Back in February, I posted this post about our switch from 7 highly successful years of Samantha taking a teaspoon of Miralax every day. Thankfully, she didn't have too large a dose, but I also have to remember she was just a baby when we started. The evidence just keeps coming about the possible negative and/or catastrophic side effects of the popular over-the-counter drug which is used as a remedy for constipation. Many of us have had the experience of doctors telling us repeatedly that it was completely safe, not harmful in the leas,t for long-term use by our kids.
And we believed them.
And now, I feel like we could be sitting on a time bomb.
How much damage have we really done? Is there anything moving through her system that will create long-lasting issues for her in the future? She seems perfectly fine. But what's really going on?
We really don't know.
And that scares the crap out of me.
Our children trust us to keep them well, to keep them safe from harm, to protect them. We, in turn, trust their doctors to tell us the truth, to give us the cures, to give us the power to keep our children well.
Do I blame the doctors? No, not really. They told us what they thought to be accurate information.
And now I'm frightened.
For seven years we believed it, to afraid of the negative consequences of not taking it.
But I can't dwell on that. I have written this post today to give you an update on our alternative therapy. Back in February we started giving Samantha Fruit-Eze, a natural supplement. So natural, in fact, that its only ingredients are prunes, raisins, dates and prune juice.
That's it.
To start with, Sammi had some cramping, some sudden needs to run for the bathroom, some diarrhea. Not to mention, she really, really didn't like the taste of the stuff.
Hell, she still doesn't. But she dutifully takes a spoonful of it daily before breakfast, coughing and gagging over it in a dramatic display worthy of an Oscar nod. Every. Day.
After the first week or two of the cramping, etc., those side effects disappeared, and she's been regular ever since.
We replaced her usual Yoplait with Activia for snacks a few times a week as an added precaution, and that may also be helping things.
Whew!
So, if you're interested in finding an alternate to the highly-questionable Miralax, visit Fruit-Eze to order. It's $26.00 for a large tub that lasts a couple of months (depending on usage), the shipping charge is free for regular delivery, and the peace of mind is PRICELESS.
9 comments:
Does she take a probiotic in addition to yogurt or does the yogurt cover it? I can get B to have yogurt about every other day so we us a probiotic too. Such a tricky topic.
No, we don't give her a probiotic. The Activia has something in it that helps regulate things. Maybe a probiotic? Not sure...
Glad the fruit eze has been successful. Alayna eats her prunes on her cereal each morning like raisins ;)!
Boo eats Activia every day. If she misses a serving she is in so much pain. As far as the Miralax, I did ask her Pedi, Neuro and GI. They all said it was safe (she takes a large dose a day). The GI's partner also did a study, but it was never published. I asked for the results and was told the reason it wasn't published was that there wasn't evidence to show that it was harmful to children.
So she still takes it, but I am trying to wean her off. I tried the fruit eze but couldn't get it past her lips.
Thanks for keeping us updated.
Samantha really, really doesn't like it, either. But it can also be mixed into a smoothie or something, no? Baked into some cookies? There have to be other sneaky ways to get it into kids...
I thought all that miralax stuff going around fb turned out to be a hoax? no?
No hoax that I'm aware of. I know people questioned the *motives* of the organization sponsoring that first article, but I've seen other articles since, voicing similar concerns, and no mention of a hoax. I figure it's better safe than sorry.
Hi! I was wondering about the taste. How nasty is it? Thanks!
The Fruit-Eze just tastes like prunes and raisins. Not nasty at all (in my opinion), but Sammi doesn't really like it. The consistency is of a thick paste, so that may be the most objectionable part. I imagine it might actually be pretty good spread on a piece of toast, too, or in a pb&j sandwich (substituting for the jelly)!
Post a Comment