Acidopholis question...

How much acidophois should I really be taking?  I have two different brands, both refrigerated type. One provides 5 Billion CFU and the other 10 million.  This stuff can be constipating for me so, I want to get it right.  Forgot to ask the dr the other day so thought I would ask the helpful people here.

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Dx Lyme Oct 2007....symptomatic for at least 3 years.  Oct - Dec 2007 Doxy 200 mg/day, Jan 2008 Ceftin 1000mg/day, Jan 2008 - 10 weeks IV Rocephin, April 2008 - August 2008 Ceftin 1000mg/day with Zithro 250mg/day,  changed LLMD's Oct 2007...currently dx with Bart and Lyme maybe Babs too...on Septra, 2 Malrone/daily; Omniceff 600mg every other day

Hi sosickoflyme! I think the amount of probiotics that is best can vary with each person. Some people get diarrhea when they first take probiotics because the "good guys" start to overcome the "bad guys" and the gut needs to wash out all the die-off and junk. The gut has to adjust to the new combination of flora living in it. I usually suggest that a person should start out slowly and build up to a bigger dose over time. It is a good idea to use a brand that has many strains of bacteria in it (for example, 8 or more strains) so that there is not an overload of just one type. The label on the product should list the strains and the amounts in a serving. Some people do well with around 5-8 billion per serving per day, but others do better with 50 billion per day or more, especially if on antibiotics. This is a huge range difference and you will have to find what works best for you. You could ask a naturopath/natural practioner to help you decide which might be best for you. We started out with a few billion and it wasn't long before we were taking 50 billion. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! bablymers mom

I am taking ABX and understand it kills the probiotics so they have to be replaced every day, 2 hours after I take each dose of the ABX.  I did not know about how much to take so glad you brought this up!