Guest guest Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Hi , Miralax is a gut irritant, pure and simple. It is polyethylene glycol, very similar in chemical structure to the antifreeze you put in your car (ethylene glycol). The general theory behind Miralax is that its high molecular weight prevents it from being absorbed by the body, and for many people, this is true. The problem is that many children on the spectrum have leaky gut and other chronic gut issues, and the adverse reactions due to Miralax make it pretty clear that some of it is indeed being absorbed into the bloodstream. Some of the reported reactions include severe behavioral changes, tics, slurred speech, coordination problems, urinary problems, regression.... Miralax is toxic to the liver and kidneys, causes cerebral salt wasting in the brain. With continued use, Miralax can damage the nervous system such that the child can no longer regulate their own bowels. Some recover after Miralax is stopped, but for some the damage is long-term or even permanent. In my opinion, it is a poison, and should not be given to anyone, let alone sensitive children. Vitamin C and magnesium work just as well, and you can reap numerous other health benefits from them at the same time. Miralax is Polyethylene glycol 3350. The 3350 is the molecular weight. Antifreeze is ethylene glycol, so polyethylene glycol is not the same thing, but " in the family " . PEG is used in colon clean out procedures. In large amounts, electrolytes must be added (colyte, golytely). In theory, the 3350 molecular weight is too large to be absorbed by the body. However, with a surprising number of autistic or SID kids who have leaky gut issues, they exhibit behavioral changes that indicate that the product probably IS indeed being absorbed. There have been a growing number of adverse effects to the FDA's adverse events reporting system. Considering that MOST families do not take time to do this, the number of cases is considered an underestimate. Also, when families go to their docs and say, hey, my child now has tics or my child is having frequent urination or my child is becoming obsessive compulsive or hyper-- the docs say it is unrelated because they have been told that this product is completely safe and not absorbed. I have a mom friend whose daughter entered an autistic state while on Miralax (she was SID only). She took her to the ER where they diagnosed " Miralax toxicity " . She has made friends with a doc who got into the medical journals/studies on PEG and she is going to send me the info on it. Basically about 4 percent of PEG IS absorbed. So if you think of our leaky gut kiddo's -- are they absorbing even more than this? The literature on PEG states that it is nephrotoxic if absorbed by the body. That means it is toxic to the kidneys. Given our kids issues already, it is no wonder that it probably doesn't take much to damage their liver and kidneys even further. One neurologist hypothesized that the PEG entered the bloodstream, where it drew water towards it, thus pulling salt away from the brain (cerebral salt-wasting condition) and resulted in the neurological changes. Some other reports she has say that when they studied PEG toxicity in rabbits-- they all died of renal failure. So I guess I am fortunate that I put two and two together with Ethan and that he was only on it for two months before something REALLY bad happened to him. What happened to him? Well, he developed tics, dysarthric (slurry) speech, difficulty walking in a coordinated manner--almost drunken at times, difficulty with motor skills, eyes got very dark and intense looking, he was having obssesive compulsive thoughts and behaviors, paranoia, facial grimacing... at first, he had frequent urination. Initially he moved his bowels easily with Miralax, but after a couple of weeks, it was as if neurologically, he could not control that anymore-- he knew he wanted to go, but was unable to push them out. We were told it was a behavior. I have found other moms whose kids also experienced this problem-- I think it became neurologically impossible for them to regulate themselves. They told us to increase the dosage, but that still didn't work. Then they put him on a combination of Miralax and Enulose. It was just a nightmare. The dosage is something else that scares me. Most all kids get started out on the adult dose-- 17 grams per day. That is too much for a little body to handle! And then to think that some kids are increased even higher! The package insert advises not to use for more than 2 weeks and I think that should be honored. I think the manufacturer knows all about the small percentage that is absorbed and by advising a two week limit, they are basically trying to tell us that if you continue, you run the risk of absorbing too much and it becoming nephrotoxic. Plus, when families try to get their kids off of it, it is as if they can no longer " go " . They are dependent on it. Ethan would complain of a burning sensation as he passed bowel movements after being on Miralax. This continued for a very long time-- I think because it irritated his intestinal tract so much. What I typed today is actually a pretty tame version of how I feel about Miralax. It put my child's health in jeopardy-- I have spent at least a year trying to rebuild his health-- he was never sensitive to supplements or medications prior to Miralax, but after it, now so many things make him " hyper " --I think because he is still so toxic and his organs were compromised by it. It seems like a quick-fix product, but it is actually like a trip to hell and back. It is a chemical. Period. It is perceived by the body as an irritant. It doesn't belong in the body and certainly not in such delicate bodies as our kids have. > Can anyone tell me what the problems are that are associated with > Miralax? My brain is so foggy that I am having a hard time reading > past posts regarding this issue. > > I know that Hannah still poops everyday but they are so hard and it's > usually only one enormous hard poop in the toilet. So she must have > that stretched out colon and a lot of impacted stuff in there. I > don't > want to use stimulant laxatives on her for many reasons and am at a > loss as to what to do. > > Thanks. > > > > > Autism_in_Girls-subscribe > ------------------------ > Autism_in_Girls-unsubscribe > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 I saw at Walgreens last night some " Prunelax " tablets that has some artificial junk it in. Made me wonder if health food stores might carry healthier versions of this that might be a " moving " experience. I bought the artificial junk because Allie has looked distended, but last night she had a big BM, hubby said anyway. I may take 1-2 just to see what happens. If you don't read from me for a couple of days ya'll will know where I'll be... <g> Debi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 > I just have one question....who on earth is prescribing this stuff > to our kids??? > > Pediatricians, even DAN! doctors, but it doesn't need to be prescribed anymore since it's recently become available over-the- counter. Wonderful, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Amy, WHO ISNT PRESCRIBING THIS (miralax)?????????? My (now 13) was on this for 9 years. We got her off in 2006 (thanks to & others on this group). Our wonderful gastroentologist (poop doctor) prescribed it for her at age 3!!!!!!!!!! We dont see her anymore. Shanna ('s mom) > > > Can anyone tell me what the problems are that are associated with > > Miralax? My brain is so foggy that I am having a hard time reading > > past posts regarding this issue. > > > > I know that Hannah still poops everyday but they are so hard and it's > > usually only one enormous hard poop in the toilet. So she must have > > that stretched out colon and a lot of impacted stuff in there. I > > don't > > want to use stimulant laxatives on her for many reasons and am at a > > loss as to what to do. > > > > Thanks. > > > > > > > > > > Autism_in_Girls-subscribe > > ------------------------ > > Autism_in_Girls-unsubscribe > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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