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Zizzle,
I'm so sorry you've been feeling so miserable from something you hoped would make you feel better. It's so ironic, isn't it?
I hope going off the probiotic and the Pepto Bismol makes you feel better soon.
Gloria
Probiotic - no pain no gain??
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Update - I am feeling much better today!! No D yet and I stayed up until 1:00 am last night - no severe exhaustion. Phew!! Took Pepto just in case. Love the black D that results 
.
Here's the complaint I just submitted to Mercola's customer service:
I am a huge fan of Dr. Mercola and decided to order the Complete Probiotic, since it's one of his MUST-HAVE supplements. "More important than a multivitamin". I have lymphocitic colitis and have vastly improved my chronic diarrhea by adopting a gluten-free, dairy-free, and nearly soy-free diet for the past 12 months. In fact, I tested intolerant to these foods through Enterolab and have a Celiac gene. I've always believed my LC and gluten intolerance were a result, in part, of a pathogenic mix of gut flora, so I've always wanted to try a probiotic, but I wanted something potent and GF/DF/SF. I thought I had found that in Mercola's Complete Probiotics.
I took one each morning for 6 days and I haven't been this sick in over a year!! On day one I developed rapid-transit diarrhea (green and mucousy), and by day 4 I was going to the bathroom 10 times/day. I was totally dehydrated, exhausted and weak. I thought, no pain-no gain, my body just needs to acclamate, but clearly my body was having a violent reaction to your product. I stopped yesterday and I feel 70% better already with my energy levels improving.
I am deeply concerned about your product, and wonder if it is in fact GF/DF/SF. If so, I strongly encourange you to change your marketing materials to let people know probiotics are not a one-size-fits-all supplement. You need to warn people about the risk of intolerance and diarrhea, and offer suggestions on how to quell such a reaction, and decide whether the product is right for them. I used Pepto Bismol and switched to a very bland, low fiber diet. If I didn't already know what to do, I could have easily ended up in the hospital.
My goal here is to convince you to change your marketing of the product, perhaps adding warnings for people with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. But I would also like to request that you honor your money-back guarantee. I am enjoying your other products and hope to continue as a customer. I am happy to return the unused portion of my 30-day supply. Thank you.
.Here's the complaint I just submitted to Mercola's customer service:
I am a huge fan of Dr. Mercola and decided to order the Complete Probiotic, since it's one of his MUST-HAVE supplements. "More important than a multivitamin". I have lymphocitic colitis and have vastly improved my chronic diarrhea by adopting a gluten-free, dairy-free, and nearly soy-free diet for the past 12 months. In fact, I tested intolerant to these foods through Enterolab and have a Celiac gene. I've always believed my LC and gluten intolerance were a result, in part, of a pathogenic mix of gut flora, so I've always wanted to try a probiotic, but I wanted something potent and GF/DF/SF. I thought I had found that in Mercola's Complete Probiotics.
I took one each morning for 6 days and I haven't been this sick in over a year!! On day one I developed rapid-transit diarrhea (green and mucousy), and by day 4 I was going to the bathroom 10 times/day. I was totally dehydrated, exhausted and weak. I thought, no pain-no gain, my body just needs to acclamate, but clearly my body was having a violent reaction to your product. I stopped yesterday and I feel 70% better already with my energy levels improving.
I am deeply concerned about your product, and wonder if it is in fact GF/DF/SF. If so, I strongly encourange you to change your marketing materials to let people know probiotics are not a one-size-fits-all supplement. You need to warn people about the risk of intolerance and diarrhea, and offer suggestions on how to quell such a reaction, and decide whether the product is right for them. I used Pepto Bismol and switched to a very bland, low fiber diet. If I didn't already know what to do, I could have easily ended up in the hospital.
My goal here is to convince you to change your marketing of the product, perhaps adding warnings for people with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. But I would also like to request that you honor your money-back guarantee. I am enjoying your other products and hope to continue as a customer. I am happy to return the unused portion of my 30-day supply. Thank you.
*sigh* Quick response, but clearly they are not concerned about the safety of their product. "Did not work out for you"? It almost killed me!! 
I doubt this will rise to the level of marketing, but maybe I'll push a little more.
I doubt this will rise to the level of marketing, but maybe I'll push a little more. Thank you for writing to Mercola.com.
Thank you for contacting us. We sincerely apologize that the Probiotic did not work out for you. We would be more than happy to accept a full product refund for the product. Please reference the instructions below.
In order to receive a refund for the Probiotics, you must return a bottle that still has some product remaining in it (it cannot be empty). We strongly recommend that you ship your return via UPS Ground Mail (so you can track your shipment) because we are not responsible for damages or lost packages in transit. Please fill out the form provided in the link below, and send it with your return to the address below:
http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/NEW%20 ... 20Form.pdf
PTS Fulfillment CenterMercola.com Returns
3615 Exchange Ave.
Aurora, Illinois 60504
We will contact our fulfillment center to get confirmation that this was received. Please note that refunds issued within 60 days of your purchase date will post back to the original form of payment. Any orders returned after 60 days will be refunded via check. Refunds issued back to the original form of payment may take 14-21 business days to post. Please allow an additional 1-2 weeks for any check refunds to arrive via the mail. If we can be of further assistance, please let us know. Have a happy and healthy day!
Thank you again for writing to Mercola.com and we wish you nothing but the best to both you and your health!
If your question has still not been answered or have further questions, please click this link http://shop.mercola.com/customerservice.aspx?cid=684223 and enter your email address and comments in the Remarks field.
Garina,
I can see why they don't offer a substitute - I sort of like that they don't offer a giant array of products, but just certain handpicked items Dr. M. really believes in. And I am sure they'll refund the money (at least, I hope I'm sure!). I'd guess that the response Z received is basically a form letter... let's hope someone will kick the information about Z's intolerance reaction over to someone who can do something about it.
Z, so far so good with the S. boulardii on my end. Weirdly, my teeth are less 'slimy' when I wake up in the mornings. I am dreaming that this might mean some disruption of 'biofilm' - a concept I only faintly grasp. I am cautiously optimistic that it's helping (and for sure, it isn't trying to kill me!). I'm not saying you should try it - I think for now you should be eliminating anything even slightly suspicious till you make up the lost ground, and then some...
S
I can see why they don't offer a substitute - I sort of like that they don't offer a giant array of products, but just certain handpicked items Dr. M. really believes in. And I am sure they'll refund the money (at least, I hope I'm sure!). I'd guess that the response Z received is basically a form letter... let's hope someone will kick the information about Z's intolerance reaction over to someone who can do something about it.
Z, so far so good with the S. boulardii on my end. Weirdly, my teeth are less 'slimy' when I wake up in the mornings. I am dreaming that this might mean some disruption of 'biofilm' - a concept I only faintly grasp. I am cautiously optimistic that it's helping (and for sure, it isn't trying to kill me!). I'm not saying you should try it - I think for now you should be eliminating anything even slightly suspicious till you make up the lost ground, and then some...
S
Well, that's clearly a form letter. I wonder if they just skimmed your letter until they saw the word refund.
I have a feeling that you aren't the first person to complain about the probiotic. You can try going up a little higher in the chain; I'm not sure that it would make any difference in the way they promote the product.
Gloria
I have a feeling that you aren't the first person to complain about the probiotic. You can try going up a little higher in the chain; I'm not sure that it would make any difference in the way they promote the product.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Sara,
What brand of S. boulardii do you use? I would like to try S. boulardii, but there are so many brands out there, I'm afraid I might choose the wrong one. I have been using Align, but in reading ingredients, it has milk protein in it (I should have checked before), but it says it does not have lactose, soy or gluten. But, I'm not happy about the milk protein.
garina
What brand of S. boulardii do you use? I would like to try S. boulardii, but there are so many brands out there, I'm afraid I might choose the wrong one. I have been using Align, but in reading ingredients, it has milk protein in it (I should have checked before), but it says it does not have lactose, soy or gluten. But, I'm not happy about the milk protein.
garina
Garina,
I used the Jarrow brand, because it was the one I could find locally (several years ago). At iHerb.com, there are multiple brands, and you can see/check ingredient lists.
For those of us who react to yeast (S. cerevisiae) either via Enterolab tests or MRT, I would approach S. boulardii with great caution, because the two are related, though distinct, organisms.
I am staying away from milk protein forever. I do sometimes take a pill with small amounts of lactose, and don't have a disastrous reaction, but avoid lactose in foods (and I don't take pills other than 1/2 Claritin once in a while - at least for now). I would guess that a lot of Lactobacillus probiotics are cultured on milk or milk products, 'cuz that's what that whole genus of bugs are all about! I wonder whether that's what happened to Z's probiotic from Dr. Mercola.
I am looking forward to the 'greek style' coconut yogurt So Delicious brand intends to bring out sometime soon...
I used the Jarrow brand, because it was the one I could find locally (several years ago). At iHerb.com, there are multiple brands, and you can see/check ingredient lists.
For those of us who react to yeast (S. cerevisiae) either via Enterolab tests or MRT, I would approach S. boulardii with great caution, because the two are related, though distinct, organisms.
I am staying away from milk protein forever. I do sometimes take a pill with small amounts of lactose, and don't have a disastrous reaction, but avoid lactose in foods (and I don't take pills other than 1/2 Claritin once in a while - at least for now). I would guess that a lot of Lactobacillus probiotics are cultured on milk or milk products, 'cuz that's what that whole genus of bugs are all about! I wonder whether that's what happened to Z's probiotic from Dr. Mercola.
I am looking forward to the 'greek style' coconut yogurt So Delicious brand intends to bring out sometime soon...
Thanks, Sara, for the information about S. boulardii. I hadn't thought about the yeast thing, and I don't really know if that is a problem for me or not. I should probably consider a yeast test someday. Goodness, there are so many tests that would be helpful...now, all I need is to win the Lottery!
The coconut yogurt sounds good.
garina
The coconut yogurt sounds good.
garina
I love So Delicious yogurt, but it's so expensive. $2 a cup? Really?? I tried rice yogurt the other day. It was God-awful. Tasted like pure chemicals. So Delicious now has portable servings of vanilla and chocolate milk that are sold in a 8-pack. I love them. You can't even taste the coconut in the chocolate version.
I've taken Culturelle on occasion without noticeable side-effects. Also the Jarrow brand probiotic in the yellow bottle. I may try them again in the future, once the memories subside of this current probiotic fiasco!!
I'm feeling fine now. Pepto seems to have helped lessen the volume of D, and I'm only taking 2 tabs a day. Funny how the D turns black even with one dose a day. What does that mean anyway? No reason for concern?
I've taken Culturelle on occasion without noticeable side-effects. Also the Jarrow brand probiotic in the yellow bottle. I may try them again in the future, once the memories subside of this current probiotic fiasco!!
I'm feeling fine now. Pepto seems to have helped lessen the volume of D, and I'm only taking 2 tabs a day. Funny how the D turns black even with one dose a day. What does that mean anyway? No reason for concern?
The active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol is bismuth subsalicylate. When bismuth combines with trace amounts of sulfur, (which is present in saliva and mucus in the GI tract), it forms bismuth sulfide, which happens to be black. It doesn't take much to cause the color change, because a little goes a long way.Zizzle wrote:Funny how the D turns black even with one dose a day. What does that mean anyway? No reason for concern?
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks Tex! Just looked it up and stumbled on a possible explanation of why Pepto helps people with colitis. And definitely explains why my D barely has an odor when I'm on Pepto!
Gastroenterology. 1998 May;114(5):923-9.
Bismuth subsalicylate markedly decreases hydrogen sulfide release in the human colon.
Suarez FL, Furne JK, Springfield J, Levitt MD.
SourceResearch Department, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hydrogen sulfide is one of the main malodorous compounds in human flatus. This toxic gas also has been implicated in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. Therefore, a treatment that reduces colonic H2S levels could be clinically useful in the treatment of flatus odor and of ulcerative colitis. In this study the ability of bismuth subsalicylate, a compound that binds H2S, to reduce H2S release in the colon, was tested.
METHODS: Homogenates made from human and rat feces were incubated with and without bismuth subsalicylate, and gas production was measured. Fecal samples from 10 healthy subjects were analyzed before and after ingestion of bismuth subsalicylate (524 mg four times a day) for 3-7 days.
RESULTS: Fecal homogenates showed a dose-dependent relationship between the concentration of bismuth subsalicylate and H2S release. Treatment of subjects with bismuth subsalicylate produced a >95% reduction in fecal H2S release.
CONCLUSIONS: The ability of bismuth subsalicylate to dramatically reduce H2S could provide a clinically useful means of controlling fecal and/or flatus odor and of decreasing the putative injurious effects of H2S on the colonic mucosa.
PMID:9558280[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]