Getting a prescription for VSL

You don't need a perscription for VSL3...You do need a script for VSL3DS. Only take the If you need more than 2 packs of VSL3 a day than getting VSL3DS is worth it. VSL3 you can order online. There are lots of probiotics that contain more strains than VSL3. My doc said it is individual and you have to see what works best for you. Some are 1 pack, some are 2 or 3 packs a day so I figure other brands are similar.

Thanks for your reply. How do I know how much to take?

If you can get a script for VSL #3 DS you should cause your insurance will cover it. They won't cover the one that isn't DS and it's very expensive.

I'm not aware of any standardized dosing for probiotics including VSL#3. Doubt that will be available until probiotics are regulated.

However, if you are fighting pouchitis or something like it, you will want to take a lot. I was prescribed 3 - 4 packets per day of the double strength (DS) version of VSL. Each packet contains something like 900 billion cfu's. I will let you do the math to determine daily consumption.

My surgeon just called in a prescription of the vsl3ds. He wants me to use 1/2 a packet twice a day until we see how I respond to it. Apparently he has had many patients who have painful gas from taking the full recommended dose at once. The full dose is 3 to 4 packets a day. He likes patients to gradually build up to a full dose.
Somewhere here I read of a person who made vsl3ds yogurt. He kept the culture growing in his fridge. Of course, that is much less expensive than using the packets every day.

Wow, that's a whole lot more than the 3 billion cfus I have been taking of Probiotics. Thank you for the info. Sally

Gas is a common response to the use of probiotics. You are changing your gut community of organisms (hopefully for the better) and that is going to alter digestion. It can take a while to adapt, thus the strategy of starting slowly as mentioned by subzeromambo (wherever did you get that name?).

I didn't have any gas problems with VSL which may have been a clue that it was not doing anything for me.

I have been experimenting with another brand using three separate strains and am experiencing gas, although it is not bad at all. On a positive note, the new probiotic actually seems to be helping. I expect that the gas will subside with time as a different gut community is established.

My problem is that this new probiotic is even more expensive than VSL and not covered by insurance. *Sigh*

I just asked the doctor (actually physician's assistant is who I am allowed to see) for a prescription and he said to bring in the recommended dosage and he'd give it to me. I'm thrilled. Shall I say 3 packets a day (but start with l/2 packet a day at first)? Sally

the standard dosage is 2 pouches of DS a day. That's what was used in the study that was done. You can take up to 4 day. Right now my prescription is for 2 a day, but I actually take half a pack in the morning and the other half at night. I'll bump up to the full prescription if I'm sick, doing a lot of drinking or a lot of eating.