View source for Polyethylene Glycol 3350

{{MedTemplate
| generic           = Polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG 3350)
| brand             = MiraLAX (OTC), GlycoLax, GoLYTELY (with electrolytes for bowel prep), CoLyte, MoviPrep, NuLYTELY
| structure         =
| classes           = [[:Category:Osmotic_laxatives|Osmotic laxative]], [[:Category:Bowel_preparation_agents|Bowel preparation agent]]
| uses              = <vote slug="chronic-constipation-use">Chronic and occasional constipation</vote>, <vote slug="bowel-prep-use">Bowel preparation before colonoscopy (with electrolytes)</vote>, <vote slug="fecal-impaction-use">Disimpaction (high-dose)</vote>
| starting_dose     = Constipation: 17 g (one capful) PO daily dissolved in 4-8 oz fluid; bowel prep: 4 L of PEG-electrolyte solution split-dose evening before and morning of procedure
| preparations      = 17 g (OTC) and 14 g (Rx) powder packets; 238, 510, 527 g bottles; PEG-electrolyte preparations 4 L (GoLYTELY, NuLYTELY)
| fda_max           = Indication-specific; bowel prep regimens reach 4 L cumulative
| pill_id           =
| routes            = Oral
| onset             = Constipation: 1-3 days; bowel prep: 1-3 hours after starting
| duration          = Hours
| halflife          = Not meaningfully described (negligible systemic absorption)
| bioavailability   = <0.1% systemic absorption (PEG 3350 is too large to absorb intact)
| pregnancy         = Generally considered safe due to minimal systemic absorption.{{citation needed}}
| legal             = OTC (MiraLAX) and [[USLegal:Prescription only|Rx-only]] (electrolyte solutions for bowel prep) in US
| mechanism         = <vote slug="peg-3350-mech-claim">PEG 3350 is a high-molecular-weight inert polymer that retains water in the gut lumen through osmotic action without being absorbed or metabolized; the retained water softens stool and increases volume to stimulate peristalsis. Unlike osmotically active sugars (lactulose, sorbitol), PEG 3350 is not fermented by colonic bacteria, so gas and bloating are minimal.</vote> Electrolyte-balanced bowel-prep formulations are designed to be iso-osmotic with plasma so the volume passes through without net fluid or electrolyte shifts, the basis of their safety for whole-bowel evacuation.
}}

== References ==
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