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Probiotics??

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 2/26/2011 10:18 PM (GMT 0)
My GI put me on Levaquin and Augmentin (had some trouble with the Flagyl) for the next month to see if my abscess clears up. The pharmacist today recommended that I take probiotics. I spent about an hour at a health food store looking through the refridgerated case trying to pick one. There were some there that cost 75 bucks for a 7 day supply!!! shocked

Can anyone help me with types of strains are good for Crohnies? Or how many billions of cells I should look for per capsule? What are some good "stronger" brands? I mentioned Cultrelle to the pharmacist and she told me to go get something "much, much stronger then that."
Posted 2/26/2011 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
I have used a few different probiotics for my Crohn's that I like, but may not be strong enough with those antibiotics. Currently I use Culturelle and really like it and think it has helped my Crohn's, but again I haven't taken it while on antibiotics.

I haven't used Florastor, but I know it is recommended for use with antibiotics because it is a yeast probiotic so it is more resistant to antibiotics. There has also been a study I think on its effectiveness for Crohn's disease. I would probably take a good probiotic and also eat yogurt a couple times a day.
Posted 2/26/2011 10:35 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, and to me at least for effectiveness and bang for my buck I think making sure the probiotic is enteric coated or on the label it mentions the encapsulation being effective against stomach acid so that it mostly releases in the intestine. I have used Enzymatic Therapy Pearls before, they have a higher potency one that might be good while on antibiotics. Pearls Elite. My mom uses these when on antibiotics and my dad has UC and likes pearls. These don't have as high a count only 5 billion, but I think it is an effective billion because of the enteric coating. My own opinion (I am not an expert :) the probiotics that have a clear or just gelatin casing can say they have 25 or 50 billion, but I don't think even close to that amount make to your intestines after the digestion process.
Posted 2/26/2011 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
blush  This reply goes out to tooth: I've taken Probotics for my Crohns for years!!, and I've taken alot of different kinds, but I do know there alot of different strains of Probotics out there and I don't thin k I would buy Culturelle or Align, as I don't think they work very good. The kind I've always used as an old standby is put out by KyoDophilus- it has L. acidophlius, and Bifidobacterium, and Bifidobacterium longum, which is 3 of the more important strains you need to be taking.  It has 1.5 billion cells, which are good. Any time that you take an antibiotic especially you need to make sure you take this, as you probablyn know, you get rid of all the good bacterica, and replenish it with the bad stuff. I take mine usualy with a meal and before I go to bed. But they say the best time to take a probotic is before you go to bed, so it can give those probotics a chance to work better. But on my bottle is says take one with a meal, and it's not going to hurt you if you want to take one at bedtime too. It probably wouldn't hurt either to take a digestive ensyme with your meal as well, as with Crohns, it helps us better to digest our food. Hope this helps tooth and let me know what you decide on. Take care--Silvergriz--
Posted 2/26/2011 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
One of my GI's recommends Align, which can be a bit pricey. My other GI recommends PB8, which is about half the price. I have had good results with both. I have tried other brands and not had any luck. I really think it is kind of a hit or miss thing. What works for one of us, doesn't always work for the other.

If you are a member at a wholesale club, you can try to get them there. I can get a 60 day supply for $48 instead of $60 at the drug store. The PB8 runs me about $15. Honestly I can't really tell the difference.
Posted 2/27/2011 1:48 AM (GMT 0)
I gave my daughter Primodophilus reuturi, by Natures way. It was recommended by another member. I think it works but I guess it's very subjective. 
Posted 2/27/2011 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
I would recommend making homemade yogurt and allowing it to ferment for 24 hours. Do a search for sCD yogurt. Trust me it will help. Another route is VSL3.
Posted 2/27/2011 2:28 AM (GMT 0)
VSL#3 is excellent but pricey. But if you have medical insurance then you can get it by prescription and have the insurance offset the cost. Saccharomyces Boulardii can be bought by itself and is in the brand name Florastor. S Boulardii is especially effective with your antibiotics because it is a probiotic yeast and therefore immune from antibiotics. This helps prevent C Diff from taking over in the space vacated by the bacteria killed by the antibiotics.

It also has rigorous research backing it up along with E. Coli Nissle (brand name Mutaflor).

I like mixing VSL3 powder with psyllium fiber. But just like meds, some probiotics work better for some than others. Many people on the ulcerative colitis forum find probiotics very helpful. You can browse our signatures to see what each individual prefers (or can afford).
Posted 2/27/2011 7:20 AM (GMT 0)
I am likely the other member that 73monte is referring to...I used to take primadophilus reuteri but they increased their price by tripple and that was not cool so I decided to try Sangster brand called ProBio TX-11 and decided that if it didn't work as good as the PR then I'd go back to the PR, but thankfully it works just as well and in fact possibly better. I say possibly better because during my periods my CD gets way crazy with looser stools, more frequency and discomfort but since switching to the Sangsters ProBio brand, things are calmer during my period than they used to be.
That said, it's still often trial and error since we're all so different what works for some doesn't work for all but one thing for sure, researchers even suggest that probiotics are essential daily and indefintely for IBDers as well as IBSers.
Posted 2/27/2011 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
I also took the primadophilus reuteri but decided I wanted a change. I did tons, and I mean tons of research and settled on the Ultimate Flora Critcal Care. So far I like it, but it's only been about 5 days. I can already see changes (I won't say on here because it's kind of gross) but the bad gut stuff has to come out somewhere! Good luck to you :)
Posted 2/27/2011 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
I take Primadolphilus Fortify and it works wonderful for me. I took Primadolphilus Reuteri for a long time, but have found the Fortify has more of the good bacteria in it. Just be sure to take them at least 2 hours after antibiotics. Hugs!
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