The pill form also needs to be kept refrigerated - it's exactly the same stuff, just in capsules instead of packets. The capsules are impractical at the higher doses, and only the "DS" (double strength) packets, which require a prescription, tend to be covered by prescription drug coverage (though not always).

My question would be why on earth would you want to switch if you have a product that works well for you? The cost difference is pretty huge, unless you get it covered through your drug plan. But, then you have to get the VSL#3 DS form, that is prescription only.

Jan

Not really wanting to switch because I have had success with Align...had read about VSL#3 here and wanted to know more and what folks think of it. I seem to have the luck, though, of having to switch out meds after a certain amount of time because they quit working on me...just had to switch from Nexium back to Protonix...the cost will also be a deciding factor as well.

I take VSL#3DS and my insurance covers it after I reach my deductible. I have high deductible insurance so we pay $4,500 out of pocket first. It costs around $180 for 40 packets and I use 1 per day. After I get past the $4,500 I get 40 packets a month and stock up. I have not had pouchitis yet. The prescription says one half to 4 packets per day. It is also medical food for peope with UC or pouches. You can take it on vacation or whatever and not refrigerate it for 7 days without it loosing potency.

So I don't know if it is better than what you are using or not. It has 900 billion per packet and has 8 different strains. You might want to compare that with what you are currently take. You should also do a search on here as we have had several discussions about probiotics.

I am also taking s. boullari (spelling wrong) some kind of yeast, that is good for c-diff infection prevention.

One of my surgeons recommends Align. Says if you have no real pouchitis issues that VSL is just overpriced overkill.

I had cdiff so I use a totally different probiotic (florastor) since Align and VSL doesn't help combat cdiff.

Thanks all...after looking at the cost, etc for the VSL#3, I think I'll be sticking with the align...it seems to do the trick and is pretty reasonable and I can get it at Costco or Sams in bulk. I really appreciate the opinions and information!

I think I'd stick to what's working too as VSL is expensive. I should probably switch too but it's working for me.....and I'm not on medicare yet.

Vanessavy, I think I'm taking the same thing as you are for c-diff but mine is the generic? I know I murdered the name. I think you were one of the people that told me about it.

Any difference between all that and culturelle? I take it more for my skin, it seems to help with butt burn.

I think claims that VSL#3 is expensive are somewhat misleading. If you look at it strictly in terms of dollars and cents without making comparisons among products, then you may conclude that it is expensive. Looked at in terms of what you get for your money, then it strikes me as being good value.

I looked online to get a cost comparison between align and vsl#3. You can get a 63 count bottle of Align from Amazon for about $50 or about 80 cents a pill. A 60 count bottle of VSL#3 goes for $52 directly from the manufacturer. That is pretty close to 80 cents a pill too. Of course you will need to factor shipping into your costs, but I doubt they differ all that much.

In terms of cfu's you get 1 billion in align. You get 110 billion in VSL.

If you wanted to buy the sachets, then it will cost you $86 for a packet of 30 which comes to about $2.90 a packet. But you also get 4X as much probiotic (450 billion vs 110 billion) making it less expensive on a per cfu basis than the capsules.

The real savings come when you have a prescription and it is covered by insurance (which is my situation). I get either 6 or 8 boxes (don't remember) containing 20 packets each for $40. Being conservative, that comes to 33 cents per packet (assuming 120 packets). That's 33 cents for 900 billion cfu's or less than the cost of a single align but containing 900 times as much probiotic.

So in terms of bacteria for your buck, VSL can be a better value.

I get the Align on Amazon through their "subscribe and save" program, making it 68 cents per capsule, and shipping is free. I don't use it anymore though. My husband is the one using it. He has UC and finds that it helps with his IBS type symptoms. He takes it twice a day. It also does not require refrigeration. He is the type of guy who would never mess around with a packet of stuff he had to mix with yogurt or applesauce or whatever. He thinks it is a nuisance to take an extra pill!

Certainly, if you can get insurance coverage for the DS, the VSL#3 is a good option.

The main focus should be on what works I think, not the number of bacteria in a product, since even the same bacteria will not be equally effective. That is because of the difference between the various strains of the same bacteria. Still, there are good studies only with VSL#3 in regard to pouchitis.

Jan

I paid 36 dollars for my Align not 50. I use Amazon for a lot, if you have Prime it is even better

The generic in Florastor is cheaper. I now get that. I got suckers into this one!

When I tried VSL and Align months back, VSL messed me up. I had less side effects with Align. A guy donated a ton of VSL sachets to me around that time and I gave it to a friend. If Align works it is cheaper and you can just grab it at a pharmacy as well.

We can quibble about price, but my only point is that VSL is a good value if looked at in terms of the amount of probiotic per unit cost. That may be important for those of us needing larger cfu numbers to obtain therapeutic results.

But by all means, go with what works and makes the most sense within your budget.