Consumer medicine information

MOVICOL® Junior Flavour Free


Consumer Medicine Information

Please read this leaflet carefully before taking your medicine.

If you have any questions or are not sure about anything, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

What is this medicine?

The name of this medicine is Movicol Junior. Each sachet contains:

  • Macrogol 3350 – 6.563 g
  • Sodium chloride – 175.4 mg
  • Sodium bicarbonate – 89.3 mg
  • Potassium chloride – 25.1 mg

When it is made into a drink with 62.5 mL of water, each sachet gives the equivalent of:

  • Sodium – 65 mmol/L
  • Chloride – 53 mmol/L
  • Bicarbonate – 17 mmol/L
  • Potassium – 5.4 mmol/L

Movicol Junior contains no colours, flavours or sweeteners.

There are 30 sachets in a box. Each sachet contains 6.9 grams of MOVICOL Junior powder.

You add water to the powder to make a drink.

What is Movicol Junior used for?

Movicol Junior is used in children aged 2 years and older and adults for the treatment of chronic constipation. Constipation is the less frequent than normal passing of large, firm or hard stools. Movicol Junior helps you to have a comfortable bowel movement even if you have been constipated for a long time.

Chronic Constipation in Children:

Most normal children will occasionally experience constipation, which will normally require no more than a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, regular toilet use and, sometimes, occasional use of laxatives.

However, a small proportion of children will pass stools less frequently than 3 times per week, with excessive straining and discomfort or pain at these times. If your child has this more severe type of constipation your doctor needs to be involved in making a supervised plan of treatment for your child over the next 6 – 12 months. Treatments may require daily use of a product such as Movicol Junior which can keep stools of normal consistency and restore a normal pattern of passing stools.

Movicol Junior is also used in children aged 2 years and older for the treatment of faecal impaction (as determined by your doctor), and for the prevention of recurrence of faecal impaction.

Before you take Movicol Junior

Do not take Movicol Junior if your doctor has told you that you have:

  • an obstruction in your intestine (gut)
  • a perforated gut wall
  • severe inflammatory bowel disease, like ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, or toxic megacolon
  • paralysis of the bowel
  • an allergy to macrogol

Pregnancy and breast feeding
If you are pregnant, talk to your doctor before you take Movicol Junior.

Movicol can be taken while breast feeding.

Other Medicines
Laxative products such as Movicol Junior have the potential to interact with other medications, by altering their absorption. Close monitoring of the effects of your medications may be necessary when you commence or cease to take Movicol Junior regularly. It is important that you should discuss this with your doctor.

How to take Movicol Junior

Chronic Constipation/Prevention of recurrence of faecal impaction:

Children aged 2-5 years: The usual starting dose is 1 sachet daily.

Children aged 6-11 years: The usual starting dose is 2 sachets daily. The dose should be adjusted up or down as required to produce regular soft stools. The maximum dose needed does not normally exceed 4 sachets daily. Use in children aged 2 years and older should be limited to 12 weeks except under medical supervision.

Movicol Junior is not recommended for children below 2 years of age.

Adults and children 12 years and older: The recommended dose of Movicol Junior is 2 sachets a day. This can be increased up to 6 sachets daily if necessary, depending on the severity of your constipation. For chronic constipation the dose may be reduced to 1 sachet daily, according to individual response. For patients 12 years and older using 2 sachets daily or more, it is recommended to use Movicol.

FAECAL IMPACTION:

Children (2 – 11 years):
A course of treatment with Movicol Junior is for up to 7 days as follows:

Treatment can be stopped when the medicine has worked. This is shown by the patient passing large volumes of stools or watery diarrhoea. It is not recommended to use Movicol Junior for the treatment of faecal impaction in children with a heart or kidney condition.

Open the sachet and pour contents into a cup. Add about 60 mL of water into the cup. Stir well until all the powder has dissolved and the Movicol Junior solution is clear or slightly hazy, then drink it. If you like, you can add a flavouring agent such as cordial to the drink.

For use in faecal impaction the correct number of sachets can be made up in advance and kept covered and refrigerated for 24 hours. For example 12 sachets can be made up into 750 mL of water and 16 sachets into one litre of water.

Drink plenty of water. Increase fibre in diet, except in cases of medication-induced constipation. Prolonged use of laxatives is undesirable and may lead to dependence. In some circumstances, prolonged use may be necessary but should only be under medical supervision.

Movicol Junior should not be used for the treatment of faecal impaction in children for longer than 7 days. If symptoms persist, see your doctor.

If you are taking Movicol Junior for constipation and get bad diarrhoea, stop taking Movicol Junior until it clears. If constipation recurs, you should check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking a new course of Movicol Junior. If you are worried, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

What about side effects?

Sometimes people have stomach ache or rumbles, or an allergic reaction, or feel bloated or sick. You may get diarrhoea, especially when you first start taking Movicol Junior. If you feel weak, breathless, very thirsty with a headache, or get puffy ankles stop taking Movicol Junior and tell your doctor. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you think Movicol Junior is causing you any problem.

How to store MOVICOL Junior

Store your Movicol Junior at room temperature (below 25ºC). Do not use Movicol Junior after the expiry date on the label. Once you have made up Movicol Junior in water put it in the fridge (2-8ºC) and keep it covered. Throw away any solution not used within a 24 hour period. Keep all medicines away from children.

AUST R 160225

Date: 1 April 2015

Norgine Pty Limited,
3/14 Rodborough Road,
Frenchs Forest NSW 2086
1800 766 936

MOVICOL is a registered trademarks of the Norgine group of companies.

Published by MIMS March 2016