do probiotics really help with bloating and gas of IBS?

[Samyyy]

i have started a probiotic as a last resort for IBS but stopped 2 days after because of intensification of gas and bloating that i already have. I have read that probiotics can make things worse for the first week only ,but is it worth a try , do they really help?

[CloverOro]

I've had this with probiotics too, mine didn't feel like they did anything until about a week in but most do cause worse symptoms or even cause diarrhea until your gut adjusts to them. If you feel you can, then try stick it out until things settle in because I've found they really do help in the longer term with pains and bloating. If not I'd even suggest trying a different brand and see if those are less painful to get on with Best of luck!

[Samyyy in reply to CloverOro]

Thanks a lot🙂

[Misspomfrey]

When I started taking probiotics years ago, I didn't experience anything other than some relief of bloating. I really can't do without them now. I have over the years tried various ones which I think you may have to do because everyone reacts differently, until you find the best one for you. Give them a chance though for your system get used to them. If it says to take two a day, just start with one. I have always found that I only need to take one a day.

[E3178]

I have tried aflorex a few times but they make things worse. It is an idea to take them in smaller doses to start with?I wondered if they would work by opening the capsule and dividing them into four to put some into empty capsules to take or sprinkling some straight onto a meal?

Any ideas please?

[edwangy in reply to E3178]

Yes, aflorex did the same to me

[BabblingBrooks]

I did get some side effects when I first started but I wouldn’t be without them now.

I use Starpowa.

[StrugglingAirHostess]

I use Probio7 advanced. They're amazing. I had the same issue with other probiotics but this one I had no problems with gas etc and it worked pretty much straight away and helps a lot with bloating. Expensive at £17.99 a back but worth it.

[MatthewU]

You will probably need to try several different brands until you find one that really works for you, Aflorex were horrible for me and after several different brands I've found BetterVits Probiotic Complex 30B CFU works nicely for me. That said, I still have bouts of bloating and gut pain that can last around a week, but the time between this are much longer. It's important to also know your trigger foods and to always drink plenty of water and no carbonated soft drinks, I also stay away from milk, wheat, onions, processed foods and vinegar pickles and oranges.

[E3178]

Thankyou. Seems I have different ones to try now.

[xjrs]

I think that you can see from all these posts that probiotics are very personal, as with many things IBS related. Maybe some people have shortages of specific types of bacteria and others don't, so it is a case of trial and error. Alflorex worked best for me and I had no side effects from it, I just had the benefits. As you can see, some others can't get on with it, equally other people rave about it. However, there were others (more the multi-strain high dose ones) that made me quite ill. It's a case of being your own scientific experiment, look at the reviews, trying different ones and keep a diary of your symptoms with them.

There is a condition called SIBO - small intestine bacterial overgrowth (which is supposed to be relatively rare), that would make things much much worse if you take probiotics over the trial period (normally 3 months). That is a whole minefield in itself, since it is difficult to diagnose and treat, though probiotics making you more and more ill over time might be an indicator. However, you may only have it if you have one of its predisposing factors.

[XDjames]

I can't deal with something that will make you feel worse to start but 'might make you feel better later'. I really do not want to feel any worse. Results from literature seem to be pretty variable, none say 'yes there great'. Best I've seen is 'it might work for you'.

Alflorex immediately made me uncomfortable so I'm really reluctant to try anything unless there are consistently positive results.

[Crescendo251]

From my own research (not experience), I have read that if you have SIBO and you take probiotics it will make thing worse. That's because the good bacteria and the bad bacteria basically start a war and it causes havoc in your intestines. I heard that the way around this is to take antibiotics for a few weeks first, and then introduce the probiotics. It would be great if there is someone on here who has taken the antibiotic route first and can verify if this is true.