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Who all had problems with VSL#3?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/15/2014 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
So, as a reminder, I'm in a very mild flare right now. Upped my mesalamine enemas to nightly a few days before seeing him, saw him last week on Tuesday and he RX'ed hydrocort enemas to use in daytime and extra mesalamine enemas to use nightly.

I didn't start using enemas during the day until the weekend -- I wasn't sure if I'd be able to retain a daytime enemas and didn't want to experiment while at work. So Tuesday-Friday I only used hydrocort at night, then added a daytime enema on Saturday. So since Saturday have been using meslamine at night and hydrocort during the day.

Symptoms seem to be doing well -- urgency is essentially gone, but am still having looser and more frequent than normal stools (no more than 4 a day, generally), but a lot of that could be because I'm using two enemas a day, KWIM?

Anyway, I ordered VSL#3 and it arrived yesterday around noon, so I took a packet. I noticed some pretty significant bloating starting a couple of hours after taking it, and then had watery stool last night, so *much* more loose than what I had been prior to starting it. Similar watery stool this morning. I took my second dose this morning, and am quite bloated again.

So, what say those of you who have experience with VSL#3 -- should I keep taking it, and assume that this is just my gut "getting used to" the potency of VSL#3, or should I cut my losses and quit taking it?
Posted 5/15/2014 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
I tried to take vsl3 when flaring last summer and it made me much worse. A couple of moths ago my health food store had a power failure and lost all their probiotics so I was forced to take the vsl3 sitting in the back of my fridge for a week. I was pretty gassy, saw some increased mucus and even some blood but after 10 days it went away. I take the capsules, not the powder, and I only take 1 a day. Every time I have tried to take 2 I get very runny stool.
I don't know if this info helps you or not, but I might wait a week and see (and maybe don't take a whole packet). Good luck!
Posted 5/15/2014 3:21 PM (GMT 0)
Although VSL#3 has helped many with UC symptoms, it did not help me in the way I expected. I saw no profound difference in my symptoms using it. I suspect it is because I had an overgrowth of a few of the lactobacilli strains that are found in high numbers in that particular formulation. You could try another blend that is more biased in bifidobacteria like Ultimate Flora Critical Colon Care. Or you could continue to titrate the vsl dose, measure your symptoms and see if it goes away.
Posted 5/15/2014 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
I can't tolerate it. It actually made me start bleeding when I added it while on pred (with my colon), and even though I tried increasing the dose VERY slowly (starting with only a tsp of powder per day), it made me bloat like crazy with my j-pouch. I take Florastor and Culturelle now and have no problems. I would shop around and try something else... VSL is the probiotic that has had studies performed, it's not like other probiotics have had studies that show they're not effective -- they just haven't been studied as much.
Posted 5/15/2014 3:41 PM (GMT 0)
Guardian, based on your comments I thought I'd compare what's in my normal daily probiotic and VSL#3. The lists are below, but they both have Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus paracasei. My guess is that VSL#3 actually has more Bifidobacterium content than my standby. One big difference is that VSL#3 has Streptococcus thermophilu. Maybe that's causing problems?

I think I'm going to NOT take any for the next few days and see if I go back to where I was. I just had another bout of totally watery stool -- I hadn't been having BMs at this time of day at all, and again, the consistency is a whole lot looser than it has been.

Normal probiotic
Bifidobacterium bifidum
Bifidobacterium lactis
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Lactobacillus brevis
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Lactobacillus casei
Lactobacillus plantarum
Lactobacillus paracasei
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
Lactobacillus salivarius


VSL#3
Bifidobacterium breve
Bifidobacterium longum
Bifidobacterium infantis
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Lactobacillus plantarum
Lactobacillus paracasei
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Streptococcus thermophilu
Posted 5/15/2014 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
I split a packet, half in the morning in Greek yogurt and half at bedtime in a vanilla Boost in a frosted glass (my reward for making it through another day. Did notice improvement, certainly it did no harm. Just wish it was not so expensive, my insurance won't cover any of the cost.
Posted 5/15/2014 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
VSL made me VERY bloated for about 2 weeks after i started it. just looked pregnant all the time. it eventually went away but it never helped my symptoms so i stopped using it. i just stick to probiotic foods.
Posted 5/15/2014 4:31 PM (GMT 0)
I would have split the packet too. Actually, I take VSL capsules, which have 112.5 billion CFU's in each capsule. It is far easier to take the capsules for both dosage reasons and convenience reasons. It's hard to determine whether you should have just stuck with it at perhaps a smaller dosage and just tough it out, hoping it would be of benefit once your body adjusted to it or quit it immediately. I quit Florastor immediately when I noticed it made me much worse. Personally, I think our main problem is that our immune systems have decided to attack and kill one or more of the good bacteria in our colons, but these bacteria may be different in each patient. By introducing more of that one bacteria that our immune systems are attacking, you may actually increase the attack and make your UC worse. Who really knows for sure?
Posted 5/15/2014 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus (delbrueckii) bulgaricus are synergistic and used to make most yogurt and mozzarella cheese. I think US law requires that both be used in commercial yogurt. I don't think you can make a firm yogurt cured at 100-110f without them.

I would suspect one of the others. Matching species names doesn't work because many of the names are obsolete, in dispute or various strains exist. These two listed as different species on the VSL#3:

Bifidobacterium longum
Bifidobacterium infantis

They are both considered the same species now(Bifidobacterium longum) but there are a bunch of strains of that species that have different probiotic effects. They haven't really been classified or studied much. I picked this species because it has been studied more than most, is an actual resident bacteria in humans, and is used as pro-biotic alot. It could be a culprit or one of the other listed strains. I think it is used as a livestock feed additive which would make that strain cheap. It does survive stomach acid very well.

Lactobacillus plantarum is one of the bacterias in sour kraut but is also produced on a massive scale to produce silage.

I am starting to think that probiotic pills are just thrown together out of cheap and available bacterias that are suspected to positively effect people. Some are used on farms , some as food additives. It is very hard to get real science based information on probiotic bacteria and the making fermented foods.

I have switched to fermented dairy from VSL#3. Kefir and a bunch of yogurts that I am playing with. Kefir is working better on me than VSL#3 or at least I have been doing better.
Posted 5/15/2014 5:07 PM (GMT 0)
As to the amount of bacteria listed on a probiotic, independant testing as found that they lie and they could just add tons of the cheapest strain to bump the numbers. They need to list each strain and get the names right. Somebody needs to study the stuff too.

VSL is potent. You could culture 3 gallons of milk with a packet. That could mean 99.9% of the bacteria in it are Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus (delbrueckii) bulgaricus

Post Edited (AZYooper) : 5/15/2014 11:21:23 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/15/2014 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
I was miserable on it for about a month. But who knows I had so much stuff going wrong with me at the time, c.diff, Pred, high LFTs, and the worst UC flare of my life.
Posted 5/15/2014 5:22 PM (GMT 0)
I was gassy for 3 days with VSL#3 and Kefir was really bad for 2 weeks or so. Yes and it could have been something else.
Posted 5/15/2014 6:07 PM (GMT 0)
Not good for me,made me worse,I cannot take any probiotics anymore they all seem to cause a problem,especially homemade lacto fermented pickles.
Old Mike
Posted 5/15/2014 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
VSL#3 never caused a problem for me, even at the beginning (if memory serves). But I am convinced that different gut bacteria reacts differently to different probiotics. If you gave VSL#3 a weeks try and you got worse then stop and try a different type. Just try to eventually be taking many billions of whatever suits your gut.

I tried Florastor and it increased gas and urgency for me. I also cannot eat yogurt, even the good SCD homemade kind, same symptoms: gas and urgency.

I took one VSL#3 packet in water nightly for a couple years and then quit when I felt good for many months. Now I take one Reuterii "pearl" in the morning. Not many billions in it but like VSL there have been studies showing benefit from it.
Posted 5/15/2014 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
I'm taking vsl since 10 days, I started with half a packet the first day to test, and continue with one entire packet for one week. Now I am taking 2 packets per day, one in the morning as soon as I wake up and one before going to bed 2 hours after meal to let the digestive acids go.

I have no pain when taking it , just more gazes.

We have to take probiotics at least during one month to get conclusion about their efficiency on our gut, so I'm still continuing the trip, for the moment maybe some little improvement on my colitis but too early to say for sure.
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