Does Miralax Irritates the Gut?
I am so frustrated with IBS recurrences. As I try to manage the stress of NMI bladder cancer treatment, I am chronically constipated with hard pebbly stool. My bowels move daily, but movements are random, take a long time, and do not completely evacuate. It interferes with eating and sleeping. When Linzess was prescribed by a GI specialist, it was denied by my insurance provider. So, my PCP recommended taking Metamucil AND Miralax daily. They softened the stool. However, the cleansings continue to be painful. It takes me at least a week to recover from such flareups, during which I stop taking OTC remedies. Then, I have to repeat the process to avoid getting blocked. (Btw, I never have painful, nauseating movements with colonoscopy prep.) At this point, the bowel impaction--which shows on every CT scan--is causing chronic sinus inflammation and congestion. And I can always tell by my sinuses when I am getting blocked up again. I restarted Miralax at my doctor's recommended dosage to "get consistent." Nothing has changed after 3 days. I will try again, but I am afraid that the soft cleansing will irritate my gut again.
I have been using Miralax for years every morning and it is fine for me. It doesn't so much as clean out your gut as make it easier for your own gut to clean itself out via lubrication and hydration. It's definitely on the weaker side of laxatives since it isn't a stimulant so hopefully this time around it won't give you a bad time. Please let us know how it goes and maybe we can help if need be with some of the resources on the site! Keep on keepin' on, DPM 
I'm sorry that you're dealing with all that and that Miralax doesn't seem to work well for you.
I'm wondering if you've tried managing your IBS-C through diet, in addition to the medication? Some community members find that eating certain foods every day can ease constipation, we have an article about it here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/food/constipation-food-tips and here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/prunes-dates-constipation, if you're interested.
Some people also find magnesium and vitamin C to be helpful, as described here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/vitamins-constipation. I'm just sharing these ideas in case you haven't tried them before.
Please keep us updated about your experience with Miralax.
Big hugs, Karina (team member)
