Preparing for Your Colonoscopy
Before Your Procedure
- Diet: Restrict your diet and take your bowel prep medicine to clean out your colon.
- Medication: You may also need to change your medication routine if you take medicines like aspirin, Plavix®, clopidogrel, anti-inflammatory medicines, blood thinners, diabetes medicine, or fish oil. See the full medication hold list and the colonoscopy prep instructions.
- Prep medicine: Your doctor needs a clear view inside your colon to perform the test accurately. If your colon isn’t properly cleaned, it can block the view of important findings, such as polyps or signs of cancer. An incomplete view may mean you’ll need to repeat the test.
Think of your colon this way:
- When it’s clean, it’s like a nice day where you can see for miles.
- When it’s dirty, it’s like a foggy day. It’s hard to see and hard to drive.
- Bowel movements: You will experience frequent bowel movements (diarrhea) as a result of the bowel preparation. This typically begins within a few minutes to three hours after starting the prep. Plan to stay home and remain close to a restroom during this time.
- Symptoms: Most people experience bloating, abdominal discomfort, and nausea. These symptoms are normal. If you have nausea with vomiting, please call one of the numbers below to let your GI doctor know:
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7 Days Before Procedure
STOP TAKING
- Herbal and workout supplements
- Over the counter medications such as:
- Fish oil
- Pain relievers (ex. Aleve, Motrin, Advil, and Ibuprofen, or Aspirin—unless directed otherwise by your surgeon)
- Oral weight loss medications (ex. Phentermine, Adipex, Fastin)
- Weekly administered weight loss and diabetic injections: Dulaglutide/Trulicity, Exenatide/Bydureon BCise, Exanatide/Byetta, Semaglutide/Ozempic, Wegovy, Tirzepatide/Mounjaro
CONTINUE TAKING, as needed
- Acid reflux medications (ex. Pepcid, Protonix and Prilosec)
- Tylenol for pain
-
4 Days Before Procedure
STOP TAKING
- SGLT2 inhibitor (Ertugliflozin)
-
3 Days Before Procedure
STOP TAKING
- Certain diabetes medications that end with “gliflozin”
(ex. empagliflozin, canagliflozin, and dapagliflozin. Trade names are Invokana, Farxiga,
Jardiance, and several others.) Only stop these types of diabetic medicines. Continue
all other diabetic medications.
-
1 Day Before Procedure
STOP TAKING
- Long-acting Insulin, take only ½ dose the night before surgery
- Certain high blood pressure medications called:
- ACE inhibitors (ex. Benazepril, Captopril, Lisinopril)
- ARBs (ex. Losartan, Olmesartan, Valsartan)
- Recreational drugs, alcohol, and tobacco
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Day of Procedure
STOP TAKING
- Insulin
- Oral diabetic medication
- Diuretics (aka “water pills”)
- Fiber or bulking agents
- Medications that require you to take with food or milk
- Daily administered weight loss and diabetic medications (oral and injected): Liraglutide/Saxena, Victoza, Lixisenatide/Adlyxin, Semaglutide/Rybelsus, Novo Nordisk
CONTINUE TAKING, as directed Medications that SHOULD be taken on the day of surgery with a sip of water
- All other blood pressure medications (excluding those listed above such as ACE Inhibitors and ARB)
- Asthma Inhalers (bring these with you)
- Acid reflux medications
(ex. Pepcid, Protonix and Prilosec)
- Clonidine
- Gabapentin or Lyrica
- Thyroid medications
- Regularly scheduled prescribed pain medications such as norco
-
Blood Thinning Medications
Whether to continue or stop taking your blood thinning/anticoagulant medications is determined by what type of surgery you are having and your surgeon’s preference. You will be instructed by your surgeon regarding stopping blood thinning medications.
Colonoscopy Prep Medicine Instructions
Your doctor will prescribe a specific prep medicine tailored to you.