BlackMoth99 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Hello, I am having a colonoscopy in two days and I'm concerned about becoming dehydrated and getting levels that get me into lithium toxicity. I take 1200mg (300mg morning, 300mg afternoon, 600mg evening) and my level is consistently .9 to 1.0. Tomorrow I start first round of the Suprep laxative at 3pm. I can drink clear fluids all day, so I'm not worried about dehydration. BUT, at midnight, I have to fast, then take another Suprep laxative the following day at 8:30am and I can't have even a sip of water until after my procedure at 1pm. This has me freaked. My pdoc says the timeframe is too short to really get dehydrated. I talked to my pdoc, primary care, and gastroenterologist - they all say I will be fine. I can't help but question it. I was thinking about scaling back to 900mg starting tomorrow. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 When I was on lithium in the early 2000's, I had a colonoscopy done without a problem. I wasn't even told to stop lithium before the test or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMoth99 Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 Just now, melissaw72 said: When I was on lithium in the early 2000's, I had a colonoscopy done without a problem. I wasn't even told to stop lithium before the test or anything. Thanks. Did you have to use the prep laxative while unable to drink water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 2 minutes ago, BlackMoth99 said: Thanks. Did you have to use the prep laxative while unable to drink water? Yes, I did take the prep laxative. But I was able to drink water or apple juice though, until 12 hours before the test. *I am not condoning this, but even after the 12 hours I would take tiny sips, just enough to coat my tongue, to keep my mouth from getting dry. Or sucked on popsicles without biting into them. Having the procedure at 1 PM is really hard because you have to wait all morning for the time to pass before getting test done. 13 minutes ago, BlackMoth99 said: BUT, at midnight, I have to fast, then take another Suprep laxative the following day at 8:30am What i do, is not wait as long to take the 2nd dose because I find that if I do, I am still going to the bathroom at the time of the test. I will take the 2nd half of the prep in the early morning, around 4-5 AM. They I can drink the water until 12 hours before the test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 I had to take the prep laxative ( called moviprep in Ireland) the day before between 2pm and 3pm and the next litre between 4 and 5pm. Rotten stuff. I was told to drink plenty of water as the preparation in itself is dehydrating. I was allowed to keep drinking water until midnight. The last time I had it done was a few weeks ago and was not on lithium. The previous 2 times I was on lithium. When I was on lithium they did not specify particular instructions in relation to lithium. They just told me to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. I drank as much as I could without exploding because the moviprep had filled me up and made me bloated. I had the test the next day at 8:30am and took my morning meds afterwards. It's a bit odd that you cannot drink anything after midnight when you have an afternoon appointment??? Try not to worry. Even if your lithium level does rise it will be temporary and if the doctor is concerned he will put you on a saline drip. Wishing you all the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 You know what I just thought of ... I was actually able to sip on water until 4-5 hours before the test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMoth99 Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 1 hour ago, rowan77 said: I had to take the prep laxative ( called moviprep in Ireland) the day before between 2pm and 3pm and the next litre between 4 and 5pm. Rotten stuff. I was told to drink plenty of water as the preparation in itself is dehydrating. I was allowed to keep drinking water until midnight. The last time I had it done was a few weeks ago and was not on lithium. The previous 2 times I was on lithium. When I was on lithium they did not specify particular instructions in relation to lithium. They just told me to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. I drank as much as I could without exploding because the moviprep had filled me up and made me bloated. I had the test the next day at 8:30am and took my morning meds afterwards. It's a bit odd that you cannot drink anything after midnight when you have an afternoon appointment??? Try not to worry. Even if your lithium level does rise it will be temporary and if the doctor is concerned he will put you on a saline drip. Wishing you all the best. Thank you! I just talked to the doctor and he said that I can have small sips of water until 2 hours before the procedure. That came as a relief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 On 3/1/2017 at 2:50 PM, BlackMoth99 said: Thank you! I just talked to the doctor and he said that I can have small sips of water until 2 hours before the procedure. That came as a relief. Good! I hope the procedure goes well ☺ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 How did the procedure go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 I have to do this soon, I'm glad to see that lithium seems okay. I didn't even think of it last time. If I get super thirsty before surgery, I swish a mouthful of water around in my mouth, and spit it out. When I come out of surgery, I am usually parched, and my lips are all crackly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 3 hours ago, crtclms said: If I get super thirsty before surgery, I swish a mouthful of water around in my mouth, and spit it out. When I come out of surgery, I am usually parched, and my lips are all crackly. I am not on lithium, but I am the same way with surgeries/procedures. I also will swish water in my mouth then spit it out. After the procedure/surgery, I hate the parched feeling on my lips. After any surgery/procedure I am usually very thirsty. Good luck on the colonoscopy, crt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMoth99 Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 To report back, the prep went well and the colonoscopy itself had a good outcome. Dehydration was not an issue at all. Good luck to all who have to do this while taking meds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 23 minutes ago, BlackMoth99 said: To report back, the prep went well and the colonoscopy itself had a good outcome. Dehydration was not an issue at all. Good luck to all who have to do this while taking meds! I'm glad everything went well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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