How much probiotic is enough?

For IBD sufferers, yes... you need high doses to be effective because the inflammation, pain, bleeding are an indication of an extreme imbalance. However, you may want to start at a low dose and ramp up gradually to avoid any discomfort or too strong of a die-off.

I haven't seen any real consensus on when. It makes sense to me to split them up or just take more of them more often. Also good to supplement these beneficial microbes with prebiotics, their food source--soluible fiber, basically (currently i'm taking a psyllium powder). This will also help them flurish and may turn your 10s of billions into trillions (they multiply rapidly). I often mix mine up in some yogurt or kefir, though taking a supplement an hour before a meal may help.

nightowl, make sure to look for bacterial count (I think it is CFUs). Numbers seem to help and the type of probiotic is the other major factor.

If you have a stricture, I wouldn't recommend psyllium--it adds bulk and can be irritating for some.  I think fiber is best added when you are not in a severe condition, while cooking your food until it is very soft is a good idea.  Smaller amounts for now seem best.  Other sources of soluible fiber are pectin, FOS, inulin, and others that don't come to mind. Yogurt and cultured milk can be a good source of probiotics if you can handle the diary (plus the calcium helps the efficacy), just look for "live and active cultures" and if they list a variety of bacteria, this is the best in my opinion.  I prefer avoiding standard sugar, but honey or a stevia sweetner is best, though it takes some getting use to. I have a hard time recommending any one specific probiotic and have tried many different types, though there is some good research on specific ones (VSL3, culturelle, florastor and others), it seems good to find one that seems like a quality product, take at least 30 billion colony forming units (CFU) a day, and try types with many different strains and/or species.

With a stricture, do you have crohn's or colitis?

again< thanks for help> went to whole foods and bothered this poor guy there to explain it all to me>
he said that the maltodexin in the pro_b eight is there to feed the guys< but it was my understanding that i had enough down there that the job of the pro_b was not to add more> like you he thought i could take another capsule an hour before i eat and see how that went>

as far as the doctors are telling me< even though i have no symptoms of crohn"s and both colonoscopy results show no cronicity at all< because there is still inflammation and because the mysenteric >>>lymph nodes are enlarged and the sacroilleatic joints or whatever are presenting like someone with crohns (oh yes< the stricture is at the terminal illeum) they figure< just call it crohn:s>

i will try finding this vs pro biotic you both mentioned>

because the doctor wants me to go on immuran< i am (which i cannot believe) going to see a homeopath who is also a doctor (at least she may help me figure out all these vitamens and diet as the doctors and nutritionists keep sending me down the wrong path) ie the guy at the healt food store said that the juices she is recommending is just adding more sugars (acids) etc> and so now i really don"t know what to do? eat< eliminate etc> nightowl flying to nest> so tired not even making sense > but thanks so much for helping
good luck with your son

i got some good yogurts (i do not like dairy) but will eat because i figure it is better than immuran at whole foods after reading the labels and checking with this knowledable young man> he also suggested instead of the juices to get the vitamens i am missing from foods< to try getting a juicer that extracts all of thepulp and using it for vegetables which have the vitamens and not the sugar> so< i thought i could make soup (which is what i feel like drinking anyway) and still get the vitamens if not the antioxidant part of the roughage going down and through your system> meanwhile< i am stopping in at whole foods when tired and just getting chicken soup broth and tonight the broth from some minestrone that they have in vats all hot> it hits the spot and i drink a cup before going home to cook dinner etc> anyway< thanks>