Moviprep: Uses, Side Effects and Dosage

What MOVIPREP is used for:

MOVIPREP helps empty the colon before a colonoscopy for adults 18 years of age and older.

How MOVIPREP works:

All the ingredients in MOVIPREP work together to pull water into the stool, which makes it larger and softer. This helps the bowel push out its contents, acting like a laxative. Clearing out the bowel makes it easier for doctors to examine and see the tissue during the colonoscopy.

The ingredients in MOVIPREP are:

Medicinal ingredients: Sachet A: macrogol, sodium sulphate anhydrous, sodium chloride and potassium chloride.

Medicinal ingredients: Sachet B: ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate.

Non-medicinal ingredients: acesulfame potassium (E950) and aspartame (E951) as sweeteners, lemon flavouring (containing citral, gum arabic, lemon oil, lime oil, maltodextrin, vitamin E).

MOVIPREP comes in the following dosage form:

Powder for oral solution.

Sachet A

Macrogol (Polyethylene glycol) 3350 100 g

Sodium sulphate anhydrous 7.5 g

Sodium chloride 2.691 g

Potassium chloride 1.015 g

Sachet B

Ascorbic acid 4.7 g

Sodium ascorbate 5.9 g

Do not use MOVIPREP if:

• You are allergic (hypersensitive) to Macrogol 3350 (Polyethylene glycol 3350) or any of the other ingredients of MOVIPREP. See The ingredients in MOVIPREP are.
• You have a blockage (obstruction) in your intestine (gut).
• You have a hole (perforation) in the wall of your gut.
• You have a disorder of stomach emptying.
• You have a condition called ileus. In this condition your intestine stops moving food, liquid, and gas through like it normally should
• You have toxic megacolon (a severe complication of acute colitis).You have serious conditions of the abdomen such as appendicitis or diverticulitis (fold within the intestinal wall which may be swollen and infected)
• The patient is unconscious.

To help avoid side effects and ensure proper use, talk to your healthcare professional before you take MOVIPREP. Talk about any health conditions or problems you may have, including if you:

• have kidney disease or kidney problems.
• have heart failure.
• are dehydrated.
• have severe acute inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis)
• have phenylketonuria. This is a condition in which you are unable to use the amino acid phenylalanine. MOVIPREP contains phenylalanine which can harm individuals with this condition.
• do not have enough glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase produced by your body. MOVIPREP contains ascorbate which can harm individuals with this deficiency.
• have a history of electrolyte imbalance (e.g. hyponatremia).
• have epilepsy or a history of convulsions.
• are taking blood pressure medicine.
• have hyperosaluria. This is a condition in which you have too much oxalate in your urine. MOVIPREP contains ascorbic acid which can harm individuals with this condition.
• have sickle-cell disease. MOVIPREP contains ascorbic acid which can individuals with this condition
• have hemochromatosis, sideroblastic anemia, or thalassemia. MOVIPREP contains ascorbic acid which can harm individuals with these conditions
• have gout or a history of gout. MOVIPREP contains ascorbic acid which can cause gouty arthritis.
• are on a low-sodium diet. MOVIPREP contains sodium.
• are on a low-potassium diet. MOVIPREP contains potassium.
• take medicine like ACE inhibitors or diuretics for your heart, your body’s sodium levels might get too low—especially if you also take medicine that affects your kidneys. Very low sodium can cause seizures (also called fits). Some products with PEG (polyethylene glycol) have also caused seizures.

Other warnings you should know about:

• If you experience (blood) vomiting followed by sudden chest, neck or abdominal pain, difficulty swallowing or difficulty breathing when taking MOVIPREP, stop taking medicine and tell your healthcare professional immediately.

• In rare cases, medicines such as MOVIPREP can cause serious heart arrhythmias (an irregular or fast heartbeat). Tell your healthcare professional if you have problems with your heart such as:

  • a history of an abnormal electrical signal called “prolongation of the QT interval”
  • an arrhythmia that is not under control
  • a recent heart attack.
  • heart failure
  • cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body).
• Talk to your healthcare professional if you sometimes bring food back up from your stomach or accidentally breathe food into your lungs.
• Talk to your healthcare professional if you need to thicken fluids in order to swallow them safely. MOVIPREP contains polyethylene glycol (PEG), which may stop starch based food thickeners from working. This may cause certain mixtures to be watery and difficult to swallow.
• Only take MOVIPREP if you are fully awake and alert. If you are not, a healthcare professional must supervise you.

• Contact your healthcare professional immediately and stop taking the drug if the following occurs while taking MOVIPREP:

  • abdominal pain, bloating, swelling of the abdomen.

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding

  • Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, think you might be pregnant or are planning to become pregnant while taking MOVIPREP. MOVIPREP will only be given to you during pregnancy if your doctor decides it is necessary. It is not known if MOVIPREP will harm your unborn baby.
  • Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed. It is not known how MOVIPREP effects breastmilk.

• Children

  • Do not take MOVIPREP if you are under 18 years old.

Tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including any drugs, vitamins, minerals, natural supplements or alternative medicines. The following may interact with MOVIPREP:

• stimulant laxatives (e.g. bisacodyl). Stop taking MOVIPREP and seek medical help if you experience severe abdominal pain and / or rectal bleeding.
• diuretics and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE inhibitors) used to treat high blood pressure.

How to take MOVIPREP:

• Always take MOVIPREP exactly as your healthcare professional has told you. You should check with

  • your healthcare professional or pharmacist if you are not sure.
• Remember: Only a healthcare professional can prescribe it for you. Never give it to someone else.
• If you do not have a bowel movement within 6 hours of taking MOVIPREP, stop the intake and contact your healthcare professional immediately.
• If you are taking other medicines take them at least one hour before or after taking MOVIPREP, otherwise they may flush through your system and will not work so well.

What you should expect to happen:

When you start drinking the MOVIPREP solution, it is important that you stay close to a toilet. At some point, you will start to experience watery bowel movements. This is quite normal and indicates that the MOVIPREP solution is working. The bowel movements will stop soon after you have finished drinking.

If you follow these instructions, your bowel will be clear, and this will help you to have a successful examination.

Usual dose:

Adults 18 years of age and older:

• The usual dose is 2 litres of MOVIPREP solution.
• This pack has 2 clear bags. Each bag contains one pair of Sachet A and Sachet B.
• Dissolve each pair of sachets in water to make 1 litre of solution.
• The whole pack makes 2 litres of solution.

You must finish taking MOVIPREP before your colonoscopy

How to drink MOVIPREP

You can take MOVIPREP either as a single dose or in two divided doses.

Single Dose:

• Take the full 2 litres of MOVIPREP the evening before your colonoscopy.
• Drink the first litre over 1 to 2 hours, drinking a glassful every 10 to 15 minutes.
• When finished, prepare the second litre and drink it the same way.
• During the treatment, drink another litre of clear fluids to stay hydrated. Suitable drinks include water, clear soup, fruit juice without pulp, soft drinks, or tea/coffee without milk. You can drink these at any time.

Divided Dose:

• Drink the first litre over 1 to 2 hours the evening before your colonoscopy, drinking a glassful every 10 to 15 minutes.
• The next morning, prepare and drink the second litre in the same way.
• During the treatment, drink another litre of clear fluids to stay hydrated. Suitable drinks are water, clear soup, fruit juice without pulp, soft drinks, or tea/coffee without milk. These can be taken at any time.

Important: Do not take any solid food from when you start to take MOVIPREP until after the colonoscopy.

How to prepare MOVIPREP

• Open one clear bag and remove the sachets A and B.
• Add the contents of BOTH sachet A and sachet B to a 1 litre container.

• Pour 1 litre of water into the container and stir until all the powder has dissolved and the MOVIPREP solution is clear or slightly hazy. This may take up to 5 minutes.

  

• Repeat steps above when ready to drink the second 1 litre solution

Overdose:

If you take more MOVIPREP than you should, you may develop excessive diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration. Take generous amounts of fluid, especially fruit juices.

If you think you, or a person you are caring for, have taken too much MOVIPREP, contact a healthcare professional, hospital emergency department, regional poison control centre or Health Canada’s toll-free number, 1-844 POISON-X (1-844-764-7669) immediately, even if there are no signs or symptoms.

Missed dose:

If you forget to take MOVIPREP take the dose as soon as you realize you have not taken it. If this is several hours after the time when you should have taken it, contact your healthcare professional or pharmacist for advice. It is important that you complete your preparation at least an hour before your procedure.

Possible side effects from using MOVIPREP:

These are not all the possible side effects you may have when taking MOVIPREP. If you experience any side effects not listed here, tell your healthcare professional.

It is normal to get diarrhoea when you take MOVIPREP.

Very common side effects (i.e. occurring in more than 1 in 10 patients who received the treatment) are:

• abdominal pain,
• abdominal distension,
• tiredness,
• feeling generally unwell,
• soreness of the anus, and
• nausea,
• hunger,
• problems sleeping,
• thirst,
• chills.

Common side effects (i.e. occurring in less than 1 in 10 but more than 1 in 100 patients who received the treatment) are:

• dizziness,
• headache,
• vomiting,
• indigestion,
• upper abdominal pain,
• Trouble swallowing

Uncommon side effects (i.e. occurring in less than 1 in 100 but more than 1 in 1,000 patients who received the treatment):

• change to the levels of salts in the blood.

Other side effects that may occur include:

• flatulence (wind),
• temporary increase in blood pressure, and
• some people may experience retching (straining to vomit).
• esophageal rupture (tear) due to vomiting.

These reactions usually only occur for the duration of the treatment. If they last longer, tell your healthcare professional.

MOVIPREP may cause abnormal blood test results. Your doctor may perform blood tests before and after you take MOVIPREP. Your doctor will interpret your blood test results and provide any treatment if it is required.

Serious side effects and what to do about them

If you have a troublesome symptom or side effect that is not listed here or becomes bad enough to interfere with your daily activities, tell your healthcare professional.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effects associated with the use of health products to Health Canada by:

• Visiting the Web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting (canada.ca/drug-device-reporting) for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax; or
• Calling toll-free at 1-866-234-2345.

NOTE: Contact your healthcare professional if you need information about how to manage your side effects. The Canada Vigilance Program does not provide medical advice.

Storage:

Keep out of the reach and sight of children.

Do not use MOVIPREP after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and sachets.

The expiry date refers to the last day of the month.

Keep MOVIPREP sachets at room temperature between 5°C - 25°C.

Once you mix MOVIPREP with water:

• Keep it covered at room temperature (15°C–25°C) or in the fridge (2°C–8°C).
• Use it within 24 hours. After that, throw it away.

If you want more information about MOVIPREP:

• Talk to your healthcare professional
• Find the full product monograph that is prepared for healthcare professionals and includes the Patient Medication Information by visiting the Health Canada Drug Product Database website (Drug Product Database: Access the database); the manufacturer’s website (www.searchlightpharma.com); or by calling 1-866-391-4503.

Date of Authorization: 2025-12-29