Has anyone tried Prebiotic Supplements?

Hello Selly,  

Yes probiotics definately help, just make sure you find a good quality one.  You can see the 2 that I take in my signature and you can read through the many posts here about probiotic use and benefits.  I take them morning and right before bed and always on an empty stomach and when I start to flare I have increased them to 4x a day.

Metamucil should be added daily, its a souluble fibre and it helps to bulk the stool making it easier to pass and it absorbs the liquid in the colon.  Many of us here take it daily but I wouldn't recommend the one with aspatame in it.  I think aspartame can aggravate some symptoms.

Try to elimate foods that aggravate your colitis, everyone is different on what bothers them so it's helpful to keep a food diary in the begining.

Has your Doctor perscribed any rectal meds?  The rectal meds get to the inflammation quicker.  Read through the signatures and you can see the different ones that are used by many of us.

I've also been told that fish oil is good at helping reduce the risk of a relapse.

Probiotics are well known to help (I take VSL#3) but pre-biotics are more controversial. The diet that got me into remission (SCD) specifically disallows FOS which many pre-biotics and some commercial yogurts have as their base ingredient.
FOS and inulin are the same thing (I think-but I'm not a scientist).

Here's a better explanation:
www.scdiet.org/6research/fos.html

My Integrative doctor just started me on prebiotics. I have been taking probiotics for a long while. They do help me to some extent, but once I flare, none of that stuff makes a difference. When I was having my last big flare, I was taking 3 and 4 packets of VSL#3 a day, and it didn't make an ounce of difference. That said, everyone is different.

Since I am just starting on the prebiotics, I can't tell you yet whether or not they will help, but he seemed to think it might. I don't know the rules of the SCD since I am not on it, but I am going to give the prebiotics a chance.

I have tried taking fiber supplements and it did NOT go well for me. But I already eat a fairly high fiber diet-maybe that is why. But definitely ask your GI about rectal meds-those have been helpful for me if I start them early on.

Selly,  I take the powder about 1heaping tablespoon in a glass of water before bed.  I would start off with a small amout it could make you gassy at first, that is why I always take it before bed.  Many people here take the capsules but I have never tried them.

From what I've seen here, most folks are getting probiotics in one form or another. My GI doc told me to take Align and eat three things of yogurt per day (I just get Activia). There are folks on here that get much more complex with it and know an awful lot about which probiotics are better than others.

With regard to fiber; I was given three packets of [nasty] generic Metamucil per day in the hospital (the stuff mixed up like snot). It certainly helped to thicken up my stool (and actually helped reduce the acidity/burning that came with passing said stool). Once I got out of the hospital I picked up the orange-flavored packets of Metamucil and those are much better. Only needed one per day for a bit and now I don't take them at all, but I'll definitely continue to use them as needed when things need to be thickened up.

Quality yogurt preferably homemade and bananas to start.