[cardplayer]

I keep hearing about Probotics by Dr. Whitaker and Dr. Williams and wondered if any of you IBS sufferers like myself use Probotics and what results, if any, do you get ? Would appreciate hearing from some of you in regards to the use of Probotics. Thank you, JJ in Wisconsin

 

[21736]

been on them for a while now...nothing definate but i think ya gotta keep on em for a while...

 

[16621]

They seemed to make my problem worse _IBS-D...so I stopped taking them, have heard via this bulletin board and one other that I belong to, that ones symptoms sometimes can become worse with probiotics...so who knows - everyone has different reactions...guess you have to find out for yourself if it will be of benefit to you.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Biologically they should reduce the amount of gas produced by the colonic bacteria when carbs you do not digest get to the colon.How much this helps may vary.Some people do have issues with probiotics, but how much is the bacteria and how much are "prebiotics" causing problems is hard to figure out. A lot of probiotics add carbs that humans do not digest that are supposed to only feed the probiotic bacteria but do get eaten by other bacteria and this can increase gas especially at first.I take them and they dramatically reduce my fart frequency.K.

 

[Guest]

JJ - hi - I'm a 42 year old mum of 3 and I've had IBS (mainly C) for about 8/9 years and do use a probiotic from my Health Food shop and have done for about 2 years on and off. I wouldn't say the results are dramatic but I do think in my case that it calms the bowel a little and reduces the discomfort. I'm in the sunny old UK and use one called acidophilus if thats any help. Welcome to the site anyway.Sue, Manchester UK

 

[15814]

I've taken a prescription probiotic, "Flora Q". It didn't help my constipation, but I felt better. Before the Flora Q, my legs & arms felt like jelly, & I was tired all the time. I feel more sickly without hte Flor Q. I had attended a screening for a Phase II clinical trial for Mitemcinal Fumarate, (for IBS-C), in February. The coordinator gave me the breath test for bacteria in my small intestine, & it indicated that I had none, (even though I'm severely constipated). When she called the doctor at the pharmaceutical company, (who was supervising the trial), he told her that a probiotic is more potent than an antibiotic. He said I would have to be off the probiotic for 3 months to be considered again for the trial. The irony is that the screening questions had a lot of questions about taking antibiotics recently, & no questions about probiotics. So, Flora Q does wipe out the bacteria in your smaill intestine.

 

[18255]

I was taking a daily probiotic yoghurt drink, but advised by Dietician to stop taking them as part of dairy free diet. You can over here in the UK get probiotic multivitamins but I'm not sure if they serve the same purpose

 

[17176]

you and me both 2 worlds they made me put on EVEN MORE weight and gave me an upset tum im staying clear of them.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Um...it is normal to have very few bacteria in the small intestine.Normally you don't need to take anything to wipe them out. Even constipated people tend ot have normal transit through the small intestine (usually it is the colon that is the problem).I may be totally mistaken but I thought it was more common for people who have abnormal bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine to tend to diarrhea.At least some of the SIBO researchers believe probiotic bacteria are just as problematic for SIBO patients and tell them not to take them (but how solid that belief is I do not know as they use probiotics for this problem in animals....so it is not clear).Are they only including patients with SIBO in this trial? Just seems odd to require abnormal SIBO values....but that is just me, and I don't know the whole experimental design. The idea that IBSErs all have SIBO is controvertial so I don't wkno why they would only include SIBO patients.If your transit through the small intestine is anything approaching normal you shouldn't get different results after being off the probiotic....so I am confused by this.K.

 

[14422]

Yes, probiotics were MY saviour. Many times though, different probiotics work for different people. The first Metagenics probiotics I tried didn't work, the second ones were a miracle. So even within the probiotic realm, they are each different and it could take many trials to find the one that works for YOU. AND, probiotics may not be YOUR saviour at all, it could be something entirely different. I was just lucky that I found Dr. Dahlman who was astute enough to put me on the ID probiotics.

 

[19435]

Probiotics have helped me a lot. I have IBS-C and although the good ones can get expensive, it's worth it if you also are like me and have frequent bacterial infections...called bacterial vaginosis. You can try http://www.primaldefense.net. They are the best probiotics I have tried. Good Luck!

 

[Mom&Son]

My son was taking a probiotic that was dairy-free. They didn't have them at the store, so I got one that was made from vegies (and also dairy-free). He is having cramping and diarrhea like crazy now. The other helped him some, but this one is definitely not working for him. I read somewhere on this website and Heather's website about "Bifidobacterium infantis." I have been looking on the internet for it and found it is quite expensive. Does anyone know anything about this product? I have to admit that I am reluctant to buy the expensive stuff if it isn't going to help him (just divorced and low on money, ex thinks IBS is all in the head).