Questions to Ask Your Clinician or Pharmacist About Probiotics and Gut Supplements

This page is a question list to bring to an appointment. It does not tell you whether to use a probiotic or any other gut supplement, and it gives no amounts. NCCIH advises talking with your health care providers about any complementary health approach you use, so that decisions are shared and well informed.[1] The FDA likewise advises talking to a doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare professional before deciding to purchase or use a dietary supplement.[2]

Before the visit

Write down or bring:

• The product label or a photo of it, including the "Supplement Facts" panel and any "other ingredients."
• Every medicine, vitamin, herbal product and supplement you use. NCCIH notes that supplements may interact with medicines or pose risks with certain medical problems or before surgery.[3]
• Your symptoms: how long they have lasted, whether they come after meals or antibiotics, and anything alarming such as blood in stool, weight loss without trying, fever or vomiting. The NHS lists these among reasons to see a GP for bloating or constipation.[4][5]
• Any plan for surgery, pregnancy or breastfeeding, or whether the product is for a child.

Questions about whether a probiotic makes sense

1. Could my symptoms have a cause that needs checking first? NCCIH says not to use probiotics as a reason to postpone seeing your provider about a health problem.[1]
2. Is there good evidence for the specific strain on this label, for my condition? NCCIH says that in most instances "we still don't know which probiotics are helpful and which are not."[1]
3. What outcome would count as working, and how long should we wait before deciding it is not?
4. Are there treatments with stronger evidence for my problem? The NHS says there is some evidence for easing some irritable bowel syndrome symptoms but little evidence behind many other health claims.[6]

Questions about the product

1. Is the strain code, CFU through end of shelf life and storage shown? See a probiotic label checklist.
2. How can I tell if the product is accurate? The NHS says we cannot always be sure a probiotic contains the stated bacteria or enough of them.[6] Ask a pharmacist what quality information they can share; see quality testing and certifications.
3. Does the product contain other ingredients I react to, such as dairy, soy or sweeteners?

Questions if fiber or enzymes are on the table

1. Is a fiber supplement suitable given my medicines and conditions? MedlinePlus says to tell your doctor and pharmacist about all medicines and supplements and about conditions including kidney disease, intestinal blockage and difficulty swallowing before taking psyllium.[8] See fiber supplement side effects and medicine timing.
2. Could my symptoms be a food intolerance? The NHS describes lactose intolerance as symptoms after lactose-containing food, with testing through a GP.[9] See lactase and alpha-galactosidase.

Keep a record and report problems

Keep the label, lot information if shown, and notes on what happened. The FDA accepts voluntary reports from consumers about problems with products it regulates, including dietary supplements.[10]

What this page cannot do

It cannot tell you which product to choose or whether a probiotic is right for you. In an emergency, call 911 in the US. For poisoning, Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222 (see Poison Help by country).