I have been leaking for 8 months and spoke with several ostomy nurses and nobody ever told me about this gelang product

That's a shame! I hope they help!

Hey, Eric

I was interested in the ingredients of these sachets because they are quite expensive and I didnt want to wait for my insurance to approve it (pre-authorizations are annoying). And I remembered I used to have a magic trick as a kid that used this super absorbent powder which looks just like this. Indeed it looks to be the same. I found Convatec's patent for their product, and it appears that it primarily contains sodium polyacrylate (the stuff that does the absorbing), zeolite (odor absorbing powder), and activated charcoal, which I believe is the stuff that makes it black.

Here's a link to the patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140330229A1/en

You can buy literally pounds of each ingredient on ebay for dirt cheap, like 1lb for around $15. All you really need is the sodium polyacrylate, but mixing with zeolite would help with odor. If anyone needs to use a lot of this stuff and their insurance doesn't pay for enough of them (or at all) I'd say you could go this route. Its all non-toxic stuff. I believe the patent page even lists the ratios for the ingredients. Each brand might have slightly different formulations in terms of odor control but I'd bet the primary ingredient in all of them is the sodium polyacrylate. Of course, sachets are easier to carry, but this can be carried in a bottle /w scooper, which is how it's also sold anyways for a huge markup.

Hope this was interesting or helps. I actually was going to ask YOU if you knew the ingredients but I guess I solved the mystery. None of the companies put the ingredients publicly on their site.

edit: For anyone wondering, Convatec's patent says: "The water soluble sachet comprises 2 g of sodium polyacrylate and 250 mg of zeolite" so that should be useful. Interesting to note is that they also mention a pouch with one of these sachets already attached inside it, but they dont seem to have ever put it into production. They also mention a better odor absorption ingredient called CW90 Zn made from zinc salts, which does not cause the black color like charcoal does. It's unclear why they still use charcoal though..perhaps due to cost. (edit: it wasn't as effective as charcoal in testing)

Also, just in case you want to pull a prank on your fellow ostomate, add some salt to their pouch beforehand. It will reverse the reaction and make it liquid again. (Just kidding dont do this)

Sincerely,
Eric in Parkland, FL

Hey Eric,

Yup, you found the secret! I've actually been working on a new article (since Feb 2018) sharing some DIY options and Sodium Polyacrylate is definitely on the list. 

A few things to keep in mind:

• Using this bagged stuff will be messy, unlike using sachets or capsules. Traveling will be even more awkward. 
• While these other ingredients may be cheap, gelling products are often covered by insurance companies and people should go that route first. 

I haven't explored any of the other ingredients as there's an element of risk/potential harm from misusing them. The Sodium Polyacrylate stuff is pretty harmless (just don't eat it!!), so that's one tip people can use without much worry. 

Thanks again for sharing that. I'll hopefully be posting my article at some point! 

Ileostomy fashioned this august, but im looking to use gelling agents to help keep the contents of my pouch at night to a tolerable level but am concerned about specific products having a negative effect on my houses septic system... is there an easy way i can figure out if an ostomy product is septic tank friendly?

Posted by: @sloth823

is there an easy way i can figure out if an ostomy product is septic tank friendly

That's a good question. I'd suggest contacting the manufacturer of whatever gelling product you're interested in, as they may already have an answer for you.

Generally speaking, the main ingredient in these products is Sodium Polyacrylate powder or beads, so that may be helpful in your quest for an answer.

Hi Folks, A building question 😁. I would say what you put in your pouch would have a very small impact on a septic tank even a private one for your own home. All waste water except storm drains goes through it. That’s dishwashers, Washing machines and showers. Think of all the cleaning agents used with those. When a tank is up and running the build up of bacteria can deal with a lot . A new tank can be temperamental for a while. The more environmentally friendly reed bed systems can filter run off water to a very high standard. If a private tank ever needs emptied never drain completely leave some waste to keep the bacteria going. Also the more environmentally products we use in our homes the better all these systems work. 👍