Your medications

If you take any regular medications (daily or weekly) you should know how to take them on the day of the colonoscopy and the day before. The following are guidelines only – more specific questions can be handled by your doctor or health care provider. Ask your doctor at least a week before the test if you have any questions.

Your regular medicines:

You can take most medicines at the regular times you would take them. All of your regular medicines should be continued after the colonoscopy.

Diabetes medications: Use of these medications often needs to be changed around the time of the colonoscopy. Please see the instructions for patients with diabetes preparing for a colonoscopy.

Anti-inflammatory medicine (often used for pain or inflammatory conditions) such as diclofenac (e.g. Arthrotec®, Voltaren®), ibuprofen (e.g. Advil®, Motrin®), or naproxen (e.g. Aleve®, Anaprox®, Naprosyn®, Vimovo®) – it is usually okay to continue taking these medicines.

Acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol®): Continue taking this as you usually do.

Aspirin (or ASA): Continue taking this as you usually do

Clopidogrel ( e.g. Plavix®), ticagrelor (Brilinta) : Usually these medications are continued. For certain special procedures (for example large polyp removal) done during colonoscopy, your colonoscopy doctor may ask you to stop taking these medicines 5-7 days before your colonoscopy. You will continue these medicines after the test.

Blood thinners such as like warfarin (e.g. Coumadin®), apixaban (Eliquis®), dabigatran (Pradaxa®), or rivaroxaban (Xarelto): Please check with your doctor about how to take them.

Blood pressure medicines: Be sure to still use these medications while preparing for the test. On the day of your test, take these medications with water at least 2 hours before your test.

Regular medicines for sleep or for anxiety: These can be taken as usual.

Iron containing medications like ferrous fumarate, ferrous gluconate, ferrous sulphate, multivitamins with iron. Stop taking these one week before your procedure. Start them again afterwards.