https://kingstonhospital.nhs.uk/information/how-to-use-macrogol-laxatives
This leaflet is about laxatives and how they should be used by children and young people. Laxatives are group of medicines for people suffering from constipation.
The symptoms of constipation are:
Movicol, CosmoCol and Laxido are all macrogol laxatives. Macrogol laxatives work by ‘binding with’ water and delivering it to your large bowel. Therefore, it is essential to mix it with the correct amount of water or it will not work.
Paediatric sachets are for children up to 11 years of age and should be mixed with at least 63mls water PER SACHET.
Adult sachets are for people from age 12 upwards and should be mixed with at least 125mls water PER SACHET.
Empty the sachet of powder into a cup, glass, or bottle.
Add the right amount of cold water and stir until the powder has dissolved and the water is clear.
The resultant liquid can be mixed with anything your child likes, to encourage them to drink it. For example, this could be squash, juice, hot chocolate, or milk.
DO NOT mix the powder straight into the milk, juice, or flavoured drink – it needs to ‘bind’ with water first.
For formula-fed babies, mix the macrogol with 63mls of previously boiled water per sachet. Prepare the formula according to the manufacturer’s instructions using water which is at least 70°c. (When you heat water in a kettle or pan, it is around 70°c when tiny bubbles start to appear at the bottom but there is no steam visibly rising from the water). Add sufficient formula to macrogol water to flavour it and mix well. DO NOT add macrogol water to the baby’s whole feed in case they don’t finish it.
If your child does not like the taste, try mixing the macrogol earlier and chilling it in the fridge. Laxido will last 6 hours after mixing, and CosmoCol and Movicol will last for 24 hours.
Try a flavoured macrogol, such as Movicol Chocolate or orange, lemon or lime CosmoCol.
Buy a new cup just for macrogols and/or a fun straw to drink it through.
The macrogol water can be added to anything, so try a variety of drinks and foods to work out what suits your child. Some examples are:
All of these should use the same principal of mixing the macrogol with the right amount of water first, and then adding it to a small amount of something the child is likely to eat or drink.
As the macrogol water is not absorbed by your child, it cannot be included as part of their daily fluid requirement. So, if your child is drinking six cups of fluid a day, but that includes their macrogol, you will need to give them extra drinks to make sure that they are properly hydrated. All children need a minimum of 6 to 8 cups of drink per day to stay healthy. For children with bladder or bowel problems, 8 drinks per day is ideal.
This information is from ERIC, the national charity dedicated to improving children’s bowel and bladder health.
https://www.eric.org.uk.
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Please contact the Patient Experience Team on 020 893 3850 if you need this information in a different format.
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