Do probiotics give you gas?

[Saphire7]

Greetings,

I was told to take two probiotics by my pharmacist. So after first one, I waited 8 hours to take another with water.

But now am experiencing a lot of abdominal discomfort and gas. I attribute this to the 2 probiotics as I didn't eat any beans

or broccoli that might cause this.

I am concluding that 2 per day could be too much for my system to handle.

What about you? Do probiotics give you any special symptoms?

Thanks for your reply!

[Saphire7]

I had taken an antibiotic for a week so I think it's normal to take probiotics and have gas in this situation.

 

[Saphire7]

Also I had eaten sauerkraut yesterday which is supposed to act like a probiotic.

I guess i overdid it.  Maybe it would make more sense to either take a probiotic or sauerkraut but not both.

[Jeffrey Roberts]

I have read that bloating and gas is rather common after starting a new probiotic. The theory is that it takes time for the (good) bacteria to colonize your gut and during this time there is more gas produced. It tends to subside within the first week.

There is lots of real life experiences from patients that probiotics have benefited them. I think the research is still catching up. I personally find that probiotics help my IBS. It really depends on which one you use and in what quantity. There are only 2 probiotics studied for IBS - Align and Visbiome. 

[Saphire7]

Thanks, Jeffrey, for this helpful information!