Movicol or Lactalose?

Mjaqmac

Registered User
Mar 13, 2004
939
0
Does anyone know which of these are the best?

I never give my mother anything like that as she seems fine on her steamed veg and chicken/turkey diet, but the hospital prescribed both and I think they are pretty unnecessary. I hate giving her anything that isn't essential. But in the past week she's been rather uncomfortable so I guess I'd better administer something.

Does anyone think one is better than the other?
 

Sheila

Registered User
Oct 23, 2003
2,259
0
West Sussex
Hi Magic, my Mum came home with a carrier bag full of bowel meds too. She also was loose enough without for most of the time. I asked the district nurse who was calling and she advised me. Perhaps you could ask your GP or DN? I think it depends a lot on what medications they are on as some of those really bind them up regardless of diet. Love She. XX
 

Mjaqmac

Registered User
Mar 13, 2004
939
0
I know anything with codeine in it binds terribly.

Thanks Sheila. Hate all these extra meds, she's on 12 pills a day as it is.
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
making the earth - or something - move

Hi Magic,

think of Movicol as Dam Busters material, Lactulose as hand grenade-like.

I'd try Lactulose first in different doses, and if that doesn't work, bring in the RAF.

Jan wouldn't take the Movicol as I couldn't disguise it enough. Lactulose goes fine in orange juice, etc. However, too much can have entirely the wrong effect and cause incontinence.

A Brucie story

I came across Movicol some years ago, while Jan was in the early stages of her illness.

When I worked for my last company, providing statistical software for universities, I once was invited to South Bank University in London. What a place that was! The lecturers had to lock their doors to ensure the fixtures and fittings were not taken, and the place was like I imagine Wormwood Scrubbs to be. I have been there since and it has all changed, I hasten to add.

Anyway the student I went to see needed statistical analysis for her project and she wanted to know if my product would serve her needs. To describe her project she pulled out a Movicol booklet and opened it out. Inside was a series of pictures of different types of stool, together with text descriptions, ranging from Moon rocks to, well you get my drift.

I then spent an hour or so showing her how to categorise and analyse poo statistically, surely one of the strangest things I ever did in business. Mind you, I'd rather analyse poo statistically than any other way.....

About a year after Jan was at the home, I saw the same booklet there.



Another Bruce poo story

Come to think of it there was another time when poo loomed on my business horizon. This time it was rhino poo! Some good friends who are researchers were considering ways of non-invasively tracking rhino in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

They could do it successfully using the footprints [you can see details at http://www.bovill.net/rhinowatch/], but they wondered if they could also analyse the enzymes contained in rhino poo, using computer data mining techniques.

Turned out they could, but it was too expensive, so they kept to using the footprints.
 

Mjaqmac

Registered User
Mar 13, 2004
939
0
Dear Brucie

Think I'll stick to to just lightening the blue touch paper and standing back.
Will leaving the analizing of such substances to the experts.

(Of course you know everytime I take mum to the loo now I'll be humming the Dambusters tune! Are you trying to drive me nuts? Have only just got over the, oh no here it comes again...."we like the moooooooon.....")
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Magic and Brucie,

It's bad enough here, without introducing rhino poo into the equation.

Lactulose - My mother takes 100ml 3 times daily. This works. Less is no good and haven't tried more..... If less, then we have to the 'supps' number which is extremely difficult and upsetting all round.

Don't know about the other as we haven't tried.

Jude
 

Mjaqmac

Registered User
Mar 13, 2004
939
0
A nurse told me that she used to have to do the supps all the time in her ward until they introduced Movical and then the supps were no more!

Mum's only on 10ml twice daily with a movical sachet at night but I'm just sticking to the lactalose at present as it's too much of a mad dash for the loo with the other stuff. Mum could beat Kelly Holmes, arthritis and all!
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Magic,

In that case, I might try mum on the Movical instead. The Doctor recently said that she could literally take gallons of Lactulose without it hurting her because it is very mild. It certainly seems that way.

Jude
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
Watch out for the Movicol - it was a spin off from the Apollo space programme and they used 10 sachets to launch the first Saturn V....
 

storm

Registered User
Aug 10, 2004
269
0
notts
Dear magic,count your blessings that your mum does move like kelly with my mum the bowels move like kelly but nothing else does!you can imagine the results. storm
 

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