To be p***ed off that I cannot get a prebiotic on prescription...

[Fourfingerkitkat]

I sat here with a massive bloated tummy, constant wind and with about 2 weeks of poo inside me. Following a kidney infection I was prescribed two courses of antibiotics and think that my stomach has been upset my them. Laxatives haven't done much other than give me stomach cramps. I've read a lot about antibiotics upsetting the bacteria in our stomach so asked the chemist if I could get a probiotic or prebiotic on the minor ailments service, she said no and that they could only give me from Fybogel, which treats the symptom rather than the cause. Also told me that a doctor would not prescribe it and I'd have to buy it myself....

What I don't understand is that if the antibiotics had caused thrush (which they have done in the past) then I would have been give Canesten or similar on prescription !

Prescriptions for brand name meds generally cost a lot more than the same generic product, which is why unless a medicine is under patent, the generic item is prescribed and dispensed.

For example a prescription for a salbutamol inhaler (generic) can be dispensed as either a generic inhaler, or a ventolin (brand name) one, but a prescription for a Ventolin inhaler can only be dispensed as a ventolin one. (unless permission is sought from gp to dispense otherwise)

If a patient is being prescribed "vats" of cream they probably need it for a wide spread debilitating condition. If it costs £45 it is unlikely to be aqueous cream (fairly cheap), but multiple tubs of one of the greasier and more effective treatments such as dermol, oilatum or epaderm.

You really can't compare regulated and tested medication with untested and unregulated pro-biotics.

Sorry I forgot to say that there isn't a brand of aqueous cream. There are lots of other emollients which are branded and do cost more. This is because in general they work better than aqueous cream which isn't greasy enough to have much effect on a chronic condition such as plaque psoriasis.

When you're "prescribed" something for your dog, the vet makes a profit. When you're prescribed something for you, generally the nhs makes a loss!

Rabbits - That's all the doc suggested I take...paracetamol and ibuprofen ( and I didn't take the prescription for them because I already had some in the house that we had bought ourselves....) I imagine if you have such serious kidney problems as you've mentioned then it would be a great deal more painful, hence the tramadol ?

The suppositories had some effect last night within about half an hour of taking them...I managed about 20 maltesers instead of the usual 2-3 !

I suppose I have another condition that is painful too, but I know that kidney infections and stones are co-codamol at the least, morphine in hospital at the most. You've done pretty well to cope without anything extra.

I know I've said it already, but honestly Movicol is the best cure for this sort of issue, if you see the doctor and tell him you've tried most everything else and you have heard of Movicol what does he think about trying that. It brings water into the stools and makes them softer and easier to get out, passing "maltesers" and being deeply constipated can cause problems all of their own, plus constipation increases the risk for cross-contamination infection too.

Thanks Rabbits...was a Bank Holiday here today so Docs closed...I have to call back tomorrow for some test results anyway so can enquire about the Movicol...The suppositories have provided some temporary relief I have to admit but I'm not enamoured at the thought of having to insert something up my bum everytime I want to go for a no2.

About 12 hrs after starting the antibiotics I was already feeling better and was able to pass urine without too much discomfort. Before that it was horrific. I was actually physically shaking with my knees knocking together trying to do a pee at one point and then just saw blood in the toilet pan. Someone actually mentioned to me that I could have passed a kidney stone without realising it. I'm hoping the scan will shed some more light on things...

I've seen them in Holland and Barrett, Boots and other chemists.

Well buy them then

OhDearNigel.....as stated earlier in the thread, I am no longer working and things are very tight financially so if I could get this on prescription I would have taken it...I have bought painkillers etc in the past as the shop own brands can be purchased cheaply. Prebiotics aren't so cheap. But thanks for your extremely helpful input anyway.......

I am from a culture where we don't take a lot of meds.

In a case like yours, I would eat very lightly digestible food such as rice, poached chicken or fish, some steamed vegetables. No fat/greasy stuff (no kitkats etc,) at all, and no yeast (bread), though crackers are fine, and also drink enough (herbal) tea and water, normal yoghurt good too, and go for gentle walks (if you can).

This gives your tum a break, so it can restore itself to normality.

Thanks Chandon

Probiotic stuff is easily available without a prescription.
If you don't think it's good enough value for money to buy them yourself then it seems illogical to expect other taxpayers to buy them for you as they get no benefit at all from your probiotics. Live yoghurt is under £5

In Japan they prescribe a lot of probiotics. Most GPs here are fucking clueless, and aren't even aware that antibiotics can cause dysbiosis. Most people suffering from dysbiosis will be misdiagnosed by their GP with IBS / reflux / stress, and will be prescribed medicines that simply treat the symptoms and in some cases actually make the underlying cause worse.

With yoghurt and those little yoghurt drinks very little of the bacteria gets through. You need capsules that can get survive past the stomach. Even then, it's a very complex system - there are hundreds if not thousands of strains of good and bad bacteria jostling for position, so topping up the numbers of a few strains is a bit of a crap shoot.

The majority of cases of dysbiosis don't involve anything really nasty and are self-limiting. It's a bit like babies stomachs - they can be very sensitive as their gut flora settles into a nice equilibrium, but they almost always settle down eventually, given enough time and milk.

For difficult cases the cutting edge research is on fecal transplants, via the stomach or via the colon. It's early days, and the researchers are playing around with an ecosystem they don't really understand, but the evidence suggests it is a very quick, reliable, cheap and easy cure for dysbiosis.

you have two choices:
you can buy it and feel better
or you can moan about it not being free, don't buy it and suffer.

If you think it is going to work, and it not available on the NHS, it does not mean you cant have it. You are not saying it does not exist, but more that you don't want to pay for it.

So, YABU.

I worked in a NHS area where they are prescribed, but only one brand (yakult) and even at that they are not very effective as they need to survive the stomach, which only a tiny amt of yakult ones do and NONE from other brands do, I asked about them when working there and was told that the only way the other brands would work is if you shoved them high up your arse!

and at that they were only prescribed to people who had been on long long terms of various broad spectrum antibiotics, not one course

I think there is something in what you say. Interesting.

I think Cherie might be right about Yakult (I use it daily), this has reminded me to look for probiotic powder instead.