# IBS-C and probiotics



## Thund (May 15, 2015)

For all those who suffer of IBS-C,a question...can probiotics makes you feel worse?

For last seven days, I started to consume really often Sensia probiotic (bifidus naturalis) and probiotics in capsules called linex forte (bifidobacterium naturalis and lactobacillus acidophilus) and it seems I only feel more bloated and more pain in my abdomen.

Now I am thinking maybe it is because good bacterias are killing bad bacterias and that is why I feel worse, and need to stick to it for some time untill that feeling passes...or should I stay away from it, and it will only make me feel worse and worse?

Should I continue or should I stop? What is your story? Please help.


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## Cocobongo (May 16, 2015)

Hi,
I had a similar problem last year and I found out that the good bacteria doesn't kill the bad bacteria. In my opinion, you need to kill off the bad flora to make space for the good bacteria to colonise the intestine. Hence I would suggest ( which is what I am currently doing at the moment since I've been in terrible pain past few weeks):
For the first 10 days, stop all probiotic, replace with a non absorbed antibiotic, specifically Rifaximin 200 mg thrice a day
After the 10 day course is over, then start with your probiotics ( I recommend high doses, at least 80-100 billion)

In addition to the antibiotics that I took, I supplemented it with candigone ( antifungals) to ensue that the intestine was completely rid off bad bacteria and yeast as well, so that the colon was almost completely void of bad unwanted bacteria.

Hope this helps


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

Thund said:


> For all those who suffer of IBS-C,a question...can probiotics makes you feel worse?
> 
> For last seven days, I started to consume really often Sensia probiotic (bifidus naturalis) and probiotics in capsules called linex forte (bifidobacterium naturalis and lactobacillus acidophilus) and it seems I only feel more bloated and more pain in my abdomen.
> 
> ...


I tried probiotics (again) about a week ago, for several days. Won't take 'em again, they made me constipated.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

yes, some probiotics can make C worse because they work to firm up stool. from what i've read, it seems quite a few of them help more people with ibs-d than with ibs-c.

way back when i had an ibs-c diagnosis (which turned out to be a misdiagnosis), i tried a number of different probiotics--some of which were quite expensive. none of them helped my chronic constipation and some of them made me feel much worse--very gassy and bloated. so i finally stopped trying them.

but that was my experience. we're all different in how our bodies react to things, especially when it comes to probiotics and the gut microbiome. i've read posts from some people with ibs-c who say that probiotics did help them.

good luck. hope you can find something to help.


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## Elyse J Meyer (Feb 1, 2015)

I posted a similar thread a while ago. Basically what I said was that my Doc swore by Align. They're not *the* most expensivie probiotics out there but they're about $35 for a 4 week supply (one a day). I took them for about 5 months. I found that I had excessive flatulence and my constipation was not improving. So just for affordability (they're a little less expensive), I tried Jamieson. The flatulence and constipation were even worse! I finally just decided to stop taking probiotics at all just to see what would happen and even though I'm nowhere near feeling well, the excessive flatulence, bloating and constipation have improved. I have even stopped eating probiotic yogurt.

The confounding thing about this syndrome is that what works for one person doesn't work for another! Ugggh! Makes you want to rip your hair out, out of frustration and for all the $$ you've spent on endless "remedies" that don't work.

Anyway, like I said, that's just *my* experience. I'm no longer on any probiotics and it works for me.

Good luck. I wish you and all of us dealing with this horrible syndrome the best. And please keep us posted.

Take care.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Elyse J Meyer said:


> Makes you want to rip your hair out, out of frustration and for all the $$ you've spent on endless "remedies" that don't work.


oh i hear you, Elyse. on bad days (which are many) i just want to rip my colon out with my teeth.


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## Elyse J Meyer (Feb 1, 2015)

annie7 said:


> oh i hear you, Elyse. on bad days (which are many) i just want to rip my colon out with my teeth.


LOL. OMG! That's hilarious, annie7







. Thanks for giving me my "belly laugh" (pun intended) for the day. This may sound macabre, but on the really bad days, there are times when I seriously want to take a knife and rip my stomach open. Jeez, you have to laugh for not crying sometimes, eh?

But to Thund, I hope you don't think I'm making light of your situation. I truly empathize. It can be heII dealing with this. Oh and just so you know, now I'm having problems again with my teeth! I think that's what made me laugh so much about annie7's comment. I just look to the sky sometimes and think, okay, what the heck are you going to throw at me next? Jeez, it's hard sometimes and it makes me mad and sad all at once, I feel like I can't take it sometimes.









Anyway, please take care and just keep trying. It's all we can do. Again, please keep us posted. We all need to support each other. ((hugs))


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

Now that I just tried probiotics again and had bad results I'm thinking a lot of us think we need more of something when in reality we need less.

Food for thought.


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## Thund (May 15, 2015)

Hey guys, thanks for all your replies!

Cocobongo, you are taking antibiotics for the yeast right?

I have read somewhere that because antibiotics kills good and bad bacteria both, and there is a good chance yeast will inherit your bowels because there will be no good bacteria to defend the territory (sound kind of like street gangs, right) so it is recommended that antibiotics should be absorbed with probiotics.

What puzzles me the most that most of literature I read on IBS (actually its just one book) and most of stuff I have read on internet everyone commends probiotics. But I rarely saw someone talks about how it makes them worse. Why is that? Why doctors dont say that ?

In 2010 I used three weeks treatment with antibiotics for H. Pylori in my stomache, common cause of gastritis as you guys know. But somewhere at the end of the treatment I felt really really worse, my GIT was so bloated and painfull I couldnt move for days. It took couple of days, then it suddenly stopped, and I felt way better.

And just recently, I was wondering how and why bloating and gas incur (ok, I guess if there was no gas, then comedians wont have any fart jokes materials). Anyhow, it seems thas gas is actually just a toxic byproduct of bad bacterias in your gut. There are lots of them bad guys up there and they feed from chunks of undigested food and then just emit toxic. As I understand, the role of good bacterias is to fight them off. Please guys, if someone knows more about this stuff, feel free to correct me, I'm not an expert.

And I have also read when you kill those bad bacterias they release much more toxins than usuall. To asociate this with my H.Pylori treatment years ago, it seems very probably that I didnt feel bad these couple of last days because of my H. Pylori I killed, but because of yeast I killed in my gut, who released a great amount of toxins. Does that make any sense?

That is why I am wondering, why do some of us feel more bloated after probiotics? I mean, those are good bacteria, and it is in their nature to not produce toxins and therefor gas, right?

Anyway guys, thanks on your responses and I hope to hear you soon. Honestly, the more I know about this IBS and our gastro intestinal tract, the more seems a mis(t)ery to me.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

I'm guessing some of us feel more bloated after taking probiotics because it is our bodies way of telling us we don't need that inside us. Make sense?


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## ibsgen (May 13, 2015)

Probiotic do help my constipation (previously hard stool till anal fissure and bleed eventhough bowel movement everyday).

The probiotic that i take is powder form with below ingredient. I take eat with lunch everyday for 3 days, then i am able to see the effect of more complete bowel movement everyday.

lactobacillus acido and bifidobacterium bifidum and lactis and fructooligosaccharides

Here is the link i share my experience and diet to solve my everyday hard stool problem.

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/238514-my-constipation-story-and-solution/


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## Thund (May 15, 2015)

Flossy, that makes sense.

Ibsgen, it seems every one of us is different, even though if we have same diagnosis. I used to take almost the same pills with bacterias you described, and they didnt made me feel better, only worse.

I stopped to take Activia probiotics (with bifidobacterium i think) just for now, because it didnt made me feel better. But I must admit, kefir doesnt make me feel so bloated and painful in my GI tract, although I never used it almost on a daily basis. So, guys, try that. I am not sure how much it is helpfull with IBS, but it is a probiotic though. Now, I can say in Europe it is pretty common drink, so I cannot say is it so much accesible in USA and the rest of the world  I hope it is!


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## Thund (May 15, 2015)

Guys, from this day untill a week passes I will drink every day two bottles of kefir, one in morning and one in evening, and will tell you how will it go.

I am wondering, is the reason why some of us cannot tolerate yoghurts is that because they are not connected with probiotics, but because of our intolerance on dairy products and lactose (although little, there are still some parts of lactose in yoghurts) ?


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Yogurt needs to be fermented for 24h to get rid of all lactose. Kefir, 48h. A dairy-free alternative is home-made sauerkraut.


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## Wissey (Apr 25, 2015)

Hi all. Yes we are all different. I have been advised by 2 dieticians to use probiotics and Lynseed and both gave me nasty tummy aches and did nothing for the constipation. What has really confused the dietician I am working with at the moment is that un-approved food like burgers and alcohol seem to help my constipation where as healthy food like salad makes me i quite ill I also keep being told excercise will work wonders but no amount of swimming,walkingand charging around makes the slightest bit of difference. One day I will be found lying on the couch scoffing chocolate,chips and beer screaming"do your worst colon! I'm not trying to help you anymore!"( No I won't.I'll keep trying like everybody else,Pass the Tofu please.)


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Hi Wissey

i like your style lol...







and oh i hear you .

i can't eat raw vegetables like salad, either. which is too bad because i miss it but lots of fiber just makes my constipation worse. i eat my greens sauteed and veggies well cooked...

for a lot of us here, fiber is not our friend. yup--bring on the burgers--we're having them tonight for dinner, in fact.


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## Wissey (Apr 25, 2015)

Nice of you to say so Annie. Not all of my healthy friends apprecate my bowel jokes! If I didn't laugh at this nonsense I would be in a lot worse state than I am in now. Not that I would dream of laughing at anyone else's pain-I know it's real!!!!!

A bit of hope for anyone having a rough time right now-I have just managed my FIRST DAYTRIP in 7 months to my birth place of Oxford and had a great time even though I made a lot of toilet stops. Good days can happen(Honest)


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh you're right, Wissey. we do have to still hang on to our sense of humor while going through all this--it helps...

and congratulations on the successful day trip! good for you. and sounds like you had a lot of fun, too--that's terrific. i always have to make restroom stops on day trips too but it's worth it in the long run.

yes, good days can and do happen, despite it all.


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## EmmaLC1989 (May 18, 2015)

In my opinion, probiotics are a waste of money and time I don't believe for a second the so called bacteria in probiotics are even alive no matter what form you buy them in... tablet form, yogurts etc. All bacteria good and bad need sometime for them to survive and multiply and if they've been storied in a contained for a period of time, bacteria dies off pretty quickly.


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