What NOW Saccharomyces Boulardii Is For
NOW Saccharomyces Boulardii is the probiotic yeast people take for occasional diarrhoea, for the loose stools that follow a course of antibiotics, and as a precaution when travelling. Five billion live organisms in each capsule, sixty vegetarian capsules to the bottle, which is the largest pack of this organism we stock.
The organism is a yeast rather than a bacterium, and that single fact is the reason people choose it. A yeast survives stomach acid well, and an antibiotic has no effect on it at all, so it can be taken straight through a course of tablets without any of the timing that bacterial probiotics demand. For the fortnight when a prescription is in the house, that convenience is the whole argument.
Read This First: Who Should Avoid Saccharomyces Boulardii
This organism has, very rarely, entered the bloodstream of people who were already seriously unwell, causing a fungal infection of the blood. Malaysia’s national medicines regulator required the risk to be added to packaging information in 2018, and the European assessment was that for patients who are critically ill or whose immune systems are weakened, the risk outweighs the potential benefit.
Almost every reported case involved someone in intensive care, someone with a weakened immune system, or someone with a central venous catheter. Management meant stopping the product, antifungal treatment and removing the line, and some of those patients died. So if you or the person you are buying for falls into any of those groups, please talk to our pharmacist or our doctor first. For everyone else this is a well-used supplement with a long record, and we would simply rather you heard the serious part from us than found it later.
Taking Saccharomyces Boulardii Alongside Antibiotics
A bacterial probiotic swallowed with an antibiotic loses a good share of its organisms immediately, which is why those packs come with a two-hour rule. A yeast sidesteps the problem, because the antibiotic has nothing to act on.
So it can be taken at any time of day, with or without food, through the whole course and for a few days after it finishes. That is the practical reason our pharmacists reach for this one when somebody arrives holding a prescription for antibiotics and asks what to take with it.
How Much to Take
One or two capsules, two to three times a day, between meals, as needed. At five billion organisms a capsule that is a range rather than a fixed dose, so settle where you sit in it with our pharmacist, because it decides whether a bottle runs a fortnight or a month.
It is stable at room temperature, which is unusual on this shelf and useful in this climate, so the fridge is optional rather than required. A little inulin and guar gum go in with the yeast. Keep the bottle closed and out of direct sunlight, and leave the freshness packet inside it.
Travel, and the Part That Matters More Than the Capsule
People buy this before a trip, and it is a sensible thing to pack. What goes in the bag alongside it matters more.
Oral rehydration salts are the thing that actually treats diarrhoea, in a child and in an adult, because the danger is losing fluid and salts rather than the loose stool itself. Pack those first, pack them for everyone travelling, and we will put them in the same bag as this bottle at the counter. Clean water, careful food and hand washing do more than any capsule.
How This Pack Compares With the Others on the Shelf
We stock the same organism in three forms, and the difference is form and pack size rather than the yeast itself. This one gives you sixty capsules. The Normagut capsules come thirty to a box, and the Flora Norm sachets come as ten sachets of powder that dissolve in water, which suits anyone who finds capsules hard to swallow and anyone buying for a child.
Work out the cost for each capsule or sachet rather than comparing the price on the shelf, because the pack sizes are so different that the shelf price misleads. Bring all three to the counter and our pharmacist will do that arithmetic with you in under a minute, and will tell you plainly which is the better buy for the length of time you intend to take it.
What We Are Permitted to Tell You
No health claim for any probiotic is authorised anywhere, this organism included. Every claim ever submitted has been rejected or left on hold, so nobody may lawfully promise you that it treats diarrhoea, balances your intestinal flora or protects you while travelling, and we hold back from saying any of it.
What we give you instead is the organism, the pack size, the one group of people who should ask a doctor first, how it behaves around antibiotics, and what to pack alongside it. On a shelf where the same yeast is sold with promises on one label and warnings on another, the plain version is worth more.
Is Saccharomyces Boulardii Right for You?
Please talk to our pharmacist or our doctor before you start if any of these apply to you.
- A weakened immune system, or treatment that weakens it. This is the group the fungaemia reports concern. Chemotherapy, immune-suppressing medicines and illnesses affecting immunity all belong in a conversation with our doctor first.
- A central venous catheter or any indwelling line. Please speak to us and to the team looking after the line before taking this or any live product.
- Critical illness, intensive care, or a current hospital stay. This is a decision for the medical team rather than a shelf.
- A yeast allergy. The active organism here is a yeast, so please ask us for a bacterial product instead.
- Diarrhoea with fever, blood, severe pain, in a small child, or lasting more than two days. Come and see us the same day. Fluids and salts first, and our doctor is here if it needs looking at properly.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Ask us before you start rather than afterwards.
Where to Buy NOW Saccharomyces Boulardii in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. At the amount our pharmacist settles with you a pack runs for a known length of time, so tell us the pack size you want and we will work out how many months that covers before you order.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. Tell us the destination and we will confirm any import paperwork before the parcel leaves us.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver to your family here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for parents and relatives at home. A probiotic yeast like this one taken steadily month after month does far more than a single pack, so tell us who it is for and how many months you want covered and we will set up the repeat.
Why Buy Your NOW Saccharomyces Boulardii from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored. Kahawa Sukari is a real counter with real pharmacists behind it.
Our pharmacists will read the carton with you and set the daily amount, and will tell you honestly whether the capsules or the sachets are the better buy for the length of time you want to cover. Our doctor is here too if you would rather have the whole question looked at properly.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
NOW Saccharomyces Boulardii: Your Questions Answered
What is Saccharomyces boulardii?
A probiotic yeast rather than a bacterium, used for many years for occasional diarrhoea, loose stools after antibiotics and as a travel precaution. No health claim for any probiotic is authorised, so we hold back from promising you a result.
Who should avoid Saccharomyces boulardii?
Anyone whose immune system is weakened, anyone with a central venous catheter or other indwelling line, and anyone critically ill or in intensive care. In very rare cases this yeast has entered the bloodstream of patients who were already seriously unwell. Please talk to our doctor first if any of that applies.
Why does the warning matter if the cases are rare?
Because the people it concerns are the least likely to be asked anything at a till. Malaysia’s medicines regulator required the risk to be added to packaging information in 2018, and the European view was that for critically ill or immunocompromised patients the risk outweighs the benefit. Some reported patients died. For everyone else the record is long and reassuring.
Can I take it at the same time as my antibiotic?
Yes, and that is the main reason people choose it. An antibiotic has no effect on a yeast, so there is no two-hour gap to keep, unlike every bacterial probiotic on this shelf.
How many capsules a day?
One or two capsules, two to three times a day, between meals, as needed. Each capsule carries five billion live organisms, and where you sit in that range decides whether the bottle runs a fortnight or a month. Settle it with our pharmacist.
How long does a bottle last?
Sixty capsules, the largest pack of this organism we carry. At two capsules twice a day that is about a fortnight; at one capsule twice a day, a month.
Should I take it with food?
With or without food, at whatever time of day suits you, which makes it easy to keep to alongside a course of tablets.
Is it the same as Normagut and Flora Norm?
The same organism, in three different forms and pack sizes. This one is sixty capsules, Normagut is thirty capsules, and Flora Norm is ten sachets of powder for anyone who struggles with capsules or is buying for a child. Compare the cost per capsule rather than the shelf price.
I am travelling. Is this enough on its own?
Pack oral rehydration salts as well, and pack them first. Replacing fluid and salts is what actually treats diarrhoea. We will put both in the same bag for you.
Can children take it?
Ask us for the right product and the right amount rather than sharing an adult pack. For a child, the sachets that dissolve in water are usually the easier form.
Does it need to be kept in a fridge?
It is stable at room temperature, so the fridge is optional. Keep it closed and out of direct sunlight. A yeast is hardier than most bacterial probiotics, which is one more reason it travels well.
Will it upset my stomach?
Some people notice wind or fullness in the first few days. It usually settles. If it worsens, or you develop a rash, fever or breathlessness, stop and come and see us.
Is this a medicine for diarrhoea?
It is a food supplement and it sits alongside proper care rather than in place of it. Diarrhoea with fever, blood, severe pain or more than two days of it needs seeing the same day, and our doctor is here for that.
Where can I buy NOW Saccharomyces Boulardii 60’s in Kenya, and what does it cost?
From HealthAlone, online for delivery countrywide or over the counter at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. The current price is shown above. We deliver across Nairobi — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Kitisuru, Lavington, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Kasarani, Roysambu, Githurai, Ruaka and Banana Hill — and to Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru, Ngong, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kitale, Embu, Meru, Nanyuki, Nyahururu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Makueni, Voi, Taveta, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu. Outside Kenya we have delivered to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and Malawi, and we quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of Africa on request. Ask us to compare the cost per capsule against the thirty-capsule box and the ten-sachet pack of the same organism before you decide.
