Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes and Chills: What Users Say

• Hak...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2021

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "It works, but I really can’t believe this is on the market. I suggest a liquid diet the day before starting this. It helped. I took the first dose about 5:10 pm the day before my procedure. I could not finish it all in the half hour. In about 30 min, it started working, and I was on the toilet about every 5-10 min for the next hour or two. I fell asleep from 9-10 pm, then woke up, went some more, then slept from about midnight to 4:30 am when I had to take the 2nd dose. So...the roughest part...the second dose is so awful. I tried a sip of solution, a sip of Gatorade back and forth, and it didn’t help. I even shoved a slice of lemon in my mouth at one point - nope. I only got half the solution down then quit because my body was telling me to stop. An hour later I threw it all up but it still had me going clear. Side effects I experienced are headaches, chills, nausea, vomiting, dry heaving, diarrhea - but it was gentle. My advice: if your body is telling you to stop drinking, then stop."

• jca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2021

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I've just finished part one of a two-part prep. GoLytely was far easier. This took me two hours to choke down. I am nauseated and cold. I just feel sick. I did get a little relief from the suggestion of sucking on lemons after each drink. The taste is repulsive beyond description. I'm scared of the next part when I get up. I will edit this when I'm done if possible. I pray I never have to go through this again. I'm a retired RN and have been in charge of an endoscopy unit. Part 2... so nauseated can't finish all of the second solution. Still drinking water. Woke with a headache and chills. Chills continue. Dizzy. If I can't have this colonoscopy, I don't think I can go through this again. My butt is bleeding. Never been so sick in my life. Never again. Who made this up? Rating 2 because I think I'm cleaned out, but the side effects are horrific."

• jca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2021

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I've just finished part one of a two-part prep. GoLytely was far easier. This took me two hours to choke down. I am nauseated and cold. I just feel sick. I did get a little relief from the suggestion of sucking on lemons after each drink. The taste is repulsive beyond description. I'm scared of the next part when I get up. I will edit this when I'm done if possible. I pray I never have to go through this again. I'm a retired RN and have been in charge of an endoscopy unit. Part 2... so nauseated can't finish all of the second solution. Still drinking water. Woke with a headache and chills. Chills continue. Dizzy. If I can't have this colonoscopy, I don't think I can go through this again. My butt is bleeding. Never been so sick in my life. Never again. Who made this up? Rating 2 because I think I'm cleaned out, but the side effects are horrific."

• CAT...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 19, 2019

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I did the split dose and was able to get it down with no issues. I mixed the solution a few hours in advance and let it chill in the fridge. I drank half at 5 pm instead of 6 (with no straw so I could get it down faster), had water, then finished the rest about 10 minutes later, followed by more water. It tasted like a fruit drink to me. The first dose took about an hour to kick in, but once it did, I had no cramping, discomfort, etc. Just a lot of watery movements. It did, however, make me extremely cold. After a couple of hours, I was done for the night and able to get a good night's sleep. Took the second dose this morning at 6 am, and within 20 minutes it started working. Same experience as last night, and an hour later, I'm in great shape for my colonoscopy! I'm thrilled that this was the complete opposite of what I expected and feel a huge sense of relief that the process worked as needed."

• Ano...
• February 26, 2020

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I had GoLYTELY split prep (1/2 night before, remaining, morning of). I mixed it with lemonade mix, and it wasn't bad. The evening was fine. I followed the directions, and all went well. I had prepared days in advance with very light foods and lots of fluids. Within 4 hours, all discharge was completely clear. Went to sleep and woke up an hour later with an excruciating headache, vomiting, trembling, and chills. This went on all night. Could not complete the morning prep at all as my stomach lurched when I touched the jug! Still vomiting a bit and headache when I arrived for the procedure. That went fine, but now I am 12 hours post-procedure, still have a slight headache and a very nauseous stomach. How long do the effects of this remain? Time will tell, I suppose. Take a hard pass on this prep, folks! There are much less severe options available."

• lrw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 15, 2023

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "This was my second colonoscopy, and my first prep, while unpleasant, was not nearly as awful as Plenvu. I don't remember what my previous doctor had me take, but it was nothing like this one!! As others have said, the taste (disgusting combo of salty and sickly sweet), viscosity, and the feeling of bloated fullness and nausea after was bad enough on the first dose. It took me 45 min to force myself to drink the second dose at midnight. No sleep that night!! I was desperately thirsty by the morning, in spite of drinking multiple glasses of water up until 3:30 am, which was when I had to stop before the procedure. After the procedure, I felt sick all day, and by evening felt like I had the flu with chills and body aches and no appetite. My guts were churning for 3 days after the procedure as well. I will never take Plenv again. There are so many better options, including a pill form. It's unbelievable that this 'stuff' is still prescribed by physicians!! Insist on an alternative."

• JHa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 27, 2020

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I’ll be brief. Plenvu will cause severe burning abdominal pain, vomiting, and chills. This lasted up to 2 1/2 hours with me last night. Also, this prep never fully cleaned me out for my colonoscopy today. The worst prep ever. There are other good preps out there. Plenvu needs to address this finally. Too many complaints!"

• KBa...
• November 6, 2019

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "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."

• KBa...
• November 6, 2019

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "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."

• Cra...
• January 16, 2020

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "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."

• MSK...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 1, 2019

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "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."

• 55M...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 15, 2021

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "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."

• MVa...
• November 22, 2019

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "This med tastes nasty, but I was able to finish both the doses. After my 1st dose at 5:30 pm, colon cleansing started in 30 mins and lasted for 3 hours for every 5-10 mins. I took my 2nd dose at 2:30 am, cleansing lasted for about 4 hours, for every 3-5 mins. The best way to drink this is to use a straw and flush it with apple juice after every sip. Though the med description says you can't have it with anything, the nurse told me it is totally fine to drink it with clear juice or clear Gatorade. I was able to finish both the doses in 10 mins. I had 20 oz of water after finishing the med and apple juice. After the 2nd dose, I had the yellow watery bowel movement for 4 hours. I also had a terrible headache after the 2nd dose and chills with both doses, which went away once the med got out of my system. The procedure went well, and the doc was able to see the colon clearly. This med is doable with apple juice, which flushes away the bitter aftertaste."

• Ace...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2019

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I vomited half of the GoLYTELY prep along with most of my insides! Started drinking it at 11:30 am the day before the colonoscopy and got that half down. At 4:00 pm I tried drinking the other half and vomited it all and then some. My friend brought me an anti-nausea suppository after I vomited the anti-nausea pill and managed to get the last quarter of the solution down. Headache, nausea, chills, I feel like I drank rat poison. Never again!"

• Els...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2021

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "This was the worst thing I have ever experienced. I took the first dose at 6 pm, nothing started happening until 10 pm, and I then spent the whole night on the toilet. No sleep whatsoever. I was shivery and dizzy and felt quite unwell. The second dose was taken at 6 am, I promptly threw up most of this, which the nurse told me was quite common. The Plenvu is by far the nastiest thing I have ever tasted. I did not feel as if I was completely empty, and this was confirmed at the hospital."

• Nic...
• July 13, 2015

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I'm 24 and had to take the prep for a colonoscopy. I was able to fairly easily get the first half down with no problem, but really struggled with the second half of the bottle. By the second bottle, I was only able to get a few sips down before I threw it up (not a very pleasurable experience). I didn't have any stomach cramping, and the prep worked well in clearing out my bowels. As someone else mentioned, I did have some chills after taking the prep. Luckily, I was still able to have the procedure done even after only drinking half the recommended dosage. Not a fun experience, but it was overall effective! Good luck!"

• j v...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 26, 2014

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I began the first prep at 6 pm. I mixed it with ice-cold water and lemon Crystal Light. Not too bad. I finished the first prep within the allotted one hour. The worst part was cramping, bloating, and chills. Everything that came out was solid waste. I began the second prep at 2 am. This one took almost three hours to finish (drained). But everything that came out was mostly water-based. Also, no cramping, bloating, or chills. The colonoscopy was a total breeze. My gastro called me a lovely patient. The key, I believe, is to have as little undigested food in your GI tract as possible prior to the prep, which is where fasting for at least one day comes into play. (Worked for me)"

• Anonymous
• August 17, 2020

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "Drink MoviPrep chilled and through a straw. The taste is a salty lemon, vile, awful, thick sludge. Use a chaser of ginger ale or white Gatorade. It’s easier to just chug through a straw. Do not. I repeat, do not go far from the bathroom once you start drinking. It started working within 15 minutes, and I had fasted for 26 hours already. And low fiber before that. I got chills, nausea, gagging from the drink and the taste. The chills lasted three hours. The bathroom trips lasted for 4 hours or more but slowed down. You cannot control it. The urge comes, or sometimes does not come. It just happens. Then it’s time for the second dose. I could barely get through the second one, and I’m more nauseated even after a prescribed anti-nausea pill I had on hand from a previous issue."

• bar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 29, 2013

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "Took it on Thursday evening, June 20, 2013. Taste was OK. No problems. Started to work 45 minutes into taking the first dose. Worked too well, was up all night on the toilet. 2nd dose at 3 AM. Finally stopped going about 6 AM. Colonoscopy appointment at 9:30 AM. My problem was being cold. I wrapped myself up with a coat, blanket, and bath towels and still froze. Colonoscopy prep was good and had one pre-cancerous polyp. I'd use the product again because it takes only 8 glasses to drink, 4 with each dose."

• Til...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 24, 2025

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "Took Plenvu today, split the doses two hours apart. Although the taste is awful, I sipped it through a straw and had sips of pure apple juice, this helps. And stayed hydrated with water. But the second dose, halfway through, I found hard to get down and gagged and spit some out near the last bit. Had an episode of shivering and felt unwell, had to lie down and get warm with protection under me. Now I need the loo again. Had Moviprep previously, didn’t feel unwell, but the taste was vile."

• NC ...
• October 1, 2019

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "Mixed, per directions, one gallon of water with prep, day before the procedure. Drank as directed. Experienced chills, but it worked to begin cleansing the bowels. Directed to stop all fluids by midnight. Stopped taking blood thinner five days before (for AFib). At 1:30 AM, had an AFib event. Phoned the hospital and was phoned back by the doctor. Had to take the blood thinner and abort the procedure. Only second-ever AFib event, and it was a side effect of this medicine that threw my electrolytes off. (I drank other clear liquids during the cleanse and was not dehydrated.)"

• Fan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2019

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I started my first dose of this at 6 pm. It took me an hour to drink it all because the taste was so horrible. Didn't feel bloated or anything, just became very cold and couldn't warm up until I took a very hot bath. I feel this product works well, you just can't tell me they can't put some sort of flavoring in this. It tasted of onions and fish and rotten socks to me. Will try to drink the second dose with a straw."

• 34y...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 4, 2017

For Bowel Preparation "Bloating, very tight abdomen. Didn't run to the bathroom as predicted. Runs cleared just on the second round of liquid in the morning. Threw up twice. Slept seven hours just fine. One thing I found no one talked about is the crazy chills I had. I was shaking. I was sitting wrapped in a blanket and shaking. Thanks to the nurses who wrapped me in warm blankets when I arrived at the office. Anyways. Get enough Gatorade. I didn't use any straw and was chugging that stuff like a champ. Who cares about prep? My dad was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at 52. I'm 34 and had precancerous polyps removed. I'll drink this stuff every day if you want, as long as I don't have to tell my family I have cancer. Straighten up, folks, and be grateful."

• red...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2013

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "Mine was done over two days. The first dose left me feeling bloated, cramping. The next morning, I did three quarters of it, and it was all over. I vomited so hard, along with chills, shaking, and just a phone call away from 911. Did its job though."

• sar...
• May 19, 2015

Polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes for Bowel Preparation "I'm 19 and taking MoviPrep for my first colonoscopy. Or should I say was taking it. First glass was terrible, but with a plugged nose and a strong chaser, it was possible. The second glass was absolutely horrible. About halfway through it, I vomited twice, got the chills, and called my doctor to cancel. I'm rescheduled with a different prep (with only 4 total tablespoons of prep and a ton of water!). The rest of the day, my stomach was upset and came close to vomiting multiple times. It's now 12 (did the half a liter at 5), and the bowels just started moving. Would not recommend, it's terrible, and there are better alternatives!"