Plenvu for Bowel Preparation User Reviews (Page 4)
Reviews for Plenvu
- WmL...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- December 7, 2019
"I've had several colonoscopies over the past several years. Plenvu for me was probably the easiest to drink. Not great tasting, but just 16 ounces taken twice - followed by Gatorade. I started at about 5 pm with the first dose and the second around 8 pm. It was supposed to be at 7, but I couldn't get off the toilet. It's currently almost 12:30 am, and I'm finally getting a break, but I wonder how much longer it will last. Judging by what I see in the toilet when I flush, it seems very effective. Pretty much just slightly yellow-tinted water. Hopefully, I'm done and can get some sleep now."
- Lor...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- August 22, 2019
"The doctor said this was a new medication and it would be easier than last time. Last time, it was simple. No side effects. I don’t know which meds he gave. Right now, I am soooo ill. It felt like a 9 out of 10. Like the stomach flu. Diarrhea and vomiting. This was after the second dose. I NEVER felt this with the other meds. Today, after the colonoscopy, if I can even make it there, I will find out the other meds."
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Plenvu and MoviPrep?
- How do you take Plenvu for colonoscopy preparation?
- Nur...
- August 17, 2019
"I used Plenvu yesterday evening to prep for a colonoscopy this a.m. The Plenvu prep was simple, and I was cleaned out for my colonoscopy, which was the objective. The first stage at 6 pm was 16 oz of powder mixed with water to be completed in 30 min., followed by 16 oz of water in 30 minutes. I recommend cold water and a straw. I started passing liquid stool upon finishing the plain water and was to the bathroom 4-5 times. At midnight, I began the 2nd half of the prep, which was 2 packets mixed with 16 oz of water in 30 minutes, followed by 16 oz of water in 30 minutes. I had a need to get to the bathroom before finishing the plain water. I had liquid stools for 2 hours and was clear when my stools stopped. I describe the prep as “harsh” and effective, as a successful prep typically is. I was nauseated at times and took a Zofran to ease the nausea. I had an insatiable thirst before going to sleep at 2 am and drank ice water. No prep is pleasant, but this prep worked."
- Dum...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- August 22, 2019
"First bowel prep for colonoscopy. Dr. recommended a two-day approach. The first dose taken the day prior to the procedure is pretty bad. Envision a child making you a mango drink only to realize they just put a cup of salt followed by a cup of sugar. Had a glass of ice water as a chaser. Tried gulping down as much as I could. I do not suggest this method as I came close to vomiting! Had to use some serious mental fortitude to finish. Finished in 20 minutes. Took about an hour to start working. Ten total visits to the toilet by 5 a.m. the next day. Started dose 2 at 7:30 a.m. Dose 2 was better tasting if we are allowing for degrees of hell. Worked in 30 minutes. Visited the restroom at least 7 times but seemed milder than dose 1. All in all, it worked as expected, but the delivery method could be improved. I would swallow 30 fast-dissolving pills if it meant I didn't have to drink that mango drink."
- 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!"
- Bar...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- July 23, 2019
"This was the worst tasting prep I've ever had, the taste is so bad I was gagging the entire time. I had chills from trying to tolerate the nausea it caused. It took hours for it to get better. The first dose worked an hour and a half after taking it. I could not finish the first dose. The thought of the second dose had me in tears. Never will I take this again in this life, NEVER!"
- Ram...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 29, 2020
"Just carefully follow your doctor's instructions on how to take this, and you will be fine. The taste was not great but bearable. I just had some other drink ready to chase it down with. I also used a straw to help drink it. Be sure to stay very close to the toilet about 30 minutes later. It took me about 3 to 4 hours to finally feel like it was through. Be sure to wear something old and easy to get off in case of accidents. Even though I was taking the second dose at 3:00 AM, it didn't really bother me as far as nausea. Just make sure you stay very close to the toilet."
- Woo...
- March 18, 2019
"This was my 3rd colonoscopy, so I knew what to expect up until I started the Plenvu bowel cleanse regimen. In simplest terms, “This stuff is poison.” I can’t believe the Food and Drug Administration approved this. The taste was absolutely horrible, and it made my stomach upset and burn a bit. I followed the directions and had a bowel movement within the hour, which turned into urinating out of my butt. Having stomach cramps, butt leakage, and extreme thirst hampered my night's sleep. The next morning, I took the second dose, which was just as bad as the first. I could feel my body starving for water, as this stuff sucked all my body fluids into my colon. I didn’t stop urinating out of my butt until 10 minutes before my procedure. It did clean me out, but with a huge price to pay. Five days later, I’m still feeling the effects of dehydration, loss of electrolytes, along with a dull headache and fatigue. Never will I use this med again."
- 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."
- MSK...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- November 1, 2019
"I was glad I only had to drink half as much prep as I did ten years ago, but the nausea, vomiting, and chills were unexpected side effects. I know there is some really bright person who can develop a better prep that doesn’t include drinking horrible liquids that cause such nausea and vomiting and a general feeling of being ill. I am not exaggerating when I say this prep tastes horrible, and the thick salty sweet is almost impossible to drink. I hope it works, and I can have the procedure tomorrow morning. If not, I won’t repeat this prep again and will ask for the older stuff that was bad but didn’t make me sick."
- Squ...
- February 7, 2020
"This is my 9th bowel prep, so I have experienced all of them. I was supposed to use Prepopik but found out it had been discontinued and a prep called Clenpiq had taken its place. Very low volume preps. I loved them! After numerous errors on the part of the pharmacy, I could not get what I needed in time. 16 oz followed by 16 oz of fluid in an hour didn’t feel low. I have done the first packet. It was the worst thing I have ever tasted. I used a lemon ice chaser in between gulps because the bitterness was horrible. It does work, though. I have been in the bathroom about 20 times in 4 hours, and I’m pretty clean. No cramps, but also no warning! Stand up very carefully after drinking this! Lol! Now I’m not sure about 5 am tomorrow morning. Not sure that will stay down, but I’m going pretty clear right now, so I’m hoping I can do the final flush tomorrow. So for taste, I give it a -1. For effectiveness, I give it a 9. Not sure I would ask for it again."
- Scr...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- February 20, 2020
"I found this the best bowel prep I have tried before a colonoscopy. With bowel cancer in the family, I have to have regular checkups. Did not mind the taste, best also that it has less volume to drink than others. Effective within the hour. Second prep says start at 4:30 am, I started at 5 am. Has to be drank within the half hour and nothing to drink after 6 am. Cleared me out completely. Plus, was for me no stomach cramps, unlike the Picoprep."
- 55M...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- March 15, 2021
"I have had three colonoscopies, and this prep was by far the worst, BUT very effective. I started the first dose at 6 pm and had a hard time drinking it all. Within 20 minutes, every negative side effect started ... bloating, nausea, runny nose, chills, feelings of nervousness, and need to vomit, which I did. It kicked in relatively quickly. I drank most of the first dose but not all and went to the bathroom until about 10 pm. I called the doctor, and he gave me tips, including drinking ginger tea. I tried to sleep before the 1:15 am dose #2 but could not fall asleep. I tried to finish before the side effects started again but could not. I left about 1/4 that I just could not choke down. All the same side effects. I went to the bathroom until about 4 am and tried to sleep but could not. I went to the bathroom another 5-6 times before the 8 am procedure. Even though I did not finish and vomited the first dose, I still had clear discharge before the procedure."
- Her...
- July 20, 2019
"First time for a colonoscopy, had PLENVU prescribed and took it, but nothing to compare it to. Dose 1 the night before was like drinking fruity seawater, but I got it all down. In less than half an hour, the floodgates opened—success! It works!! (No “false alarms” with this stuff, so be near the potty ;-)). Felt nauseous with it but figured it’s all part of the process. Slept fine that night, next morning on to dose 2. Flashback to last dose. After finishing dose 2 (and during), nausea started again but knew that was normal. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be), projectile vomiting of dose 2 commenced, luckily into the toilet. A LOT. But some must have made its way through my system as the projectile “squirts” commenced as well. Sure felt better after the vomiting, though!! Called my doc’s office after this vomiting of dose 2 episode and was told don’t worry, just keep pushing fluids. So I did. No problem with colonoscopy being done. And that was it!!"
- san...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- July 15, 2019
"Plenvu split dose: Easy to use. Taste is perfectly acceptable. Dose 1 better than Dose 2. Worked very fast on me. Bowel prep is not a pleasant undertaking, but Plenvu is lower volume, so taking it is not a matter of ingesting a lot of liquid. I had short-lived episodes of nausea with both doses. They were both fleeting and very tolerable. If you do a good job with diet a couple of days prior to the actual bowel prep, your experience with Plenvu should be just fine. Remember: You're cleansing your bowels, it's bound to wreak a little havoc on the gut."
- 6th...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- July 22, 2024
"I’m 72 and this was my 6th colonoscopy in the last 25 years. Don’t ask. I am also a T2 diabetic. To cut to the chase, this was my best experience with bowel prep. I’ve tried them all and this was the easiest to take and provided excellent results. The kit includes a pre-measured mixing cup for the powder plus water. I’ve learned not to expect a delicious concoction from any prep, but with a lower volume of liquid the taste was tolerable. I drank the mixture within 10 minutes and followed it up with 16 oz of water as directed. Had more water to drink along the way. Within an hour the prep started working and continued for about 3 hours. Slept about 5-6 hours and took the second dose, which was similar to the first. For me there were no side effects. No nausea, no vomiting, no headaches, all good. Compared to older prep regimens, including truly vile liquids, or 16 pills, this was a piece of cake. Definitely more expensive, but worth the price of a less taxing experience."
- 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."
- MD1...
- February 11, 2019
"Trialed Plenvu for a colonoscopy prep. It's only the second time I've had the procedure, the previous time I used Picolax. I found Plenvu very easy to use and fast-acting. I had a morning appointment at 8 a.m. I took my first dose at 4:25 p.m. the night before (taking half an hour to drink the solution as advised) - was already active by 5:10 p.m.! I only went 3 or 4 times before I went to bed at 11:30 p.m. Woke up at 2 a.m. for the second dose (again, taking half an hour to drink the solution) and went another 2 times after that. Had my last drink of water at 5:30 a.m. and had to go once more in the hospital just before my appointment at 8 a.m. All in all, it was a pretty smooth process. Picolax I had to wait for a long time before it worked, and it was a cramping sensation each time. This was more of a gentle urge and no pressure or pain involved. The big downside is the taste. I struggled with it, and I'm pretty tolerant. Dose 1 was pretty disgusting, dose 2 was better. I would still recommend it though."
- And...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 24, 2020
"Jan 23, 2020 - Plenvu box has multiple instructions. There is Dose 1 and Dose 2. Enough to confuse you, plus an added instruction from the MD's office. I followed the instruction on Jan 22, the day before. My last bowel movement was Jan 22 at 10:30 pm. I followed the instruction on Jan 23, the day of my procedure. My last bowel movement was 16:15 on the surgery table. I experienced everything the previous reviewers experienced too, plus on the surgery table. Half-liter was much more tolerable any day. I never got an indication of a bowel movement. The fluid was like a roman candle. It blew out like a firecracker."
- 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."
- Dis...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- October 7, 2019
"It was painfully rough drinking the Plenvu solutions. I suffer from gastritis, and this gave me such nausea that I can't help but wonder why I was sent this poison. It is effective since I keep going to the bathroom, but drinking the solution was absolutely excruciating!"
- Anonymous
- Taken for less than 1 month
- June 14, 2019
"I will not use this product again. First dose of Plenvu was unbearable, took me an hour to finish and thought I would vomit afterwards. Second dose just as bad, but so much nausea I’m unable to finish the entire jar. I get the reason we all elect to have the colonoscopy, but there had to be a better way! They can send a man to the moon, can’t they make this process better? Just hope I get through the night without throwing up."
- Gro...
- February 21, 2019
"This was the most disgusting thing I have ever drank in my life. I've had 3 colonoscopies with no problem before, but I could barely drink the first dose, and although the second one tasted a teeny bit better, I threw everything up and had to have an enema instead. If I had known this beforehand, I never would have used it. It was really gross."
- Anonymous
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 7, 2020
"I used Suprep for my last colonoscopy and was pleased. The doctor talked me into Plenvu, claiming it was a better product. Well, he was wrong. Suprep tastes better and is more effective, with less time spent on the toilet. I don't see how they claim the dose is less volume, both are 16 ounces. Do yourself a favor and ask for Suprep over Plenvu."
See also:
More about Plenvu (polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes)
- Check interactions
- Compare alternatives
- Pricing & coupons
- Side effects
- Dosage information
- During pregnancy
- FDA approval history
- Drug class: laxatives
- En español
Patient resources
Other brands
GoLYTELY, Suflave, GaviLyte-G, PEG-3350 with Electolytes, ... +6 more
Professional resources
Other brands
GoLYTELY, Suflave, GaviLyte-G, GaviLyte-C, ... +5 more
"I have had several colonoscopies, so never look forward to the prep. I followed some other suggestions, which is to drink lots of water well before you start the prep. Also, make sure contents are dissolved before drinking; taste was better than most. The first round was easy to get down, followed by water, but the second round is the toughest, trying to keep it down, so took 1-2 sips; waited for gag reflex to stop; rinsed mouth with water; wait and then repeat. Taste wasn’t that bad and got it all down with no issues, but was up most of the night running to the bathroom. Definitely works and was one of the better preps that I’ve had. Tons of water/hydration is the secret and take your time drinking the solution."