Taken with a sports drink, polyethylene glycol (PEG; Miralax, Bayer) is an adequate bowel preparation, less expensive than commercial formulas and more palatable. But the FDA has not approved the over-the-counter product for this use, which requires consumption of many times the government-approved dose used to treat occasional constipation.
Lack of safety data gives some gastroenterologists pause, but others consider the PEG/sports drink combination a viable form of bowel prep, and offer it to