Is Miralax Making Your Child’s Behavior Worse?

Your pediatrician prescribed MiraLAX for your child's constipation and told you it was safe. But weeks later, your child is experiencing meltdowns, anxiety, and behavioral changes you've never seen before. You start wondering if something is wrong, but no one warned you this could happen.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone, and you're not imagining things. What you're experiencing is real, and it's time you had the full picture.

What They Didn't Tell You About MiraLAX

Here's what most parents don't know: MiraLAX isn't FDA-approved for children under 17. Yes, you read that right. The medication that pediatricians routinely prescribe for childhood constipation has never been approved by the FDA for use in children. Every prescription for a child is considered "off-label."

The FDA has received numerous reports of serious neuropsychiatric side effects in kids, including anxiety, aggression, paranoia, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Yet many doctors either don't mention these risks or downplay them entirely.

Laura's Story: When the "Safe" Solution Made Things Worse

Laura never imagined that a medication recommended by her pediatrician could make her son worse. Justin had struggled with constipation since infancy, and when the doctor prescribed MiraLAX, she trusted it would help. Instead, Justin developed severe behavioral side effects: anxiety, aggression, and emotional outbursts that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"I had no idea MiraLAX could make his behavior even worse," Laura shared. "My doctor definitely didn't tell me that. He mentioned nothing about MiraLAX side effects."

Laura's experience isn't rare. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, constipation affects up to 30% of children worldwide, and many pediatricians turn to polyethylene glycol (the active ingredient in MiraLAX) as a first-line treatment. But the potential risks are often overlooked, leaving parents like Laura searching for answers when their child's health deteriorates instead of improving.

The Problem with "Just Managing Symptoms"

Traditional medicine treats constipation as a symptom to manage, not as a signal that something deeper is wrong. When side effects appear, doctors often adjust the dosage or add more medications, keeping kids dependent while the root cause remains untouched.

But here's what you need to understand: MiraLAX works through osmosis, pulling water into the intestines to artificially soften stool. This completely bypasses your child's natural digestive processes, which should be regulated by the nervous system.

Think of it this way: it's like pressing the gas pedal with the parking brake still on. You're forcing movement, but you're straining the entire system in the process.

The Side Effects They Should Have Warned You About

Beyond the behavioral changes, MiraLAX can cause:

• Bloating and uncomfortable gas

• Nausea and stomach cramping

• Diarrhea (trading one problem for another)

• In rare cases, severe bleeding or dangerous electrolyte imbalances

• Mood swings, anxiety, aggression, and personality changes

And here's the kicker: children who receive multiple rounds of antibiotics before age 2 are significantly more likely to develop allergies, asthma, and gut issues. The point? Disrupting natural processes has long-term consequences we're only beginning to understand.

The Real Question: Why Does Your Child Have Constipation in the First Place?

This is where things get interesting. Your child's constipation didn't just appear out of nowhere. It started long before you noticed the first uncomfortable bowel movement.

What if I told you that constipation is actually a neurological problem, not just a digestive one?

The Perfect Storm: How Constipation Really Begins

Your child's nervous system acts like an air traffic controller, coordinating every aspect of digestion from start to finish. When that system is overwhelmed or disrupted, constipation is often one of the first signs. Here's what creates that disruption, what we call “The Perfect Storm”:

Prenatal stress affects the developing baby's nervous system, creating heightened fight-or-flight response patterns that persist after birth.

Birth interventions like C-sections, forceps, or vacuum delivery can cause physical trauma to the spine, creating subluxation that disrupts nervous system communication.

Environmental toxins, including heavy metals, pesticides, and plastics, interfere with normal nervous system function in ways we're still discovering.

Antibiotic overuse disrupts the delicate balance of gut bacteria. Each round weakens digestive health a little more.

These factors combine to create what we call sympathetic dominance. Your child's nervous system is stuck in "fight or flight" mode, like a computer with too many tabs open. It simply can't coordinate basic digestive functions properly.

There's a Better Way: Addressing the Root Cause

Here's what you need to hear: You're doing everything right, but possibly in the wrong order. The foundation has to come first.

When you restore nervous system function, everything else can finally work the way it's supposed to. This is where Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care comes in.

What Makes This Approach Different?

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care doesn't just push things through your child's system artificially. Instead, it identifies and addresses subluxation, which is causing nervous system dysfunction in the first place.

INSiGHT Scans provide a detailed picture of your child's nervous system health. These scans measure:

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to assess sympathetic/parasympathetic balance

• Thermal imaging to identify inflammation patterns

• Surface EMG to detect neuromuscular tension

With this information, we can see exactly where your child's nervous system is struggling. Then, through gentle adjustments, we reduce sympathetic stress and activate vagus nerve function to restore "rest and digest" mode.

Justin's Transformation

Remember Laura's son Justin? His INSiGHT scans revealed significant subluxation and sympathetic dominance. After several weeks of neurologically-focused care, something remarkable happened.

• His bowel movements normalized naturally

• His stomach pain subsided

• His behavior improved so dramatically that he was able to discontinue his ADHD medication

Digestive motility is often the first function to improve when nervous system balance is restored. But the benefits don't stop there. When your child's nervous system can finally function properly, you may notice improvements in sleep, behavior, immunity, and overall wellbeing.

Your Family Deserves Hope and Help

As a parent, you're your child's greatest advocate. You know your child best. If something feels off, trust that instinct.

The path forward doesn't have to include medications with scary side effects or feeling helpless while your child struggles. There is a different way---one that honors your child's natural healing capacity and addresses the root neurological dysfunction.

Please don’t wait to reach out to us today to schedule a consultation and INSiGHT scan.

We want to help you discover what's really going on with your child's nervous system. Your family deserves answers, hope, and a plan that actually works. Because at the end of the day, you're not just managing constipation— you're giving your child the foundation for lifelong health.