Before I dive into my third article on MiraLAX, I would like to ask you a favor. If you know the parent of a special needs child, please share this article with them. I chose to go with the term “special needs” specifically for its broadness and inclusivity, which I believe makes it more fitting than other options. While I feel comfortable leaving things broad in terms of identifying the children I am writing about, those parents for whom it would be particularly important include: those with children on the autism spectrum, children with cerebral palsy, and those born with Down syndrome.
While these three distinct disorders demonstrate how vastly different their situations may be, one common trait exists among these children (as well as many others with special needs). They suffer bouts of constipation with more frequency and severity than other children.
Unfortunately, that common thread can get entangled with strings of faulty logic, weaving some common misperceptions for parents who are simply trying to figure out what “normal” looks like for their child.
An Un-Blinding Radiance
For these parents, it can be difficult to find doctors familiar with their child’s needs. The answers from experts often feel incomplete or insufficient. They frequently end up at a point where, whenever someone starts to advise them, it begs the question, “Who are you? And, why should I trust you?”
With that in mind, I would like to share a little bit of my journey, and how I ended up here… writing this article.
It’s a little bit of a tangent, but I think it’s worthwhile.
Several years ago, after an unsatisfactory discussion with a world-renowned doctor, I began researching safety issues related to birth control. Each new rabbit hole seemed to lead to another. It didn’t take long until I began writing articles, and people started telling me that I had been red-pilled.
That phrase perfectly encapsulates the zeitgeist of our age. Whenever something doesn’t pass the smell test, the internet empowers us to follow our passion and dive deep into scholarly papers on virtually any topic. Consequently, we often discover pearls that bring into focus an objective truth that we hadn’t previously seen. And, once you take the red pill, you can’t unsee what is revealed.
While I appreciate the shorthand appeal of calling someone red-pilled, in this case, I actually prefer an allegorical description that predates The Matrix by just a few years.
Every time I engage unsettling questions about common medical practices, I hit a point that reminds me of the biblical story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. I invariably find something that makes me feel like scales have just fallen from my eyes. It’s an odd feeling to suddenly see something clearly that, a few minutes prior, you couldn’t see at all.
However, the scales never come off all at once. It takes a few swipes to wipe away the buildup of matter that previously obstructed reality.
From The Matrix to MiraLAX
With the scales removed and the red pill fully ingested, I found an endless supply of questionable and potentially criminal practices surrounding birth control. That research eventually led to a book about birth control’s dubious history and safety record, but it didn’t end there.
When you shine a light on the dark recesses of modern medicine, it is amazing how many other victims of the system feel comfortable sharing their stories with you. I have heard enough stories about a variety of drugs, including SSRIs, Accutane, and statins to question the validity of informed consent. And, I have been a second-hand witness to enough gaslighting to burn down the entire medical system.
But, I haven’t only heard from disgruntled patients, I also heard from medical professionals who raised similar questions about what motivates our health care system. One of those doctors introduced me to Mike Koehler, a father whose son was injured while taking MiraLAX for constipation. Mike’s story and his passion for holding the system accountable really struck me. Our conversation inspired my first article about the safety of MiraLAX, especially among children. I have to admit, when that article came out, I wasn’t prepared for the gut punch that would accompany it.
MiraLAX and Special Needs
The feedback was immediate and overwhelming. I heard from family, friends, and strangers. Some had recognized behavioral changes and took their kids off the drug. Others had serious shackles fall from their eyes, like the mother whose son started having seizures after starting MiraLAX, only to have the doctors diagnose him with epilepsy and prescribe a second drug.
Thanks to one cardiac nurse who contacted me, I learned that the problem with polyethylene glycol (PEG) extended far beyond MiraLAX. She said that the contrast agents they use for imaging contain PEGs, and that this had created numerous (sometimes deadly) problems for patients, especially since the pandemic.
But, one message that I received actually made me feel light-headed and queasy. A friend from work, Erik, reached out and said he wanted to learn more about PEGs because, he said, “I think that might be what killed my son.”
Erik and I weren’t extremely close, but I knew that his son, Elian, had been born with a rare chromosomal disorder, known as Cri du chat syndrome. Through social media, I watched him grow, and saw the joy that emitted from his infectious smile. Social media is also where I learned that he died when he was only 12 years old.
Sadly, when I saw the post, I assumed children with Cri du chat probably didn’t live long. The reality is that those with severe complications from the syndrome usually die within the first year. While those who survive infancy, tend to have a relatively normal life expectancy.
Reflecting on that now, I have to admit that I feel guilty for assuming that it was the Cri du chat that cut his life short. I can justify not wanting to bring up such a painful topic to Erik, but I can’t hide from the fact that I never bothered to Google the life expectancy of these kids. Consequently, I fell victim to the same type of faulty logic previously mentioned. I knew Elian had a rare disorder, and I knew he died young. So, I incorrectly connected the two bits of information and arrived at the wrong conclusion.
So, what did happen to Elian?
A Father’s Determination
After an uneventful birth, everything changed when Erik and Elian’s mother took him in to see the doctor at eight weeks old because he was too weak to drink from his bottle. They discovered he had three holes in his heart, one of which needed to be surgically repaired. During the string of subsequent appointments, the physicians began conducting other tests.
Eventually, one doctor told them that Elian had Cri du chat. He pulled out a book and began reading to them what they could expect. Elian would probably never speak. He would never walk. He would never be able to relate to other people and would always be dependent on them. As Erik puts it, “We were given the worst case scenario (straight) out of a textbook.”
The already struggling marriage couldn’t bear the weight of this diagnosis, and Erik soon found himself a young, single father of two young boys.
Erik was determined not to settle for the textbook prognosis for Elian, and he was hopeful that he wouldn’t have to face this journey alone.
For the sake of brevity, I will omit some romantic details and let you know he met Lori, a single mother who became a wonderful mother to his two sons, and he became a father to her daughter. Shortly thereafter, they moved their blended family to the Dallas area because the schools were ideal for special needs students.
Standard Operating Procedure
Elian developed in slow motion. The transition from formula was particularly slow. His diet mostly consisted of oatmeal, yogurt, and his favorite, ramen noodles, cut into very small pieces because he couldn’t chew well. The also gave him Pediasure with fiber to supplement his limited intake. Despite the soft diet, Elian struggled with constipation.
It was around the age of four that the doctors first prescribed MiraLAX. They recommended it be added to his Pediasure or oatmeal as needed, anytime Elian struggled in the bathroom. Erik reflects, “When I was little, my mom would give me castor oil to help loosen things up. I thought this was just another generic stool softener.”
Doctors consistently reiterated the procedure – give MiraLAX at the first sign of constipation and continue until he’s clear. So, that’s what they did for years.
Just in case you haven’t read my other articles, this might be a good place to point out that FDA has never approved MiraLAX for patients under 17 years old, and in their guidelines for adult patients state that it should be taken no more than seven straight days.
When the world shut down for a disease that I won’t name because it still might trigger “misinformation” algorithms, the family was at a loss. Elian was now 12. His constipation was out of control. None of his doctors were scheduling office visits, but they couldn’t properly examine his abdomen over a Zoom call. Ultimately, the doctor could only recommend they go to the emergency room if things got too bad.
Meanwhile, Elian’s behavior also grew more erratic. He really needed to poop. It made sense that he was cranky. So, they tried suppositories and gave him more MiraLAX… until they saw no other option than to take him to the ER.
Metabolic Meltdown
Because this happened during that unique time in medical history, the hospital took x-rays of his lungs before admitting him. The x-rays revealed that his lungs were all clear, but his bowels were severely impacted.
The doctor inserted a flexible nasogastric (NG) tube through his nose and down into his stomach so that they could administer a product known as GoLYTELY directly into his digestive system. GoLYTELY is a mixture of PEG (the active ingredient in MiraLAX) and electrolytes.
It would be an understatement to say that Elian hated the NG tube. He yanked it out. The doctor replaced it and prescribed a sedative to try and make things more tolerable. But, Elian pulled it out again. This time a nurse reinserted the tube.
After three days in the hospital, Elian’s bowels had been thoroughly cleansed. However, he was growing more lethargic, uncomfortable, and bloated. He begged to go home.
The doctors attributed his listlessness to the sedative and decided to discharge him that Saturday evening in hopes he would rest better at home. It surprised Erik and Lori that the team of physicians didn’t order another x-ray before sending him home, but they didn’t think much more about it.
The Unexpected
Erik woke up early the next morning to get ready for some work he had at a local church. When he left the house, he fully expected Elian would be waking up soon and would begin bouncing off the walls as usual.
A couple of hours later, the rest of the family began to stir. Elian had moved to the family room, and was watching television. Lori brewed a pot of coffee, while her daughter prepared to take her other brother to a friend’s house. Before leaving, she commented to her mom that Elian looked really bloated.
Soon after they left, Elian gasped as if he was struggling to breathe. Lori rushed to his side, but everything happened so quickly. She started performing CPR as she called for an ambulance. Frantically, she called Erik to come home, but in her heart, she knew Elian was already gone… only 18 hours after leaving the hospital.
None of this made any sense. There is no rational train of thought that can prepare you to receive your 12 year-old’s autopsy report. And, when that report tells you that your son died from aspiration pneumonia, but you know from hospital x-rays that his lungs were completely clear three days prior… I can only imagine your brain goes numb trying to process all the how’s and why’s.
Erik and Lori called Elian their “forever child.” They knew he would be dependent on them for his entire life. They had planned what that would look like as he moved into his 30’s and 40’s, and they neared retirement. They had also been preparing for their other children to leave the nest soon. But, no amount of planning could have prepared them for having the child, who they thought was always going to be with them, taken away so suddenly.
Disturbing Answers
The doctors said they couldn’t explain how or why Elian had gotten so sick, so suddenly, but Erik always felt like it had to be related to the fluids being pumped through the NG tube.
After we first spoke, I discovered there are PubMed case studies of children dying from osmotic laxatives being pumped into their lungs via a misplaced NG tube.
Elian had so much fluid on his lungs when he died, no other explanation makes sense. If the nurse, inadvertently placed the tube so that the laxative began flowing into his lungs instead of his stomach, that would trigger inflammation known as chemical pneumonitis.
Once in the lungs, the PEG pulled water from other parts of the body, just as it does when it’s in the stomach. This led to severe pulmonary edema. The massive buildup of fluids compromised his lungs’ ability to supply oxygen to the bloodstream, which triggered respiratory distress.
This could have happened to any child, but as Elian suffered, his limited communication skills put him at a distinct disadvantage. Combine that with a sedative that was dulling his consciousness, and his only course of action was the simplest; he begged to go home.
The medical team never recognized what was happening to him at the hospital. The family thought Elian’s discharge meant life was returning to normal. In reality, it was his death sentence.
Accountability?
Without knowing exactly what had happened, but sensing that things weren’t adding up, Erik and Lori spoke with several attorneys about filing a lawsuit against the hospital. They hoped, at the very least, the process might help answer their lingering questions.
Attorneys told them that the case wasn’t worth pursuing because Texas law caps the amount of damages that can be recovered from a hospital in wrongful death cases. That low ceiling of potential earnings was enough to make most of the lawyers lose interest, but there was a second factor that made the case particularly unappealing to any remaining attorneys. They believed the hospital’s lawyers would be able to effectively mitigate any appearance of malpractice because of complications related to Elian’s special needs.
In other words, it’s not the hospital’s fault that he was a medically complicated child – one last way for the deck to be stacked against him.
More Shackles
I know there are MiraLAX defenders out there who will argue that this isn’t really a MiraLAX death. Rather, it was caused by incompetence or a faulty medical device. I wouldn’t disagree, but I’m also not ready to let MiraLAX off the hook. Please read my other articles related to injuries, linked here and here.
Given the reported side effects, I believe there is little doubt that MiraLAX played an antagonistic role in his life.
When I first asked Erik to describe Elian as I interviewed Lori and him for this article, he told me, “He was the sweetest, most difficult thing I ever had to deal with.”
They both told me about the how this incredibly sweet, loving child would sometimes throw wicked tantrums. He would become inconsolable. They even had to buy him a helmet because he would bang his head on the wall and floor.
They joined a Facebook group for Cri du chat parents and found that several other parents described similar behavior. They estimated half to three-quarters had described some form of head-banging or self-mutilation. So, of course, the assumption is that this was related to the chromosomal disorder.
But, when I asked Erik when Elian’s behavioral problems began, he paused. I could see sadness welling up in his eyes.
“It wasn’t until he started getting on more solid foods. Then, he would have some constipation, and that’s when the poops were coming out really hard. And then, the MiraLAX came into the picture, and then – the behavior…”
Tears rolled down his cheek before he could continue.
“Knowing what I know now. Just like, even thinking back to when he was four or five, and to think that might have been the beginning of what may have caused his behavior – just kills me.”
I wasn’t fishing for this. In fact, sitting in their living room that afternoon, I’m surprised we didn’t hear the shackles falling from all of our eyes at the same moment. The air in the room felt heavier. The reality we began to see was that this could be much more devastating than simply one tragic story.
It made complete sense that Elian’s bad behavior came after starting MiraLAX because changes in behavior is one of the primary reasons parents take their children off the drug in the population at-large, but again, it is not so easy to connect the dots when you have a special needs child.
Reflecting further, Lori added, “You know, making those connections now, his behavior was definitely more erratic (in the days before going to the hospital).”
She described the helpless cycle that entrapped them. They would give Elian MiraLAX for his constipation. His outbursts got worse, and they assumed it was because of discomfort from his continued constipation. So, they gave him more MiraLAX, hoping to give him some relief.
Their parental instincts were working against them.
And, with doctors using euphemistic phrases like “Vitamin M” or “Poop Juice” to describe MiraLAX, why would they ever think to question the role it was playing in his behavior?
A Shock That Won’t Go Away
Lori lamented, “It all happened so fast. I had no idea that what was going on with him was life threatening. It never even occurred to me in my wildest dreams that that was going to be the end… From constipation. Never in my wildest dreams.”
The events seem so surreal that the shock may never fully dissipate for Erik and Lori.
If that ominous feeling that hung like a cloud in their living room is on target – if this is something much bigger, I want to expose it. I want parents of special needs children to be watching for potential changes in their children, if their doctor insists on MiraLAX. Or better yet, I hope they will look for alternatives.
Another Ask
I began this article by asking a favor. I will end in the same fashion.
If you are the parent of a special needs child whose metabolic disruptions lead to higher rates of constipation, start the conversation. Take the topic to your forums and Facebook groups.
My fear is that there could be a large population of these children who display behavioral issues that have been incorrectly linked to their disorder. The connectivity of the modern world has made it even easier to weave facts with inferences to arrive at faulty conclusions.
Let’s say 75% of the children in your online group suffer from constipation. It’s easy to infer that this higher rate is associated with their disorder. And, if 73% of the children also have behavioral issues, we tend to make the same assumption. However, it doesn’t come as naturally to put the two together to come up with a new question. What if the treatment for the constipation is contributing to the high number of behavioral issues?
I feel like this is a conversation worth having, and I could be completely wrong, but I believe we could discover that a lot of special needs children’s behavioral issues started because of MiraLAX.
I am convinced that Elian’s family isn’t the only special needs family who never attributed the behavior changes to MiraLAX. If you are able to start a conversation or have an anecdotal story that you would like to share, I’m eager to hear from you. Please email me at thesickerthebetterpodcast@gmail.com
Post Script
This article is posting on October 12, 2026, which would have been Elian’s 18th birthday. I have interviewed several parents whose children were injured by MiraLAX, and those interviews have been an essential part of these last three articles. I hope to eventually turn those interviews into the first season of a podcast, titled The Sicker The Better, which will examine common medical practices that may be doing more harm than good. In the meantime, I have edited some short clips from those interviews. Here is a link to the short clip featuring Erik and Lori.
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