# Lactose intolerant and lactase



## skinny (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi,I've been experimenting with lactase enzymes from the Walmart brand Equate to Lactaid. Both have 9000 FCC worth of lactase enzyme. I found that taking the ezyme sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. I then experimented by eating an oatmeal bar or a sizeable meal at least 20 minutes before and taking a pill.Then I would take my dairy food with another pill or two. This seems to do the trick. I can tell if it is not working if I get a tiny rumble starting in my guts. LI manifests in me as LOTS of gas that can last for hours.I'm not sure if the Walmart brand and Lactaid work about the same. I heard that some people say that Lactaid works the best.I have taken pills before with the first bite of food, but it seems that the enzyme doesn't have enough time to mix with the food. I ate a chicken wrap with 3 slices of provolone and a pill and got minor gasiness.Does anybody else have tips having your dairy without GI consequences?


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Skinny,Years ago I tried taking the Lactaid pills to reduce my intolerance to dairy products but found the 'cure' was worse than the disease. I found it difficult to get the proper dose at the correct time. You have to get the Lactaid in your system at the right time before consuming the dairy product and you have to get the dose of Lactaid just right for the amount of dairy you are going to consume. I got it right maybe 25% of the time. It just wasn't worth the hassle. My solution? Eat very few dairy products!Bob


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## skinny (Jul 27, 2002)

That's interesting. I found that I have to overcompensate by taking enough pills not to worry if I've taken too little. I always try to taken more than necessary even though the instructions say not to take more than two pills.I know I'm stubborn and don't want to give up dairy. I wish there was a real cure. There is a temporary cure touted by a new product which is really enteric coated acidophilus with some lactase enzyme in it. Supposedly you can eat dairy during the day after taking 2 pills morning and night for one week and a maintinence dose of 1 pill afterwards. I haven't found any studies to confirm of such a thing...however some testimonies from Steven Carper's lactose intolerance page had some glowing remarks about the product.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Hi Skinny.I was just wondering how you were able to isolate the dairy intolerance to lactose intolerance. Are you sure it is not perhaps one of the other milk fractions? Not all milk-based products have much if any lactose in them after they have been processed into whetver they become by their specific process, and it is possible that the experience of still having symptoms with some dairy in spite of taking the enzyme suppplement could be linked to some other problem than the lactose.Could you tell em little more about the array of cow-joose-products you eat and what your symptoms are aftert they are eaten...have you ever gone 100% moo-joose free for, say 2-3 weeks and then challenged orally one product at a time (maximum one every five days follwed by a period to wash out the prior challenge)?It is surprising how much more "complex" cow effluvia problems can be than the lactose issue.Just thinkin gout loud of your struggles. I have to leave for home now but will stop by tomorrow. I am interested.MNL


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## skinny (Jul 27, 2002)

I'm not sure if I have a intolerance to other components of milk - whey, casein, etc. I never been tested nor do I have symptoms of hives allergic type reactions. Here's how I very certain it is lactose. Recently I ate a chicken wrap with 3 slices of provolone. I took a 9000 FCC lactase pill with it and thought it would cover the cheese. Well, 15 min later I felt a non painful rumble and I started to get gassy. I think some of the lactose from the cheese didn't have time to react to the pill. That's why I take it beforehand with a meal.My BMs have been coming out slightly constipated lately. I get pellet type stools and sometimes a semi-normal formed stool with some pellet pieces stuck on. I have 1-4 BMs a day.I have been avoiding dairy for a long time. I used to get gas from just about everything I ate, so I cut out dairy for a month. My stools tended to be more formed but soft.Here's some things I ate this week and last week:chicken sandwitch - took a 9000 FCC lactase pill (didn't know if the chicken was fried with butter), but later on ate a two brownies with another pill - no stomach rumblings and gas.chicken mixed veggies with tofu and tomatoes, pill, 20 minutes later Snickers bar and pill, after getting to work saw fresh baked Otis Spunkmeier cookies (3) and ate those with a pill. No rumblings or gas.oatmeal bar with a pill, 20 min later lemon bar with pill, 10 min later a buttercrunch bar with a pill. (I was testing my lactase hypothesis, but I really do have sweet tooth.







)oatmeal with a pill, 20 min later half a pill with my mom's rice - veggies and chicken mix. She used two TB of butter, so I had to protect myself.I have an strong craving for sweets, and the pills worked for a blondie with a vanilla ice cream scoop on top.







only if I took the pills at least 15 before hand. They work not so effectively on the first bite.Now I make my own chocolate milk with either Lactaid or soy milk, sugar, and cocoa. I have been making that for the past two weeks almost every day. Lactaid milk doesn't bother me.I know I have a lactose digestion problem (from what I observe) because after 15 minutes I feel a slight non-painful rumbling in my stomach and feel gas bubbles churning down my small intestine. I get giant whoooosh type non smelly farts.I would like to try a dairy free week and introduce one product at a time, but I was never suggested a protocol like that. How would I know I had a dairy intolerance? I couldn't figure that out from reading some sites on milk allergies.Mike, I recall you mentioning that the "Lactaid stops working"...wow, do you have people report that to you.My complications are: motility problems - pellet stools, frequent BMs, muscle twitching (usually starts at night), gas (usually starts at night but getting tamer and tamer perhaps to probiotic therapy).


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