Free Republic

So many people in the US are using and abusing laxatives that it’s caused a national shortage. Just like many health-related problems of today's world, the dwindling stockpiles of pooping pills can be explained by a mixture of terrible diets, questionable internet trends, the nation’s aging population, and strains on mental health. The US is currently experiencing a scarcity of polyethylene glycol 3350, the prime compound found in many big brand laxative products like MiraLAX and Glycolax Some pharmaceutical companies have even reportedly started building new factories, in part, to boost the production of the sought-after compound. Polyethylene glycol eases...

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) or macrogol is a polyether compound. It is widely used as an additive in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food [1]. Different types of macrogol exist according to their molecular weight from 300 g/mol to 10,000,000 g/mol [2]. Anaphylactic reactions to macrogol are rarely reported. However, in recent years more reports appeared in the literature with macrogol induced hypersensitivities due to drugs, personal hygiene products, dental products, lozenges and lubricants [3, 4]. Here we report on a female with a history of three immediate type reactions triggered by macrogol 3350.