Comment · Mon, October 14, 2013 · Ceretropic
Probiotics. Effects and side-effects? [Gut health tied to brain function]
Original post in this thread
dresto · 20 points
While reading about gut being tied to mental health and brain capability, I became interested in probiotics. I thought this was spot on since my gut havn't been feeling very well for a long time, and I havnt done anything about it.
I've been taking Jarrows EPS dophilus for a week but today I'm feeling really bad. Not in my stomach, which been working way better since I've started, but all around in my head. Feeling really shitty emotionally, like a big rock of depression which just hit me. Been really low today with a lot of negative thought patterns. Now I dont know if it could be the probiotics, but I dont take anything else except Theanine/Caffeine.
Anyone got experience of probiotics to share/or how gut health affected your mental health? Both positive and negative. And most important: anyone felt they got depressed from it?
What they were answering
Direct reply to the original post — see the thread post above.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
It's so hard to isolate things like this; especially when it comes to mood. My experience with probiotics has been very good. Before starting on my current regimen, I was getting sick all the time. I had my appendix taken out as a child. As an adult, I went to India and got very sick. My immune system was never the same after that. After a couple years, I went to an immunologist to get help, as I was sick every month, sometimes VERY sick. He said that probiotics play a much larger role than we think, and that my flora was probably all killed off by the India incident. Since I did not have an appendix, it could never regenerate on its own. I used some probiotics for a couple months, and have been using a yeast fermentate supplement ever since. That was 8 months ago, and I have not been sick since. So it's helped tremendously in that aspect.
Now isolating what effects, if any, there have been on my cognition is hard. I certainly have not noticed an increase in depressive symptoms. I am very cognizant of it, so I would notice right away if it was happening. If anything, I am more happy now, since I am not sick all the time. That is more of an indirect result, though.
Perhaps your depressive symptoms are from something else, and it was just chance that they arose now. However, it is possible you are reacting badly to it. I would try stopping for a week or so, and seeing if your symptoms lessen.