Plenvu for Bowel Preparation User Reviews (Page 3)

• Ari...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 18, 2023

"This was my sixth colonoscopy and my first experience with Plenvu. Although the product reached the desired result, with an 'Excellent' on my report for my bowel prep, I would never recommend it, and if I am required to do this again, I will be begging for another brand. If I said this was revolting to swallow, it would be an understatement, and all the guessing in the world would never indicate that the flavor of antifreeze was either mango or fruit punch. My best description would be the taste of the smell of burnt plastic. Holding it down was a major task, with plenty of positive self-talk to quell the nausea and belly pain. I was exhausted from the trips to the bathroom right up till the alarm went off for me to leave for the hospital. I followed the regime to the letter: 3 days of bland white stuff leading up to Prep Day, heaps of fluids to enable the prep to work, and a gritty resolve to see this through because I could not deal with a repeat if this fails."

• Pam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 28, 2024

"Easier prep than last time. Started both doses 1.5-2 hrs early, which gave me some “rest” time between long bouts of pooping. Chilled the prep about an hour. Took Zofran (Rx anti-nausea) one hour before drinking each dose, and chewed Simethicone tablets (OTC anti-gas) following. Drank with nose pinched to suppress taste (sweet, salty flavor). Dose 1: three parts over ten minutes, alternating with ginger ale. Went down just fine. No side effects. Dose 2: slightly more difficult due to large amount of liquid I had consumed between doses. Slight bloating but no cramping or nausea. Both doses began diarrhea within ten minutes - not separate BMs, but one long continuous dribble (Dose 1, 1.5 hrs; Dose 2, 2.5 hrs). Stopped pooping about 30 min. before leaving for clinic. I was cold the entire prep time, which RN said is common. Have entertainment, water, and soft TP. Blot, don’t wipe, use occasional baby wipe to soothe. Hope this helps. Not as bad as some commenters say."

• KBa...
• November 6, 2019

"I read the previous reviews to help know what to expect. The first dose was unpleasant, I did manage to drink it. Within minutes of drinking half, I was in the bathroom. I was so cold and shivering, but this is normal. To get the first dose down, I used a straw and a lemon slice on my tongue, followed by brushing my teeth and mouthwash. Time for the second half of the first dose, still freezing in the bathroom most of the time. Second half down. The suggestion is, don't use toilet paper to wipe, use wipes, it is soothing and there is no irritation. Four hours on the toilet constantly. Another hour and time for the second round. While my first dose was not great, the second was horrible. Barely got it down. Used previous methods started my many trips to the bathroom. It is now 11 pm, no sleep is what I'm looking at. I drank most of the mixture but couldn't finish the last quarter. For me, I knew if I tried, it would not stay down. The end result was a clean colon and a good colonoscopy. While this was an unpleasant task, I am still glad I persevered. You can do it."

• Oka...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 4, 2020

"Mixed up the Plenvu dose 1 the day before I was supposed to take it, and then noticed the instruction not to mix more than 6 hours before taking. Stuck it in the freezer and called the hotline. They said it would taste weird and not be effective, but agreed freezing it was a good idea and told me to call the doctor in the morning. The doctor’s office said, “no problem, just shake it up.” Thawed and took as directed that evening. It tasted horrible, but thanks to this forum I knew that was normal. Also learned from this forum that using a straw and drinking apple juice between bouts of the prep drink helps get it down. Within an hour or so, the prep took effect. Several episodes of watery diarrhea over the next 4 hours, with half-hour gaps. A few hours of sleep, then more diarrhea at 3 am and time for dose 2, mixed fresh. It was thicker and harder for me to get down. Eventually, I threw it all up, but the prep was successful anyway - phew. Will probably ask for different prep next time."

• bab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2019

"I have a colonoscopy set for today. I started my drink yesterday at about 5:25 pm. An hour later, I had a good poop, then 20 minutes later it started. The hose ran like water. I drank water, about half a jar every 30 minutes, and did good. Four hours later it slowed down, and I slept well till about 3 AM. I had a little flow and stayed awake. I started my second dose at 5:40 AM, and now it's 6:04 AM. I am still drinking, and I can feel my stomach playing the drums and strings. It is going to start coming out again. No vomiting, just a little nausea and a strange warm dizzy feeling, but not bad. I will give an update later today. My appointment is at 11 AM."

• Cra...
• January 16, 2020

"This was my 5th colonoscopy, and Plenvu was the worst bowel prep I've ever had to take. The taste was awful, salty sweet. The first dose didn't make me nauseous, but the second did. I was vomiting all night besides the bowel movements and didn't get any sleep. I also had chills. I followed the directions exactly. I will never take this stuff again."

• Mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 16, 2019

"My experience with Plenvu was entirely positive. It did a great job cleaning out my bowel, the nurse commented so. I found it was best to drink it down quickly. The taste is better than I expected, but the less time it spends on your tongue, the better. What is important is to drink much more water than suggested to stay hydrated. When it came to the colonoscopy, I chose to be unsedated, and it was fascinating to watch. No pain at all, no gas really. Just a bit of cramping. Overall, a much better experience than I expected."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 19, 2024

"So many negative reviews here! I remember reading this before my procedure and feeling horribly apprehensive about the whole business. Of course, nobody really wants to spend an evening drinking laxatives and sitting on the toilet! But we know that colonoscopy and gastroscopy are there to save lives, and you can't have it done without a clean bowel! Plenvu tastes fairly horrible, but really it's nowhere near as bad as most of these reviews make out. Yes, it's salty, fruit-flavoured, and over-sweetened - but is it really that bad? Just a couple of glasses to get through in an hour, and you can wash each mouthful down with something you do like. For me, the trick was to make sure that it's very cold and add a lot of ice. Use a straw and sip from the very top of the glass through the ice. Don't try to do it all too quickly - the best way to avoid nausea is to use the whole hour - mentally divide it into six, then drink one every 10 minutes using a watch! It's very effective!"

• Ale...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 17, 2023

"I was so scared after all the horror stories here... and in the end, it's just some mango-tasting liquid, with some salt added to protect your heart from electrolyte imbalance that can happen after cleansing. Honestly, people saying it's the worst day of their life are out of touch with reality. In the 90s, we had to drink 4 liters of salty water. We have come a long way. Do NOT trust the bad reviews. This product is safe (PEG-based). Also, remember that people having a bad experience are the most vocal. This product is easy to drink."

• j H...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 14, 2024

"Please don't let some of these reviews put you off. When I read some of them, I was so scared I nearly bottled. Okay, it's not pleasant, but it is perfectly tolerable. Did the job as it says. I had no side effects."

• Lab...
• September 19, 2019

"Two days before my procedure, I only ate rice, fish, and chicken. No beef, vegetables, or milk. I ate a light breakfast (white bread, tea) and a light lunch (Ramen noodles) the day before my procedure. I started the first dose of PLENVU at 5:45 pm and it took me 55 minutes to finish. The taste and the thick consistency made it very hard to finish in 30 minutes. It made me nauseated when I tried to push myself to finish on time, so I had to slow down. I had multiple loose stools followed by several light yellow watery stools after the first dose. I slept at around 11:30 pm and woke up at 5:30 am to take the second dose. I took only half of the second dose as I felt nauseous. I again had multiple light yellow watery stools until I left my house at 9:30 am for my 11:30 am procedure. My prep was labeled excellent by the doctor afterwards. Overall, PLENVU did its job. The taste is something they need to work on. I assume it will be difficult for many sensitive people to drink it."

• Div...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2019

"Diagnosed in 2001 with diverticulitis, and being past a certain age (now need to screen for colon cancer), I have much experience with these procedures. That being said, Plenvu is the worst GI prep ever! Go-Lytely is much better, it works more efficiently. Heck, anything else is better (Miralax or even magnesium citrate). This stuff could make a maggot gag. Diarrhea achieved, but vomiting is not necessary for a colonoscopy. Caused needless suffering... Never again!"

• Pic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 15, 2022

"I don’t suggest chugging it, but it helped get it down. Do not breathe through your nose or you taste it more. (This especially helped with dose 2!) When they say shake until dissolved, DO IT! (Don’t skimp on the shaking because you’re half awake the next morning.) Dose 1, chugged it and chased it with the required 16 ounces of water, but I also swished with a little Kool-Aid. (Don’t use red, I am told it will freak the doctors out later!) Mine didn’t start working until about an hour and 45 minutes in. That might be because I had a large dinner the night before. (Poor ideas and regret abound at my house.) Dude. This works. (I found my car keys from 1987, jk, but trust me it gets things moving.) Slept off and on between trips to Poo-Town. Up at 6:30 for more of this stuff. Chugged it too, but through my groggy stupor I didn’t realize it didn’t quite dissolve. Insert regret. Gagged but got through. Now I’m writing this from the potty. You can do this!!"

• CRa...
• November 9, 2019

"I survived colorectal cancer in 2007 and have a shortened colon as a result of the surgeries. I have had a number of colonoscopies since then, the preps have been uncomfortable but tolerable. Plenvu was the most horrible bowel preparation experience and most painful ever! I had shooting diarrhea all night long. My poor sister, my caregiver, spent from midnight until 5 a.m. changing my bed, cleaning me, and cleaning the bathroom, over and over again. Then the vomiting started! I was SOOO dehydrated, I was weak and could hardly walk. I never even took the second dose, and we almost called for an ambulance to get to the ER. We had to cancel the colonoscopy. When my sister explained what had happened, they said they would give her something else for prep, something 'not as harsh.' Harsh was a huge understatement!!!! NEVER again!!!"

• Soo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 18, 2020

"This was my third colonoscopy, and I was told Plenvu was better than the product I used before (an inexpensive over-the-counter product). First, I don’t understand why I had to pay $132 for a product, at best, the same as the stuff that costs $8-$10. Second, I found it really hard to get down (couldn’t finish the second dose) and found the “expulsion” not nearly as thorough. I’m not sure if it was the prep or the procedure, but felt pretty awful for a few days versus being up and about almost immediately after the previous ones. As far as I can tell, there is no advantage to match the extra cost and for me, a really awful experience. I will not use again."

• Msp...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2019

"Never again! This was noxious. It took all my effort to not vomit up the first dose. Sadly, after needing to take even more care with the second dose, I was not successful in keeping it down. I wish I’d read the helpful hints others have posted on how to manage this prep. I will never use this again. Colonoscopy prep is never fun, but this pushed things to a new level of horror."

• KCM...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2019

"Terrible product. The Gatorade and Miralax prep was much better without the side effects. Plenvu was awful tasting and caused severe nausea. The nausea lasted into the second day after the colonoscopy was completed. I plan to tell the doctor that I do not want to use this product again."

• Jta...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 25, 2020

"My 6th colonoscopy and first time using Plenvu. Tasted OK, and the quantity required was low compared to the several liters required for CleanPrep... But unfortunately, Plenvu caused severe abdominal cramps and poor clearance of bowels. My colonoscopy was cut short due to 'poor preparation,' and the doctor told me not to accept Plenvu again if prescribed. I guess it's different for different people, but I was very disappointed that all the pain and time I took to prepare for the procedure was wasted because of Plenvu."

• Ano...
• April 11, 2025

"Had Plenvu for colonoscopy, the last 2 times was given MoviPrep. Firstly, it tastes vile, especially the 2nd dose, but I was pleased that the amount you have to drink is only 500 ml (twice), which is a lot less than other brands. My opinion is make it up first, leave it to chill in the fridge, then sip it slowly over 60 mins, it started to work really quickly once I'd finished it. The 2nd dose is a different story (well, it was for me!) I tried to drink it as I'd done with the first dose but felt sick pretty quickly, kept going but vomited most of it back, I was panicking because I didn't want the procedure to fail, so I left it at least an hour and started again with what I'd got left, approximately half, sipped it extremely slow and with each sip drank a lot of water immediately after. This took ages to get down but it stayed down, it did prolong the loo trips well into the night though (morning appointment). My procedure went well and my bowel was the clearest it's ever been, so it was worth it, just about!"

• Awf...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 13, 2020

"Plenvu is the worst taking substance I have ever tasted. No matter what you do, you taste the thick, salty, mango, and tropical flavors. I managed to get the first dose down at 6 pm by the hardest and keep it down. It cleared me without being too violent. However, the second dose at 2 am was horrible. I fought keeping it down, but at 2:45, I vomited severely! It was awful!! I was still going until the time I left for the procedure. Please do something to improve the taste and consistency of the product. I will never allow a doctor to prescribe this prep to me again."

• npa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2021

"Did the two-day dose for a colonoscopy prep. This is my first one, so no basis of comparison (except my wife used something else and gave me a heads-up about the process). Dose one is done the day before the procedure. After looking online, I made sure that the water used was as cold as possible, and I had some plain water to wash down the taste. I also drank it through a straw, which helped. The taste was like concentrated Gatorade. Not something I would drink normally, but not bad. I drank another 16 oz of water to wash it down. After 1 hour, the 'waterworks' began. The second dose was about 4 hours before the procedure, so I had to wake up early in the morning. Similar process, similar taste. After another 30 minutes, more waterworks. No pain, no gassiness. The doctor was happy with the cleanliness of my bowels, so I guess it did what it was supposed to do. Not sure about all the bad reviews, since I had heard horror stories about other treatments which required much more effort."

• Suz...
• January 16, 2021

"This was my first time using this prep for a colonoscopy. One hour after the first dose, I started having explosive diarrhea. This continued through the second dose and throughout the night. I got no sleep. I started becoming nauseous, weak, and began having burning pain on my skin wherever the diarrhea fluid touched the skin on my bottom. By morning, I could not touch the skin without excruciating pain. I was so weak by the time I got to the surgery center for the procedure, I requested a wheelchair. Having done previous preps for colonoscopies, I cannot recommend Plenvu. It was much too harsh on my body. It is now 2 days since my procedure, and I am still recovering from the pain and exhaustion from using Plenvu."

• Ste...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2019

"Taste terrible! This laxative (Plenvu) tastes like the holy grail worth of terrible! But it gets the job done and is gentle. You just have to drink it, followed by something else to kill off the laxative taste in your mouth. The first laxative, mango flavor, absolutely disgusting-I mean horrifying flavor. The second one is a little easier. Main thing is it works, but tastes terrible."

• Swa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 20, 2021

"I just took the first envelope but barely got it down. Threw up on the last swallow. That is the worst tasting stuff I have ever had! I am dreading taking the second dose. It is supposed to be worse, per my husband. Already feel like throwing up again! I will never use this again!"

• Ala...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 6, 2021

"Dose 1 - quite salty but not too bad. Drank slowly over 30 minutes, doing small sips, per instructions, followed by 500 ml water. Both with room temperature water. After drinking at 6:30, it took about an hour or so to start and lasted for 4 hours. Dose 2 - taken at 4 am, not as bad as the taste from the first one. Again, drank slowly over 30 minutes, followed by a further 500 ml water. Started working within 15 minutes, worked its magic for over 3 hours - after which you pass a yellow fluid. Still have some minor liquid bowel movements in the evening, but nothing too serious. Just stay somewhere comfortable and nearby a toilet for the rest of the day. Was expecting the sky to fall in from the reviews read on here, but it honestly isn’t that bad. Doctor rated cleanliness as excellent, so it certainly does what it says on the box."