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Has Lactaid worked for anyone?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 10/11/2011 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
I have moderate UC that really doesn't flare up unless I eat the wrong foods. Generally "wrong foods" is another way of saying "something with dairy." I've been pretty good, but every so often I run into foods that I wouldn't expect to contain dairy but do, like breads, sauces, etc.

Anyway, when I first realized that I get sick from milk, I started taking lactaid but it didn't seem to work. Maybe I was over-thinking, though.

Has anyone had any success with it? Does it make the symptoms go away completely or do they just get minimized? I'd appreciate any feedback.

Cheers!
Posted 10/11/2011 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
Well, it seems unlikely that you'd be having a reaction to lactose in things like bread, unless it was a cheese bread. Perhaps you have an intolerance to the protein in dairy, casein, which is pretty common in processed food and has nothing to do with lactose.
Posted 10/11/2011 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
Lactaid is for those who are lactose intolerant. So if you are not lactose intolerant and dairy is aggravating your UC, taking Lactaid isn't going to help. It's expensive so don't waste your money! (my hubby is lactose intolerant)

You are fortunate to be able to control your symptoms with diet so stay away from the dairy products as much as you can.
Posted 10/11/2011 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
Lactaid milk definitely works for me, but the tablets were a mixed bag so I don't buy them anymore. A couple times they gave me a burning sensation in the transverse colon, where my UC is not active. I agree with ByeByeUC that in general it's easier to stick with foods that you know to be tolerable-- in order to avoid g/i discomfort. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 10/11/2011 11:55 PM (GMT 0)
I used them for a while, but depending on what I ate, sometimes I got more gas from the Lactaid pills than when not using them.

You could try a digestive enzyme rather than Lactaid...might give you less problems.

Milk wouldn't make your flare worse, but if you're flaring, some foods may disagree more or give you more discomfort.

Are you using meds at this point?

q
Posted 10/12/2011 4:37 AM (GMT 0)
Yes. Lactaid works for me. I have trouble with digesting lactose when I'm flaring. The symptoms (gurgling and gas) go away if I take Lactaid.

I just went to Apple Hill and bought/had some apple goodies. I got gurgling and gas from the sorbitol. No surprise there. I then had some tea with milk in it, and I got some gurgling and gas from the milk. So I took a Lactaid. I had another apple goody. And interestingly I didn't get any gurgling and gas. I thought that was interesting, that the Lactaid helped not just to digest the lactose but also the fructose. I don't know why. I have read that Lactaid helps to digest lactose. I have never read anywhere that Lactaid can help digest fructose. Maybe it was a fluke. I don't know.
Posted 10/12/2011 7:42 AM (GMT 0)
Although Lactaid is for those who are lactose intolerant, I find that it still makes me feel weird so I drink either almond milk or coconut milk instead. Ive been drinking the almond milk, it taste good. No, they dont taste like almonds or coconut, they taste like milk. Theres also soy milk but I dont drink that because im a male and I heard that it can increase estrogen if you drink too much and I dont want any tettissss :-)
Posted 10/12/2011 6:32 PM (GMT 0)
One thing about being lactose intolerant that many people don't realize is that you can actually cure yourself from it....you avoid all dairy for at least 4 months, then you slowly introduce it back into your diet this way...you ingest a small amount of lactose one day and avoid it for the following 4 days, then eat/drink a little more than the first day and avoid it again for 3 days and so on.

Keep in mind though, that lactose intolerance can re-appear in your lifetime more than once...I had it as a baby then as a child and all the way until my mid 30's I was fine, once my mid 30's came I became intolerant again...I am not intolerant now though as I did the above mentioned in this post and it worked.

There's also varying degrees of lactose intolerance as well and some people find they have to take 4 or more lactaid pills with their first bite or drink of lactose compared to the recommended amount written on the bottle which I think is 2?
Posted 10/13/2011 12:33 AM (GMT 0)
It works for me better when I'm not flaring. It would help me in a flare, just not as much. How many do you take? At least two?
Posted 10/13/2011 1:12 AM (GMT 0)

quincy said...
I used them for a while, but depending on what I ate, sometimes I got more gas from the Lactaid pills than when not using them.

You could try a digestive enzyme rather than Lactaid...might give you less problems.

Milk wouldn't make your flare worse, but if you're flaring, some foods may disagree more or give you more discomfort.

Are you using meds at this point?

q

I think I'm better off just limiting my diet, since I have fewer/no problems that way.


I'm still on Asacol HD and Librax.
Posted 10/13/2011 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
Thankfully I am just lactose intolerant and am enjoying Lactaid and all that they offer at least what I can get my hands on lactaid wise. But, it sounds to me that you are just unable to have dairy at all. Maybe you should just cut back on dairy in general and find other substitutes to replace dairy. I've found goats milk yogurt is real good when you add berries or whatever fruit you want and some honey. If you don't add the honey, it's not gonna taste that appealing.
Posted 10/13/2011 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
I never ate/drank dairy products with much frequency prior to getting sick from them. I don't like milk, yogurt, ice cream, etc. The only things I'd ever eat are different types of cheeses and foods with some form of dairy cooked in.

So it's not too difficult to avoid entirely, it's just something I would rather get over at some point. I miss pizza.
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