Probiotics make IBS symptoms worse for prolonged periods of time?

[jack v]

Can probiotics make IBS symptoms worse?

Last spring my IBS symptoms started, in the summer I tried probiotics from July to August and my abdominal pain and diahrrea got much worse. I stopped in late August. My bad symptoms continued until late September, the symptoms were still present but they were manageable enough that I could continue my day to day life.

In early May I tried probiotics again for a week and my symptoms have been much worse since. I hope that by mid June my symptoms will level off again like they did last time. Right now my symptoms can be mild to severe abdominal pain 2 -4 times a week and diahrrea 3 - 4 times a week. Abdominal pain occurs before diarrhea.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

This makes me think I might have SIBO perhaps.

 

[flyhighk]

I think the probiotics are causing SIBO. Have you tried different products ? Have you used proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole? Those can apparently cause bacterial overgrowth.

If your symptoms are severe, your best option is to see a doctor, preferably a gastroenterologist.
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[What 23]

There is also something called fructose malabsorption, which means you have issues digesting fructose (lack of receptors in the gut) and other types of sugars. It can come on suddenly, after an illness, or, I don't know. Apparently some who have it can't tolerate probiotics either.

 

[Foreigner]

The flora of the small intestine are something like 100 million cells per mL of fluid whereas the large intestine is something like 100 billion per mL. I've had to deal with gut problems since last year and it's been a long journey. One thing that I've discovered is the broad spectrum probiotics are not helpful for the small intestine. The two main bacterial strains that are supposed to be there are bifidobacterium and lactobacillus. Your immune system was regulated in the first months of life to allow certain bacteria to flourish there and others not. If you take probiotics that aren't meant for you, you'll get inflammation as your immune system reacts.

The other problem is that many probiotics on the market are genetically engineered. If you look on the label, next to the names of the bacteria you'll see letters and numbers like RD50 or something like that. It means that they are engineered strains. They do not reproduce, they live out their lifespans and then die. This is to keep you buying more probiotics. It's problematic because not only is the effect temporary, but a genetically modified bacteria will be different than the one your immune system was programmed to recognize around birth so your immune system may reject it anyway.

You should just eat plain yogurt, kefir, and ferments like sauerkraut, if possible. They all contain the original, natural strains. If they didn't, then the manufacturers would not be able to make their product because the bacteria would die within the first generation. I also did yogurt enemas, which helped. I had to go through the process of sterilizing my SI so many times, using antibiotic herbs, before I got the combo of bacteria right. It was such a nuisance.