Bisacodyl for Bowel Preparation User Reviews (Page 4)

• Kea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 18, 2021

Bisacodyl "I read all these reviews before I took the tablet. I have to be honest, from all these reviews, I was in tears, not wanting to do the bowel prep. I took 1 tablet, drank 2L of water, and went to bed around 9:30 PM. Woke up at 7:30, went to the toilet 2 to 3 times, slight stomach ache, but nothing really. Hardly any pain, just needed to poop pain. Do not have this with a meal, do not crush the tablet, do not drink it with milk, and make sure you drink a lot of water. But honestly, it is not too bad in my experience. You can get this drug from the shelf at the chemist, they wouldn't have it accessible if it was truly that bad."

• THC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 23, 2022

Bisacodyl "Had to take Dulcolax for a colonoscopy prep. Doctor advised me to take 4 pills at 2:00 PM and at 5 PM to drink the Miralax mixture. My first diarrhea BM was around 6 PM with some slight cramping and sweating. The pain disappeared for the rest of the night, and I thought that was it, not as bad as people say it was. NO! I was so wrong. Woke up around 1 AM to excruciating stomach pain that would come in waves of every 4-5 mins, and then on top of that I started feeling nauseous and vomited twice. The pain continued for the rest of the morning."

• Gra...
• March 30, 2017

Bisacodyl "Having Crohn's, I never suffer from constipation, ever. I took 2 Dulcolax Wednesday at midnight as directed for an endoscopy on Friday. Felt lots of gas discomfort within 25 minutes. Impossible to sleep! Really painful cramps started by 2:15 AM. Turned to extreme cramps every 10-12 minutes. Like hard labor. Severe diarrhea and vomiting for the next 3 hours, nearly passing out, thinking I might die, with forehead, neck, and inside elbow crease sweats for hours. By morning I am now passing blood with diarrhea. Cramps 20-30 minutes apart. My Crohn's was very good for months. I don't think it's safe for 'some' like 'me' to take this medication. Pico-Salax should be sufficient for those whose bowels empty very quickly due to faster digestion."

• Sea...
• October 24, 2016

"Taking this as preparation for colonoscopy. 4 tablets with a lot of liquid (at least two quarts), and seven hours later it started to work. No cramping, vomiting, or other side effects mentioned in so many reviews, just movement out. I think that taking a huge amount of water really helps. Super easy!"

• Ann...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 28, 2018

Bisacodyl "I am usually a clean eater, this week I decided to eat junk food. BIG MISTAKE! Leaving me feeling horrible. My stomach felt like I hadn’t used the bathroom in weeks. I instantly think cleanse and detox, but first I needed a laxative of some sort. And my mother recommended Correctol (I’m 26, by the way). She told me to take one at bedtime and wait until the next morning, which I did. An hour after waking up, I started needing to use the bathroom. I went back and forth for about an hour, and now I feel fine. I highly recommend having something to hydrate you after taking this medicine (i.e., vitamin water, Pedialyte, or coconut water)."

• Squ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 21, 2021

Bisacodyl "HORRIBLE DRUG - DO NOT TAKE! I took 4 Dulcolax tablets as directed by my doctor at 4 PM. At 10 PM, the gates of hell opened with severe cramps and explosive diarrhea - nothing gentle about this! The worst thing, though, was at 2 AM after another bout of pain and diarrhea. I became drenched with sweat and nauseated. I stumbled (literally) out of the bathroom and passed out on the floor. My husband helped me up, and I told him to get me to the bathroom (still had to go). On the way, I passed out again! Considered calling an ambulance, as I had never felt anything like this before. The diarrhea went on for 18 hours - into the next day. DO NOT TAKE THIS! I am really surprised there are not more warnings on the box about this or lawsuits filed from people who faint and get hurt falling down. The irony of the whole thing - my colonoscopy got rescheduled by the doctor's office but only AFTER I had taken this wretched drug."

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 19, 2023

Bisacodyl "I normally don’t comment, but this product is getting a bad rep. I used this prep for the colonoscopy and took 20 pills over the time frame of an hour with water as my doctor prescribed. Within two hours, the magic began. Some cramps before movement started, but certainly not the worst thing to happen. I’m currently home from the hospital after surgery, and I’m using Dulcolax to regain normal bowel movements. Don’t be afraid to take this product, it works great for most people. One pill works overnight. Everyone’s body is not the same, so start with a low dose. Good luck."

• Gre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2023

Bisacodyl "After reading all the bad experience reviews, I figured I would share my good experience. Dulcolax is strong, and it works but can take 10-14 hours at times. The severe cramping, nausea, vomiting, etc., mostly happens when you don't drink enough water and Pedialyte or Gatorade to replace or provide electrolytes. You should drink 8-10 oz of water per pill taken, plus 32+ oz of Pedialyte, plus another 8-10 oz per pill taken, and continuously after that until bedtime or you start to eliminate waste. Drink too little water and electrolytes, and you’re gonna go through excruciating pain. It will be hell. The worst experience ever. Don't take that chance. Don't eat and drink accordingly, and your experience will be much better, ending in no more constipation and hopefully fully cleaned out. Be prepared to be on the toilet for at least 4-5 hrs. Grab your phone, laptop, iPad, book, games, whatever, and breathe. Relax, and it’ll all be over soon. No big deal."

• Loo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 19, 2022

Bisacodyl "Works great! I prepared with plenty of Gatorade, coconut water (for potassium), and Emergen-C powder. The complaints I’ve read are due to electrolyte imbalances and dehydration. Biolyte is also a great electrolyte drink when prepping for a procedure."

• Cva...
• July 27, 2018

Bisacodyl "After experiencing a crazy amount of lower abdomen pain, went in to the doctor. He gave me a request for an X-ray, and the X-ray showed lots of stool. I took 1 pill of Dulcolax for women at 6 PM, starting to work (by working I mean stomach cramps, nausea, sweats) about two hours after I took it. Spent the majority of the night in the bathroom just to have one BM, and now the morning after, my guts are still rolling."

• Lin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 8, 2022

Bisacodyl "I was instructed to use 2 of the 5 mg pills as part of my colonoscopy prep. I only took one (oops) because I read all of the scary reviews. I had no side effects at all. You need to drink tons of water and electrolytes and take it on an empty stomach, and you’ll be fine. It does make you go, obviously, as that’s what it is intended for. Overall, the experience was fine. I’m all cleaned out."

• Sim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 29, 2024

Bisacodyl "I had an overall good experience with this before my first colonoscopy. Reading all of the horror stories got me on my nerves and worried about the prep process. I am happy to report that it turned out to be a very smooth process. I took 4 tablets as prescribed as part of the prep with PLENTY of water. As soon as I heard/felt any kind of stomach rumbling/churning, I just head for the toilet. I had no nausea, no vomiting, I only had very mild cramping - very tolerable. The things that may have helped me was to prep before the prep: - Have light meals 5 to 7 days before the prep - Have a low-fiber diet 5 to 7 days before the prep - Have plenty of fluids in the days leading to the prep day and during prep day - Try to have daily BM (don't strain) 5 to 7 days before prep day - the less you got in there, the less needs to come out - my apologies for the TMI. I hope this helps calm some nerves."

• the...
• June 23, 2022

Bisacodyl "I've been taking Dulcolax for a long time as needed and have never experienced any of the undesired side effects as stated here. That is until tonight. By far the worst, most intensely painful cramps I've ever experienced. And I'm a woman who gets pretty bad cramps once a month. I have to say I've absolutely shook at how painful this is!!! I'm currently experiencing it. And my legs won't stop shaking either."

• Man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2022

Bisacodyl "I was prescribed two pills 36 hours before my colonoscopy and two pills 24 hours before. I took the first pair at 9 PM, and by 4 AM, I was woken up by EXTREME abdominal pain. I couldn’t stand up or sit down, I was lying down on the bathroom floor in excruciating pain, unable to even call for help. This lasted for THREE HOURS before the pain DECREASED. It didn’t go away, it just decreased and was still EXTREMELY PAINFUL. I don’t care what the doctor said, I’m never taking two again. One would have been more than enough. For context, I weigh 64 kg. It was simply too much, and the pain was so bad I wasn’t even able to go to the bathroom. Felt like I was dying with my insides being ripped apart from the inside out, living hell. Horrible experience. Not worth it."

• Ore...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2021

Bisacodyl "I see there is way too much variation in dosage here, from 2 pills X 2 a day before colonoscopy prep to 5 X 3 times! My instructions were 4 the day before plus 4 more on the day of the procedure, even though it was only 3-4 hours before. The morning prep did nothing but continue my diarrhea for 12 hours after the procedure, a big waste, pun intended. These high dose instructions seem to be for the most constipated denominator of patients and serve the docs and nurses only. They wouldn't let me change the dosage when I asked. I want to give this a 1, but gave a 3 because, well, it works!"

• Kgd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 12, 2021

Bisacodyl "I cannot handle laxatives and was shocked when they wanted me to take 4. I wanted to write her to let you know you don't need to do that if you are doing the Miralax solution too. I took 1, did the entire Miralax solution they recommended, and was clean for a colonoscopy the next day. You don't have to put yourself through 4."

• RC2...
• January 26, 2022

Bisacodyl "I used Dulcolax for bowel prep before colonoscopy. I was really nervous after reading the stories here. I was instructed to take 2 after a clear breakfast the morning before my colonoscopy, then 2 at 3 pm. Because I had to work that day, I instead took the first dose at 2 pm and the second dose at 4:30. The first dose I didn't drink a lot of water, but with the second dose, I did. I continued drinking water until I started the Miralax mix. I had NO cramping or anything explosive. The experience was much better than I thought it would be. If you use these for colonoscopy prep, make sure you drink a lot of water. I drank about 1.5 gallons when I started the Dulcolax before the Miralax, then about 1 gallon after. This was a breeze, and I really couldn't be happier with the results."

• Tom...
• July 28, 2015

Bisacodyl "2 days, 2 pills a night. It will clean you out good, but at a cost. Burning pain and an hour of cramping later, you'd wish you never took it. It's not worth it. If you have another option, do it. So far, the worst pain I've ever felt."

• DEL...
• August 29, 2016

"I took 4 in preparation for a colonoscopy tomorrow. They told me to take 4 at 3 PM and then at 5, mix a 14-dose container of Miralax with 64 oz of water and drink 8 oz every half hour until it's gone, which would take 4 hours. After drinking 1-1/2 quarts, I started feeling sick and threw up probably every bit of liquid I drank. Here it is 7 hours after I took 4 Dulcolax, and I haven't gone yet. It's 10 PM. My colonoscopy is at noon tomorrow. If I start going, I'll be up all night pooping. Ridiculous. One thing I want to say after reading others' posts: If you're really going bad, use baby wipes to clean yourself after each BM and put Vaseline on your butthole, and it won't burn."

• Fir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 5, 2016

"This is the worst medicine I have ever taken. I had to do prep for a colonoscopy. It came time to take this medicine, I was in so much pain that I almost went to the hospital prior to my test. I thought something went terribly wrong. Hours upon hours of violent diarrhea and cramps like I have never felt before in my life. The sweats were terrible. I actually pooped my pants the following morning as this med had taken over my entire digestive system. I had no control of my bowels. Not normal for a 37-year-old. I had to drive to the test with a towel between my bottom cheeks for fear of pooping myself again. DO NOT TAKE THIS unless you enjoy unbearable pain!!!!"

• Bob...
• March 29, 2017

Bisacodyl "Horrendous experience! I felt like I was poisoned, cramping pain, headaches, nausea. Never again! Tried magnesium citrate this time around, and it was so much more pleasant, no pain, just a grumbling tum that cleared me out."

• Sil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 28, 2022

"After reading about bad experiences here, I was really scared to take this part of the bowel prep. I have IBS, a severe anxiety disorder, and have been sick with gastric symptoms on top of that, so I had every reason to think it would be the worst-case scenario for me. I was terrified of the bisacodyl pills and confident about the liquid mixture. Boy, was I wrong. It turns out bisacodyl was the easiest part of the prep. I had no pain, cramps, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting (and these are things that I'm prone to). It did make me kind of sleepy and weak, though, so I recommend camping out and building a blanket nest on the bathroom floor or tub so you don't have to move very far to get to the toilet. After 20 minutes, I passed stool 4-5 times from this part of the prep, so nothing crazy, and it only took effect for an hour or so. The most important thing to avoid complications is: STAY OVERHYDRATED throughout. I'm talking drink like two 16 oz bottles of water before even taking the pills. No pain that way."

• 0ra...
• August 19, 2015

Bisacodyl "I'm with John. Not sure what most people do wrong, but I only got cramps the second time I took it and for less than a minute. Only because I was sitting and holding in gas. I took it because for 5 years I've been irregular. Three months ago, I went to the hospital where I was told it was just CONSTIPATED HEARTBURN, which meds didn't help, and I didn't understand because I was RELEASING everything. But for three days, I've been constipated and struggled until the bottom came bloody. This had me FEELING SO MUCH BETTER."

• JDa...
• October 17, 2019

"Used 4 tablets (5 mg each) for colonoscopy preparation. Worked great! Minor cramps, and naturally, my stomach was feeling bubbly, but worked great! I don’t suffer from constipation but rather loose stools. Not sure if that’s the reason it wasn’t a big deal for me. I slept great through the night. I did feel a bit jittery after the second pill, but Gatorade helped that go away. Highly recommend!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2022

Bisacodyl "Started the bowel prep with four 5 mg pills. Within a 1/2 an hour, I became so dizzy, and my head was heavy, my eyes were tingly, and I felt like I was going to pass out with a strange sensation in my neck. I have a tiny pain in my stomach, but nothing going on down there yet. It's been 3 hours since I took it, so I'm a little worried as to what's to come! But apparently, you can be allergic to laxatives! Who would have known? So the doctor told me to take a Benadryl."