When people who don’t know me well ask what I do, I tell them I’m a professional patient. When I detect a slightly pitying look cross their faces, I tell them it’s not so bad, because I get to review products like this – and truly, I count myself lucky to have access to them since I have limited means at this time. Please note: I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

Visbiome is a high potency probiotic targeted specifically to be used for patients who suffer from ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and pouchitis. I suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and was clinically diagnosed after a colonoscopy in 2011, but for years before that my body vacillated between diarrhea and constipation without a whole lot of predictability. I know that in general my body likes protein and veggies and punishes me for eating carbs, simple sugars and fatty foods. In other words, I won’t be heading to the infamous Minnesota State Fair anytime soon, where they brag about having deep fried Coca-Cola as a “thing.” That would lay me low for ages.

However, knowing these things, my diet isn’t perfect. I’m bed bound because of major issues with CSF getting caught around my brain stem and I’m allergic to the shunts that have been implanted and failed, so long story short, it’s impossible for me to go to the grocery store every third day for fresh produce. I also can’t spend a lot of time standing and prepping, so I eat a lot of stuff that’s pre-cut and frozen. I have also become an expert on which protein bars don’t taste like sawdust but also don’t have a high sugar content.

So, Visbiome to the rescue! As you can see from the picture, the living bacteria – 112.5 billion per capsule – is incredibly high. For that reason you must plan on storing this product in the fridge at all times so the capsules don’t lose their potency. I was shipped a 30-day supply and it was packed in ice packs in a cooler, and this will be the norm when you order it. In fact, it will be smarter for you to ship it to a location where you can unpack it and get it in your fridge as quickly as possible, so if you know you’re going to be gone from home for 14 hours, maybe it’s smarter to ship to work instead.

The recommendation on the labeling is for this product to be administered under the supervision of a doctor. This is important because because of the extremely high bacterial count in each capsule. You will undoubtedly notice a change in your digestion and bowel movements. If you experience diarrhea for an extended amount of time or other undesired effects, your doctor will advise you to either change the frequency of the dose, the amount, or to stop it altogether. Your best health is always the ultimate goal.

I read the enclosed pamphlet and it indicated that for IBS I should take 2 capsules daily. I opted to take both at the same time because I tend to be forgetful when I’m taking new medications, especially if they are only meant to be taken for a few weeks. Some of my fellow bloggers had good results splitting their doses up throughout the day.

Wouldn’t you know it? Right in the middle of my doses, I managed to get a nasty case of flu. Five days later I developed fluid in my ears which churned into two very nasty ear infections, at which point I had to go on antibiotics so my ear drums wouldn’t perforate. A few days later I also developed bronchitis. I actually think I was quite lucky to be on the Visbiome at this time because the antibiotics were guaranteed to kill off anything good growing in my gut, but this product could re-introduce some helpful bacteria. I’m also terribly prone to yeast infections, and I think that taking Visbiome helped a bit with me not having to be so miserable in my lady parts.

The term “medical food” is a new one to me but I decided to look it up because I think we will be seeing more of it. This is the definition per the FDA:
“The term medical food, as defined in section 5(b) of the Orphan Drug Act (21 U.S.C. 360ee (b) (3)) is ‘a food which is formulated to be consumed or administered enterally under the supervision of a physician and which is intended for the specific dietary management of a disease or condition for which distinctive nutritional requirements, based on recognized scientific principles, are established by medical evaluation.'”

Please visit Visbiome’s site and pass it along to your healthcare professionals so they can review all of the product’s benefits.