1. Do you take a probiotic or not
Yep, I've been taking one for quite a while now (even before my IBS diagnosis about a year ago - always helped with what I thought was just lactose intollerance), though due to being extremely busy I kind of let myself slide with not remembering to take it... back on it now though.
2. Are you a C, D, or A
I'm IBS-D
3. What brand you take
I was taking the Jamieson Acidophilus, but that was a getting a little expensive. Now I buy the giant bulk bottle of Life Brand Acidophilus. Both are "super-strain", which means that there's millions of different kinds of bacteria in it - basically because not all bacteria will work for everyone, but with the super-strain there are so many that chances are at least one will work for you.
Both kinds that I have bought you need to keep in the refrigerator. This is a good rule of thumb - if it doesn't say on the bottle "keep refridgerated" then it's no good. Put it back on the shelf. If it doesn't need to be refridgerated then the manufacturer is basically telling you that there is NO ACTIVE BACTERIA in it! And then it's useless. Another good rule (as I mentioned above) is to always buy the "super strain" kind.
4. How many you take a day
3/day.
5. When do you take them (with the meal, after the meal, on an empty stomach like maybe 1/2 hour before eating)
It says on the bottle to take 1 before each meal for a total of 3 a day, but I just take all three right before eating my breakfast in the morning. So on an empty stomach, but then directly with a meal. I've read that you should take it with a meal so that it can get into your intestines more directly, i.e. because it goes down with the food, but before so it doesn't just get all washed out. I take it all at once because I never remember to take it during the day, and the old brand I was taking said to take up to three all at once. This way I get all that I need and always remember to take it.
6. Do you experience gas or bloating from them or do you think it has helped with gas or bloating
I've never experienced any problems from taking them. I have with some other vitamins but never with probiotics.
7. Are they helpful with having BM's
Hard to say, for both BMs and gas/bloating. From my experience with probiotics, they're like a long-term investment. I was lucky enough to have a few very stable months a while ago and I think the probiotics had a lot do with that. For me they help all my symptoms, but not immediately. You need to build up that good bacteria in your intestine first. So its hard to say how much they helped on their own as I was doing lots of stuff that was making me feel better - but I felt great for so long, so they must have had something to do with it.
8. Where can you buy the product
Either at my health food store (Jamieson, also available at drug stores though) or Shopper's Drug Mart (Life Brand).
Thanks, this survey was a great idea!
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Re: Probiotics Survey-even if you don't take one!
