Sell me on a probiotic!

So, I have decided to change up my probiotic.  I've been taking Primal Defense Ultra for several years now, and while I think it is still working, I just think I should change for a while.  I had some bad gas issues a few months ago, and did two rounds of flagyl (first at 250 bid X 10 days, which worked perfectly until I finished taking them, and then it started up again; and then 500 bid X 10 days, which has had much more long-lasting effect), but I have noticed it starting to happen again just a little, and I want to try a different probiotic before I go back to more flagyl - I just HATE the idea of taking an antibiotic.

So, tell me why you take the probiotic you take - sell me on it.  Tell me how much you take, and where you get it too, because I need to order some anyway, so this is as good a time as any to get this information all in one place.

I have been told that S. boulardii is THE most important stuff.  Does what you're recommending have it?  If not, do you supplement with a second pill of S.b.?  Where do you get that?

This could be a good resource thread, so PLEASE chime in, especially if you are more than a couple of years out.

i found success with NEVELLA sweetener with probotics in my morning coffee, did the trick , remarkable change first time ever. it worked for me. 
  ALSO I got stung by a bee on the forth and the doc put me on steroids, predesol and benedryle , broke my stall so I lost 6 lbs, and feel great. only 8 lbs to go to Dr A goal weight.

 Primal Defense Ultra gives me terrible bloating and gas.   I've had an expensive bottle of it sitting in my fridge for six months now.    I'm not terribly knowledgeble about probiotics, and I don't take them as frequently as I should, but absolutely the best luck I've had with them has been with this:

http://www.amazon.com/Solaray-Multidophilus-180-Capsule/dp/B00028PHL2


I started taking these before going to see my son in San Francisco, as I was staying at his apartment, and would be sharing a futon with my daughter.   At the end of our trip, she said, "Mom, I'm really proud of you, you hardly farted at all while we were staying with Chris!"

I just ordered some of this product for  my upcoming trip to Montana.

 I switch between two. I use the Multidolphilus 12 and it has to be kept in the fridge and I also use PB8, it does not need to be in the fridge and is cheaper. To the best of my knowledge neither of them contain the S. boulardi. I have very good luck with both. I only take one per day. I buy both of them locally at a Mother Earth Market. When I buy the Multidolphilus 12,  I transport it home in a little lunch bag with an ice pack.

I really only have trouble with excessive gas when I have too many things with white flour. It's my biggest culprit.

I am just using PDU right now, but in the past I have tried jarrow 20 bil CDS and I felt like it reduced odor of my gas.  I liked that clinically documented strands of bacteria were used.  It's a temperature sensitive probiotic, which isn't ideal for many people.  I buy it in the refrigerated section of a local health food store (natural grocers) but it should be available at vitamin shoppe.

I have also heard a lot of good things about S. boulardii...from Dr. K I think.  This one doesn't have it in there.

I do remember Dina or maybe it was Michelle(vitalady) ?  posting that their husband really needs BOTH soil based and dairy based probiotics.  So maybe just decreasing the PDU and adding a dairy based probiotic would help.  Hits every base...y'know?  I'm thinking it was Dina based on this blog post of hers:
http://livingthedslife.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/probiotics/

Then I also remember...ooh, who was it.  I can't remember her name...she used Dr. Alverdy, had a baby...and sadly I remember the baby's name (Cooper) and not hers.  Maybe Cindy?  I think that's right. Anyways, she mentioned that sometimes a staged dose of antibiotics can be helpful.  I believe her surgeon used a cipro/flagyl combo.  Something like on 2 weeks, then off 2 weeks, then on again.  And it takes like 6-8 weeks for this triple antibiotic thing to go and wipe out the bad bugs.  Not sure if you feel your situation is dire enough for that or not.

 Check out Healthy Trinity on line and what you think.  I used it for years.  It is super high quality, but, it is also the most costly.  I think they have specials that allow you to try it, at least they used to.

Hi Carmelita, would something like Yakult be any good?  I've not had my bowels re-arranged but artificial sweetner really gives me gas, so it'd def have to be the one with sugar as the other one really has dreadful effects on me.

I did some searching on the 'net, and I found this product - has anyone tried it?
http://www.benebiotics.com/faqs/

It has S. boulardii, in addition to a bunch of other bugs.  S. boulardii doesn't colonize, so you have to keep taking it - it is one of the reasons I've been taking PDU.  But I've never heard anyone mention this product before.

I haven't, but it has the signs of a good probiotic - wide variety of bugs, high number of bugs, enteric coating.  Let us know how it goes if you decide to purchase.