Probiotics & Side Effects

Amores0121

So here's the situation: My daughter started complaining about her stomach hurting last Wed. (She has never had a good stomach, last year she complained ALOT about stomaches). I thought nothing of it until Wed night, she refused to eat dinner. Thurs, still complaining and would not eat dinner again. We figured she had not pooped in a least 2 days so I gave her some stool softener Thurs night and Fri am in case she was constipated. Fri am I took her the dr. as she was still complaining and said it hurt when I touched her stomach. Dr. said everything felt normal in the stomach and she did not even feel stool back-up. Prescribed me more stool softener and some acid reflux meds (since she often complains after she eats).  Friday she stayed at my Mom's and had diahrrea twice.  Saturday I went to the health food store to get some probiotics for me, and asked if they could help my daughter's digestion. THe lady assured me they were good for helping with stomach issues. Sat night I gave her some in her milk, and Sun am in her cereal. I wasn't able to get her reflux meds till yesterday, which I gave her before bedtime.

Saturday she again wouldn't eat much, and was still complaining. Yesterday she actually ate breakfast, lunch, 2 snacks and a tiny dinner.  She did not complain of her stomach hurting but did have diahrrea once.  Do you think that could be a side effect of the probiotics? I looked it up and it said it causes diahrrea in some people. I cut the dose in half this am, just in case that was the cause.  

Sorry for the long story, but my poor daughter has been having stomach issues for a few years now and I would really love to find something natural that can help her.

Also: I took mine today for the first time. It says to take 30 mins before breakfast. This caused a minor stomach upset. Can I take after eating?

Rrrrrachel

You really can't overdose on probiotics. You need big doses to really make an impact (probably much bigger than the recommended dose on the bottle) and anything that's too much will just pass through. Sounds like she was already having diarrhea so it's probably just more of that, not the probiotics.

Rrrrrachel

And I take mine whenever I remember, I don't worry about taking them with or without food or anything. I often take them right before bed.

TJ1979

I agree with @Rrrrrachel.  

Also, though, if she's having tummy issues this often, you might want to consider food intolerances.  Such as dairy or gluten.  I had tummy problems my whole life, and just thought it was normal to be in pain after eating and have heartburn every day.  Once I cut out dairy and gluten, all my issues went away.  And now I look back on a life of being in pain and having food run my life and wish I had known better.

Amores0121

@Mapleme  Last year I thought it might be dairy (I'm lactose intolerant), so we went dairy free for 2 weeks but no change.  Last year she literally complained of stomach aches almost daily. I thought it could be the stress of school.  She is very emotional and sensitive and I know that effects my stomach. I am thinking of taking her to get allergies tested to see if something she is eating that could be causing pain.  If she continues with the diahrrea or pain this week, I will be asking for a referral to a specialist b/c the not eating is very worrisome to me. she is already a small child.

TJ1979

2 weeks is a very short amount of time to expect dairy to make much difference.  Also remember that it's not just food allergies.  I was tested for all food allergies as a kid, and was fine.  I just don't tolerate dairy or gluten.  It's a difference.  So if the allergist can't help, maybe try a nutritionist? 
I hope this doesn't come across as judgy.  I don't mean it that way.  I hope you can find something that helps your little girl soon.

Amores0121

@TJ1979 I agree, I have also thought she could be sensitive to certain foods.  Last year when I brought it up to the dr, she didn't seem to think much of it but I am really thinking of taking her to an allergist to see if she has sensitivities.  Also, I keep in mind that I also have a "bad stomach".  For years I had chronic stomach pain. Had all sorts of testing done and they told me essentially there was nothing "wrong" with me. What I discovered was certain foods (red meat, high in fat, spicy, acidic) would trigger or worsen the pain, as well as stress. It made it difficult to eat. Shockingly my pregnancy has pretty much "cured" me of this pain. I've only had it twice since being pregnant. Of course I now have horrible gas and heartburn instead, but its better than pain. I'm sure it will come back once baby is born. I am wondering if she has a stomach like me.

Amores0121

TJ1979 said:

2 weeks is a very short amount of time to expect dairy to make much difference.  Also remember that it's not just food allergies.  I was tested for all food allergies as a kid, and was fine.  I just don't tolerate dairy or gluten.  It's a difference.  So if the allergist can't help, maybe try a nutritionist? 
I hope this doesn't come across as judgy.  I don't mean it that way.  I hope you can find something that helps your little girl soon.

No, does not sound judgy at all! 2 weeks was what the doctor told us, so that's what we tried. Of course more and more, I feel like appointments to the doctor are just a waste of my time.

TJ1979

She probably does.  And I was told my whole life that there was nothing wrong with me either.  During pregnancy, your immune system is lower, and a lot of people find that their intolerances are not nearly as bad.  I've been eating dairy and gluten much more than I should during this pregnancy, and only have heartburn to show for it.  But after pregnancy, it will come back.  It might be good for both of you to pursue this further.  Now that so much more is known about food intolerances, it might be easier to get an answer.  But you won't get that answer from a regular pediatrician.  That isn't their area of expertise.

Amores0121

How does a nutritionist go about helping you with these issues if you have no known allergies?

TJ1979

Well, that I don't know.  I haven't worked with a professional regarding my issues.  I did a diet where I removed dairy, soy, grains and sugar, then slowly added things back in until I discovered what didn't work for me.  With a child, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing something like that without the assistance of a professional.  I just know I've heard a lot of people working with nutritionists to help with food intolerances. 
Perhaps someone with diagnosed issues who has worked with a professional could chime in here... @mapleme?  @luvboston?  Who else?

Amores0121

Yes, I feel like this is so hard to do with a child because I am not with her all the time, can't see when her stomach starts hurting ( in reaction to a food), and she can't describe the pain to me. I always ask her is it a burning or stabbing-once she told me it was like a stabbing pain but usually she just says "I don't know".

I'm assuming a nutritionist is not covered by insurance?

Rrrrrachel

I think an elimination diet is a good idea. Keep in mind many probiotics contain dairy (not all but many) so if she was sensitive to that than the probiotics maybe would upset her stomach.

TugboatSheila

Sorry she is having stomach issues, that is so frustrating for you both. I just wanted to add that it took a solid 2 weeks before my probiotics really started making a different. I use the gummy probiotics (these could also be kid friendly for your daughter). 

I think everyone else gave some really good answers so I don't have much to add there just hope you find relief!

Amores0121

@KKlamb She is almost 7, I was thinking I could possibly do this, or even have her do part of it. She might like to do it if I make it a "job".

So here's a little update: I picked her up from school yesterday and she had no complaints about her stomach, and said she had a BM at school, but not diahrrea. She was eating normally, I took her to her therapy appointment and she said she had diahrrea. But did not complain of any pain. This am she also had a BM which was yellowish in color.  So I'm kind of stumped as what to do. I didn't give her the probiotics, just to see if she has diarrhea or not. So I figured if she has diahrrea again today, I will take her to the dr tomorrow, which will be one week since the pain started.  Her having diahrrea is not normal obviously, and she usually only has a BM once a day at the most. So I'm not sure if she just had some sort of bug or what, but I thought about all the food she ate in the last week and she didn't have anything out of the ordinary that would cause her to have this reaction, which is why I'm thinking some sort of bug.

If the diahrrea doesn't occur today, I will give the probiotics tomorrow and see what happens. Either way, I will be taking her back to the dr. to see about a referral to a possible specialist.

@FFwifey Does the regular dr. test for celiac?

Does anyone know if the regular dr. can test for lactose intolerance? 

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

unaveragejane

DH's cousin's XW has non-celiac gluten sensitivity. She went to a local compounding pharmacy, and they gave her a saliva test to diagnose it. From what little bit of reading I did, these tests are not really approved by the medical profession b/c the antibodies they test for aren't super specific, but in any case, it helped her figure out what was going on. Hers had developed as an adult in her 30's, and she had been in pain for several years and had all kinds of testing to figure out what was wrong. The doctors had basically convinced her she was crazy and there wasn't anything physcially wrong with her. It was a really rough time in her life. When they finally figured out her issue was gluten and she changed her diet, her pain finally went away.

Amores0121

What is a compounding pharmacy? 

unaveragejane

They are special pharmacies that can "build" a medicine, basically. For example, if you can't swallow a pill, they can make a liquid form. Or if you're allergic to an ingredient in a prescription, they can make it without the allergen. The particular pharmacy that the cousin went to has a pharmacist who will do personal consultations to help analyze health problems, and I think that's how she found out about the saliva test.

Amores0121

@SweetMarie23 I just checked out the naturopathic drs and they are not covered by insurance here.

I am going to start off by requesting a lactose intolerance test since I am lactose intolerant....

Veronica76

Sorry to hear you are having all these issues. My DD is 3.5 and has had stomach issues since she started eating solids.  With her the main cause is constipation and she takes a daily dose of restoralax.  We are currently doing a 4 week non-diary trail to see what happens. Her Ped. said we should know if it is workign within a 2 week window - thus far, not seeing any major differences.  She has been tested for Celiac (blood test) and also CF(a scary thougth but the test is pretty simple and good to rule out).  I agree that probiotics are worth a shot - we use to do it daily but fell off the wagon at some point as we didn't see much differnece in our situation. 

The current diareaha issue could be a virus - my DD once had a 10 day bought and it was just a virus. We had her stool tested and to the Dr. a couple of times in that period as I was shocked that it could go on that long but aparently it can.

Sorry, no new advice hear but wanted to say good luck.  It is touch seeing your little one feeling badly.

Amores0121

@FFwifey Thank you. I will keep that in mind if I have to return.

@Veronica76 I took her back to the dr. yesterday (it was not her actual dr, she doesn't work Weds) and the dr. said the same. She could have just caught a virus which sometimes can take 2 wks to work through their system (since diahrrea is not normal for her to have). She also said she could have caught a food-borne illness, which also just has to work it's way out. She told me to cut dairy out for 2 weeks and see if that makes any difference. I really don't feel this is a dairy issue. I think either it's a virus, or something deeper going on. My biggest worry is that she lost 2 pounds since Friday.  If the dairy removal does not do anything and the diahrrea continues, I will take her back, request a celiac test and also a referral to a GI dr.  This am she had soft stool but I noticed there was mucous on it, which I will be keeping an eye on as well.

Thank you everyone for your help and concerns!