“Taking a probiotic wrong?”
I cut open an encapsulated 25 billion cfu 12 strain probiotic that's normally meant to open in the large intestine. I put in a cup of water and drank it. Ever since then I've been burping a lot, gassy. crazy noises from my intestines, stomach pain/intestinal pain, acne, changes in stool/constipation. The probiotic had many different strains of Bifidobacterium and lactobacillus and 1 strain of streptococcus thermophilus. It seems some of these strains colonized in my small intestine that aren't supposed to be there. Is there a way to reduce the numbers or kill these otherwise good bacteria if in the large intestine that is overpopulating my small intestine now with an antibiotic or herbal antibiotic? Maybe a certain strain I can introduce will push out the ones that aren't supposed to be there?
Male | 42 years old
Complaint duration: 7 weeks
2 Answers
First of all, wondering why you are cutting the capsule rather than taking it as is. Secondly, most of the bacteria is getting into the stomach and may not be going past it not being in a capsule. If you have an overgrowth of bad bacteria, when you take a probiotic and the good guys are coming in and fighting the bad guys you will have those symptoms such as gas, burping, noises, pain, diarrhea, constipation, etc. I would recommend taking it as it is meant to be, in the capsule and not opening it up. This will help it get to the place it is meant to be. You don't want to kill any of the good bacteria and the only way to do so would be an antibiotic. Otherwise, just don't take the probiotic and the good bacteria will eventually die off with stress and other causes, however, I do not advise doing so. To attract what should be there, you should take probiotics and feed your good bacteria and make them stronger. That will also help them fight the bad bacteria.
It is very unlikely that taking a probiotic caused bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine (SIBO), even if you drank the probiotic. There is a breath test that can help diagnose SIBO though it is not a perfect test to say the least. There are other possible explanations for your symptoms, including carbohydrate malabsorption. Since the problems have been going on for weeks then you should get evaluated by a GI physician who can get a full history and determine if any testing is needed.
