# Can you take too much of the probiotics?



## ewink (May 17, 2001)

And if so, how much is too much, and how much should you take for them to be helpful? I ordered PB8 probiotics (still waiting for them), and was wondering if anybody here knows how much I should take and when (with meals, in between...). Right now I am taking Jarro-Dophilus, which also has other probiotics as well as FOS. Would it be good to keep taking those also once I start the PB8 (these don't have the FOS, do they?), or would that be too much?Thanks,Edith


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## KateyKat (Jan 4, 2001)

Dunno the quantities to take but the FOS is what the acidophilus like to eat. So it would be better to take those .. instead (?)


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## Guest (May 31, 2001)

Hi Edith ...Just wondering why you are not sticking with the Jarro-Dophilus - do you feel it isn't helping you?If you do decide to switch to PB8 (many here swear by it), I would suggest it would probably be more economical to take a simple FOS supplement with it, if you also want to include those. As KK said, those friendly bacteria like to have something to feed on, although I think most of us here who take probiotics don't bother to take a _pre_biotic too ....Anyone know of any research which shows the benefits of these? K??Julie------------------*** Seeking *accurate* information in the fight against IBS ***


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## danik (Apr 2, 2001)

When my doc had me on probiotics she started with a minimal dose and increased it gradually. My recollection of how she explained it was that if you do too much too quickly you will get very sick. The probiotics will be killing off the bad bacteria and that will make your GI tract flare up.Start low, and increase slowly, hope this helps!


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## Guest (May 31, 2001)

I agree with Danik's comment. Personal experience has shown me that when I take probiotics after not taking them for a while, I'll sneeze alot the next day and feel ill a bit. Or, when my body is less healthy, i.e. when I'm not exercising regularly and basically not leading a healthy lifestyle, I take probiotics and I definitely feel it the next day with flu like symptoms. If I'm exercising alot, I have no ill effects the next day, or if I'm taking them daily, I can double the dose and don't feel any out of the ordinary the next day. So the key is a gradual increase if you decide to do so. As far as maximum dose, I don't know, but just go with what feels right to your instinct, that is the best guide sometimes, and of course don't leave out common sense







TH


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Ecological changes in the GI tract when you first start may or may not bother you.Once you fill all the ecological niches any additional bacteria you take will be pooped out, so the biggest overdose risk is to the pocketbook (ie wasting $$).K.------------------I have no financial, academic, or any other stake in any commercial product mentioned by me.My story and what worked for me in greatly easing my IBS: http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/Forum17/HTML/000015.html


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## Blair (Dec 15, 1998)

I get Ill with Flu-like symptoms as mentioned above. So I don't take them at all. I also don't beleive they kill off bad bacteria. For example, I can take Amoxicillion which will kill off alot more bacteria than probotics and not get Flu-Like symptoms at all. I've tried many different types, in my opinion if they are even alive I'll get sick, if they are not, nothing will happen. The expensive refigerated types make me sick so they are probably alive. Acidophillus GGS also makes me sick. Mountain High yogurt makes me sick, yoplait does not. freezed dried capsules don't make me sick, so they have dead bacteria in them.I suppose you could try to make yogurt out of probiotics and that would tell you if they are viable. I don't have the burning desire to do this myself. To me there are no friendly bacteria. Personally wasted alot of my time taking probiotics, and got sick to boot. Depends on your paticular "IBS" I suppose.


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Mar 20, 2001)

My probiotic experience has been similar to Blair's. I have had somewhat unpleasant reactions the few times I've tried them, and it's worse with the refrigerated, potentially living, variety.


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## linr (May 18, 2000)

Interesting. I was just thinking about this as I stared taking a probiotic and had major D for 2 days. The kind that just won't quit. I wasn't sure if it was the IBS acting up or because of the probiotic. Also the day after the D stopped I came down with a cold and have been sneezing my head off. My husband had was sick and was put on amoxicillin so he started taking the probiotica also. He has had no negative affects from it. So am I more sensitive to it than he is or am I just plain ol' sick ?


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Time for my 2 cents - when I read that probiotics are good for fructose malabsorption I tried them and it helped a lot. I took a capsule with acidopholus and bif-something, and my pains were much better but not completely gone. The same week I started them I got a little sniffly and feverish. I didn't connect this at the time, it doesn't make sense? Then the next weekend I happened to be at WF and saw PB8, thought I'd try it. It reduced my IBS symptoms even more, but the next day I came down with a virus that's going around. While I was sick (3 days) I noticed whenever I ate a cookie I got bad pains. On Wed. I saw this thread and stopped taking PB8. Since I got up and around again Thurs., I've been trying a sugar free diet and that's helping more than anything. Just think of suffering all these years, if it was sugar all the time, how sickening! I'll kick myself.I plan to keep using probiotics (gradually) if the symptoms return, but it looks like the sugar free diet will help.I just want to mention again the article I saw from the Israel Medical Journal that studied IBS patients and found less than 10% can absorb the sugars fructose and lactose. (in the thread Malabsorption of Sugars). This means avoiding dairy, fruits, juices, juice-type drinks, anything with the ingredient "high fructose corn syrup" and table sugar. So far molasses and pure maple syrup don't seem to bother me.


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