I'm Confused - I Thought Acidolphlus/FemDophilus Hurts an IC Bladder?!

[futurehope]

Hi! I used to take acidophilus pills prior to my IC deteriorating. But now, the pills hurt my bladder.

I'm happy to hear all the good news about people on this forum who are able to take FemDophilus, but I must admit I'm confused?!

How can you take these pills without IC pain resulting from them? Are you all just using these internally in your vagina?

Thanks.

[MarthaF]

FemDophilus contains two strains of lactobacillus and they are part of our intestinal flora and helpful in maintaining a healthy vagina. I have checked the ingredients and there are a few others like dextrose and cellulose, potato starch and magnesium stearate. A few might be bothered by these additives if their bladders are very sensitive. But it can be inserted directly into the vagina and I doubt that these would then bother the bladder.

Martha

[futurehope]

Thanks, Martha. So am I to understand that the people talking about FemDophilus are NOT taking it for their gut flora, only their vaginal flora?

[MarthaF]

Yes, mostly it is a urogenital probiotic. We have lactobacilli in our intestines but they are also needed in the vagina and in there they also help protect the bladder from bad bacteria. Most bacteria come from the intestines out and into the vagina and from there to the urethra. Lactobacilli help keep the bad bacteria from attaching to the vaginal wall and keep the vagina healthy.

Martha

[Anthrop42]

Futurehope,

Maybe it was the type of probiotic that was causing you problems. The first type of probiotic I tried was an acidophilus (I can't remember the brand) - it didn't bother my bladder but gave me horrible abdominal cramps. The bottle said to keep taking it & any side effects would go away but they never did. Femdophilus has never given me any problems. It can be expensive depending on where you buy it. Its cheaper on the Internet. I take it twice a day orally.

Aline

[mom_in_ma]

Aline,
How are you doing on the antibiotic therapy?

[Anthrop42]

Mom_in_Ma,

I'm doing a lot better. I've been on antibiotics for about 5 & a half months now. Its been slow improvement - definitely not a miracle cure. I still had some flaring during the first 4 months & I was having some yeast problems, pain with sex & other side effects while I was taking augmentin. For the past month, I switched to Macrobid 4 times a day, & the flares and side effects have stopped. I can drink a pepsi once in a while or a glass of wine & nothing happens. I still can't drink tea, even decaf tea though, or I start getting some urethral sensitivity & urgency (maybe its because tea is a diuretic).

Anyway, I'm very glad I had my urine tested by United Medical & started on antibiotics. I would definitely do it again! The doctors who don't trust broth cultures or other cultures like resin cultures should not be allowed to practice. About 7 years ago, I kept going to a university health clinic with UTI symptoms, they kept saying the test was negative & wouldn't do anything, & I ended up with a very bad kidney infection that took 2 months of antibiotics to cure. The normal testing & culturing is completely inadequate. If doctors can ignore an obvious infection that then causes a kidney infection, then they can ignore an infection that causes IC.

Aline

[Angeles]

I took Femdophilus (1 bottle) and it didn;t bother my bladder, there's another brand that contains the same strains as Femdophilus called Primadophilus, and maybe you can try to get that one and see? Or Maybe try to open the contents of the capsule and mix it with water? The idea is for the lactobacilli/probiotic bacteria to get to the instestines, and from there to the vagina, it looks like "a heck of a trip" but worth trying.
What I notice is that acidophilus in general improve the inmmune system by colonizing the instestings with good flora.
A big part of our immune system is located in the intestines. So you never really loose by takign a probitoc that works for you. Another good one, but soooo expensive is VSL#3 wich has 450 billion bacteria per sachet. Unfortunatelly VSL#3 doesn't contain the lactobacilli strains in Fem dophilus that are suppose to have antimicrobial effects on the vagina as describe above.
Martha: did you hear back from Femdophilus company/Jarrow in reagrds to the need for refrigeration during shipment?
Hugs to all.

[MarthaF]

SMR,

I did hear from Brian at Jarrow and posted earlier but here it is again:

I know many here are taking FemDophilus but some are concerned that the bottle says "Keep in refrigerator". Yet it is mailed across country in the summer heat. I wrote to the Jarrow probiotics sales manager about this and here is his reply:
....."we do require refrigeration for the Fem-Dophilus in order to acheive the longest possible shelf-life (18 months). However, it can survive just fine in shipment for 2-4 days without refrigeration. It may lose about 10-20% of potency (CFU count), but since we put "extra" CFU into the product during production, this loss is accounted for ahead of time (i.e. we put about 7-8 Billion CFU/capsule in at time of manufacture in order to cover any potential loss during transit, shipment, etc. - that way, our customers are still guaranteed to get 5 Billion CFU per capsule at time of consumption.)"

From what I have been told and read the lactobacilli strains in FemDophilus have been well-tested (and patented) to show that they are effective against yeast and typical UTI bacteria. Gregor Reid, PhD, developed this probiotic and has done years of study on women's urogenital problems. As I mentioned before, although the label doesn't state this, they can be inserted vaginally (like in an applicator of some kind of gel).

I just hope they will start packaging it in larger-size bottles.

I posted under the IBS thread about using probiotics for treatment. One patient reported that she had been diagnosed with SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). The GI doctor used a breath test to diagnose this problem that has now been discovered to cause the symptoms of some with IBS. The treatment is a special antibiotic.

I have had a complete stool analysis (only done by alternative doctors) and it showed bacteria that don't belong in the intestines. A stool analysis shows much about the intestinal system and it is the largest part of the body's immune system. My doctors just told me I had "IBS" without doing any kind of testing. The intestines are full of bacteria that we need for digestion and immunity but sometimes bad bacteria get in and can't be controlled. Probiotics are meant to help restore the good. There are all kinds on the market. The June issue of Prevention listed 6 or 7 of the best. Culturelle is one and FemDohphilus was listed as the best urogenital one. I have heard of VSL#3 but never used it.

When on antibiotics they kill the good bacteria and that's when we need probiotics to compensate.

Martha

[Vampireness]

Can someone explain this probiotic to me:

Proprietary Blend 200mg <--What is this?
Lactobacillus Acidophilus
Lactobacillus Salivarius
Bifidobacterium Infantis
Bifidobacterium Longum
FOS 200mg
L - Glutamine 200mg <----And this?
N Acetyl D-Glucosamine 50mg <---- And this?

Other ingredients: Rice flour (400mg per 2 capsules) and gelatin capsule (gelatin and water) [Rice flour???....is that going to bother the bladder or what's it for?]

[dbritts]

Vampireness,

Properietary Blend is just means the supplements that have been mixed together to form the product. L-glutamine is an amino acid to support the repair of the intestinal lining. My guess is that rice flour was used to blend the product because to avoid any allerigies that can be caused by gluten, soy or corn, etc.
This the information on the glucosamine: N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NAG) is a nutrient that supports connective tissue and joint integrity, NAG is further along the metabolic pathway between glucosamine and the larger, more complex mucopolysaccharides. It is likely, therefore, that NAG can be useful wherever glucosamine has proven useful.* NAG is also well recognized for gastrointestinal support by enhancing mucosal integrity.* N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NAG) differs from glucosamine sulfate in that it is attached to an acetic acid molecule, while glucosamine sulfate is attached to a sulfuric acid molecule.* NAG is unlikely to pose any risk to those who cannot tolerate sulfur.* Hypoallergenic. Hope this helps. Debbie

[Vampireness]

Dbritts - Thank you very much for the explaination :) This product is pretty expensive though...

[dbritts]

Vampireness,

Is there a special reason that you're looking at this product? I take a lot of probiotics too because I'm always on antibiotics. I know the expense can really run up.

Debbie

[Vampireness]

Well, I was asked to get a probiotic with seven different strains by a Nauropath (sp?) so he recommended me with this one. I'm also on antibiotic, so it'll do me good. I mean, I'm already on probiotic now, but it has three strains two L strains and one B strain. I was told to get something with three L and three B strain.

Oh it's running alright lol, especially because I'm in Asia too. Sometimes the product is pretty cheap then I'm asked to pay 23.00+ US just for shipping....ooooooooooK! Then, other times, they don't even ship to Singapore. I have so many products in mind, that I want to try. But, of course one at a time. Running out of them during treatment is the worse part. And, as you know some products take three months to work and maybe longer, and it's like ugh...I have to order the whole three months? What if it doesn't work for me at all for one month? Then, I'm like I should order for one month then, but what if I run out by the time, I can get another one....

It's one of the reason, I had to stop Aloe Vera....kinda think it was helping me, I was on it for fifteen days and I depend on my mom's money and she doesn't give me money on time and stalls so I can't get the treatment I need.

Now, I'm struggling with antibiotics.....going to run out soon...

[Angeles]

To Martha F: Thanks so much for finding out the information in regards to Femdophils shipment. I will order then soon again. Right now I'm on VSL#3.
I try to alternate probiotics. I like the idea that Femdophilus contains strains that help the urogenital area.

I realize more and more how important probitics are, I wish I knew this 5 yeasr ago or more.
Probitics really help the immune system and replace the good bacteria in the instestines that are wiped out by antibiotics, in many cases.
So please please take probiotics when or after antibiotics. Do not take them at teh same time as you take your ab though...

[Vampireness]

SMR, I agree with you on alternating the probiotic since you need different strains and more so when you are on antibiotics.

Look into Floramax as well, I read their supplement fact and they seem good to me, especially they help the lining. It's produced by Advance Natural, I believe.