Probiotics TS6 – Has anyone heard about it?

[smo]

I’m having a bout with diarrhea. Got it for two days, almost cured then on the 3^rd day decided I was well enough and had a few pieces of fresh fruit and voila, the relapse! Now into the 4^th day, the stomachache has stopped, but the watery stool continues... (Sorry for being graphic, but this is a medical forum so) In my past travels in VN in one episode I had the corner pharmacist – who did a daily reading of my stool: so what color is it today? That sort of things… - telling me that when foods don’t get digest anymore, a grain of rice comes in comes out exactly a grain of rice, that means all the worker gut bacteria ‘s have been flushed out and you need to take some live culture in to grow new ones. I don’t remember what the product was called when I got it in VN but it was very cheap, along the same price range with the electrolytes powder that she also prescribed to me.

Back to the present, I went to the corner pharmacy here in Bangkok and asked for the same two items. The electrolytes were cheap, but the probiotics, TS6 brand that he showed me was quite expensive, 45bt per pack and he said I would need to take 4 to 5 packets a day for the right dosage (also that he's got nothing cheaper!). I took two, since I didn’t have enough cash on me. On the other hand I also wanted to do a little investigation: today I went to another pharmacy further down the soi, the lady pharmacists (two of them) goggled up TS6 since it seemed they had never heard of it before. When one lady was looking up the info, the other one (in white coat) quickly prescribed a new remedy for me: medicated charcoal 3 times for the next 24 hours, Norfloxacin 2 per days 400mg for next 5 days (make sure the charcoal is taken far apart from the antibiotics), and a jumbo size sachet of electrolytes. The whole prescription cost just a few bhts more than what I paid for the TS6 and electrolytes combo that I had got from the first pharmacy.

Then coming back to my building, I talked with one fellow tenant who just pure luck happened to know about TS6, he also knew the other kind of probiotics on the Thai market, Combif AR. He said at one time he was working with some US distributor who was looking into the medical drugs market in Thailand for probiotics. It had seemed to him that there wasn’t a big market for it. In addition, TS6 was meant to be used by big-shot hospitals f.ex. Bumrungrad (spelling?) He also was surprised, he said this from me was the first time he ever knew anyone who was treating diarrhea with probiotics. For him probiotics is for long term use, people who never have enough bacteria in their guts to begin with; and here he felt I was defeating the purpose since the antibiotics are supposed to kill bacteria’s, both bad and good and here I was trying to put more into my system.

So who is right (1^st, 2^nd pharmacist or my friend?)and who’s wrong (me for flushing in new bacteria with probiotics and at the same time killing them with antibiotics)? I admit I’m devoted to the probiotics school and still thinking that without its infusion of new bacteria I will never get over the hump to produce normal stool again.

Any helpful input or enlightenment is greatly appreciated,

Thank you much in advance

Ps – I just did a search on the forum and found out about the availability of Combif AR in Thailand, and especially the importance of treating very very gently my tummy during these troubled times. (No more coffee with fresh milk, or black tea unless with a wedge of lemon and no fresh fruit except banana). I do think I need to take the antibiotics though because I did experience stomach pain (as opposed to stomach ache) at the beginning which in my opinion is caused by something (bug/parasite) other than just the ordinary diarrhectic cramps.

[onlycw]

Thanks for your post! Good question. Why not rely on charcoal and probiotics? Can anyone say which bacteria would be the intended target for (broad spectrum) antibiotics in your case?

Try Psyllium Husk. 1 kg costs about 450 B on Ebay. But at some health food store, it was way overpriced for the frequent use I would recommend. I'm a believer and ordered several kilos overseas. 99% Golden Peanut brand. Hope you might find a cheap source here as the stuff comes from India. Forget the small pills etc. Mix it in cold milk or fruit juice drinks.

We have more bacteria by weight than brain matter. Most bacteria is loyal and stays with us for live.

It would be absolutely catastrophic if you had lost most gut bacteria by now.

Personally, I would lay off the antibiotics...

Get better quickly!

[Sheryl]

Charcoal is an excellent idea with no drawback.

Probiotics can't hurt, but are more likely to be necessary if you have been taking/recently taken antibiotics.

Presumptive treatment with antibiotics (norfloxacin or other) is a bad idea and can lead to worse problems down the line.

My advice: assuming no fever and no blood in the stool, take activated charcoal + electrolyte solution (or other fluid with good mix of electrolytes - green coconut water is excellent). If it still persists see a GI specialist and get a stool exam (for parasites and also a culture)

No harm in also taking probiotics if you want.

[smo]

Thank you all for the advice and concern. Much appreciated and happy to report that after 2 days of Norfloxacin and Combif ar probiotics – though the charcoal prescribed for only 1 day was all gone – the stool has begun to harden (ie formed instead of watery splatter). Which means my guts have begun to return to normal or so I hope….I now face the dilemma:

a) Should I continue with the meds to full course = 3 more days,

or chuck the antibiotics and go on faith alone? One thing I absolutely want to avoid is another relapse and having to restart the whole medication again.

Also I’m a fanatic concerning fresh fruit (and that’s what led me to this predicament to start with). I am eating small bananas one or two a day, also adding boiled carrots (half a carrot at dinner to prevent anything that might “go bumps” in the night). I wanted so badly to munch one apple in the course of a day to help the digestion, however was advised against it. I wonder if I boiled it would my guts be able to digest half an apple at a time at this point?

[Sheryl]

Having started the antibiotics it is important to complete a full course or you may develop resistant bugs.

also being on abx probioticd become advisable

I see no reason at all not to eat an apple

[smo]

Okay,

since my last posting I have stopped taking the antibiotics. And have begun to eat normally, including fresh fruit: apple and cantaloupe, though not adventurously

stool getting very hard (and hard to come out) to the point of me going to big C and getting some dried prunes! Anyway it seemed to be over now. I don't like taking antibiotics either. Last time I took was in January when I came to Thailand carrying a bad cold I got in VN.

So at this point I have shoved the whole bag of meds into the drawer and keep it as reference for future bad luck.

Thanks again Sheryl and Onlycw for your advice and concern,

cheers and eat well!

ps btw is abx probioticd easily obtainable at the pharmacy? is it as expensive as TS6?