Probiotics - I genuinely need your information, my dad is ill

In My Humble Opinion
1

My father has been battling serious digestive problems for years, which started 25 years ago when he nearly killed himself with constant aspirin following an injury that eventually ate a hole in his stomach. When my stepmother finally dragged him to the doctor they said he was only a week or two away from dying from blood loss.

Anyway, two years ago he nearly died of starvation after many months of being unable to eat due to pain and nausea. He had to be hospitalized before Kaiser determined that he had the worst case of gastritis they’d ever seen. He was treated for that and continues to take the treatment for it.

Over the past year his gastric distress got worse again, until at Thanksgiving he was hospitalized again, and they determined that his gallbladder was extremely diseased.

He had it removed three weeks ago. it ended up an open surgery and he was in the hospital for more than a week.

He’s been taking tons of drugs for all kinds of things, including antibiotics. He has crippling arthritis as well, he’s almost entirely bedridden. And nothing can improve until he can get steady nutrition and not be completely miserable.

Anyway, he’s still having lots of misery in the form of gas and diarrhea. In addition to his medical treatment, I think his natural flora and fauna have been completely screwed up and I would like him to try some appropriate probiotics. I did some reading a year or two ago and learned that it’s silly to just throw any ol’ probiotics in there, and that there are different kinds. Of course there are also different makers.

So I’d like to learn more about the different kinds, and I’d also like some recommendations for trustworthy manufacturers. No one in my world has money to waste and I’ve already seen that this stuff can be pricey. I want to make sure that I’m not buying a $50 bottle of air.

So…your information, thoughts, experiences are all very much desired.

Thanks.

2

Have you spoken to a gasteroenterologist about this? When I had my severe intestinal problems in 2007 mine recommended probiotics and was quite specific. Given the multiple problems your father is having I wouldn’t just throw things at him, his doctors really should be in the loop on this.

3

Well, his doctors can barely retain the fact that he’s allergic to ampicillin so waiting on them is pointless. Kaiser has fabulous ads, but they continue to be the most wretched healthcare providers I know of.

4

I will second the asking the doctor part. With all of his issues, it would be a good idea to run the idea of probiotics by the doctor.

However, to answer the questions, if you want “real” probiotics, the best place to get them is from your local pharmacy. Go to the pharmacy counter, and ask them for the probiotics that we keep in the refrigerator. You can get a bottle of around 100 tablets for around $40-$50, and since it is regulated as a medicine, you know it is legit. My experience has been the products on the shelf, that are not refrigerated, isn’t as good, cheap, or effective as the stuff in the pharmacy refrigerator. It is an OTC product, so you don’t need a script for it.

Now, for most people, that is overkill. Most people who are on antibiotics looking to get probiotics to prevent something like a yeast infection, would do perfectly fine just eating Yogurt every day. Yogurt has active cultures in it, and will help replenish your internal flora, plus it is cheaper, and yummier. You can get a 8oz container for about $0.50 at Kroger, in many different flavors. Just get the store brand, U.S. labeling laws require anything sold as “yogurt” to have active cultures. No need to pay more for the marketing for activia and stuff like it.

5

I don’t think it’s that simple.

According to A staff report from the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board:

It goes on to explain that some yogurts have more bacteria than others.
-D/a

6

Your doctor can’t even remember that your father is allergic to ampicillin? :eek: I guess it’s impossible to find another doctor then? :frowning:

7

The “yummier” part I disagree with. My GI advised yogurt, but even after two weeks of no food, living on IV’s, literally starving, my reaction to the taste of yogurt was about two bites then the start of gagging. Yeah, I dislike yogurt that much.

That’s when the doc gave my probiotics. Said my reactions was in the minority but not that unusual.

Previous caution about some yougurts sold in the US not having active cultures. However, most with active cultures will have it on the product somewhere, so look for it if you go that route.

8

I anticipate that you’ll be about as satisfied with the medical advice you get here as you were with the legal advice you got here.

I wish the best of luck to your father.

9

I don’t have my bottle of acidophilus close at hand, so I can’t testify to the brand name, but I think it’s Nature’s Best. I bought my first bottle at a GNC, but have found them much more reasonably priced at Target. I buy the chewable strawberry-flavored ones. My thinking is that if I chew them, they’re already starting to digest by the time they get to where they’re going, therefore more time to go to work than if I swallow something, then excrete it four hours later! (Sorry for the TMI!)

I find that when I take the probiotics, my gas is much less stinky, and my poos are much less stressful. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?

In short, I don’t see that it could hurt your father to try adding probiotics. It takes a few days for the flora to grow in the lower tract, so don’t expect immediate results.

10

The [implied] medical advice in this thread might actually be useful in this case.

11

Yogurt is just one way of getting pro-biotics and pre-biotics. If your dad can tolerate yogurt, get him some organic stuff from a specialty shop, not just the stuff marked “organic” in the supermarket. Those brands are usually lowest-common-denominator versions of organic. Brown Cow out of CA might be a good brand for him to try.

The best probiotics usually do come refrigerated and often have a fairly short shelf life so don’t buy them in massive quantities. Go ahead and talk to the doctor about them but don’t be surprised if you hit a brick wall. It took me years to find an internist who was able to pinpoint my digestive problems and help me deal with them. A lot of docs still pooh-pooh natural medicine and ayurvedics. Hang in there and go for a second opinion of you think your doc is clueless.

Best wishes and good luck to your dad.

12

IANAD. But my gastroenterologist swears by probiotics. I take Acidophilus pearls, he takes Align, but I only had moderate gas/bloating. I would consult a gastroenterologist and ask about Align. Align is magic, especially if his symptoms are that bad. Both the pearls and Align are on Amazon. If you go with the pears, try the IC ones; they’re more intensive.

How’s his diet? Also important, much moreso actually. Needs to be healthy as shit right now and not spicy and alcohol free.

ETA: Yogurt probiotics can’t always last the trip to the small intestine. That’s why probiotics are better. Easier on patient compliance, too, which appears to be a problem.

13

I take probiotics and have found some positive results. I had several stomach operations and had strong antibiotics pumped directly into my intestines on more than one occasion.

I was tired, confused and had skin rashes in many places, including trouble-dandruff that would not respond to even prescription medicine, jock itch and athlete’s foot. I also had bowel issues that the docs said were a result of the new plumbing.

My surgeon was quite supportive and said that *many *of his patients have success with probiotics. (Makes me wonder why he didn’t suggest it…)

The probiotics helped much with the fatigue and confusion - although I can’t say that I am totally cured in that area. None-the-less, compared to a year and half ago I am significantly improved.

The rashes cleared up greatly, with the severe dandruff going away completely. I still use a dandruff shampoo, but I have for most of my life.

The athelete’s foot has gone away. I still have regular issues with jock itch, but it is not as bad as it was.

I have had some improvement with my bowel issues, but my doc says that not all the issues were caused by a yeast infection and that some of my issues will never go away.

I unfortunately cannot say one brand is better than another. I like the chewablesbecause I take too damn many other pills already (I like the banana and blueberry). However, some of the books recommend the pearlsbecause the idea is to get the bacteria into the intestines rather than have them killed via stomach acid. (This isn’t an issue for me, my stomach is not in the plumbing loop.) The pearls seem to be more costly, but if the result is that it helps more, it may be worth it.

I suspected that I was very much depleted (3 different antibiotics pumped right into my intestines via a feeding tube and then other antibiotics during recovery) so as a starter I took the 200 Billion count. Although I still take it once a quarter as a booster, I cannot honestly tell you whether it is any better than just taking lower counts regularly. Since it is costly, you may not wish to go that way. The nice thing about this one and the other products by Ultimate Flora is that you get several strains of probiotic. (This is why I use it as a booster.)

Good luck.

14

Sounds like trying the probiotics would not be a bad idea. I was getting on into a pretty severe gas/diarrhea stage in the months following a course of heavy antibiotics to treat a staph infection caused by a spider bite. Probiotics fixed me right up within a matter of a week. I used something called Agile to start with. There are several types of the good flora and different dosage levels available in the various brands. I use three different brands now including basic acidopholous at a smaller dose, alternating days. Never felt better, “GI tract-wise” that is.

I’ve been on this regimen for about six months now and plan to start cutting back at some point. With a decent diet sans the antibiotics the gut should maintain it’s own good equilibrium once that is established.

15

Just a reminder that the advice and experiences of fellow posters on Straight Dope are no substitute for the advice of a doctor who has examined the patient and is vastly more qualified to evaluate his condition that uninvolved strangers on the Internet.

Best wishes to your father.

Ellen Cherry
IMHO Moderator

16

Ask his doctors. And listen to what they say.

For once in your life, close your mouth and open your ears.

17

Both Mrs. J. and I have had bad experiences with doctors. Our solution was to find good ones, not decide to experiment with over-the-counter products and supplements based on anonymous advice given over the Internet.

I’m willing to bet that somewhere in the vast L.A. metro area (or just the Kaiser system) there are gastroenterologists who’d be happy to advise your father on what probiotics might be worth trying.

Most physicians think their patients deserve evidence-based treatment with an established clinical record of success.

18

Thanks for the good wishes. But seriously, my father’s doctors have narrowly avoided killing him through disinterest multiple times. I assume it’s because he’s old (77)- hell, I hope it is because he’s old and it’s some kind of internal triage they do that makes them less concerned about people towards the later years of life; I’d hate to think they are that disinterested and clueless with all their patients. (The amoxycillin is the most egregious example; not only did my stepmother remind everyone multiple times, it was* IN HIS CHART*… and they still gave it to him. Amazing.)

And in the case of probiotics, I’ve been reading medical sites and studies and the general consensus is that they are pretty safe - even if they don’t help, they aren’t likely to harm.

19

I’m sure there are too. But they are rude enough to require money for their services. My father is limited to Kaiser and the VA, so he has to accept what he’s dealt in the doctor department.

20

Agreed. And some of them prefer to use evidence that had been published more recently than 30 years ago or even evidence that wasn’t sponsored by a drug company. I started taking probiotics on my current doctor’s advice. The previous two doctors both diagnosed my gastric problems as stress and told me to relax.

As in any profession, there are good docs and bad. I am happy to have found me a good one. There’s still stress in my life, but not gastric distress.