Suprep Reviews (Page 2) (Top voted first)

Has anyone used the new SUPREP kit before a colonoscopy?

Would like any comments about taste, ease or side effects.

Thanks!

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REPORT

So I wanted to write this all out in hopes that it might help someone who was in the same boat as me facing the colonoscopy prep: filled with pure anxiety and fear! In the past, I tried only the GoLYTELY, enemas or dulcolax— all of which made me extremely sick. Based on my previous colonoscopy experiences I was so incredibly frightened that I would be in pain, writhing on the ground, nauseous and weak, feeling like I was going to throw up for hours on end. All those fun things. I think I most definitely had PTSD from my past. I scoured the internet recently looking for any tips from people and I gathered all of them into notes for me to follow the day of prep. I AM SO GLAD I DID. I can now say that I am no longer fearful of the prep and believe me that’s very hard to believe I’m saying that. Here’s my experience, I have no idea if it will work with every single person reading this, but I hope that it will provide some comfort. My doctor decided to give me SUPREP this time because there is less quantity that needs to be consumed. The few days leading up to the prep I ate a somewhat low fiber diet. On the day of the prep, I had a light breakfast-eggs and white toast and tea. Then throughout the day, I had chicken broth and Jello—just to keep my food intake up so I wouldn’t feel like I had such an empty stomach. Then an hour and a half before the first dose of the SUprep, I took prescribed medications Zofran to prevent nausea and Ativan to help with anxiety. Then at the scheduled time, I drank the first dose of the SUPREP. I made sure it was chilled in the fridge (which it has to be cold) and I had a straw to sip it, which helps. Now here’s where the important part came in. This stuff does not TASTE GOOD. I am not going to sugar coat the way it tastes. However, I equipped myself with lemon slices and gatorade and every time I took 3 sips of the prep, I quickly put a lemon slice in my mouth or took a sip of gatorade and swished it around my mouth. This helped with getting the taste out of the mouth. I have no idea what I would have done without those lemon slices. This actually was the most important tip of all. Then I drank my water and applied Desitin on my bum. This was the second important tip. This prevents the pain and soreness from all the wiping and BM’s. In the past using enemas or dulcolax, the BM’s hurt so bad and were so explosive, but these were not—they were warm and fairly gentle coming out most of the time. I had good BM’s for quite a few hours and then was even able to watch a few movies on my computer! Then I slept for a few hours and did the exact same routine again with the second dose, not forgetting to take the nausea and anxiety medication before drinking. This was a completely different experience than last time and I am so thankful I found these tips. I hope this helps someone out.

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Took first bottle at 6:00PM , held my nose was not too bad. Drank two 16 OZ of water over next 45 min. Had first movement about 7:05 then 5 or 6 more quick ones over the next two hours. Using Petroleum Jelly on bottom was a big help. If you have no insurance to pay for this call around to several pharmacies as the price varies.

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I took suprep an hour ago and could hardly tolerate the awful taste. I feel like throwing up it tastes so bad, on top of that I have awful bloating and pain. Have not had a bowel movement yet.

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Just had my first colonoscopy on Friday. I was terrified, but it really was an absolutely breeze. I'm only 30, but have lots of family history so the Dr. thought I should get one done early.

Suprep went down just fine - and I'm someone who really rarely drinks a lot of liquid at one time. No cramping at all, worked in about 20 minutes both times, and I was all done and clear in about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

It tastes a bit like dimatapp (anyone remember that?!) mixed with alka-seltzer - it's got sort of a sweet and salty taste. It's not something I'd drink for fun, but it's certainly drinkable.

The second dose was a little bit tougher than the first. The first I just chugged right down along with the two containers of water and then paced around the house looking like I was 8 months pregnant for 20 minutes. I had a very early morning appointment (7am) so I had to get up at 4:30 for the second dose. I had only gotten about two hours of sleep and was starving and nervous, so I think my stomach was a bit unhappy with me. I had to drink the second dose much more slowly - three large sips every five minutes chased with some water. I tried a ginger-ale chaser, and a gatorade chaser, and a peppermint tea chaser and none of them worked as well as plain old water. It never made me feel nauseous or anything, and though I'm a little curious about other preps, I would use this again.

Both times, I set myself up with my laptop and some Netflix in the bathroom and didn't have any problems at all. I would really recommend this because since there is no cramping, there's very little warning that you need to go until you NEED TO GO. One super helpful tip that someone gave me was to get some Preparation-H medicated wipes. I didn't need them the first round, but by the end of the second round I was really happy to have them close by. The movies were a nice distraction and really the whole thing was not NEARLY as unpleasant as I thought.

Got to the Dr. in the morning, feeling a little crabby and hungry, was admitted by some lovely nurses, they set up the IV and the next thing I knew it was all over and I was happily singing to myself in the recovery room. The drugs are a hoot - you have absolutely no idea what's going on, but in a really pleasant way, and you have not a care in the world. I don't remember a thing about the procedure, didn't feel a single bit of pain and overall am just really glad to have gotten the first one over with so that I know how this goes.

The Dr. mentioned several times that the prep was excellent and that I was perfectly clean, so it's nice to know that Suprep is something that also works really well - a good prep is really essential.

Good luck!

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So, tomorrow is my once every 3 years colonoscopy (family history). I just took the first dose of Suprep, and while I'm awaiting the "cleanout", I thought I would reiterate some of my previous suggestions. Set up your mixture and 2 glasses of water before you do anything else. First, use tap water and NOT cold water as a mix. It's not surprising that a repeated theme on this thread is "I got chills after drinking it". Well, no wonder! You added cold water. Tap water temperature goes down easily. It's not the most pleasant tasting stuff, but if you drink it quickly, and swish a little Gatorade or apple juice in your mouth afterwards, the taste goes away. Personally, I take a deep breath, throw my head back and chug the 16 ounces (just like a college kid probably drinks beer). None of this "use a straw" technique. (If you want a long drawn out procedure, use the straw). I've never chugged anything before, but it's not difficult. Next, I chug the water. .The first 16 ounces are fairly easy. The second 16 take a little more willpower. So now, I've finished the first dose in 2 minutes - and I wait. I know, it's 48 ounces of fluid I've just downed, but your stomach will hold a lot more than that (especially since it's supposed to be empty). I am NOT a big person. Hope this helps. It's my 3rd or fourth use of Suprep, and it's way easier than the other preps. Good luck. Beats the alternative!

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Okay folks. Full disclosure. I was a total wimp when it came to prepping for a colonoscopy. In 2013, I was given that huge jug version, and made it only through 1/4 of the prep, and then, I could go no further. I had to cancel the surgery the next day. Feeling like I could never do it, I confirmed that notion when I took a sip of the Suprep which my wife used earlier this year (2015). I gagged just on that one sip, and thought, show's over, never gonna be able to get a colonoscopy. Well, I was goaded by my wife (bless her) to try one more time, which I just did this weekend. Proud to announce -- Success! Made it through both preps without a great deal of problem. To get ready for it, I landed on this website and read EVERYONE's prep suggestions. And then, I did my own regimen. My regimen is for those people out there, like me, who think they will NEVER get thru it. (Mind you, this weighed on my conscious for 2 years until this past weekend). The regimen I ultimately used combines a lot of the tips found on these pages (supreme thanks to all of you). Here it is in explicit detail...My first prep needed to be done at 5:00pm. One day before that time, I placed a jug of ice water in the fridge, along with the two Suprep solutions to chill them up. 4:50pm, I sliced up a lemon into eighths. I filled a small glass with clear apple juice. I put out a cap of mouthwash. I put out one 16 ounce bottle of water. And then, it was time to begin. I poured the chilled solution into the plastic cup they provide you with. I filled it with water to the 16 ounce line. I then poured that mixture into a normal glass that I use at dinnertime (the psychology here being that it wasn't a foreign, medical-looking dispenser I would be drinking from, but something I was very familiar with). I inserted a long straw I obtained from Starbucks. I poured one slim packet of Crystal Light lemonade into the concoction. (Both my nurse from City of Hope, a leading cancer institute, and my brother's nurse back in North Carolina had said this is permitted and wouldn't mess with the Suprep process). Stirred it all up. Last big piece of business, and most important: I clamped one of those potato chip bag clamps securely over my nostrils, effectively blocking out breath.

I looked like a clown, but who cares? The point was to breathe strictly thru the mouth. Taking in one to two large sips in the long straw (the long straw is recommended - the point being the more farther removed you are from the glass, the less you will smell the mixture -- that is KEY), I swallowed, then immediately bit into a lemon wedge and sucked down some of its juice. Then, quickly take a swig out of that 16 ounce open water bottle, gargle, spit, gargle, spit, and on and on, until you don't feel any liquid in your mouth. Maybe take a very small sip of that apple juice. Then, without waiting too long, step back over and take another two or so big sips of the Suprep mixture, and repeat the above methods. It's best if you're watching a TV or reading a magazine or doing something to sort of distract yourself as you go to sip. Your nostrils will more than likely fill up with mucus, so definitely have tissue handy to quickly blow it out, but don't breathe in through your nose, just clamp that sucker back again. For the first prep, it took me only 7 minutes to get the whole mixture down. For the second one, it took more like 12 (a little more difficult to do it early in the morning -- tip: if you have to do the second one around 4am, be sure to get up at 3:30 and just wake up. Watch TV, or surf the net for a moment, but WAKE UP, before doing the second prep, just to get your body ready). At the end of each prep, take a swig of that mouthwash, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle - be sure not to swallow any of it, and just spit it completely out. Polish off the rest of that open water bottle with gurgling and spitting. Get your mouth completely cleaned out. DON'T remove the clamp on your nose yet. As you attack those subsequent water bottles after each prep, try to leave that nose clamp on for about half of the time you drink the bottles. This will ensure you won't have any residual taste/smell lingering in your mouth. Well, there you have it. Sorry to be so explicit, but hopefully, for those of you who REALLY, REALLY dread this, like I did, perhaps this will be a help.

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Awful. Absolutely awful. After my first cup I had no idea how I would possibly do it again. As of right now there's a quarter left in the cup and I can't get it down without vomiting. It's literally raspberry flavored salt water. The nurse, when describing the procedure, told me the raspberry would help and I think it made it worse. Hopefully this is my first and last colonoscopy. I have nothing to compare it to, but avoid Suprep... Worst... day... ever...

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Are there any substitutes to Su-Prep (except Fleet's Phospho-Soda recalled by ADA in 2010) that I can buy over-the-counter as a preparation stuff for colonoscopy?

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My turn to talk about my experience with suprep with the idea of helping someone else who takes it. First of all, heard all the horror stories about the prep, scared to death of the whole thing. Avoided my colonoscopy for 8YEARS because of it. I am here to say, you will get through it. Took the suprep, mixed with ginger ale very cold but flat. Used a straw to get it down, much less of the taste of it that way. Sucked on hard candy to hide the aftertaste. Get the rest of my liquid down. I felt full, but not sick, was cleaned out with the first bottle. Recommend you stand while taking your liquids. You feel less full. Took 2nd bottle no problems. Had my colonoscopy yesterday, no issues , no polopys, no cancer. AFTER 8 YEARS OF FEAR, I did it. No nausea, no vomiting, no chills, no headaches, no cramping. I have to thank God because I know he got me through this entire process. I am thanking my doctor for suggesting the suprep instead of the other stuff. You will be ok. It helps not to eat heavy for about 2 days before you start your prep. I sooo glad I did it and know I'm ok. I lost my sister in December to breast cancer because she didn't get her mammograms, why because of FEAR. Don't let fear win, take the good suggestions on this website and go for it.

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Just did my first colonoscopy this a.m. Like so many others have said, the prep is the worst part. I used SuPrep. Couldn't get down all of the 2nd bottle (at 2:00 a.m.!) - used about 2/3s and that was enough. After the first bottle at 5 p.m. - it started kicking in around an hour and 45 minutes later and never stopped. After about 2 hours, nothing but clear was coming out which made be assume my colon was clean. I heavily debated as to whether to take any of the 2nd bottle because could hardly keep down the first along with the 32 oz of liquid after. Anyway, i'm glad I did most of the last bottle because the nurse explained to me that although the first bottle will usually clean out the colon, your digestive tract keeps making some kind of enzymes that can interfere with the procedure so it's best to keep flushing out the colon until close to the time of the colonoscopy.
Once I got the MAC sedation, it took about a minute for me to go out and didn't wake up until I was being wheeled into recovery. No pain or cramping after however something clear was leaking out. Don't know if the doc puts something up in there besides air but the colonoscopy itself was by far the easiest part. So if there are any people out there freaking out about the procedure - don't! Just prepared to be hungry, bloated and running to the bathroom.

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I just finished my second bottle of Suprep. The taste is so sweet that I did occasionally gag while drinking. It did make my mouth salivate while drinking. Holding your nose does help. The first bottle did upset my stomache a bit but it did settle down. The second bottle did not upset stomache at all. It started working on me with 20 minutes. It was not as bad as I thought, I was only going to the bathroom about 30 minutes apart and sometimes longer. I was already used to the liquid stool since I have had that problem a while. I was thinking it would be much worse and it wasn't. No other problems from it :)

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Was this helpful? 9

i used a straw and that made all the difference. place it back to skip most of the taste buds.
the taste isnt bad. more like grape to my buds.
three days before i started on a low res diet.
rice, eggs, lean chicken etc. small portions. i didn't quite finish all the mixture on the first or second round. left about 4 or five swallows. but my clean out was rated good..
i made sure i was well hydrated before the first and second course. the pictures i saw were very clear. buy using the straw i was able to do 4 or five swallows hold my nose and go again. took my time and then after drank java tea to kill the after taste. took a few swigs of gatoraid too.. it kicked in within a few min. no cramps, or nausa. did have a bit of chills on the second dose. drank hot bullion and felt just fine after that.

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Suprep is the most nastiest medicine i have ever taken. Every sip i gagged. The taste is just so horrible. It is salty yet sweet and taste like salty cherry cough medicine. I had a side effect which was my legs felt really weird after 3 hours. I couldn't really walk. Also i was shivering and had goose bumps while i took it. I am shaking right now.

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Had to go with Suprep because I couldn't hold down the other stuff in the big container. Some suggestions for prepping listed below:

- 3 days before colonoscopy just stop eating altogether. The process will go much smoother. Don't bother with the lunch you are allowed, etc.

- Take ginger ale chasers after each dose. Use a shot glass. It basically cancels out the taste. And ginger ale keeps the stomach from churning.

- Start earlier in the day than they recommend. I had to go on Metro to get to my doctor and had to buy Depends because I was worried about a squirt here and there.

- You won't get any sleep because the urgency isn't a situation where you can "pinch and hold" as it were.

- Get at least two tubes of Preparation H. Start the one tube BEFORE you start the kit. It will numb the area. After each major movement, lube the area up again. Never let it get dried out.

- Ladies - schedule the colonoscopy as far away from your period as possible. Enough said.

- Get the softest tissue paper you can afford. Don't skimp here.

- Procedure is super quick and they even give you twilight drugs if you ask nicely! LOL! Love the good drugs. I can see why people are addicts. Getting a little high is VERY RELAXING!

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I am now a week after my prep and colonoscopy. It was quite tolerable. The taste was not too bad, especially using straw to back of mouth. The additional drinking went down ok, as I used water flavored with Crystal Lite type flavorings. One thing...stay near the commode after drinking; for me it worked really quickly! The worst part for me was that I had to do my second dose at 3 AM due to an early appointment for the scope. But I had all day to sleep once I got back home. I survived! You will too, Keep a positive outlook! :o)

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I had a horrible experience when using Suprep. After the first dose I developed a horrible headache. An hour later I began having bowel movements and then the vomitting began. To make a long story short, I ended up in the ER and they nerly lost me. My electrolytes were so low and I was so dehydrated. My heart rythmn was off And the paramedics were having trouble getting me regulated. After two days in the hospital I am still very weak and my Lipase enzymes are very high. All from taking this SUPREP. I have no other health problems. I will never take it again.

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In case anyone wants the followup: my first dose of Suprep took 2 hours to begin working and lasted on and off for one hour. Getting up at 0330 and doing the second dose is a little more difficult especially coming out of a sound sleep. That dose only took :45 minutes to start working and lasted for about :30 minutes. Colonoscopy was a breeze. They now use propofol instead of versed. Much quicker recovery. Found 2 small polyps but my colitis is in remission. Hooray. No chills, no nausea, no vomiting, no headache - just the discomfort of a distended stomach from 48 oz. of fluid each dose - using tap water to mix and chugging (no straw) with a swig of Gatorade after the prep part. Why prolong the unpleasant step? Also, brush your teeth afterward - you'll feel "cleaner". Kill that aftertaste.
Good luck to the next patient.

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Done and all is clear except for some diverticulitis and a tiny internal hemorrhoid. No polyps!
My last dose of Suprep at 10 last night went down easier than the first. I really don't think that stuff is nearly as bad as Golightly! I was done by 2am and slept until 5:30. Got to my appointment right on time.

My advice:
• Eat very lightly 2-3 days before procedure - potatoes, eggs, rice, clear broth and lots of coconut water and electrolyte water.
• Definitely get some baby wipes and Vaseline to keep your little bunghole comfortable. 20+ trips to the loo in 24 hours can do a number on that thing.
• Relax and be thankful that you were brave enough to schedule your appointment and show up! Good luck everyone! it's not nearly as bad as it sounds.

Now for a nice long nap.

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I have had more colonoscopies than I can remember due to atypical polyps. All the preps suck. Suprep is certainly a bit more doable as limited in volume. Icy cold water and sucking on lemons help. Literally, follow your gut on this one. Try to get most all of the first dose in your system. This is easier as not yet bloated and averse to taste. If you get yourself to the liquid yellow bile phase with no solids in your stool, you are mostly there. Take as much as you can of second but it won't be much I bet. My doc says best to skip some of it if you know you are going to vomit. Don't sweat if your stool is watery liquid. There is nothing solid left in there and you will do fine in procedure. GI docs like the overkill approach as they are terrified of not having a squeaky clean procedure, as they should be. Trust your body though in telling you when you are cleaned out and don't feel forced to drink every drop. This approach has worked for me many times. But that isn't an excuse to do it half-assed. Make sure you get to the liquid phase and expect some of that yellowish appearance.

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I finished my first dose. I didn't do the no fiber (was not told to) but on my own I had a liquid diet yesterday (any liquids and yogurt and pudding) and then the prep today. So far, not bad. Way better than Go Lytely! Having done the liquids for 2 days, it did work fast! We are all different and react accordingly. I want to give a word of encouragement. This is my 4th scope and this prep is easiest I have done so far.

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