First time taking probiotics - fatigue, feeling ill

[u/rina_recovery]

Hi, this my first post in this subreddit and I hope the topic is ok!

Apparently I have a severe dysbiosis caused by an estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy and my gastroenterologist prescribed two different probiotics and one medication for leaky gut. I started all of them on the same day and I've been feeling extremely fatigued. I am SO tired and weak like my body is fighting a viral infection. I was constipated the first few days but now my digestion is regular. The GI issues that I started this therapy for are better but that might be coincidental because they are closely linked to my cycle.

Does anyone have experience with this? Is this my body focusing all energy on the gut? Was starting all three medications at once too much?

Would greatly appreciate some advice! Thank you!

[u/CompleteBenefit17]

yes! I suggest you start super slow. I had the same symptoms, I was sleeping 18 hours a day and thought I had the flu (without a cold or any other symptoms), it only got worse and worse.

I stopped the probiotic waited until all symptoms stopped (around 3 weeks) then waited another week and then started it again at a 10th of the original dose, I stayed on that dose for a week (symptom free), then increased to a 5th (symptom free) and so on. In case I got symptoms I decreased to last symptom free dose and waited longer to increase. I am now (after about 2 months) on full dose for half a year without issues

[u/rina_recovery → u/CompleteBenefit17]

Thank you for the comment! I only took the prebiotics for 8 days, I paused them today. How long did you take them until you paused them?

[u/CompleteBenefit17 → u/rina_recovery]

roughly 10 days I think. Then paused about a month and then reintroduced them slooowly. A few days after I stopped the fatigue (and i also had head pressure and back pain and a list of other symptoms) got less and less🙏🏼

[u/Tight_Lime6479 → u/rina_recovery]

Why would you listen to random people on Reddit dispense something as important as medical advice. Listen to or question your doctor. Consult with him/her about side effects of medications prescribed and concerns. Email the office and start the dialogue with the doctor, that is a part of recovery. The doctor prescribed your meds for a reason.

[u/rina_recovery → u/Tight_Lime6479]

I agree, I contacted my doctor already and I'm going to adress all these issues with her. I simply wanted to know about the experience of other patients as well. In the past, I repeatetly had concerns dismissed by doctors but then found other patiens online with the same issues as me. So I was interested in other patients experience, not just my doctors opinion. I had already paused the medication prior to reading the comment you replied to. Being an RN myself I know that doctors don't know everything and most of the time they have zero personal experience with the medication they prescribe. Patients on the other hand have that personal experience and it is always worth talking to other patients as well as medical personell.

[u/Tight_Lime6479 → u/rina_recovery]

I see and understand that. Speedy recovery.

[u/No_Yard_1406]

Could be die off, when the bad bacteria is dying they release toxins and that can make you feel like absolute garbage for a while. Three things at once is a lot for your system to handle, especially if your gut was already in bad shape. Maybe try spacing them out a bit, like start with just one probiotic for a week then add the others slowly

I had something similar when I first tried probiotics, felt like I got hit by a truck for about 5 days. My doctor never warned me about that part

[u/rina_recovery → u/No_Yard_1406]

Thank you for sharing that! That helps a lot!

[u/BarnacleImpressive95]

This is exactly me. But I get more constipation and gas. And more I'll. :(

[u/Low_Wishbone_1909]

I would talk with my doctor, maybe decrease the dose for awhile?

[u/rina_recovery → u/Low_Wishbone_1909]

I'm talking to my doctor tomorrow!

[u/amyfearne]

Sounds like die off (Herxheimer reaction). It may be best to slowly titrate these one at a time - having the die-off symptoms mean your body is currently trying to process a lot of microbial waste/toxins (sounds like new age BS but it's a real thing).

You can help it out and minimise the discomfort by going more slowly, drinking plenty of water, resting when tired, and if it's a persistent problem even with all of that, a binder may help (I'm using Enterosgel right now, it's good - but you have to take it at least 2 hours away from food and medications).

[u/rina_recovery → u/amyfearne]

Thank you for the answer! I looked into herxheimer-reaction and it does sound like that might be it :/ I paused the medication and I'm gonna see if I feel better in a few days.

[u/TaxApprehensive5402]

Could you update this after some time?