An Overview of Florastor Kids

Florastor is not FDA approved for treating any condition, since it is a supplement. That doesn't bother me particularly, as I've often taken supplements and vitamins. However, I was a bit confused about the type of product it was at first, since I received a prescription for it from my daughter's gastroenterologist.

Florastor is a type of yeast, saccharomyces boulardii lyo. It is mainly used to treat diarrhea. Constipation can be one of its side effects, so kids who suffer from constipation are probably not good candidates for Florastor Kids.¹

Though uncommon, Florastor may cause a severe and possibly life threatening allergic reaction in some children. If any of these signs are present after taking Florastor, seek emergency medical help right away: hives; difficulty breathing; or swelling of the face, lips or tongue.¹

Less severe side effects, in addition to constipation, associated with the supplement include: gas and increased thirst.¹ Most of the time these side effects aren't serious enough to warrant stopping the supplement. However, these and any other side effects should be reported to your health care provider if they are monitoring the supplement's usage.

Some kids shouldn't take Florastor kids due to medications they are on or conditions that they have. Antifungal medications shouldn't be used with the supplement since it contains yeast, which is a fungus. Common antifungal medicines include: clotrimazole (generic for Mycelex Troche); itraconazole (generic for Sporanox); ketoconazole (generic for Nizoral); nystatin (generic for Mycostatin, Bio-Statin, Nilstat); or voriconazole (generic for Vfend). ¹

Kids who have a sensitivity or allergy to any other type of yeast may have an allergic reaction to this type of yeast as well. Kids who are dehydrated, lactose intolerant, or have a venous catheter should consult a physician before beginning Florastor use, as it may exacerbate or aggravate these conditions. ¹

So far from my daughter's experience we haven't really seen any positive results from Florastor Kids usage. We haven't been on it for long, so we're going to continue its use until we see our gastroenterologist again in a couple of months. I'm hoping that it might yield some positive effects after she's been on it for a longer period of time. She hasn't had any negative side effects yet either, so continuing treatment at this time certainly isn't doing any harm (although as of yet it hasn't done much good either).

Always consult your health care provider with questions and concerns regarding medication and supplement usage. If you experience side effects not listed in the package insert or this article and you suspect they are from Florastor Kids usage contact your doctor to see if continuing treatment is safe.

1- Florastor Kids, http://www.drugs.com/mtm/florastor-kids.html