Probiotics? If you take them do you

[dancer67]

take them every day? Even if your stomach is feeling fine? Safe for longterm use? And if you could recommend a good brand I would greatly appreciate it!

[Dahliarw]

It is perfectly safe to take them every day. I don't, mostly because I'm bad about remembering. But I do better if I take them regularly.

 

I like natren healthy trinity and VSL.

[HSDCY]

This is what my family takes. We've been using it for years without any side effect (we take one capsule every other day).

 

We used to take this. Another very good brand, but it requires refrigeration so it's not convenient for travel.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I take them daily. I have chronic health issues so I take a much higher powered one than most do for daily use.

[gardenmom5]

when I have taken probiotics - I have taken them everyday. I use a brand that has an enzyme coating to protect the flora through the stomach.

[elegantlion]

I take them everyday.

[sbgrace]

My boys take them every day, morning and night. I have a child carrying c. diff though. Otherwise I might just do a one time a day dose. The ones they take--Florastor and Culturelle--are fantastic but don't colonize. So a person would need to take them daily or very close to that. I don't know of a lot of probiotics that are actually proven to colonize/live on in the body but I haven't researched extensively. I did Klaire labs, also daily, until my son was diagnosed with c. diff after a hospitalization. I really like their probiotics. My husband and I only take them if we're on an antibiotic or similar, just due to cost.

[Alexigail]

My husband and I take Pearls probiotic daily and our sons take a children's version (the brand of our local co-op). We've only been on them a few weeks so I'm not sure what if any difference they've made. We haven't had any negative reactions though.

[dancer67]

So what do probiotics "do" exactly. It keeps you "regular"? What if you say, have had a bout of diarrhea for a few weeks, should this cure it?(not from antibiotics). Or someone had a constipation problem? Does this cure C. Diff? Or is probiotic just a preventative measure? And thank you for all the suggestions for some good ones.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Probiotics are the good flora that are normally in your gut. Bacteria, antibiotics, improper nutrition as well as other things can upset the balance in your intestines. Then bad bacteria and yeast get the upper hand and can cause health problems.

[sbgrace]

So what do probiotics "do" exactly. It keeps you "regular"? What if you say, have had a bout of diarrhea for a few weeks, should this cure it?(not from antibiotics). Or someone had a constipation problem? Does this cure C. Diff? Or is probiotic just a preventative measure? And thank you for all the suggestions for some good ones.

 

 

In my experience probiotics are good for protective effect and not so much getting rid of existing bad stuff--whether yeast or bacteria. I wouldn't expect them to cure things. My son had a bacterial overgrowth, resulting in diarrhea, and we had to kill that with an antibiotic. The probiotics didn't fix it.

 

But if, when he was hospitalized, we had been able to give him probiotics he wouldn't have picked up c. diff. He was allowed nothing but IV nutrition for days prior to surgery so any protection had died off. He was on IV antibiotics, had no good bacteria protection, and picked up c. diff. If a person is on antibiotics and taking something good--say Florastor, they would be unlikely to pick up things like c. diff. Once they have it, though, they would need to kill it off with medical means like an antibiotic, if they could. edited to add: my son is not symptomatic on the probiotics. The good probiotics overcrowd the bad to the extent that, while on them, I really doubt he would even culture positive unless it was something like a DNA type stool test.

 

We do the Culturelle and Florastor to keep the c. diff asymptomatic but he still carries it. Similarly, Florastor is fantastic with keeping harmful yeast/candida from taking over. However, it won't kill off an established candida overgrowth. A person would need to treat that and then Florastor could be a part of preventing it from happening again.

 

I hope lots of healthy bacteria would make it less likely for bad bacteria of all sorts to take hold. But if we are exposed to a stomach virus I don't expect the probiotics to prevent what's very likely coming.

[Rosie_0801]

We eat or drink miso most days. Yum yum.

[Twigs]

… Does this cure C. Diff? ….

 

I got C diff several years ago and had 1 round of antibiotics for it. The treatment seemed to work, but several weeks later the C diff symptoms came back. I didn't want to go back to the doctor, so after researching I started taking Floragen 3 probiotics. It was several weeks (?months?) before I could stop taking the Floagen 3 without the C diff symptoms returning. I would say that the probiotic cured my C diff when the prescription antibiotic did not. I still take probiotics everyday (if I remember), but cheaper brands.

[oceanseve]

What Dahlia said, natren trinity. Used to take it everyday, but have gotten away from it, need to get back to it :)

[dancer67]

Thank you ladies!!! I went LCHF, and I don't think the AS agreed with my stomach. I have had some bouts of diarrhea(Sorry if TMI). I since stopped the AS, and things have calmed down somewhat. But I think possibly taking a probiotic might help, I think. I guess it can't hurt.

[She Reads a Lot]

So what do probiotics "do" exactly. It keeps you "regular"? What if you say, have had a bout of diarrhea for a few weeks, should this cure it?(not from antibiotics). Or someone had a constipation problem? Does this cure C. Diff? Or is probiotic just a preventative measure? And thank you for all the suggestions for some good ones.

 

The response to this will probably vary from person to person. I've taken PB8 (buy it at Whole Foods) for almost 12 years now, though I only take one capsule per day instead of the recommended two.

 

A gal I worked with back when I was prego with my 11 year old recommended it. For me it was, ahem, about infections in the lady parts. Used to get them almost monthly (!), which was awful, and being pregnant made it worse. Started the PB8 and it was like magic. No more infections! (I'm being vague here, keeping in mind that these posts seem to have shelf life).

 

Now my GF/DF hubby started taking PB8 when his doctor said to go gluten and dairy free (she recommended a probiotic, too), and I think it has helped his GI tract. So there's another benefit. He used to be a wreck. I'm sure the GF/DF has been huge but I think the probiotic is important for him, too.

 

Finally, if you are on antibiotics, taking a probiotic can keep diarrhea away (or reduce it) b/c it replaces the good bacteria that the meds destroy (since they wipe out ALL bacteria, good and bad, without discriminating, from what I understand). Eating yogurt helps with this a lot, too.

 

So would a good probiotic probably help you not have diarrhea every few weeks? I would think it should help. I have no idea what C. Diff is, so I'm no help there.

 

The idea behind the probiotic is you are introducing good bacteria into your intestines to combat the bad bacteria and/or replace good ones that should be there but aren't for various reasons (or to add more good bacteria).

 

HTH and isn't TMI!

Christina

[Rosie_0801]

What if you say, have had a bout of diarrhea for a few weeks, should this cure it?(not from antibiotics).

 

 

This will happen if you're eating a high fibre diet (which you are if you're eating predominantly whole grains, fruit and veg) and not consuming enough liquid.

[TranquilMind]

So what do probiotics "do" exactly. It keeps you "regular"? What if you say, have had a bout of diarrhea for a few weeks, should this cure it?(not from antibiotics). Or someone had a constipation problem? Does this cure C. Diff? Or is probiotic just a preventative measure? And thank you for all the suggestions for some good ones.

 

 

They help regulate the bacteria in your gut. If that gets out of whack, you have all kinds of problems. I was on a heavy duty IV antibiotic for 14 days when my appendix burst. I had to use expensive probiotics since, and cut out all sugar/bread (which feed the bad bacteria) to get back to normal. I got lazy around Christmas and ate cookies a few times. I started itching immensely, and had to cut it out and increase probiotics and it's gone and I'm fine now.

[Tammyla]

We use them here as needed, but not daily.

[Tiramisu]

So what do probiotics "do" exactly. It keeps you "regular"? What if you say, have had a bout of diarrhea for a few weeks, should this cure it?(not from antibiotics). Or someone had a constipation problem? Does this cure C. Diff? Or is probiotic just a preventative measure? And thank you for all the suggestions for some good ones.

 

For a bout of diarrhea lasting a few weeks, I have had the very best response from Align, on a few occasions. And I have used MANY probiotics. It even helped with CDiff before I started the real meds for it.

 

I'm not sure what helps with constipation. A pediatric GI recommended Culturelle, Pearls, or VSL for a dc with this problem.

 

For CDiff, Culturelle and Florastor are proven effective. I think Reuteri is too. Nature's Way products include Reuteri, I think, and I felt it kept me stable while I took it. I've had CDiff three times and it knocked my gut for a loop. I got CDiff while taking PB8 so I wouldn't recommend that one.

 

For better absorbtion and immunity, I would recommend Natren Healthy Trinity, as another PP uses. The company seems to disagree, but I was told that a local natural doctor says you can use one bottle--60 pills taken daily--for two months and then back down to taking it twice a week, and that has worked for me. That will colonize the gut and keep it colonized. And it's VERY affordable that way. My immunity has been much better and I've gained wait since taking it. My digestion had been so bad and I had lost a lot of weight and wasn't re-gaining. The only bad side is that it doesn't seem to help stabilize things if you're in the middle of a GI crisis, as Align does.

 

More than you ever wanted to know!!! :)