Inexpensive Colonoscopy Prep

wow I cant believe my eyes!!! I have ulcerative colitis I was diagnosed with 21 yrs ago. Every 2 years my dr checks me for cancer which means I have at least 10 colonoscopy's....each time I was advised to take magnesium citrate (2 bottles any flavor) and dulcolax tabs 4 in the am, etc, along with clear liquids, popsicles, jello, whatever... Anyway I have never spent more than $15 including the "snacks". I'm not a dr so maybe there's a reason to prescribe this $$$ kit but I would strongly advise asking your dr for a less expensive option.

REPLY

REPORT

1 Reply

Hello, Mika! How are you? Thank you for posting this great advice for others.

It is a sad, but true fact that many doctors prescribe the "latest and greatest", without considering the expense to the patient. Doctors are not educated as in-depth on medication information as pharmacists and researchers are, so they often just take the word of a pharmaceutical rep and the details listed in whatever flyers about it that they leave with them. Then, of course, it's the one foremost in their mind, when they are prescribing for the next patient.

That is why I always advise people to speak to a pharmacist, researcher, or tech, if you really want the full details on any given medication, or if you want to see what you other treatment options might be. Such people are not doctors and cannot actually prescribe anything, but they can tell you the FDA approved uses, side effects, and whether or not there are alternatives that you can ask your doctor about trying.

For example, sometimes people post on here about how expensive some blood pressure medications are, and while only a doctor can change their prescription, if the one they've been taking is say a calcium channel blocker, I can let them know if there are others that are available as generics, so they can discuss the possibility of trying one of them with their doctor. And the same applies to other medication classifications.

However, there are many things to consider, when a doctor decides the most appropriate and safest medication for any given patient and it is always best to trust them on that, because they do put years of study into learning such information.

Does anyone have any questions or comments?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I used the prescribed Moviprep for my last colonoscopy prep. It was very hard to drink due to the bad taste. I thought I...

1 REPLY

I used MiraLax for my colonoscopy prep yesterday. Mixed 238 grams with 64 oz of Lemon-Lime Gatorade G2. I have have 5 of...

my doctor wants me to take at 4pm and at 10pm and drink 5 8oz glasses of liquid after each dose. That would have me goin...

3 REPLIES

Suprep tastes awful and causes some discomfort for about an hour each round, but it effectively cleans the colon. A year...

4 REPLIES

Can I take both doses of Suprep the night before colonoscopy , 4 hours apart ?the receptionist told I cannot but I don&#...

2 REPLIES

Can I take Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen 5-325 TB before a colonoscopy? I am told to not take NSAIDs two weeks before my tes...

2 REPLIES

I came down with a cold 4 days ago taking cold meds for it .I also came down with a urinary tract infection 2 weeks ago....

1 REPLY

I've been taking contrave for 3 months. I am having mild success. I've only lost five pounds. However, I'm n...

1 REPLY

I have been having severe lower abdomen pain and my digestive Dr wants to do a colonoscopy ASAP, but he said he can'...

1 REPLY

United Healthcare mailed me (unsolicited) a finger prick test, saying it is to be "mailed back to UHC" in place ...

1 REPLY