Does anyone take Probiotics?

Do any of you take these and if so have you noticed a difference in your UC?

I think most here take them and find some improvements, the one I take is called primadophilus reuteri made by natures way and it has many benefits...I'm grateful for these probiotics...if you google them you'll find plenty of info on them....if you do a search here at HW you'll find tons of probiotic topics.

:)

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My bum is broken....there's a big crack down the middle of it!  LOL  :)

Hi! Scroll through some of the old posts. A good # of us are on probiotics and questions on these come up almost daily. Lots of good info out there. You can also do a search at the top of the page. I take Acidophilus Pears by the way.

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Tabitha (Tab)

100mg Azathioprine, 2 Fibercon, Colazal-9 a day, Acidopholis Pearls, Nexium

http://www.healingwell.com/donate
Co-Moderator UC Forum

So is every brand different?  How do you tell if one is better than another! =) My husband has IBS and I have UC and I'm thinking after doing some reading that it might benefit both of us?  Do any of you give these to your kids???

Hi jules yes I take Bio-K probiotic (50billion per day) and I do notice a big difference in my BM's if I stop taking it.  I think it's something that you do have to take daily to properly colonize  the colon with the beneficial bacteria.  When I first started taking it I got alot of gas but that went away as my body adjusted to it.  It took about 2 weeks for me to notice a difference but now it's well worth the $.  Yes I have given it to my kids,  especially when they are given antibiotics.   The stuff I take comes in childrens flavours as well.  I just give them 1/2 a container to drink as I take the full container.    Good Luck

I never saw any benefit from probiotics and I have taken everyting from VSL to Prima Reuteri. Everyone is different though.

I take Custom Probiotics' six strain powdered blend and Natren's Healthy Trinity. I give CP's product credit for allowing me to break the cycle of annual flares in early spring. Since I've started using probiotics to rebalance the gut flora - along with modified diet and other healing supplements - I haven't had another major flare.

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Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis spring 1999.

I myself have both crohns and IBS and find the primadophilus reuteri to be a huge help...probiotics must be taken everyday and indefinitely.

The PR is also very affordable and only one/day is needed (many cal for up to 4 or more a day which gets very pricy) so both you and your hubby can share the PR if you both find benefit from it...only downside, it must be kept in the fridge at all times, before and after opening so make sure if you decide to try it that it's located in the health food store's fridge.

:)

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My bum is broken....there's a big crack down the middle of it!  LOL  :)

I started a probiotic about 8 months ago(?) I think. And I did notice a marked improvement maybe not stool wise but my gut seemed more calm and not roiling as much. I am not really sure if it's doing anything but as of now, I have no complaints Uc wise and I won't rock the boat so I will continue taking mine. I am on Pro-Bio and have tried other probiotics before then. You need to find the one that works the best for you so sometimes it's trial and error.

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I've been on VSL#3 for about 2 weeks. I've noticed my stomach doesn't gurgle as much, I don't have cramps, and my # of bm's have been reduced. I've also had a few semi-formed BM's which I haven't had in 9 months. I hate how expensive it is tho. If I don't get any more improvement in a month I'm going to switch to something cheaper.

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Diagnosed 2/29/08 with Mild Universal UC
I've had UC since 2000 but was in remission for most of those 8 years med free
Lialda Colazal & Asacol made symptoms worse
Not taking any more meds for now. Trying a holistic approach.

did any try the dan active drinkable yogurt with probiotics in them?

My son takes "kefir". I was looking to see how much bacteria it has per serving - it does not say anywhere!
may be it does not have enough?
AMK77 wrote about VSL#3, I googled it and found out it has 225 billion live bacteria !
Why Kefit does not say anything? anyone knows?

I started taking Fiber Smart probiotics and it really helped me for 4 months then I switched to a more potent one called Healthy Trinity by Natren.  Then I got a flare 1 month later so not sure what happened but I was doing GREAT for 5-6 months!

Alycacc :)

I hope you're still taking your probiotics daily?

Taking probiotics won't necessarily guarantee things will all be fine, and you have to consider your diet as well as exercising, those both have a huge impact on how ones IBD behaves and even at that you have to keep in mind that IBD tends to have a mind of it's own and will throw a wrench at you anytime it wants, but you can still keep it better controlled by taking a good probiotic daily and indefinitely as well as a healthy diet along with some form of daily exercise.

Maybe go back to the Fibre smart probiotics, it's more than likely the "fibre" portion of it was helping as well (besides taking probiotics I also take a fibre supplement daily as directed by my GI)...in the future, I wouldn't mess with a good thing, if it aint broke, don't fix it.

:)

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My bum is broken....there's a big crack down the middle of it!  LOL  :)

Alycacc, it isn't necessary to retrieve every old thread to make your statement. Try to stick to one, if you don't mind. We now have about six "probiotic" threads going at the same time, and that is confusing and can make it more difficult for people to find the information they want.

Probably your change in probiotics had nothing to do with your flare. I agree with pb4, if the Fibre Smart was working for you, I'd go back to that. I try to never change something that's working, myself.

And yes, this DD does come and go as it pleases. We sometimes fool ourselves that something we do makes a difference, but sometimes I just wonder if it really does!

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I like Natren probiotics. They seem to be the best IMHO. Also Jini makes a good case for recommending them.