# should i stop my probiotic?



## mjkj (Jul 25, 2007)

I suffer with gas/bloating. I can lead a pretty normal life when I avoid sugars and fructose, as well as all my allergies (soy, peanuts, rye, barley, dairy) I figured I try my first probiotic, it is called "ultimate flora critical care" w/50 billion cultures p/capsuleI took one between meals on friday and one on saturday......my intestines seem upset. I am bloated w/some gas, but have had normal stools due to good old granola, my head hurts a little too Not sure what to do, I started the probiotic on my own so I could stop it right? Any help/advice/experience from others would be appreciated. thank you!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Some people report more gas during the first week or so of starting one.There isn't any problem stopping them suddenly, but if you can hold out a few more days.Some people seem to stay gassier on them (especially ones that have prebiotics--which this one doesn't seem to have from a website I checked) but for most people if there is any gassiness it is a short term problem and afterwards they are much less gassy.K.


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## Mikeman (Mar 9, 2008)

Hi mjkj -- that's good that you're trying a probiotic for your gastro problems --- it seems like a lot of ppl are doing that, and more and more, doctors are recommending them as well. The only thing I would say be careful with which probiotic you choose...many of them are completely ineffective by the time you bring them home, and in many cases, you're just ingesting dead cells.I have never heard of "ultimate flora critical care" before, but I can probably guess that it is a bacteria-based probiotic that was sitting on the shelf. If that's the case, I will almost guarantee you that there are certainly NOT 50 billion live cells...there might be just millions at most, which, really, doesn't do anything to you therapeutically. Almost all bacteria probiotics should be refrigerated. Only the more effective yeast based probiotic (like Saccharomyces boulardii lyo) can be bought on the shelf without a fear of loss of potency. I have taken S.b.lyo before for my IBS (diarrhea predominant) and there is nothing like it -- it really works very well! None of the other probiotics like tuzen or align or any lactobacillus seemed to work at all.With that said, some people do say that probiotics help them for their gas, bloating and even constipation (which is kind of backwards, really! But some GI's claim it's true)! But this is more on a case-to-case basis and for most people taking a probiotic will not help with gas or bloating. If you're looking for something that's natural, there is a European product that has come to north america called "Iberogast", or STW-5. Apparently, the europeans and australians claim and that it works very well for all types of IBS. Seeing that there really isn't anything for bloating, it's worth a shot. I don't know what pharmacies carry it, but I've found it on eBay, and also on this site.... http://www.evitamins.com/product.asp?pid=13436Good luck with it! Please post your results on here -- I would love to hear how it works!


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## Cillian (Dec 17, 2007)

If you are supposed to be avoiding fructose then it is also a good idea to avoid Inulin as well. Most Probiotics use Inulin in them as a base to fuel the growth of the good bacteria. I avoid fructose and Lactose as well and have been using a probiotic made by Kirkman Labs that does not contain Inulin. It is called "Pro Bio Inulin Free" and I have been taking one pill per day since around the start of this year. I also try to eat healthier as well and am doing much better now than I was before. I definitely think that probiotics help but you should also try to eat healthy as well. I am not sure if there are any other Inulin free probiotics out there, it is worth giving the above mentioned a glance. Also the first 2 weeks or so it might seem to get slightly worse, I first noticed that I would wake up in the morning and be extremely thirsty for a couple days. I then went through a week or so where I kind a got some bad gas now and then and slight constipation, it goes away though. Just try to drink a fair amount of water (spring water if you can) and stick it out. Someone else said this in another thread and I believe it whole heartedly, you must be patient as it takes a while for your body to change, and anything you can do to help IE: eating healthier, exercising etc can only emphasize your results.


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## Lillett (Jun 4, 2006)

I went to the IBS TX Center in Seattle and Dr. Wangen prescribed me probiotics as my lab analysis showed very low good bacteria. He did warn me that I will have some excess gas from them but hopefully that will get better. He has me take them twice a day with meals. I would rec'd logging onto their site and and looking up the probiotic stuff.


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## IanRamsay (Nov 23, 2008)

HiWhat you are expeiancing is called teh herx reaction. Google it for more info.CheersIan


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