# Rx vs. OTC?



## CT1987

Hello everybody. To everyone who has suffered from IBS for such a long time, I really do feel for you. I am 20 years old and I started showing signs of having IBS about 6 or 7 months back. I had chronic constipation all the time. But I added a lot of fiber to my diet and I became regular again. But the past 2 months have been rough because I have been sick with assorted illnesses. And I was also sick with Gastroenteritis in July. I think that is what really helped cause my IBS. And a doctor also put me on Amoxicillin which really screwed my digestive system up too. So my digestive system has been through hell and shows no signs of returning yet. This all really started to get bad about 2 weeks ago. I became constipated again. So I kept my fiber intake high as usual and it really wasn't helping. But then on Wednesday of last week, I went to the bathroom about four times with bad diahhrea. I had bad stomach cramps and bad gas. On Thursday it was alright because I always watch what I eat.I was still having diahhrea though. But on Friday it flared up terribly because I was stuck eating fast food for dinner. I haven't been diagnosed with IBS yet though. Me and my family really can't afford to pay for all the visits and tests to see if I have it. I am 99 percent sure I do though. My question is would it be worth it to go see a doctor about it and get some prescription probiotics, or just buy some OTC probiotics?Thanks for reading my story and feedback is much appreciated.-Chris


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## Kathleen M.

I don't know that any of the probiotics are by prescription only.Some doctors know a fair amount about dietary supplements and others do not, so I'm not sure if your doctor would be one who could recommend a good one or not.Align, VSL#3, Digestive Advantage, Culturelle, Florastor and others are fairly good OTC products. It is hard to know sometimes which products tend to always have live bacteria and which ones have production problems. Price doesn't always mean you get a good product.


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## CT1987

Thank you so much for the reply. I was just reading some stuff about IBS and a "doctor" was saying that presciption probiotics are always better than OTC ones. But I'm sure that people who suffered from it know more. Do you have a personal favorite OTC probiotic?


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## Kathleen M.

I just don't know which ones are by prescription only (and some doctors will write prescriptions even for OTC stuff).I find all the brands that seem to work well for people here that I have tried pretty similar in effectiveness.Digestive Advantage is nice because it doesn't need refrigeration.VSL#3 and Align both seem to do well in clinical trials.Culturelle has some clinical data as well (can't remember if that was for patients with IBS like the two listed above).There is still a certain amount that seem to work better for some people than others, so it is hard to predict what would work for you.


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## Guest

Hi Chris,Severe "D" and use of antibiotics... I recently tested (got call Saturday from Doctor) positive for C. Difficile. Simple stool test. Maybe everyone should be tested for this.Prescribed Flagyl (Metronidazole 500 mg 3 x's per day). Cheapest and 1st line of defense.Also, I have never heard of prescribed probiotics either. Taking an OTC Jamieson Acidophilus but my health consultant said I was wasting my money. Health food stores in the fridge are very expensive though provide some 25-35 billion active cells vs. OTC's 2 billion. Heard great things about Align from Proctor & Gamble. It's available online or through pharmacies in the US. A lot cheaper than Health food stores.Metamucil... fibre helps. I am now taking amitriptyline & effexor to calm my stomach. Dicetel and a controlled narcotic for IBS. I suffer with severe IBS-D. Good luck Chris. This site is a great tool. Best to find a knowledgeable doctor.Tony (nice guy in Canada)


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