FIrst Time Probiotic User

Hi! My GI doc recommended me to start taking Probiotics. Where would be a good place to start? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Thanks pb4! I'm going to look that one up online. I just found the name of the one he mentioned : Probiotic Advantage. Anyone heard of that one?

I took Florastor, which is kind of expensive, but doesn't require refrigeration. Typically a bottle of 50 or 60 caps would run around $40 to $45, but I was able to order it in three bottle pack on eBay for under $95, shipping and handling included in cost. Florastor was recommended to me to help me heal after a long bout with a c diff infection, but it still continued to help me a couple of years after the infection. I was taking 3 caps a day, so the three pack lasted a couple of months...if you only take two, it lasts even longer. I've switched over to VSL#3, which is REALLY expensive and requires storing in the fridge, but it is well worth the cost and inconvenience, IMO.

Most of the cheaper probiotics I've tried didn't help me out enough to justify the savings so I moved back into the high-end probios that were proven to help me through my own personal usage. If you have a GI doc, you could ask if they have samples of any probios...free is a really good price doncha know.

Just because the cheaper probios didn't help me doesn't mean they won't help you though. Keep trying different kinds until you find the one that helps you the most. If something less expensive does the trick, most excellent, you just saved a couple hundred dollars by switching insurance to Geico...sorry, I lost my train of thought there for a second.

Here's what's in digestive advantage...

Capsules Ingredients: Microcrystalline Cellulose, GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086), Lysine, Vegetarian Capsule Shell (hypromellose, water, titanium dioxide (color), caramel (color), propylene glycol), Magnesium Stearate, Silicon Dioxide.

Allergy warning: This product may contain trace amounts of casein (milk protein).

Here's what's in primadophilus rueteri...

Each 1 capsule contains 59mg Proprietary Blend of Bacterial cultures - Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus Reuteri & Lactobacillus acidophilus (5 billion CFU). Other ingredients: Potato starch, plant-derived capsule, aqueous enteric coating (capsule), magnesium stearate, ascorbic acid.

The primdadophilus also aids with lactose intolerance, high cholesterol and for women, vaginal health.

:)

Probiotics have never made much of a difference for me (I've tried a few, as you can see in my signature), but I keep taking them b/c they won't hurt. Different things work for different people.

Culturelle is $20-25 for 30 capsules and does not require refrigeration.

I use Digestive Advantage Crohn's and Colitis Therapy (purple box), and I totally believe it is helping me to stay in remission.  I really like it because it does not have to be refrigerated, and they are individually wrapped, so I can take pills with me when I am "on the go".  You can find it at Walgreen's and CVS in the "digestive" section, and if you watch the sales ads, you can save a lot when it goes on sale.  Probiotics act differently for different people, but at least I can say I believe it is helping me.  If your doctor is recommending it, I would give it a try for a couple of weeks and see if it helps you.

I don't know if I'd say it's the only difference, I think that with our systems being so sensitive to additives and junk that those can make a difference too if the probiotic you're taking is full of them.

:)

That's what I like about the Primdophilus, it actually aids with lactose issues and I've read the ingredients for the digestive DISadvantage that says it aids with lactose issues yet it contains milk , makes a lot of sense eh????

:)