anyone have any experience with Florastor

[ANRmom]

Hi all,

 

we saw Dr. L a few days ago regarding my 5.75 yo DS with potential PANDAS. She has put him on Pen VK 250 x 2 /day. She has ordered a bunch of blood tests and says his tonsils are huge and may need to come out. We asked about probiotics and she suggested Florastor. Anyone have any experience with this??? Also, any tips on how to get my son through the blood draws next week??? He has never had a blood test before, and am worried he is not going to be okay with it (given his mood issues due to PANDAS). Meanwhile his tics have reduced (even before starting Penicillin, which is good, but he still has emotional lability).

 

Any thoughts suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

thanks

ANRmom

[mama2alex]

We use Florastor and Custom Probiotics for our 11yo ds. We haven't had any problems. We also keep him on a low-sugar diet (sugar feeds yeast in the gut).

 

For the blood draws we put Emla cream on both arms 20-30 min before the blood draw, and this helps to numb his arm so it doesn't hurt so much. We get this from our DAN doc, but maybe you can ask the lab ahead of time if they have any.

[MomWithOCDSon]

We've used Florastor, also, in the past; it is 100% s. boulardiis, high quality. We've since switched to a less expensive s. boulardiis probiotic by Nutrition Now, but I know some still swear by Florastor and seem to think there's something extra special about it that justifies the higher price tag.

 

As for the blood draw, even though your little guy has never been through that before, do you have other signs that he's likely to freak out over it? I have to say, my DS has never been been afraid of them . . . even at 2 and 3 years old. He was more fascinated by it and liked watching his blood go through the tubing into the test tube. I think we've been lucky with lab techs, and they get the vein quickly, easily and with only a single minor prick of a very fine needle, so the pain didn't ever seem to register.

 

Just to offer up that you may have nothing to worry about in that regard, especially if you avail yourself of some numbing cream, as suggested by mama2alex.

[nicklemama]

DS has been on abx since Oct 2010. Dr T recommended Florastor. We've been giving him the adult capsules 2x a day since and have had no problems. I wouldn't mind paying less but at this point "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is my motto.

[Iowadawn]

I give Florastor two big thumbs up. Our ds12 has been on a boatload of antibiotics (PANDAS/lyme) for some time. No yeast issues or VERY little goopy poop. PM me for info on best price off web. We give 2 a day. We throw in some potent good bacteria now & again, but FLORASTOR has been our friend!

 

Dawn

[tpotter]

We use a less expensive one, and it works just was as well. Also, we changed, because florastor has lactose, and I am lactose intolerant. We use one by Jarrow ("non-dairy'.) We've been using it every day for years, since starting abx. We also use other probiotics in addition to it.

[philamom]

You can find more information on their website www.florastor.com. Under Healthcare Professions you will find info. regarding diet restrictions. It does contain 33mg of lactose (same as 1/3 slice of cheese) per serving. The Florastor capsule contains titanium dioxide but not the childrens packet, if anyone is interested. There is also a $5 dollar coupon off a 50 count bottle you can print.

[LNN]

Also, any tips on how to get my son through the blood draws next week??? He has never had a blood test before, and am worried he is not going to be okay with it (given his mood issues due to PANDAS).

ANRmom

 

Every kid is different. Some do better if they have no idea what's coming and other do better if they have time to prepare. My kids freak if a blood draw gets sprung on them. So we do pretend blood draws in the days prior. We take a pretend needle and go through the whole thing. I tell DD that it will hurt for just a moment, like a small pinch. I don't lie to her about the hurt, because I'd lose her trust and there will be plenty of blood draws in the future. We also use Emla cream, put on right at the start of the appointment - it takes about 20-30 min to work well.

 

We also talk about the "magic hug" and she buries her head into my belly while she puts her arm out to the side where the doctor will do the draw. She turns her head the other way. The magic hug helps her know I'm close and keeps her from freaking as the needle approaches. I also sing her silly songs during the draw. This distracts her and makes her think I'm a nut case, but so long as she's thinking about anything other than the needle, that's ok. Usually I sing a rendition of Jingle Bells, with nonsense lyrics like "I'm so brave, I'm so brave, I'm so very brave. In 30 minutes I'm going to have hot fudge running down my faaa-ce" (with the promise of a Sundae for barvery). Or if your son appreciates irreverent humor, there's "I'm so sad, I'm so sad, I'm so very sad. My giraffe ate all my licorice and now he's going to baa-rf." Anything to distract them.

 

If your son runs toward the more practical, you can have the nurse walk thru the procedure step by step and do a pretend poke - with the cap still on the needle. Personal experience says never let them see the actual needle tip or it quickly goes down the toilet.

 

Hope one of these ideas helps a little. Good luck.

[ANRmom]

hi everyone!

 

Thanks a lot for all your responses. My DS did okay at the blood draw... a bunch of tears and screaming, but not worse for the wear. He is fine. Next time I might prepare him better and talk about the blood etc., a la Magic School Bus. thanks for all the suggestions. We are waiting to hear the results of the tests.

 

Thanks again!

ANRmom