellow Gatorade only, lemonade, limeade, and Jell-o (no red). Additionally, avoid Mixing Milarax with alcoholic beverages and carbonated drinks.
- Does Miralax cause weight gain?
There are claims that Miralax may cause weight gain. However, there is no proof of these claims.
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