What's the dealio with Miralax?

[green_momma2007]

My son (who is almost 5 now) has dealt with constipation since he was about 9 months old. He's been using Miralax for over two years now, on an as needed basis, which is usually about 2-3 times a month. He's gotten better in the past year, in that he can go a few weeks without using it and still poop on his own. Anyways, I met a mom at my homeschooling group yesterday and she mentioned that Miralax was not good because it was the same thing that was in radiator fluid and that there were a lot of issues, especially with long term use. 

So, I need good solid info. I don't necessarily worry about it being the same thing as what's in radiator fluid, because I know enough of chemistry that the same substance can be used in different solutions and it not being the same thing at all. But I just found a website saying that it does get absorbed by the body and that it then causes autistic like behaviors. Is there any truth to this,or is it a bunch of hearsay turning into panic?

If your child has been using Miralax, have you noticed any odd changes in behavior? Any alternatives that will work as well?

[deditus]

Well, the best place for researching Miralax is the Miralax yahoo group.

[Crafty]

My son sounds a lot like yours. I noticed bowel issues in ds back before he was a year old, but they really got bad around 4-5- he was crying, screaming every time he pooped, there was loose stool in his pants, etc., and his ped diagnosed him with encopresis. She too recommended Miralax, but at that time I would've given him just about anything to help him feel better- seriously, the poor kid was in so much pain every time he had to poop. :(

So we started the Miralax, and it was wonderful. At first I gave it to him every day but after a while I taped down the dose so that he was only getting it every other day and then twice a week. Last year, after he turned 7, I stopped giving it to him completely to see how he was doing, and he's been fine ever since (with one exception, but I think that was just kind of a fluke). No changes in behavior at all, just an overall happier, healthier little boy who wasn't so scared of going to the bathroom because pooping didn't hurt anymore. :)

(And I want to add that we tried EVERYTHING beforehand. We upped his fiber, he already drinks mostly water, the kid eats fruit like a jungle animal :lol...Nothing worked. The doc said if the Miralax didn't work, she'd run some tests- I *think* she might've said something about an MRI to check for possible structural abnormalities. That wouldn't surprise me- ds's biodad has some bowel issues, and if it's structural, there's not a lot you can do about it, you know?). Ds is 8 now and just fine, but I still keep a close eye on how often he has a bowel movement, just in case, but overall, the Miralax was pretty miraculous for us. :)