Re: Lillu's Statements

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Sure. I've rewritten it below, but below the rewrite is the original post.My Daughter's StoryMy daughter was prescribed Miralax at the age of 17.2 months for constipation. At the time, she was having BMs but was struggling, and this had been going on ever since I started her on whole milk at 12 months. I explained to the pediatrician that I thought it was the whole milk causing the constipation. The pediatrician told me that more than likely her colon was over stretched and we have to get her going to help her colon get back to its regular shape. Unless we did that, she would not achieve regular motility as the colon was

overstretched. No x-rays were done to determine this diagnosis. The diagnosis was based on my statements of how long I thought she had been constipated. The pediatrician told me that my daughter should remain in Miralax for one month and then we would reassess at that point. After I bought the bottle of Miralax, I pointed out that the instructions on the bottle said not to use for longer than 10 days and not for anyone 17 or under. The pediatrician assured me that the drug was safe to use long-term and with children. She told me that she had other patients on it, some of them for years, and they were perfectly fine.A month into it, I went back and reported that the Miralax seemed to work less when she was on the whole milk. Once again, I said that I thought it was the milk constipating her. Could I not just put her back

on formula? The pediatrician said no, that the milk was important for her growth (how ironic) and to up the Miralax dose to a cap full instead of the half cap I had her on. I didn't do this. I took her off the whole milk and kept her on formula and kept her Miralax dose at 1/2 cap.Fast forward to 7.5 months later, and my daughter was showing a whole host of symptoms, all of which I connected to Miralax only after I found this group and saw that other children on Miralax were exhibiting the same symptoms. My daughter had a red persistent rash around her mouth. One time, when her poop touched her bum, it left a burn-like mark on her skin. She had frequent nightmares and would often wake up screaming. She was paranoid, telling me that artifacts on our living room wall were chasing her. She would suddenly strike me for no apparent reason. She

would have horrific meltdowns, to the point where one day she passed out for a few seconds. She developed facial ticks and exhibited some obsessive compulsive behaviors. And the final straw? She was failing to thrive. In the 8.5 months she was on Miralax, she didn't grow at all and in fact lost an ounce in weight. It was at this point that I put my foot down with her pediatrician and took her off the Miralax. I started her on an elimination diet and it took us about a month to get her to have a BM on her own. She has now been off Miralax and thriving for over 2 years.Recently, I asked her pediatrician to pull her growth chart for me. The chart showed a direct link between my daughter's failure to thrive and her being on Miralax. At her 18 month well visit, my daughter was in the 25th

percentile for both height and weight. At her 24-month well visit, just 6 months later, she was in the 3rd percentile. The chart also showed a plateau in growth from 18 months to 24 months, correlating perfectly with the time she was on Miralax. After we took her off Miralax, my daughter grew about 3 inches in 2.5 months.My daughter is still small for her age - she looks like she's about a year younger than her peers. She still has sparse hair growth. Although the constipation/Miralax nightmare is behind us, we are still careful with her diet, and that is how we've kept her regular for the last 2 years.I regret everyday that I gave her Miralax and kept her on it for so long. Everyday, I worry if there will be residual side-effects that will crop up later.My StoryAfter my daughter was on Miralax for about a month, I decided to try it myself (I didn't have any constipation issues) to see if it were giving her cramps or gas. I wanted to know if that was why she would wake up crying at night. I took Miralax in the morning, in my coffee, for about 10 days. It didn't seem to affect me at all, certainly not my BMs. However, my menses, which had been regular, suddenly ceased and I've never regained them and struggle to this day with what has turned out to be early menopause. I was 35 at the time. I later found a study that showed women who were on Miralax whose menses also ceased. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Original

post:Jeanie, I would like to include the story of my DD where her growth chart shows a direct link between her failure to thrive and her being on Miralax.

She was in the 25th percentile for both height and weight before age 18

months, when she was put on Miralax. Now, she is in the 3rd percentile

and looks more like a 3 year old than a 4 year old, which makes sense as she lost 8.5 crucial months of growth. She literally did not grow a millimeter and actually lost 2oz during the time she was on Miralax between the ages of 17.2 months and 25.3 months. Her pediatrician, the same one who prescribed the Miralax is the one who pulled her charts for

me. When I pointed out that the plateau period in her growth chart correlates perfectly with her being on Miralax, the pediatrician's only

comment was: "I cannot make a comment one way or the other until I see a conclusive study." Really!?

At the very least, this should prompt her to look at all the other children for whom she has prescribed Miralax (many, by her own admission) to see if they are exhibiting issues without any other explanation.Anyway,

would you like me to write it up any differently? I am also going to request a copy of my DD's growth chart as evidence/exhibit.Thanks! To: "miralax " <miralax > Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 9:16 PM Subject: Lilu

Lilu, can you repost your statement, I just want to make sure I have it. thanksJeanie