Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Another question about probiotics

Ok, this might be a dumb question, and I apologize if it is.

I went back to my doctor yesterday because I'm just so incredibly frustrated with the bloating and the pain. He asked me if I was taking probiotics and I told him that I actually found one (Udo's Choice Super Bifido Plus) that I believe is offering me a little bit of relief.

He told me to discontinue that one and start taking Align, because it is more potent.

I went home and looked - Align has 1 billion viable bacteria, Udo's has 7 billion.

I realize that Align and VSL#3 are the only probiotics that have research to back them up, which is presumably why he recommended the Align. However, the research is looking (to me)like probiotics are beneficial in general. The Udo's has like 4 or 5 different strains of Bifidobacterium, which from my understanding is what's helpful for bloating and gas.

What do you guys think? I'm totally at my wit's end here...

Another question, for anyone who has taken Udo's - it's recommended to take 3/day in the beginning to "restore healthy flora" then 1/day for maintenance. I've never taken 3/day because I've been taking probiotics for years. Has anyone found relief taking 3/day? (I don't even care about the cost at this point!) And how do you know when you're ready to drop down to 1/day??

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IBS-C

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