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Is Miralax Right For Your Child? Understand the Uses and Risks of using Miralax for kids.
Miralax for kids is a treatment used to relieve their constipation. It seems like you are dealing with your child’s problems like vomiting or diarrhea, when it comes to treating diarrhea all you think of is getting your child to poop. This is quite common in kids as their digestive system is still, learning to run smoothly like adults. Plus, constipation is really tough to balance out in kids.
Nearly 30% of the total children suffer from constipation. It may happen to toddlers, babies, and slightly older children as well. Although it happens in adults as well, this article discusses the usage of Miralax for kids. Your kid might have constipation now and then or once in several months.
All you’d desire for your little kid is to remain happy and healthy. Fortunately, many remedies and laxatives are there to help your child suffering from such issues. Miralax for kids is one such over-the-counter laxatives that have been very popular among most parents when it comes to treating their child’s gut.
Here is all you need to know about Miralax for kids including their side effects, dosage, and other related information. Also, if you have already tried remedies for constipation that haven’t worked well, you must try this by reading the information given below.
What Is Miralax?
For all those who want to know why Miralax for kids is a great choice, you must know what Miralax is first of all. Miralax is a laxative that is available easily in a drug store or nearby pharmacy. You do not want a prescription to bring Miralax for kids. It is usually in the form of a powder that can be mixed with anything for example water, juice, or your child’s milk. Although FDA ( food and drug administration) has approved the usage of Miralax for adults, many people do use it for their kids as well.
The key ingredient that makes Miralax fit for usage for constipation is polyethylene glycol 3350 also referred to as PEG. This is a chemical useful for the absorption of water by the digestive tract. When water is sufficient it helps the digestive tract to soften the poop and plump it. This makes it easier for the child or anyone to get poop easily. This chemical can be useful in having bowel movements more often.
The use of polyethylene glycol to treat constipation is comparatively new than many home remedies and laxatives but it is found more useful. It was introduced after 2000. This ingredient is also present in some other laxatives like Restoralax or Glyvolax. This means you can also use these two laxatives in place of Miralax for kids.
Since FDA has approved taking Miralax for adults only, it must be used in the right amount when it comes to dealing with kids or using Miralax for kids.
Common Dosing Recommendations For Miralax For Kids
Many pediatricians believe that giving Miralax for kids to treat their constipation is fine, but the manufacturer’s site informs in their safety procedure to take Miralax for adults only for people having the age of 17 or above. They also advise consulting a doctor to give Miralax to kids having age 16 years or younger.
According to the manufacturer’s site, it is advised to take only 17 grams Miralax dosage mixed in 4 to 8 ounces of cold water or juice. Also, the bottle comes with a measuring cup to measure how much Miralax should be taken with water. Also, the instructions mentioned on the bottle suggest that Miralax should not be taken for more than 7 days.
Physician dosage and individual clinic recommendations for Miralax for kids vary in all children a bit. The dosage you read online for your kids can be quite confusing as in some places higher doses are mentioned while on some sites low dosages are mentioned. For this reason, you must consult a child’s doctor to know the right dosage of Miralax for kids. Also, try to consult a child doctor that already knows about the medical conditions of your child.
Safety Concerns
Although you do not require a prescription to take Miralax from pharmacies or drug stores, you should still know that it is medicine and like other medicines, it also has some side effects when not taken in the right amount.
The main ingredient present inside Miralax that is polyethylene glycol is said to cause some opposite side effects like diarrhea or runny poop instead of fixing constipation issues. If you have decided to give Miralax for kids, you must ask your pediatrician to determine the right dosage o avoid diarrhea.
According to the label given on the medicines, Miralax works within 24 hours to 72 hours after taking it with water. This time is quite long as your little kid has to wait for so long in an uncomfortable position. This does not mean you can give them extra dosage so that the constipation is treated earlier, giving them more amount of this powder can be dangerous.
Sometimes you will notice that people are allergic to Miralax but in reality, it is extremely rare. Since 1990, only 4 to 5 cases of allergies to Miralax are reported which is very less in number or negligible.
Sytoms of severe allergic reactions to Miralax are given below for reference:
- Itching
- rashes
- swelling
- shocks
- Difficulty in swallowing
- breathing difficulties
- dizziness
- tingling in arms or other body areas
The manufactures site of Miralax also mentions these side effects or allergic relations on their site with alert signs
Side Effects Of Miralax For Kids
Miralax can cause some serious abdominal side effects which include all these:
- Diarrheas
- Nausea or vomiting
- Swelling in the stomach
- Feeling pressure or pain inside the stomach
- Feeling bloated or full
Behavioral Side Effects Of Miralax For Kids
Miralax labels do not mention any other side effects other than abdominal ones. When Miralax first appeared in the market, it was tested clinically and said to be safe for usage for children as well as adults. However, a few years later many parents and media started noting and reporting cases or side effects related to a child’s behavior after consuming Miralax powder.
However, the medical literature does not have any reports of such instances of side effects. Sometimes the reviews are not cited properly which gives a wrong impression of the medicine or drug to be taken. During those days, a few behavioral symptoms were reported as per the media.
These include anxiety, mood swings, abdominal behavior, aggression, anger, paranoia, etc.
That being said, there is no proof or pieces of evidence that polyethylene glycol has caused such sytoms in children. In fact, many researchers came forward to conclude that negative reviews by media are a result of one or two reviews by parents that were amplified by the internet to become huge.
However, more medical research is required to conclude these reviews and find out if PEG is really responsible for behavioral symptoms in children.
Constipation Causes
The eating habits and potty habits together can cause constipation issues in your child. Some children are often scared to sit on the potty seat or too shy. On purpose or not, the cold can hold their bowel movement causing constipation. Due to this Miralax for kids is required.
Avoiding going to the bathroom or delaying, again and again, can also cause constipation in kids. Fussy eating habits are also one of the reasons that lead to constipation. If you have given a lot of processed food items to your child or they do not eat fiber-rich food, this can be a reason they have difficulty in passing stools. Eating a lot of fruits and veggies can be beneficial as they are highly rich in fiber.
Another reason that leads to constipation is not drinking enough water, This is also known to worsen constipation in kids. Eating or drinking less or too little means that they will not go to the bathroom again and again. This also leads to yellow-colored urine which is not good.
You have to consult your pediatrician before using Miralax for kids and let them know about various things like how often your child gets cosnto[nation or what food items do not suit their stomach. Health issues can also lead to hard bowel movements like stress, anxiety, digestive diseases, underactive thyroid, spinal cord issues, nerve problems, muscle diseases, medications that do not suit them, and changes in their shape and size.
That being said, you now know what could be the possible side effects of using Miralax for kids. Let’s see some of the most used alternatives in place of Miralax.
Alternatives To Miralax For Kids
There are many good home remedies for constipation in kids. You can always seek help from your parents as they know how to treat constipation with home remedies and they must have treated your issues related to stomach. You will probably hear a lot of great home remedies that can work well for your child too. One such thing to do to avoid constipation in kids is facing them food rich in fiber as it helps improving bowel movements. Some food items include:
- Prunes
- Oatmeal
- rhubarb
- spinach
- figs
- kiwifruits
- pears
- apples
- citrus fruits
- Beans
- lentils
Some other home remedies for treating constipation include:
- Giving the kid enough water to drink even if they forget to drink or preparing juice that they love.
- Use a stool to prop the child’s feet when they are using the stool as this position will help them.
- Encouraging the child to sit f the toilet set and go to the toilet more often by making them understand the importance of it.
Dosage Of Miralax
The right dosage of Miralax differs from child to child. There are many factors responsible for differing these dosages, these include:
- Their size and age
- How constipated your child is
- How often they take Miralax (is it every day to prevent constipation or just occasionally?)
- Their diet and food habits
- Amount of water or some other fluid they drink daily or occasionally
The goal of suggesting Miralax for kids is to have soft bowel movements. Here are dosage recommendations that you can follow after talking to your child’s pediatrician. The starting dosage includes:
- For a child of age 6 to 12 months old, 4 grams of daily dose can be given. This is one teaspoon of Miralax mixed in 8 ounces of water or clear liquid.
- For a child of age 1 to 3 years old, 6 grams of Miralax is recommended. This is 2 teaspoons in 8 ounces of water
- For a child of age 4 to 7 years, 12 grams is given whereas for 8 years and above, 17 grams are recommended.
These dosages might be different for your child depending upon their diet and water intake daily, so you must seek help from your pediatrician before giving them above mentioned dosage as they might not be the right choice for your child and lead to diarrhea.
The Bottom Line
Occasional constipation is seen in almost all kids and you should not worry in case your child faces this issue. Do not run for high-level medications to treat constipation as it is not a bigger issue.
If your child frequently faces such issues, you have to take them to a doctor to find out the reasons behind this. When constipation happens again and again or it is chronic in nature, there is a chance of another underlying condition that causes such issues. In that case, it needs to be diagnosed earlier for better treatment.
The child health specialists recommend giving Miralax for kids if the constipation is severe or chronic. hen it is chronic in nature, Miralax helps clean out the gut entirely. However, still more researchers are required to confirm the safe usage of polyethylene glycol for kids.
You can also ask your pediatrician about some natural alternatives to Miralax if you do not want to introduce chemicals in their body. Most doctors will be able to help you happily with home remedies too as they are well versed about all. If you do not see any improvement in your child’s health even after taking Miralax or the condition still prevails, you must take them to a specialist to diagnose underlying diseases.
This was all you needed to know about Miralax for kids and the right dosage to give along with side effects.
