acidophilus probiotic pills? do they work?

[Ruth]

Hi, I just started taking acidophilus probiotic, 100 mg, in pill form...does anyone know if the pills really work to get the good bacteria to the gut? Thanks, Ruth

[weisssoccermom]

Ruth,
I don't know about that particular pill, but when I was on radiation, I took something for irritable bowel which was just lactobacillus. I did it because the radiation was killing all the good bacteria & I was getting diarrhea from it. After I started, I hardly had any diarrhea. The normal dose was one to two pills a day, but after getting the ok from my onc., I took 2 pills in the morning and two pills in the afternoon. I doubt that I ever really "got ahead" because the radiation kept killing things off, but I stayed on an even keel during my radiation. So, yes, I would say that it should work, based on my experience. Are you also having radiation now?
Jaynee

[Ruth]

Hi, I am not having radiation now, but I did have it for rectal cancer. I am having a lot of problems with rad damage to the rectum now, so my rad doc said to try them...thanks, Ruth

[wifey]

Ruth,

I am new to the board (husband diagnosed w/colon cancer stage IIIB in May). We have a little bit of experience with acidophilus pills, since he's been on long-term antibiotics for Lyme disease.

My understanding is that the best type to get are the refrigerated variety; I guess that maintains the strength of the cultures more effectively. A brand that is frequently recommended by the Lyme community is Theralac (I hope it's okay to post brand names; I will edit, if not). It's a bit pricey, but you only have to take one a day, and it is designed for maximum absorption.

Hope this is helpful.

Take care,
Aviva

[Loopy369]

I also started taking these along with some other supplements and vitamins prescribed by my nutritionist toward the end of chemoradiation - it worked wonders for me, together with a change in eating. I went from having diarrhoea average 6 times a day to one proper movement a day!

It's the little things in life that make me happy

I'm sort of looking forward to finding out if I can ever do that again, but at least my chemo diarrhoea is in my ileostomy bag