Help chosing: Probiotics - Working Bacterias

[scratchydude]

Hi guys,

P went mad on my face after taking some calcium supplement very recently so there must something to do with my gut flora.

I was advised to buy some probiotics but there's so many of them that I don't really know what to buy really.

This is the main brand I found in pharmacy: Lactibiane.

They have 4 kind of products that seem interesting for me:

First product called "Reference" contains

- Bifidobacterium lactis LA 501
- Lactobacillus acidophilus LA 102
- Bifidobacterium longum LA 101

Second product called "Defenses" contains:

-Lactobacillus acidophilus LA102
-Bifidobacterium longum LA 101
-Lactococcus lactis LA 103
-Streptococcus thermophilus LA 104.

Third product called "Tolerance" contains

-Bifidobacterium lactis LA 303
-Lactobacillus acidophilus LA 201
-Lactobacillus plantarum LA 301
-Lactobacillus salivarius LA 302
-Bifidobacterium lactis LA 304.

Forth product called "Candisis" Contains

-Lactobacillus acidophilus candisis LA 401

They are all here (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login). They're not cheap but the only one's I can found everywhere and that the pharmacist recommended to me.

Does anybody have a clue to which one of these products (and bacteria) could be beneficial for P sufferers ?

In case you advise me to take the forth product, would it be really necessary knowing I have cut any kind of sugar for almost a week by now.

[Lazza]

Scratchy, some comments:

1) Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum are rather ubiquitous among probiotics.

2) Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium work at different ends of the intestinal tract, as I recall (..again, Probiotics Revolution by Huffnagle explains it all).  And so I think taking a probiotic with both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium makes sense.

3) Read the packaging carefully of each product.  How many units of bacteria is in each capsule?  How many of these are guaranteed to be living?

4) Since you are suffering rather badly now I have to encourage you to exercise restraint.  A severe Herxheimer reaction can be hell.  You will be bedridden with flu-like symptoms and your psoriasis may explode, .. and there might other symptoms too.  I developed a Herx reaction by taking a probiotic with only 2 billion units.  If you discover you feel deathly ill after taking a probiotic I suggest you cut them in half, if possible, and endure the Herx until in subsides.  Then go on to a full dose.

5) Here in the USA a 30 day course of a decent probiotic purchased at a pharmacy should run about $20 - $30.  Online you'll find them 40% cheaper.  Since you are just experimenting right now I wonder if it is prudent to spend more on some boutique brand of probiotic??

Having said all this, let me emphasize that I am nowhere close to being an expert on this topic.  However I think in light of your condition and the apparent connection between colon health (/pathogens in the colon) and autoimmune disease it is reasonable to pursue taking probiotics (, and maybe doing a colon cleanse).  I don't believe there are any harmful risks but please research this yourself before taking any supplement.


_Lazza

[scratchydude]

Hi Lazza,

The products I mentioned come in individual doses, each dose contains 10 billions units !
You're right about purchasing them online, but even at the store they're not that expensive (+/- the same price in US).

There will be a time where I will have to experiment probiotics. So even if my psoriasis gets worse I will be more than delighted, and I prefer to try now that I'm awfully affected by P on my face than later when I'll be clear.

Oh man, if I get a Herx reaction it would be so great !!! Because right now I know that there's something going on my gut(with dairy)but then I will be a 100% sure about what's causing my P, and will be able to work around that  

PS: Having said that, and even if THE problem is located inside my gut, I know that VitD3 will remain as a permanent thing to take as it improves my P.

[NYGuy11]

NYGuy11, I am presently taking:

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I used to take the following, which contain probiotics plus a whole lot more ... and I like the powdered form:

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Both of the above products contain a wide variety of bacterial strains.

Early on I took Align (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login) and got my Herxheimer reaction (, and so I knew it was working).  This product contains only one strain of bacteria, Bifidobacterium infantis 35624.  My GI doctor recommended this product.  However the dosage isn't very much (..I think 2 billion units per capsule).

I recall vorden took Lactobacillus GG, found in the Culturelle brand, and got a Herxheimer reaction.

There is SO MUCH to choose from.  At any rate, you can find all the above products online.  Align and Culturelle brands are also available in pharmacies.


_Lazza

Interesting Lazza...there's so much to take.  I'm not sure what to do.  I have my doctor's appointment today at 5pm EST, so I'll have an answer on my mouth/blood/stool tests.  I'll report back before deciding on probiotics.  I think I have a yeast/candida issue so I would probably need to have a probiotic that targets yeast/candida.

You're scaring me with the Herxheimer reaction.  Not so much the flu symptoms, but the P breaking out badly.  How long after starting probiotics does a Herx reaction occur?  How long does the Herx reaction last?

[Lazza]

Herxheimer reactions vary.  They are a natural phenomenon when toxins are released from dying pathogens and the body cannot handle the load.  The most common reaction are skin rashes and flu-like symptoms.  But of course since psoriasis sufferers have hyper-active immune systems it would make sense that an autoimmune response might occur.  As for myself, my psoriasis flare wasn't bad.  I got lesions in places I never had before or since.  They faded away in short order.  And my Herx experience lasted about a week.  Then one day I woke up, no flu-like symptoms, and I felt GREAT.  After that I never had a Herx reaction.

But again, everyone is different.  I have read where folks taking supplements to kill off the virus associated with Lyme disease have a really awful time.


_Lazza

[Lazza]

Oh, let me be clear.  If you get flu-like symptoms they can be bad enough to make you want to stay in bed.  My experience was: take probiotic at 10 AM, by early PM I would feel sick, sometime in very early AM I would feel better, ... and then the cycle repeated.  If you experience a Herxheimer reaction you might want to take the probiotics in the mid-afternoon.  Your evenings will be wrecked, but at least you should be able to work the next day.


_Lazza

[scratchydude]

Lazza,

I think I'll go with this one: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

I'll updated here for the effects.

[Lazza]

Good luck!  Hopefully something positive will come from using it.

You know, when I got sick after taking my first probiotic capsule I was worried.  The packaging said nothing about getting sick with flu-like symptoms.  All it said was "oh, you might experience a little gas, which tells you it is working".    So here I am flat on my back in misery and all I am told is to worry about flatulence?!?  Crazy stuff.


_Lazza

[DottieD]

There is a dietician in the U.S. (Brenda Watson) who has done several shows on public televison and seems to be somewhat of an expert on probiotics.   She recommends that people purchase a probiotic that has at least 10 different strains, several of which are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria strains (the first acts in the small intestine, the second acts in the colon), that each capsule have at least 35 billion organisms, and that the capsules or pills have a coating that keeps them from getting "out" into the gut until they have passed through the stomach. 

DottieD

[NYGuy11]

Lazza, my doctor suggested taking probiotics.  Have you ever heard of Florastar?  That's the brand he likes.