Macrogol came into use as a bowel prep in 1980 and was approved for medical use in the United States in 1999.[6][7][8] It is available as a generic medication and over the counter.[1][9] In the United Kingdom it costs the NHS about £0.14 per dose as of 2019.[1] In the United States the wholesale cost of this amount is about US$1.40.[10] In 2017, it was the 162nd most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than three million prescriptions.[11][12] Typically it is formulated together with electrolytes.[13]