Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Pennyfarthing]

I have posted on here in the past about my trouble "down below" but think I may be solving it myself.

I was reading an article about a man who had what his GP called IBS and it mentioned probiotics being especially helpful for things like this and also if you have been on antibiotics (which I had).  So I ordered some and have been on them just over a week and the change has been dramatic.  Sorry if this is too graphic but for the first time in about a year I have been able to do a proper poo, rather than diarrhoea.  I am totally amazed by that!  I also have a tendency towards heartburn and I haven't had that either, nor burping.  I feel very well indeed to be honest.

I was getting really fed up about the toilet probs because a year is a long time!  I am med-high risk of bowel cancer so it was niggling away at me.  I looked in our local health shops but they just had probiotics in a viramin supplement so I found these high strength ones on line called Super 20 Probiotics and thought "in for a penny" ..... and they seem to be really helping.

Just thought I'd share this in case anybody else is having problems.

[LilFeather]

Sounds like you found what your body was asking for, Penny.  Glad for you! 

Interesting.....hubby had been having the same issues for several weeks now; he started probiotics (read an article on the internet) last week and the heartburn and diarrhea both seem to be gone now!  He feels ALOT better. 

You first posted about this somewhere else on here, didn't you?  Don't know why I didn't think of him when you were discussing it......But, it is interesting you both found the same solution. 

[Bette]

It is thought that Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria are probiotics useful in the treatment of IBS. Many of the preparations available in supermarkets don't contain those or not "live" verisons and/or not in high enough numbers to do any real good.
It's always important to take probiotics after a course of ABs - I'm sure that one of the causes of my IBS was over-presciption of ABs when I was young. 
Bette x

[CLKD]

I drink several pots of Actimel daily.  Maybe I should buy some in tablet form? for when we go on holidays? but how does a live product work if it's packed into a tablet 

[Bette]

I think that the tablets are what the experts recommend though, CLKD. I'd ask at a good health food/ herbal shop - not the H&* type!
Bette x

[CLKD]

What is in the tablets, will have to go look during Half term when I have more time to shop!

[Bette]

I think you need for ones which contain Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria - I told a friend about this when she was on ABs for a nasty chest infection and she went to a small, independent specialist shop and said that she got very good, informed advice there.
Bette x

[grumpy2008]

I've been taking acididophilis tablets for ages (the high potency ones from H&B containing lactobacillus and bifidobacterium) and especially after a recent course of antibiotics. But my indigestion after the antibiotic was still really bad - burping, heartburn etc. So I bought some yakult (the little bottles) and that sorted it out within just few days.

I never expected the yakult to work to be honest! But it turns out that each yakult bottle has about twice the number of bacteria (6.5 billion lactobacillus casai) as the tablets  .

Hmm, I just checked the actimel website and they claim to have 10 billion bacteria per bottle  . I always thought the bottles were lower potency than the tablets??? All i know is that the yakult worked for me this time, so maybe it's best just to try them all out?

[Bette]

I think that yakult etc are fine if you only need Lactobacilli -  those sorts of drinks usually only contain a single strain, I think but possibly in greater numbers. You probably need to turn to tablets if you need Bifidobacteria.    And who knows what we "need"?! 
I suppose the only way is to try things and stick to what works for you. 
Bette x

[Pennyfarthing]

What is in the tablets, will have to go look during Half term when I have more time to shop!

Mine are called Super20 Probiotic and I ordered them online. They have 20 million live "friendly" bacteria per capsule and you take one a day.   They seemed to be the strongest ones I could get anywhere.

Amongst them are Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactus. 

I have tried the probiotic drinks and I personally find them rather sickly and they also need refrigerating - these capsules dont.

No idea how they know how many bacteria are in them - all I can say is they have been a revelation to me. 

[Morwenna]

Yakult, Actimel and the like obviously pay a lot for advertising but I'm still in the dark about what they actually claim to do! It's for this reason I haven't tried them or any other types of Probiotics. I suffer from the constipation type of IBS and take a mild laxative daily - after forty odd years this has been the only 'treatment' that has helped - would Probiotics make a difference? If they cure the diarrhoea type of IBS (as claimed by the OP) my instinct tells me they may make constipation worse? I once tried Activia yogurts and experienced stomach cramps and green 'slimy' stools (sorry for TMI.....) so naturally am a little circumspect 

[Bette]

I think that research into the effect of Probiotics on IBS is "ongoing" i.e. they don't know if/how they help! 
I have the constipation type of IBS too and take Fybogel every day and think that HRT has helped too. I'm happy with the control I've got now, so I'm not planning to try anything new. If I had to take ABs, however, I would take Probiotics. The IBS "bible" I always turn to - Irritable Bowel Solutions by Prog. John Hunter (brilliant, well worth a read) suggests that if you want to try Probiotics, you should keep a symptom diary for a fortnight before starting them so you can gauge any effect. He does comment on their expense, though. 
Bette x

[grumpy2008]

Although I don't have a specific problem, I found that taking probiotics keeps me 'regular'  . And my stomach doesn't rumble so much!

[Pennyfarthing]

My reasoning was that it won't hurt me to try.  A year is a very long and worrying time to have to run to the loo every morning and then have the split splats!  None of my GPs were able to tell me how I got to 50 something and then developed this. 
One of them suggested Fybogel and I said "but I thought that was for if you couldn't go - this is the reverse!" and he said "sometimes it does have the reverse effect."    I bought a box but have never opened it.

I thought well if Probiotics just help a bit that's something but to be able to "go" properly is wonderful.

[CLKD]

We are a mine of info here aren't we  - so are the capsules : Super20 : liquid?  I can't understand how a 'live' culture can remain live in tablet form.  I find that when I don't drink 2-3 bottles of Actimel daily then I can't 'go' as often and I begin to feel constipated.  I also take my medication with a bottle at night [that's Actimel not  ] which helps any heartburn effects.  Not always but mostly.  However, when we go away it would be handy to have something which doesn't need a fridge!