Has anyone had any adverse effects from probiotics?

[karl]

has anyone had any adverse effects from probiotics?

i'm thinking about starting to take some probiotic vitamins. currently on a pred taper for the next few weeks and also on AZA and pentasa

anyone had any drug interactions or side effects from them?

also, recommend a brand and where i can pick them up? thanks

 

[Shakedown]

man.... had a doc give me a week sample of one (the brand name escapes me) took one and for some reason didn't take anymore. I was in pretty bad shape though when I took it. Also I didn't wanna come off $30 a month for something I wasn't sold on that I needed. I take a number of other supplements and didn't feel the probiotic was adding anything.

But that is me and for another person it might make a world of difference. It's my option with this disease, that is you have the finances available and are willing, might as well try it. Anything to stay off the meds with side effects that could be worse than the disease we have.

 

[D Bergy]

I have not heard of any adverse reactions, but probiotics did not seem to help me in any noticeable way. Others have been helped by them so it is an individual type thing, like most other treatments.

Killing bad bacteria was the ticket for me.

VSL 3 has the most bacteria in it by far. I do not know of any other that comes close. I think that probiotics may have to be used for quite some time before they have a lot of effect, but that is just my theory.

I used Primal Defense, but it is not as good as VSL 3.

Dan

 

[Kev]

well, couple of quick points to consider. Probiotics take time, like weeks, even months... and they can result in increased flatulence... good living organisms will do that... just like bad ones. The goal is to have the good outnumber the bad.... eventually. Problem is the bad seem more prolific..harder to get rid of. The good seem to perish in droves if we take meds or a/b's. So, if you try this, give yourself a minimum of 4 - 8 weeks to see any benefits.. could be as vague as just feeling a smidge better. and it might be confusing if you experience more gas, and pain therefrom, in the interim.

2nd point... a recent study showed that single version probiotics worked better than multiple varieties... despite the pro-biotic makers advertising just the opposite. The theory is that multiple good biotics compete against each other... whereas if you just keep pumping the same strain of good guys in.. they will eventually flourish. The article.. or a news story on it, is in the forum somewhere.. you may want to check it out.. (like, "I" wouldn't trust my memory). So, if some fancy pro-biotic peddlar tries to sell you the 'best' combination of various strains of probiotic available in one little pill, it MAY be the best collection available... but (if the study is right, and it do seem to make sense) it probably won't work as well as taking a generic type with only 1 strain in it..

Finally... many pills... meds, vitamins, you name it... have a filler/binder agent in them.. and lactose is commonly used. Many folks with IBD either are lactose intollerant, or lactose sensitive. I am very lactose intolerant. I found out just how intolerant when I'd eliminated all but one source of it. I was still getting these odd bouts, and they held to a distinct schedule. Then I found out my major brand name, best of the best vitamins, had this lactose in them... switched to a no name brand w/o lactose, those 'funny' timed bouts disappeared. If you think you are lactose sensitive, you might want to check to ensure your pills, including probiotic vitamins, are lactose free.

 

[BWS1982]

Well I'm on 2 immunosuppressants Remicade and AZA, and my doc won't allow me to take probiotics because he says they can mess with the balance if you're immunosuppressed. He didn't want to add any complications on top of what I've got. I'd have to ask him exactly how they're a bad idea for more info than "messing with the balance", but for now I've been not taking the ones I have...

 

[Guest]

the only probiotics i've ever taken are those found in the pro- and pre- biotic yoghurt drinks - and i am absolutely convinced they helped me at a very bad time. i'd picked up a severe stomach bug whilst in hospital, which months later left me with IBS symptoms on top of everything else. my stomach looked like i was pregnant, i couldnt eat, felt sick constantly and had belly ache. in desperation i bought loads of those yoghurt drinks, and i'm not kidding, after just one day my stomach felt soothed, i kept on them, and it wasnt long before the symptoms faded. i've also introduced my mum to them, she suffers from IBS and acid reflux, and they've helped her too.

 

[dad_01]

well, couple of quick points to consider. Probiotics take time, like weeks, even months... and they can result in increased flatulence... good living organisms will do that... just like bad ones. The goal is to have the good outnumber the bad.... eventually. Problem is the bad seem more prolific..harder to get rid of. The good seem to perish in droves if we take meds or a/b's. So, if you try this, give yourself a minimum of 4 - 8 weeks to see any benefits.. could be as vague as just feeling a smidge better. and it might be confusing if you experience more gas, and pain therefrom, in the interim.

2nd point... a recent study showed that single version probiotics worked better than multiple varieties... despite the pro-biotic makers advertising just the opposite. The theory is that multiple good biotics compete against each other... whereas if you just keep pumping the same strain of good guys in.. they will eventually flourish. The article.. or a news story on it, is in the forum somewhere.. you may want to check it out.. (like, "I" wouldn't trust my memory). So, if some fancy pro-biotic peddlar tries to sell you the 'best' combination of various strains of probiotic available in one little pill, it MAY be the best collection available... but (if the study is right, and it do seem to make sense) it probably won't work as well as taking a generic type with only 1 strain in it..

Finally... many pills... meds, vitamins, you name it... have a filler/binder agent in them.. and lactose is commonly used. Many folks with IBD either are lactose intollerant, or lactose sensitive. I am very lactose intolerant. I found out just how intolerant when I'd eliminated all but one source of it. I was still getting these odd bouts, and they held to a distinct schedule. Then I found out my major brand name, best of the best vitamins, had this lactose in them... switched to a no name brand w/o lactose, those 'funny' timed bouts disappeared. If you think you are lactose sensitive, you might want to check to ensure your pills, including probiotic vitamins, are lactose free.

Kev - thanks for the great detail on this aspect of probiotics. This is an aspect that I had not come across, and definitely want to look into, as I consider probiotics for my son.

 

[Mazen]

I tried probiotics a couple of times and they gave me bad and painful gas so I stopped. But I can handle yoghurt fairly well. Goat's yoghurt is the best for me for some reason...

 

[dad_01]

Well I'm on 2 immunosuppressants Remicade and AZA, and my doc won't allow me to take probiotics because he says they can mess with the balance if you're immunosuppressed. He didn't want to add any complications on top of what I've got. I'd have to ask him exactly how they're a bad idea for more info than "messing with the balance", but for now I've been not taking the ones I have...

I'm also interested because my son recently started remicade treatment and I'm interested in probiotics for him also.

 

[Joshua_A_B]

I agree with dingbat: yogurt helped me out alot as well. It seemed to help regulate the constant diarrhea I was having when I was first showing symptoms of Crohn's. We have to listen to our bodies though and if some doesn't "feel" right then it probably isn't.

 

[AbstractDonut]

Me thinks the problem with pro is that there are so many different bacteria and the majority are untested. Like Kev said some don't work well together, and some actually help each other out. Some help you produce the stuff that helps you digest milk, some help fight other bacteria, some cause diarrhea.

 

[dad_01]

Can anything medically dangerous happen from the use of probiotics?

 

[BWS1982]

Dad_01, I don't know about "medically dangerous" but to reiterate my previous post:

Well I'm on 2 immunosuppressants Remicade and AZA, and my doc won't allow me to take probiotics because he says they can mess with the balance if you're immunosuppressed. He didn't want to add any complications on top of what I've got. I'd have to ask him exactly how they're a bad idea for more info than "messing with the balance", but for now I've been not taking the ones I have...

I still have yet to get a chance to ask on details to his instructions.

 

[AbstractDonut]

I don't really think anything bad will happen worse then some nausea and diarrhea, and that is a worst case scenario.

 

[SophieL]

Well I'm on 2 immunosuppressants Remicade and AZA, and my doc won't allow me to take probiotics because he says they can mess with the balance if you're immunosuppressed. He didn't want to add any complications on top of what I've got. I'd have to ask him exactly how they're a bad idea for more info than "messing with the balance", but for now I've been not taking the ones I have...

It never occured to me to ask whether probiotics were a good idea or not. I'm on aza, but while yoghurt seems to help (or at least not mess anything up) I have noticed looser BMs since I've started taking a generic probiotic - and I haven't got a form of CD which causes diarrhoea. I might stop taking those and see if that makes any difference.