Scott F posted:I’m glad the Humira seems to be helping! Florastor (S. Boulardi) is a yeast probiotic reported to help prevent C. diff. I think unless you are on Cipro or have had recurrent C. diff it may not be doing you much good. The high-dose bacterial probiotics, like VSL #3 and Visbiome, seem to help out with less frequent pouchitis. I take a very high dose of VSL, and I think it helps. It’s more expensive than Florastor, though. I get my insurance company tp cover the prescription-strength (VSL #3 DS), and that makes it more affordable as long as I treat my deductible as a lost cause.
Thank you, Scott. Yes, I began Florastor when on cipro and flagyl, and continued it while only on xifaxan (now discontinued). I've never had C. diff.
I've previously mentioned to the GI what you stated about Florastor, questioning if there was any point to continuing it or if I should consider a different probiotic now. I got a generalized brush off. They do not want to suggest any specific probiotic and simply say any of them are good/can't hurt. Years back they suggested VSL#3, but are non-committal on that one now. VSL/Visbiome really aren't even a consideration due to insurance not covering it. You've been the only one I've ever heard of who was able to get it covered.
I am a bit confused.....Florastor does put in the finer print that it is yeast based and antibiotic resistant.....But it does not say that this is the only use for it. With so many probiotic options out there, and GI's not really being able to commit on them, I don't know what to do. I take the max daily quantity of Florastor so it gets pricey. I don't want to be taking magic beans. 