Nature's WayFortify Optima Daily Probiotic, 35 Billion, 15 Strains, Prebiotic, 60 Capsules

I was taking Sustenex, which, though pretty good, seemed to be hit or miss.I began looking for a broader spectrum probiotic, and found this one. I like several of Nature's Way products, and decided to give theirs a try. I noticed a difference within a few days of starting 2x/day usage (figured I'd double up to start with). My digestion seems to have improved, and I have much less bloating during the day. It will likely take a few months to see if I feel differently overall, but for now, I'm pleased and sticking with this probiotic.On the refrigeration during shipping issue that seems to crop up all over the Internet - According to the manufacturer, it does not require refrigerated or cooled shipping. Here's the response I received directly from Nature's Way:"Thank you for taking the time to contact Nature's Way®, a Schwabe North America(tm) (SNA) company, with your question about our product Primadophilus ® Optima.Your question was regarding if the product ships refrigerated. No, these are not shipped refrigerated.While many environmental factors can impact product quality, we take special care to formulate products that remain safe and effective from the time of manufacture, during shipping, and throughout product shelf-life.In order to assess the impact of temperature on product quality, a temperature study was conducted during the summer of 2009 on one of our refrigerated probiotic brands - a worst case scenario. Shipments were sent via ground service to various destinations with an average transit time varying from 5-10 days, including weekends.Testing determined that the claimed potency of the products was not compromised during the few days of transit, even in the elevated heat and humidity of the summer months.I hope this information is helpful for you. Feel free to contact me again with any other questions or concerns that you may have. Please visit our website at [...] or [...] for more valuable information.SherryCustomer service specialist"I hope this is helpful to others.

I get laryngeal thrush because I am diabetic and asthmatic. I also have to take a single 10 mg prednisone on rare occasions for severe pain because I am unable to take NSAIDS. This will cause thrush to start in my throat. If I take a daily Primadophilus Optima and then take a couple extra when I feel thrush start, I can avoid having to take a course of yucky meds for it. This product has helped me manage to stave off a really unpleasant condition and really unpleasant meds. I also eat yogurt every day, but it is this probiotic that fights the thrush when I feel that tickle in my throat. I have not had to take an antibiotic that causes thrush to see if extra doses of this probiotic would help.

update: Jan 12, 2010 I got an email from amazon.com that my subscribe and save on Primadophilius Optima is canceled because they will not carry it anymore :-(. Called Nature's Way, the manufacture, and they plan to continue making the product. Highly recommend those who love this product to contact amazon.com on your opinion. Amazon has the lowest price and highest quality.--------------------------------Decided to get probiotics to help my digestion, and choose Primadophilus Optima because it has 14 different strains and 35 billion CFU, more variety and quantity than most yogurt (danon (2-3), stoneyfield (6)...etc). Lifeway's Kefir has 12 strains 7-10 billion CFU, but I don't like the kefir taste. There are a lot of overlap of probiotic types between Lifeway and Primadophilus Optima.Bought "Primadophilus Optima" 60 vcaps on Jan 2011 from amazon, arrived promply, with expiration date of Jun 2012. Verify that probiotic is good by breaking open capsule, and stiring the power into a cup of milk. Curd after 8 hours at 70F room temperature. Very satify. Will buy again :-)Lifeway's Kefier (7-10 billion CFU) from their website:* Lactobacillius Lactis* Lactobacillus Rhamnosus* Streptococcus Diacetylactis* Lactobacillus Plantarum* Lactobacillius Casei* Saccharomyces Florentinus* Leuconostoc Cremoris* Bifidobacterium Longum* Bifidobacterium Breve* Lactobacillus Acidophilus* Bifidobacterium lactis HN019* Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFMStoneyfield yogurt, from their website:* Lactobacillus bulgaricus* Streptococcus thermophilus* Lactobacillus acidophilus* Bifidus* Lactobacillus casei* Lactobacillus rhamnosusDanon Activa* Bifidus Regularis® Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 (Patented)* 2-3 others...Primadophilus® OptimaL. casei-108; B. longum-135; L. acidophilus-122; L. plantarum-119; L. rhamnosus-111; L. rhamnosus-114; B. breve-129; B. bifidum-132; L. lactis-136; S. thermophilus-110; B. infantis-116; L. bulgaricus-137; L. salivarius-118; L. helveticus-128

Never put much stake into these things until I got the recommendation from a colleague. Out of curiosity I tried them and while the changes are certainly not dramatic in my case (I guess it depends on your overal health prior) it certainly made me feel better. More energetic, better able to deal with lack of sleep (due to an overactive toddler) and less prone to being sick (of course the latter needs to be crash-tested during flu season, but so far it's been a good start)

It works great!