# Very sick after taking probiotic



## Krases

Around November 19th I started taking a probiotic called Primadophalis. Within a couple days I was feeling so sick that I had to miss an entire week of classes. I stopped taking the probiotic around the middle of last week and now I am finally feeling better after a variety of strange symptoms ranging from odd aches and pains, to coldness, to chest pains and a lack of appetite. My theory is that my immune system rejected the bacteria and gave me a small stomach flu. My brother thinks that the bacteria could have impacted the wrong part of my stomach, making me ill.


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## IanRamsay

hiIts callede the herx reaction. it is verry common and the only way to overcome it while taking the probiotics is to plow through it untill it stops after a week or two. The Herxheimer Reaction is a short-term (from days to a few weeks) detoxification reaction in the body. As the body detoxifies, it is not uncommon to experience flu-like symptoms including headache, joint and muscle pain, body aches, sore throat, general malaise, sweating, chills, nausea or other symptoms.This is a normal — and even healthy — reaction that indicates that parasites, fungus, viruses, bacteria or other pathogens are being effectively killed off. The biggest problem with the Herxheimer reaction is that people stop taking the supplement or medication that is causing the reaction, and thus discontinue the very treatment that is helping to make them better. Although the experience may not make you feel particularly good, the Herxheimer Reaction is actually a sign that healing is taking place.What Is The Herxheimer Reaction?The Herxheimer Reaction is an immune system reaction to the toxins (endotoxins) that are released when large amounts of pathogens are being killed off, and the body does not eliminate the toxins quickly enough. Simply stated, it is a reaction that occurs when the body is detoxifying and the released toxins either exacerbate the symptoms being treated or create their own symptoms. The important thing to note is that worsening symptoms do not indicate failure of the treatment in question; in fact, usually just the opposite. Ian


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## Krases

Well ####, I shouldn't have stopped then. My timing was off though because I should have waited until after my finals.Would it be ok to wait a week and start over with the probiotics? I will ask my doctor on top of this advise.Edit: Thanks for the advise! Many of my symptoms were just as described when I did more research into the herx reaction.


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## IanRamsay

HiProbiotics are generally harmless and you can stop and start them at random, although to get the best out of them you need to kepp on going for a few months. here is some info that i give everybody who is new to probiotics.the following strains have teh most research behind them in IBS studies with good positive outcomes in studies.L. bulgaricus, L. reuteri, L. plantarum, L. casei, B. bifidus, Lactobacillus Plantrum 299V, S. salivarius, and S. thermophilus and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, Biffidobacterium Bb12, Acidophilus La5, THERE ARE MANY MANY OTHERS though!here is some general info on taking them, if you dont already know it!They are best taken in the morning on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before food. ideally they should be taken for at least 3 weeks as it may take that long to see any results. although some people have a very good reaction in days. after 2 to 3 months they should be stopped for a while. if after a few days you start to notice that you can feel a physical difference or a worsening of your symptoms, start taking them again. other wise, there is no need to continue taking them untill you feel that you do need them. there isnt any harm in taking them as a permanant suppliment if they are taken is small numbers like in actimel or activia yoghurt, but if you are taking 10 billion cultures a day, it is good to give the body a break every now and then.also If at all possible, replace the FOS prebiotic with natural fruit and veg if you can tollerate it. FOS can play hell with the tummy in some people while it dosent bother others.After you start to take the probiotics, you may feel initially worse for a day to a week or so. this is called the herx reaction and unfortunately is perfectly normal. (Google it to get more detailed info). some people are not affected by herx and some are.if it gets too much though, just stopp teh probiotics for a few days and re start them at a half dose for a two weeks, then a three quarter dose for two weeks and then the full dose, and see how you get on with that.The Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 are showing very good results consistently for IBS and there is also emerging studies that may show it does good things for SIBO as well, teh Lactobacillus Plantrum 299V seems to get on very well with women for reasons as yet unknown (although i am hatching a theory or two!)if you can, try and avoid supermarket own brand probiotics and get them from a good healthfood store. if they are astronomically expensive, your probably paying for the name of the brand rather than anything else, so check the strains and ingredients against other brands so you dont spend more than you have to. personally i think all probiotucs should be free for all.Here is a list of probiotics and OTC products that containthem by strain.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProbioticYou should not take probiotics if you are seriously ill or have Serious panctriatic illness or if you are suffering from any illness which impares your imune system without taking advice from your doctor. CHeersIan


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## Ernie_

Krases said:


> Around November 19th I started taking a probiotic called Primadophalis. Within a couple days I was feeling so sick that I had to miss an entire week of classes. I stopped taking the probiotic around the middle of last week and now I am finally feeling better after a variety of strange symptoms ranging from odd aches and pains, to coldness, to chest pains and a lack of appetite. My theory is that my immune system rejected the bacteria and gave me a small stomach flu. My brother thinks that the bacteria could have impacted the wrong part of my stomach, making me ill.


Which Primadophilus product was this? Primadophilus reuteri? Primadophilus original? Primadophilus somethingelse?


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## Krases

Ernie_ said:


> Which Primadophilus product was this? Primadophilus reuteri? Primadophilus original? Primadophilus somethingelse?


Original. Thanks for the advice btw Ian. I can't afford another Herx reaction this week due to my final exams, but on Thursday I can restart the pro-biotics. I drank some peppermint tea which seems to help cleanse me faster. I am slowly getting better, but like I said I will wait until after finals to try the probiotics again.


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## Ernie_

Krases said:


> Original. Thanks for the advice btw Ian. I can't afford another Herx reaction this week due to my final exams, but on Thursday I can restart the pro-biotics. I drank some peppermint tea which seems to help cleanse me faster. I am slowly getting better, but like I said I will wait until after finals to try the probiotics again.


I have been using this product for years and I never got any Herx reaction. It might be that this product is not for you ... but I wish you luck if you are gonna give it a second try. Vacations are usually ideal for trying out supplements as you never know how they will work. Please post again in a month of so when u have made your final conclusion about this product.


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## Vinni

Hey guys since i have similar problems to the thread starter so i decided to "borrow" this thread instead of starting a new one.About a year ago i first tried using probiotics (recommended dosage) and for about a week things went smoothly but then all of a sudden i started having diarrhea, cramping, flatulence, chills, nausea. So i stopped using the probiotics and the symptoms went away.Now about a month ago i started drinking kefir (every morning) and similarly to the probiotic after 10 days i started experiencing similar symptoms. So this time i decided to use google and found out that these symptoms could be the so called herx reaction. So this time i didn't stop with the kefir immediately but continued to drink it for about a week which i guess was a mistake since the symptoms slowly worsen. This Saturday i decide to stop drinking kefir and now the symptoms are slowly disappearing. Once the symptoms completely disappear with what dosage should i start? Would half the recommended be OK.


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## Krases

Ok I have been taking the probiotic again for the past four days. It was at around five to six days that I started feeling very ill.I am taking two activated charcoal tablets a few hours after each dose of probiotic (which is only one time per day). This way I can hopefully soak up a lot of the toxins before it effects my body. I will also take one Benadryl every night to both help me sleep with some of the other symptoms I experienced last time and to increase blood flow which is one way of clearing out toxins faster. So far very minimal symptoms though the depression may be slowly coming back. I remember that as the most bothersome symptom. Tonight I will try to go out to dinner for the first time in many months.For science!


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## Ernie_

Ok. Please keep us updated. I wouldn't continue taking the probiotics if you still feel ill after 7-10 days. I would also quit the probiotics if you don't feel better (than before probiotics) within 2-3 weeks.


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## Krases

I went over it with my mom and realized that I was already feeling sick after about 3 days when I first took the probiotic. So far it has been 7 days and I don't really feel bad at all. I think the activated charcoal is really helping.I was able to eat at a restaurant for the first time in many months last night which felt like a victory for me. I decided not to go see Avatar though because I know that sitting there for so long would likely be too much for me and having to shuffle past so many people five or six times to hit the bathroom would drive me and a lot of other people crazy.


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## Ernie_

All right. If the Primadophilus Original helps, I would also recommend this product: http://www.amazon.com/Biogaia-Probiotic-Ch...8695&sr=8-1I would like to hear from you later whether any of these products were of any help at all.


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## Krases

On day 8 I stopped taking activated charcoal and now it is day 10. I am feeling ok so far and I have noticed some improvement in my lower intestines, namely that the constant nausea and discomfort has gone away. It feels like my stomach has reverted to how it was before my stomach ulcers two years ago. However, my upper digestive seems to still be annoying me. Urges to vomit, nervous belching and sick feeling when I eat still annoy me a lot.


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## Krases

Ok, as of today I have stopped taking the probiotic. It seems now that I have upper digestive issues instead of lower ones, so I need to figure out what to do about that. I see a stomach doctor on the 11th. I might just continue taking it again until I go to the doctor.


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## jenney

need to kepp on going for a few months. here is some info that i give everybody who is new to probiotics.the following strains have teh most research behind them in IBS studies with good positive outcomes in studies.L. bulgaricus, L. reuteri, L. plantarum, L. casei, B. bifidus, Lactobacillus Plantrum 299V, S. salivarius, and S. thermophilus and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, Biffidobacterium Bb12, Acidophilus La5, THERE ARE MANY MANY OTHERS though!here is some general info on taking them, if you dont already know it!They are best taken in the morning on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before food. ideally they should be taken for at least 3 weeks as it may take that long to see any results. although some people have a very good reaction in days. after 2 to 3 months they should be stopped for a while. if after a few days you start to notice that you can feel a physical difference or a worsening of your symptoms, start taking them again. other wise, there is no need to continue taking them untill you feel that you do need them. there isnt any harm in taking them as a permanant suppliment if they are taken is small numbers like in actimel or activia yoghurt, but if you are taking 10 billion cultures a day, it is good to give the body a break every now and then.also If at all possible, replace the FOS prebiotic with natural fruit and veg if you can tollerate it. FOS can play hell with the tummy in some people while it dosent bother others.After you start to take the probiotics, you may feel initially worse for a day to a week or so. this is called the herx reaction and unfortunately is perfectly normal. (Google it to get more detailed info). some people are not affected by herx and some are.if it gets too much though, just stopp teh probiotics for a few days and re start them at a half dose for a two weeks, then a three quarter dose for two weeks and then the full dose, and see how you get on with that.The Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 are showing very good results consistently for IBS and there is also emerging studies that may show it does good things for SIBO as well, teh Lactobacillus Plantrum 299V seems to get on very well with women for reasons as yet unknown (although i am hatching a theory or two!)if you can, try and avoid supermarket own brand probiotics and get them from a good healthfood store. if they are astronomically expensive, your probably paying for the name of the brand rather than anything else, so check the strains and ingredients against other brands so you dont spend more than you have to. personally i think all probiotucs should be free for all.Here is a list of probiotics and OTC products that containthem by strain.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProbioticYou should not take probiotics if you are seriously ill or have Serious panctriatic illness or if you are suffering from any illness which impares your imune system without taking advice from your doctor. CHeersIan[/quote]


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## jenney

Hi i have just started taken probiotic and i feel very sick and my mind feels fogy.I have a lot of bloating and burping before i took these but while taken probiotics i feel like iam ill could u please tell me weather i should stop taken them.


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## BQ

Jenney look above us here and please read Ian's response to the Original Poster. That should help you.


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## thadakk

Krases said:


> Around November 19th I started taking a probiotic called Primadophalis. Within a couple days I was feeling so sick that I had to miss an entire week of classes. I stopped taking the probiotic around the middle of last week and now I am finally feeling better after a variety of strange symptoms ranging from odd aches and pains, to coldness, to chest pains and a lack of appetite. My theory is that my immune system rejected the bacteria and gave me a small stomach flu. My brother thinks that the bacteria could have impacted the wrong part of my stomach, making me ill.


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## thadakk

I had a lot of problem finding a right probiotic for myself. So, I started with Enzymatic Therapy Acidophilus Pearls (Made in Japan). It does have only two strains but have no side effect at all( increased 1 pill up every month). Some articles say that we should take it with colostrum (high IG colostrum is recommended) to make sure it clings to gut wall. After taking these for four months, i feel like much better. I forgot to tell you my IBS mostly came from post stomach infection many years ago. Too bad, some IBS symptoms are still there, but i feel healthier and can do more excercise than before. Hope this help.


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