The Christie Charity
If you have been prescribed an oral bowel cleansing agent (also known as bowel preparation), it is important to follow these instructions carefully. This is to ensure that you take this bowel preparation in a safe manner and also have a clear bowel so that good views are obtained during your test.
There is a risk of developing dehydration, low blood pressure or kidney problems with this medication. The doctor prescribing the oral bowel preparation will have assessed your risk and identified the most appropriate medication for you. You may also have had a blood test to assess your kidney function.
You should make sure that you drink enough fluids while you are taking the bowel preparation to avoid dehydration. The symptoms of dehydration include dizziness or light-headedness (particularly on standing up), thirst or a reduced urine production. Try to drink a glass of water every hour that you are awake.
Medications
You should follow any specific advice that you have been given regarding your regular medications.
Medications that you may have been asked to temporarily discontinue include:
- antihypertensives (to lower your blood pressure, such as ACE inhibitors like ramipril)
- diuretics (“water tablets” such as furosemide)
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (a type of painkiller, such as ibuprofen)
- iron preparations (for anaemia, such as ferrous sulphate)
- aspirin, dipyridamole, clopidogrel, warfarin, apixaban and rivaroxaban (these are medications that thin your blood; you may have been asked to discontinue them depending on the nature of the procedure that is planned).
If you have diabetes, please discuss this with your treatment team.
If you have not received specific advice regarding your regular medications, then you should continue to take them as normal. However, you may need to change the timing as it is preferable to avoid taking them less than 1 hour either side of bowel preparation.
Patients taking immunosuppression for transplanted organs should seek the advice of their doctor before taking bowel preparation.
Patients taking the oral contraceptive pill should take alternative precautions during the week following taking any bowel preparation.
We would like you to follow the following instructions while taking your bowel preparation as it is so important that we obtain a good view when you have your test. You may notice that there are some other instructions in your box of bowel preparation but we feel that you will have a better result by following these instructions.
3 days before colonoscopy
What to eat and what to avoid
|
You may eat |
You should avoid |
|---|---|
|
Cereals: Cornflakes, Rice Krispies, Sugar Puffs and Coco Pops |
Wheat bran, All-bran, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat, oat bran, bran flakes, wheat flakes, muesli, Ready Brek, porridge |
|
White bread (you may use butter/margarine) |
Wholemeal, high-fibre white, soft grain or granary bread, oatbread |
|
White pasta, white rice |
Wholemeal pasta, brown rice |
|
White flour |
Wholemeal or granary flour, wheatgerm |
|
Potatoes (no skin) |
Fruit and vegetables |
|
Savouries: chicken, turkey, fish, cheese and eggs |
All red meat |
|
Puddings, pastries, cakes. Milk puddings, mousse, jelly (not red) sponge cakes, Madeira cakes, rich tea, wafer biscuits |
Those containing wholemeal flour, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit, fruit cake, Ryvita, digestives or Hobnob biscuits |
|
Preserves and sweets: sugar, jelly jam, jelly marmalade, honey, syrup, lemon curd |
Jam or marmalade with pips, skins and seeds, sweets and chocolate containing nuts/ fruit, muesli bars |
|
Soup: Clear or sieved soups |
Chunky vegetable, lentil or bean soups |
|
Miscellaneous: salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, salad cream, mayonnaise |
Nuts, Quorn, fresh ground peppercorns, hummus, anything containing seeds |
The day before colonoscopy
PLENVU® is a strong laxative which will cause diarrhoea and empty the bowel. It is wise to stay near to a toilet once you have taken this medicine. Avoid travelling or going to work.
Please note that instructions for taking PLENVU® are different if you are having a colonoscopy in the morning (AM colonoscopy instructions), or in the afternoon (PM colonoscopy instructions).