How much VSL#3DS should my 9 year old take?

After reading about it on this forum, I asked my son's doctor to prescribe VSL#3DS. She was in favor of it and wrote me a persciption. She actually thought they were pills. Well, now I have all these boxes of packets of powder. I'm not sure how much I should give him. I just started with 1/4 packet because I wanted to make sure he doesn't have any trouble with nausea after taking it.

I am just wondering how much I should work him up to taking. I stirred the 1/4 packet into vanilla yogurt and he was fine about eating it.

If anyone has any younger children that use it, please let me know how much they take. And did you just figure out the quantity on your own or was it recommended by a doctor?

I could call the doctor and ask this question, but frankly, I think I will get better information from this forum.

Thanks!!!

I don't have any experience with VSL and children but I can tell you that it is best to start lower (I think a 1/4 pack is probably perfect) and once your child gets used to that you can increase it a little if you think it might help. This holds the same for adults. VSL can give you bloating and gas if you start at too high of a dose. By increasing it I mean maybe taking a 1/4 pack in the morning and another 1/4 pack at bedtime. In a 9 year old I don't think I would take any more than that amount at one setting.

Great suggestion stereo. I forgot that they had that although it sounds like they are doing this by prescription and I don't know if insurances would cover the junior or not. Doesn't hurt to find out though.

Thanks everyone for the posts back. Great information.

IBDISTHEPITS,

I have not been able to find much information out there on kids with IBD. I have read that IBD tends to be more aggressive in kids.

How is your daughter doing? Is she able to stay in remission for long periods?

Thanks,
Susan

IBDISTHEPITS,

We had just moved to Arkansas due to a job transfer. Two months later my son started getting sick. We ended up at the Children's Hospital in Little Rock, AR. It will be a year that he has had UC on December 22nd. I'm still trying to adjust to this but it is getting better. We just found a better doctor 3 months ago and things are starting to improve. He is on Asacol (2 pills/day, 800 mg each), Azathioprine (35 mg) and nexium. He also gets the mesalamine enemas. I also have him take a calcium vitamin and the VSL#3DS. He is currently in remission and doing well. I started homeschooling him 2 years ago because the schools where we lived were so bad. The homeschooling makes it easy for me to keep an eye on his poop and how he is doing! It also minimizes the germs he is exposed to. He is on a swim team, takes guitar lessons, and is in two homeschool groups. He is happy and has a good quality of life. My biggest concern is getting him through puberty and keeping him in remission long enough so that he can grow. It seems when he has a flare it takes about 2 1/2 months to get him on and off the prednisone. Thankfully he doesn't seem to have many side effects from the meds. I really haven't noticed anything other than occasional allergies which he never had in the past. I wonder if it is because his immune system is suppressed from the Azathioprine. The prednisone doesn't bother him other than that he is hungry more. It doesn't seem to effect his mood but I am always fretful about what it is doing to his bones and growth. I am hoping that he will stay in remission now for awhile, a year would be nice.
The other odd thing is that nothing he eats seems to make it worse. I have him eating a very healthy diet (fresh fruits, veges and low in saturated fat). I have also cut out most processed foods although he does eat whole grain bread and crackers. He eats desserts occasionally and it doesn't bother his UC symptons at all.

What meds is your daughter on? That is interesting that you know many kids that have IBD.... I don't know any other than my son.

That is a bummer that your daughter is intolerant to mesalamine. I am going to ask my son's doctor about hydrocortisone enemas. Maybe we could try this when he is starting to flare instead of the round of prednisone pills that is typically prescribed.

I homeschool all three of my boys. They were in public school and completed 4th, 3rd and 1st grade. They were all doing well except for the fact that they were not challenged in the work. This is our second year homeschooling (they are in 6th, 5th and 3rd grades) and it is working out well. It is a lot of work for me, but I like the mental challenge since I resigned from my job as an engineer after my oldest son turned one. I just wish I had someone to do all the other stuff for me like grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning! My husband helps out as much as he can and my kids do some jobs but I am still very busy. My boys swim on a competitive swimming team 4 nights a week, take guitar lessons and are in two homeschool groups. It has been great for all, but especially my son who has UC. He never misses school due to his UC which I think helps him not to feel "different." I like that I can keep an eye on how he is feeling and his bathroom habits. Also, he isn't exposed to so many germs and has access to a clean bathroom without having to raise his hand and ask to go!
His Pediatric GI is 3 hours away. My three kids get very excited when they hear that he has an appointment coming up. An appointment usually entails driving to Little Rock, staying in a hotel, visiting the zoo, state capital or a museum and then of course, the doctor's office.

I think I remember from another post that you live in Canada. Does your daughter's school work with you as far as her having to miss if she doesn't feel well or has doctor's appointments? Do they have an IEP program in Canada? Eventually my kids might go back into school and I often wonder how it would work for my youngest son.

I'm happy to hear that the school has been so accommodating. Even better to hear that your daughter is doing so well that she hasn't had to miss any school due to the UC.

Eventually my kids will probably go back into school. We make the decision to homeschool one year at a time!