In the article we will tell you what to drink before a colonoscopy to cleanse the intestines. This is an endoscopic research method for studying the state of the intestine, which helps to diagnose any pathological changes in the intestinal walls. This procedure is painless for the patient, as it is currently performed under sedation or short-acting general anesthesia. In order for the study to be informative, you should take special medications to cleanse the intestines before a colonoscopy.
Why do you need a colon cleanse?
The main task of medicines of this type is to clean the intestines qualitatively, remove gases and toxins. Modern colonoscopy equipment includes a thin tube made of fibrous fibers with a special video camera at the end. Due to its high plasticity, itbends well, passing through the structures of the intestine, therefore causing patients less discomfort. Colonoscopy accompanies the entire examination process with a broadcast on the monitor, which makes it possible to record and compare the results with further procedures.
What's in our gut?
In the intestines of he althy people there are constantly substances formed in the process of digestion of food, fiber fibers, food debris, water, trace elements, s alts, mucus, pancreatic and bile enzymes, as well as bacterial flora. Different foods require different efforts of the body during digestion. The remains of fatty meat remain in the intestines for the longest time (12 hours or more).
In this regard, eating meat before a colonoscopy is prohibited. Light protein and carbohydrate foods are digested faster. The fiber of fruits and vegetables, the incoming liquid create all the conditions for faster movement of fecal masses through the intestines, stimulate peristalsis. But for inspection of natural defecation, as a rule, it is not enough. The lumen and walls of the intestine for a visual assessment of the structure of tissues should be cleaned as much as possible. The endoscopist can detect scars, ulcers, erosions, adhesions, neoplasms, small polyps.
For subsequent therapy, it is necessary to correctly determine the degree of the inflammatory process or destruction, as well as the localization of the pathological process. In order for the diagnostics to give reliable results, preparations are being made.
Medicines for cleansingbowel before colonoscopy
Drugs for cleansing the intestines should have pronounced laxative properties. However, not every drug may be suitable for preparing for a colonoscopy. In the arsenal of medical specialists to stimulate intestinal motility, there are drugs of various effects in drops, tablets, oily solutions, chewing pads. Among them:
- adding fiber and enzymes to feces;
- activating nerve endings localized in the muscles of the intestinal walls;
- irritating mucous membranes.
Before the study, these medicines are not suitable for high-quality cleaning. Their use changes the appearance of the inner lining of the intestine, making it difficult to diagnose. To date, the following medications are used to cleanse the intestines before a colonoscopy:
- Fortrans;
- Lavacol;
- Moviprep;
- "Fleet";
- "Pikoprep";
- Endofalk.
Let's look at some of them in more detail.
Fortrans
How is the preparation for colonoscopy carried out by "Fortrans"? This medical product for cleansing the intestines contains potassium, sodium and macrogol s alts. It acts on the body by binding these substances to water molecules. The drug helps to increase the amount of intestinal contents and is then completely excreted from the intestine by defecation. This laxative is not absorbed into the general circulation, does not produce systemic effects.
Fortrans colonoscopy preparation rules:
- If the study is carried out in the morning, then the day before the diagnostic event, you can eat a light lunch or breakfast (until 12 noon). An adult patient will need 4 packets of this drug to cleanse the intestines. Each of them must be dissolved in a liter of water. The resulting drug solution is taken 1 glass every 15 minutes from 17:00 to 21:00. In total, the patient needs to drink 4 liters of liquid. That's what it says in the instructions for use. The price of "Fortrans" will be indicated below.
- When testing is done in the afternoon, a two-step drug regimen is used. 2 liters of the prepared Fortrans solution should be taken from 19:00 to 21:00 before the colonoscopy and the same volume of solution in the morning, on the day of the diagnosis, from 8:00 to 10:00.
To improve the taste of the medication, you can add a little lemon juice to it. In the process of taking the drug solution, it is recommended to move: do any housework, walk, independently massage the abdomen (according to the instructions for use for Fortrans).
The price of the drug is from 440 rubles. It depends on the region and pharmacy chain.
The patient must strictly follow the instructions of the specialist. You can not stop taking the drug in the event of a dyspeptic disorder. In this case, you can postpone taking the solution for 20-30 minutes, and then continue the procedure until the required volume is reached.
This is the cure forbowel cleansing before colonoscopy is contraindicated in the following cases:
- serious patient conditions such as dehydration or severe heart failure;
- partial or complete intestinal obstruction;
- the presence of an oncological tumor or other pathology of the colon, which is accompanied by extensive damage to the intestinal mucosa;
- age less than 15 years (based on lack of information on clinical use);
- high sensitivity to polyethylene glycol, as there are reports of the development of allergic reactions (swelling, rash) when taking the medication.
Lavacol
Consider the instructions for the use of "Lavacol". Price and feedback will also be provided.
This medicine belongs to the category of osmotic laxatives. In its composition, it has potassium and sodium chlorides, polyethylene glycol, sodium bicarbonate. The drug has an effect on the walls of the large intestine, stimulates the release of fluid into its lumen. At the same time, the feces soften and begin to be excreted from the body. Therefore, bowel cleansing with Lavacol before colonoscopy is quite effective. One package contains 15 sachets of the drug.
The medical product has many advantages: it does not disturb the electrolyte balance of the blood, does not metabolize with the formation of toxic products, does not accumulate in the body, does not cause irritation of the mucouscover of the intestine. In addition, the tool does not change the normal composition of the intestinal microflora.
If the study is scheduled for the morning, the day before, each of the 15 sachets should be diluted in 200 ml of water and drunk at intervals of 15-20 minutes. For maximum effect, the medication should end 18-19 hours before the diagnostic procedure, so the recommended time for taking is from 14:00 to 19:00.
If an endoscopic examination is planned for the evening, then preparation for it with the help of the drug "Lavacol" is carried out in two stages. The day before the procedure, bowel cleansing is carried out according to the above scheme. In the morning, before the colonoscopy, the patient should prepare 5 more packets and take the solution within an hour. With any scheme, experts recommend increasing the amount of fluid you drink by 1 liter.
Contraindications to the use of this medication are:
- toxic bowel dilatation;
- heart failure;
- dehydration;
- impaired kidney function;
- drug allergy;
- under 18;
- pregnancy period.
This confirms the instructions for use. According to reviews, the price of "Lavacol" is quite acceptable - about 200 rubles. Many people like this tool. It is effective and well tolerated. If compared with Fortrans, then Lavacol is preferable, because it is 2 times cheaper.
Moviprep
This medicine is produced in the form of a powder containing sodium s alts, ascorbic acid, macrogol. These substancesincrease the osmotic pressure in the intestinal lumen, as a result of which the fluid from the blood enters the intestinal cavity, the feces are liquefied and completely removed from the body.
There are some benefits to bowel cleansing before colonoscopy with Moviprep:
- the volume of the solution is 2 times less than that of the above funds;
- medication contains lemon flavor, which makes it much easier to take.
You can eat 18-20 hours before the diagnosis, after which you are allowed to drink water, tea, filtered compotes. When the procedure is scheduled for the morning time, the preparation is carried out in one step. The drug is taken according to the following scheme:
- from 19:00 to 20:00 take a liter of solution inside;
- after that you should drink about 0.5 liters of liquid;
- from 21:00 to 22:00 - another liter of solution.
For cooking, you need to take a bag "A" and one "B". The powder must be mixed in 300 ml of water, then add liquid to a volume of one liter. The entire volume should be divided into 4 doses - drink every 15 minutes. The second liter of the product is prepared in the same way.
If the study is carried out in the afternoon, the first liter is taken early in the morning, the second - from 10:00 to 11:00.
Fleet before colonoscopy
This medication for bowel cleansing before endoscopy contains sodium phosphate s alts. The mechanism of laxative effect is due to an increase in the amount of water in the intestine, as well as stimulation of peristalsis. Practically not absorbed into the blood. There may be a slight violation of the concentration of phosphorus and sodium in the plasma, which does not require correction.
Contraindications for laxative use:
- toxic megacolon;
- presence of ulcerative lesions in the intestines;
- under 15;
- chronic heart failure;
- changes in kidney function;
- drug allergic.
Use involves the following activities: at 7-8 o'clock in the morning, take a glass of liquid, then dissolve 45 ml of the drug in half a glass of water, drink in one gulp. You need to take at least 3 liters of any liquid allowed on the diet per day.
Picoprep
Also given before Pikoprep colonoscopy. This medicine is available in the form of a powder with a citrus odor and contains citric acid, magnesium oxide and sodium picosulfate. Intestinal cleansing occurs due to the osmotic action of the components. S alts are not absorbed and do not cause systemic effects.
To properly clean the intestines, you must follow the instructions. The contents of the first sachet should be taken, dissolved in water, at 8:00-9:00, before the colonoscopy. Drink medicine 1, 25 liters of liquid. Dilute the second sachet in water and drink at 16:00-17:00 with 3 glasses of water. The total amount of liquid drunk during the day should be at least 4 liters.
There are some contraindications to the use of the Pikoprep medication:
- allergic reactions;
- pronounced dehydration;
- intestinal obstruction;
- high levels of magnesium in the blood;
- acute surgical pathologies;
- pregnancy.
Endofalk before diagnosis
According to reviews, "Endofalk" in bowel cleansing before colonoscopy is also very effective.
The pharmacological properties of the Endofalk drug are to initiate watery diarrhea, since the mixture of macrogol 3350 and various electrolytes present in the drug provokes a laxative effect, which helps to accelerate the passage of the intestine.
Due to the presence of high molecular weight polyethylene glycol, an iso-osmolar solution is formed, in which the number of particles of the dissolved element is comparable to their level in blood plasma. The electrolytes in the solution are in a balanced state. Also, osmolarity and balance prevent absorption of fluid in the stomach and intestines and promote an optimal balance of electrolytes and water between the lumen of the digestive tract and the vascular bed.
Water-s alt balance in the body, thus, is almost not disturbed. Polyethylene glycol prevents gas formation caused by the metabolizing action of bacteria due to the fact that it is not absorbed and metabolized.
Contraindications: intestinal obstruction, obstruction of the lumen of the intestine or stomach; toxic megacolon, gastrointestinal perforation, acute colitis, ulcerative lesions, tendency to aspiration and regurgitation of gastric contents, disordersswallowing reflex, weakness, dehydration, heart failure grades 3 and 4, impaired renal function, liver disease, age under 18.
To prepare the solution, the contents of 1 sachet are diluted in 0.5 liters of water. The solution is recommended to take 0.2-0.3 liters with an interval of 10 minutes. For complete cleansing, you need to drink 3-4 liters of solution.
Which drug is better?
According to experts, almost all of the laxatives discussed above used to cleanse the intestines before colonoscopy, the same principle of action. The difference lies only in minor nuances of the compositions and tastes of the preparations.
In most cases, doctors prescribe Fortrans medication. This tool does not have a pleasant taste, but is considered the most effective. With a 99% probability, the drug will provide a qualitative effect, which is also confirmed by patient reviews.
