Is OSP Risk A Colonoscopy Deterrent?

May 28th, 2009. By janem

It’s uncomfortable and worrisome enough having to go through screening for colon cancer through colonoscopy—which is extremely important in identifying and treating the disease. Now add one more concern to deter people from getting the procedure: Oral Sodium Phosphate (OSP) as a bowel cleanser has been associated with acute kidney injury. C.B. Fleet Company  announced a voluntary recall of its OTC products: Fleet(R) Phospho-soda(R) and Fleet(R) Phospho-soda(R) EZ-Prep(R) Bowel Cleansing System, and the FDA is slapping a black box warning on other OSPs, as well as recommending that only prescription OSPs be used by patients for bowel cleansing prior to undergoing colonoscopy.

Researchers set out to determine exactly which parts of the colonoscopy process deterred patients from getting the procedure and, you guessed it, not wanting to take the bowel prep ranked as the No. 1 deterrent. But all OSPs are not created equally; for example, one report says that NutraPrep did the job just as well, if not better than OSPs. And it isn’t associated with kidney injury. So if you’re scheduled for a colonoscopy, ask your health provider about alternative bowel cleansers.

Tags: Colonoscopy, Oral Sodium Phosphate, OSP

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