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IBS-D is probiotics the way to go?

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 7/11/2007 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
hi. i am new to the forum and was just diagnosed with IBS-D after having it for years. i have an appt with my gastro doc in a week to go over possible meds, but i would really like to keep it natural if possible. are probiotics a good first option? is it true that you have to take them 6 times a day? is there anything else you should take as well?

i would love any advice...

thanks so much!
Posted 7/12/2007 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hi phed17,
Welcome to HealingWell!!! You have come to a great place with lots of friendly people that are both looking for help, and willing to help. :-)

Yes, absolutely probiotics are a good place to start. They promote healthy digestion and, aside from gas at first, have no side effects. Do you eat yogurt? Starting with a yogurt that has lots of live cultures (like Dannon Activia) is a good place to start. If you'd rather stay away from dairy, you might want to try taking probiotic supplements, like Culturelle or Digestive Advantage or Acidophilus pills. All great!
No, that is not true you do not have to take it 6 times a day. Your gas and bloating could become astronomical if you take 6 in 1 day. One a day is fine. You start to build up a tolerance and then you can increase your dose. But, like I said, 1 a day should be good. I actually take 2 pills a day (2 different strands of cultures) just because I feel "more is more" not "less is more."

Are you in a lot of pain with your IBS? How were you diagnosed, were you scoped?

Again, welcome to the club!
Posted 7/12/2007 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
thanks for your reply. i had a colonoscopy and my doc found nothing. i am still going to have an endoscopy next week to be sure, but he is pretty sure it is IBS. i don't have much pain, gas or bloating- just random and reoccuring diarrhea. it is usually related to stress, but at times it is completely random. i also kept a food journal for months and found no connection to foods making me sick besides the general ones- caffeine, dairy, grease which i have eliminated a long time ago.
Posted 7/12/2007 1:30 AM (GMT 0)
Phed17,
You've been doing all the right things... Way to go! Like you said, I think stress is a (large) contributing factor. That must be why antidepressants work for IBSers, they are calmers. Anyway, because I didn't have much pain with my IBS my doc gave me a pamphlet, told me to take fiber supplements, and sent me on my way. Don't be surprised if your doc doesn't do too much more than that with you. I actually heard about probiotics on this website and it was the best thing I've done for my IBS yet.
Hopefully it will help you too.
Posted 7/12/2007 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
Some brands of probiotics require up to 6/day but I havegreat successs with the one I use which only calls for 1/day but it must be kept refridgerated...it's called primadophilus rueteri made by natures way...google it for more info...probiotics are definitely a good thing for IBSers.


:)
Posted 7/12/2007 2:44 AM (GMT 0)
My bad! Thanks for the update, pb4. :-) *blushing* I had never seen a probiotic that calls for more than 2 recommended doses in 1 day.
Posted 7/12/2007 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
No problem 7Lil :)

I know the floraQ I bought said to work up to 4 or 6/day and I thought that was too much when I was getting such relief from one/day of the primadophilus....especially when a 90 cap bottle of the rueteri lasts me 90 days comparted to a 30 cap bottle of the floraQ at up to 6/day.



:)
Posted 7/12/2007 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
this is all amazingly helpful!! so glad i found this forum.

so if i take 1 primadophilus rueteri made by natures way each day is that all i should start with or should i also take acidophilous?

thanks!!!
Posted 7/12/2007 5:11 AM (GMT 0)
Phed,
I'd definitely just start with 1 pill. Give your body time to adjust and then try increasing if your D doesn't get any better. When I first started I took 1 pill a day for the first 3 weeks... I think that's about how long it took for me to get over the bloating and gas. Then I bumped it up to 2 pills. THEN, after a few months I threw in a Dannon Activia yogurt too. I say you can't get enough "good" bacteria but you can sure get enough of the "bad."
By the way, don't be afraid to experiment with probiotics. I found that Acidophilus pills gave me way too much gas. I was constantly bloated and flatulant and even burpy, it was gross and unbearable. If you feel too super uncomfortable with the 1st probiotic you try, get another.
Posted 7/12/2007 5:33 AM (GMT 0)

Mmm...me love Dannon Activia.  Strawberry especially.  Mmm.

Lil is the Probiotics Queen.  She knows her stuff about this!  Everyone is different and will respond to everything differently.  I'd second Lil's idea that you should build up slowly; that way you can also see which brand helps you the most.

Posted 7/12/2007 3:59 PM (GMT 0)
Primadophilus has acidophilus in it...you should be good with only having to take it without adding others, but only add others one at a time, giving each a fair chance to work. Regardless if you notice improvements or not, a good probiotic will put the balance back in your gut flora.


:)
Posted 7/12/2007 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
thanks all! i just ordered my probiotics and will keep you posted!!!

i really appreciate all responses. so helpful to find people with similar ailments!!

XOXO
Posted 7/12/2007 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck!!! Let us know how they work for you. :-)
Posted 7/12/2007 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
When you start getting D, you can also try taking a calcium supplement: Caltrate 600 w/vitamin D was the one that Inape discovered (though a lot of research!) to be the best for D. Calcium, you see, is naturally constipating; it soaks up water in the intestines. I would take one pill a day until you see if that is enough to help with the D. Two is the usual dose, but you don't want to start out with that in case you don't need much and it constipates you. Three is the upper limit, and you should only take three if you have really bad D AND you aren't getting calcium from somewhere else. There is such a thing as too much calcium; it makes your kidneys work harder, trying to filter it out.

Anyways, try that too. Since your D comes and goes, you may have to go on and off of it as needed; it may constipate you when you are being normal. There's nothing at all wrong with that.
Posted 7/12/2007 8:42 PM (GMT 0)

Hi phed.  Welcome!

   I second the Caltrate Plus.  I couldn't live without it.  If I miss 1-2 pills, my diarrhea is back.   I find the activia constipating, but sometimes I take it instead of the Caltrate.  

   I've never found probiotics to be much help to me.  I don't know why.  Maybe I just haven't found the right strain yet.  Be sure to try different ones if the first one gives you trouble or doesn't seem to help.

   That's interesting about the Flora Q.  I've been taking 1 a day for a month and didn't realize I should be going up.  That stuff is expensive!

   I'm still playing with the idea of buying some Kefir grains.  They're supposed to be even better than probiotics.

   Again, welcome!

Posted 7/12/2007 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
ever hear of VSL#3?

4 billion lil bugger's at around 80 smackers that can be taken 2-4 packs a day depending on bowl movement? yogurt agrees, or not and this is a way better pro than the sales of thatyogurt on the market? dannon
Posted 7/14/2007 4:45 AM (GMT 0)
What is the actual definition of diharrea? I have been constipated and woozie for days and am currently having cramping and lots of going! It started out very solid, but now is pretty loose. It usually stops in an hour or so. Is that actually diharrea? im so confused.
Posted 7/14/2007 10:15 AM (GMT 0)
between your S.I. and L.I. you got air pockests that is the problem not having Digestives there
Posted 7/15/2007 6:01 AM (GMT 0)
Scared,
Diarrhea is loose stool. It can be frequent or unfrequent; the constant is just that it's extremely soft and sometimes watery.
Posted 7/15/2007 9:55 PM (GMT 0)
so far no one know vsl#3 lol
Posted 7/18/2007 8:21 AM (GMT 0)
If you've got the money, try VSL #3. Each dosage contains 450 billion live bacteria, certified.
Posted 7/18/2007 8:45 AM (GMT 0)
that is what I said? a very expensive prduct that has diffrent tasites? a glass ofwater and live culture

wonder if there are just a handful of people that kee p to themselves here?
Posted 9/24/2007 9:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hi im a newbie to this site, i highly recommend VSL#3, My D has reduced from around 20 to about 3 per day! Urgency & bloating has also reduced. Yes its very expensive & not very tasty. But to me its worth every cent. I saw results within the first 10 days. Id love to hear from any1 else who has tried it.... good luck 

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