Your favorite Probiotic?

bribucks
bribucks Posts: 431 Member
edited November 25 in Food and Nutrition
I experience chronic, pretty much daily bloating & constipation. Doesn’t seem to be triggered by any specific foods from what I can tell. Never really can get a full bm.

I took magnesium for a while, but then it started upsetting my stomach and I noticed I would be nauseous the next day after taking it, so I stopped. BTW my stomach is sensitive and I also suffer from very severe emetophobia (phobia of vomiting) so I need something that will NOT make me nauseous at all.

I have tried increasing the fiber in my diet - which helps some, but not enough.

So, I want to give probiotics a whirl before I give up and schedule an appoint with a gastro dr.

Trouble is, there are so many different brands, strains, strengths, etc. I tried looking up reviews on Amazon but of course every single one has at least a few bad reviews that they made bloating worse, caused nausea, etc.

(My chronic constipation/bloating has been going on for months and months. Actually, I had the stomach flu - or food poisoning - right before Christmas. Which was truly traumatizing for me due to the aforementioned phobia. Anyways, my bloating/constipation seems to be much worse since then. Not sure if there’s a connection.)

So, what is your favorite brand/type of probiotic? Are there any you do NOT recommend? Thanks! I think I would rather take a supplement than eat fermented foods; I just can’t imagine my stomach responding well to new foods.


PS my body doesn’t handle dairy well, so don’t tell me to just eat yogurt! :)

Replies

  • bribucks
    bribucks Posts: 431 Member
    Also I’m not sure how much of the information out there about gut flora is real and how much is utter BS?!
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    For me, doing the 10 vegetable/ fruit challenge was key. Yoga also helps, all that twisting and turning. I’m not sure if probiotics have ever helped me though.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Regularly consuming kombucha, kimchi, and fermented veggies.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    My gastro suggested psyllium husk. Start with a tsp per day, then gradually increase until you're happy with the results. Take it with a ton of water.

    I'm also using these pre and probiotics, but haven't been taking them long enough to see if there's a difference:
    http://a.co/8qTIpy2
    http://a.co/59bxhpZ

    Whatever you decide to take, gradually introduce them. Take notes on what seems to work and what doesn't.

    I'm in the same place as you, trying to sort my gut issues out. Good luck!
  • simranmann2014
    simranmann2014 Posts: 18 Member
    Ultra Flora IB
  • bribucks
    bribucks Posts: 431 Member
    simranmann2014 wrote: »
    Ultra Flora IB

    Looked it up and wow, sure is pricy! :o
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,634 Member
    This:
    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    For me, doing the 10 vegetable/ fruit challenge was key. Yoga also helps, all that twisting and turning. I’m not sure if probiotics have ever helped me though.

    And this:
    jofjltncb6 wrote: »
    Regularly consuming kombucha, kimchi, and fermented veggies.

    Plus yogurt and kefir if you do dairy; miso; and more real-food probiotics.

    On top of that, make sure you're hydrating adequately (not excessively) with water or other sources; plus getting a minimum of 0.35-0.45g fat per pound of goal weight every day (more is fine). Some fat with every meal would be ideal.

    Some of the folks in that 10 veggie/fruit challenge had major issues until they got their fat and water intake in line. So did I, years back.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    If you like pickles, Farmhouse Culture makes a product called "gut shot." It's a savory probiotic brine made from fermented vegetables. Garlic Dill Pickle is my favorite, it's like doing a shot of pickle juice.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    VSL#3
  • alcomer
    alcomer Posts: 101 Member
    kombucha helps
  • kam26001
    kam26001 Posts: 2,794 Member
    Align, Culturelle, VSL#3 seem to be the most recommended by gastroenterologists. Align has a money back guarantee. My gastro rec'd Align as he suspected IBS. Didn't help but I got a refund at least. I'd book that appt before playing a guessing game and burning through money only to see your problems persist. The phobia sticks out too. Psychological stress can wreak havoc on your digestive tract.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    Whatever probiotic you may try, start small, perhaps just a few bacterial strains with a low live culture count. Otherwise, your gut will NOT thank you. It takes time to build up a tolerance to stronger probiotics. I have ulcerative colitis in remission currently and I built up to a probiotic that has 34 bacterial strains and 100 billion live cultures.

    I ditto the suggestions about fermented veggies and kombucha. I actually make my own kombucha as it's very easy to make. I credit all this with my remission and the fact that I now rarely get sick.
  • bribucks
    bribucks Posts: 431 Member
    "kam26001 wrote: »
    The phobia sticks out too. Psychological stress can wreak havoc on your digestive tract.

    You’re so right. I’ve been under a lot of emotional strain lately due to issues in my personal life, and it certainly isn’t helping.

  • soupandcookies
    soupandcookies Posts: 212 Member
    I use jarrow dophilus. The one with 50 billion cfu.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,800 Member
    our oldest son has had stomach problems & infections for several months. They did so many tests including colonoscopy & endoscopy, very long story short, he had "rot gut" that is, his stomach wasn't holding the good bacteria, so Dr told him to drink pickle juice- the kind that's refrigerated, but he ended up making his own kombucha. It's not hard to make. It puts the good bacteria back into your stomach. He makes a batch for a week or more at a time & his whole problem went away
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    bio-kult advanced probiotics, they really worked for me.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    Well I have newborn twins so my favorite probiotic these days is probably all the baby poop that ends up on my hands.

    High five dad! Congrats!
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    edited March 2018
    bribucks wrote: »
    PS my body doesn’t handle dairy well, so don’t tell me to just eat yogurt! :)

    If you can handle nut milks, there are all kinds of yogurt alternatives that are dairy free. I have tried coconut, almond and cashew milk yogurt. The still have the same billions of live cultures, so that might be helpful for you. My opinion on the taste - the coconut yogurt is great, almond is pretty good, the cashew is just weird and I didn't care for it at all.

    One product that has helped me a lot with digestive issues is a powder by Apex Energetics called RepairVite. It has L-glutamine and a lot of amino acids and herbal ingredients. Whenever I have intestinal issues I use this for a couple days and I always feel better pretty quickly. It's quite expensive on Amazon (about $75), but I got it from my acupuncturist for about $35.

  • bribucks
    bribucks Posts: 431 Member
    @RaeBeeBaby Good to know! Didn’t know that the nut yogurts have the same cultures.
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