Colonoscopy Prep Pills Carry Kidney Risk

In 2007, I had one of the three colonoscopies I've had. When the doctor was explaining about the salty liquid I had to drink a gallon of, I started complaining. I had done it before, and threw up halfway through; I never finished drinking the concoction, and so my colonoscopy results the previous year were inconclusive.

He then suggested I substitute OsmoPrep pills, and gave me a prescription for it. With OsmoPrep, I could take one pill every couple of hours, and then follow that with a quart of water. It was a lot easier to digest, mentally and physically.

However, as I urged my friends to get colonoscopies, I wondered why their doctors never gave them the OsmoPrep choice. Each of them liked how it sounded, but, of course, did what their doctor suggested.

This week, the FDA published a warning about OsmoPrep and like sodium phosphate pills for bowel cleansing. These medications should be used by caution with people with the following:

1. Over 55 in age.
2. Those who are dehydrated.
3. Those who suffer from kidney disease, acute colitis or delayed bowel emptying.
4. Those on medication that affect kidney function, such as diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and perhaps even ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory drugs.

Reports of kidney problems with OsmoPrep first started coming out in 2005. Wise doctors steered their patients away. But since there's a chance I might end up on dialysis if I try OsmoPrep again, I'll be going back to those foul-tasting phosphate liquids this coming October, when I expect to undergo my next colonoscopy.