Symprove review: What happened to my IBS after 6 months

I first started taking Symprove after being diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) by my GP. My symptoms included diarrhoea, painful bloating, abdominal spasms, and gas, along with the knock-on effects of poor mental health and inflamed skin (eczema).

I committed to the recommended 12-week course but continued for 6 months. During this time, I put this liquid probiotic supplement through its paces, experiencing multiple IBS flare-ups and spending much of my time travelling and trying new cuisines. It coped well, and I experienced significant benefits to my gut health.

However, I don’t believe it is sustainable to rely on supplements indefinitely, especially given the high cost of living. So, after six months, I decided to stop taking Symprove – for the time being, at least.

In what I hope will be one of the most in-depth Symprove reviews you’ll read, I’ll share the benefits I experienced throughout the 6 months, why I stopped taking it, and what happened to my gut after stopping.

Disclaimer: I initially purchased the supplement upon the recommendation of my GP and was not compensated for writing this Symprove review. However, the brand has since gifted me some products.

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My experience

For my Symprove probiotic review, I’ll start by breaking down my journey month-by-month before going into more detail about how it helped my IBS, my skin, and my mental health. I’ll also cover issues surrounding the detox period, the taste, and the cost. If you’d like more information on Symprove before you start, check out my FAQs below:

How quickly does Symprove work?

From reading various Symprove reviews on Trustpilot, Amazon, and Reddit, I have learnt that the speed at which it starts working can vary from person to person. I started seeing results in the first 4 weeks but reaped the benefits after 12 weeks. Here is how quickly Symprove worked for me, month by month:

• Month 1: After an initial couple of weeks of visiting the toilet a lot more regularly and bloating frequently (the detox period), I started to bloat much less than before, and I felt less nauseous after eating. My GERD symptoms also began to reduce, which meant I was coughing less after eating.
• Month 2: Reductions in bloating and excess gas continued. When I did bloat, it wasn’t painful in my upper abdomen and would subside after passing gas. Minor flare-ups from trigger foods became more manageable and less debilitating.
• Month 3: I barely had any IBS symptoms, even after eating trigger foods like bread and pasta. The key thing I noticed was how my abdominal spasms had disappeared. My stools were looking healthy and normal again. They went from a Type 6 to a Type 4 on the Bristol Stool Form Scale. You’ll be happy to know I haven’t uploaded any photographs of my stools.
• Month 4: My eczema-prone skin began to clear up, with less flakiness and reduced redness. IBS flare-ups were rare, although stress occasionally caused some abdominal pain and bloating. However, these episodes were brief and easy to overcome.
• Month 5: My mental health improved significantly, with fewer anxious thoughts and a noticeable reduction in depressive episodes. I also noticed that my immune system seemed stronger, as I hadn’t been sick for months.
• Month 6: Overall, my body felt like it did before IBS. My brain fog lifted, making work much easier. I could eat out at restaurants with fewer repercussions. While I was still prone to occasional flare-ups, recovery was quick.

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I experienced some initial side effects

In my experience, the side effects of Symprove were quite noticeable initially and worsened some of my existing gut issues. This lasted for one to two weeks.

Despite my already frequent trips to the toilet due to IBS-D, I found myself needing to go even more often. My stools became significantly looser, shifting from my usual IBS Type 6 (mushy consistency) to Type 7 (entirely liquid) on the Bristol Stool Form Scale.

I also experienced increased bloating after nearly every meal, whereas typically I only bloated after larger meals or consuming trigger foods.

These side effects began to normalise after a few weeks as my gut adapted to the live bacteria. I managed the symptoms well, understanding that this was a sign that Symprove was working on my microbiome.

Update: After my initial 6-month course, I stopped taking it, but have resumed it a few times to manage IBS flare-ups. Each time, I only experienced side effects for the first few days, likely because my gut was healthier than when I first started Symprove.

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It relieved most of my IBS symptoms

I was diagnosed with IBS (the IBS-D variant) after several months of back-and-forth visits with my GP. They recommended I try out Symprove.

I subsequently read some promising scientific studies about its effects on IBS. For example, a study published in BMJ reported a significantly greater reduction in symptoms for those taking the supplement compared to those on a placebo. Similar results were found in research conducted by UCL.

My own experience confirms that Symprove is indeed good for treating IBS symptoms. I saw significant improvements in the following areas:

• No bloating first thing in the morning before eating
• No bloating immediately after meals
• No nausea after eating
• No abdominal pains or spasms throughout the day
• More solid stools and no more diarrhoea (from Type 6 to Type 4 on the Bristol Stool Form Scale)
• Less excess gas and significantly less smelly flatulence
• A substantial reduction in acid reflux and indigestion (from GERD)

Despite these digestive improvements, it didn’t cure my IBS (I don’t believe there is a ‘cure’). Instead, it helped relieve my symptoms by rebalancing my gut microbiome with regular doses of good bacteria.

Once my IBS symptoms improved, I was able to break the cycle of poor gut health = poor mental health (and vice versa).

For me, Symprove has been the most effective probiotic supplement for managing my IBS symptoms and thus giving my mind and body the space to heal – avoiding future IBS flare-ups.

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It had positive effects on my mental health

After a few months of taking Symprove, my gut was experiencing some much-needed relief, and it was at this point that I started to notice some improvements in my mental health. Namely, my anxiety, stress, and depression.

It became apparent just how much my poor gut and mental health were feeding into each other. Whenever I would get painful bloating, I would start feeling anxious. If I got nervous (which was often with my low self-esteem), I would get uncontrollable diarrhoea and flatulence. If I was stressed, I would tense up my body and trigger even more bloating and abdominal spasms.

I was stuck in this vicious cycle. Symprove helped me to break it by relieving my gut issues, in turn reducing my highly responsive anxiety and depression. The less time I spent in this anxious state, the more I was able to improve my mental health as a whole.

Having since found out that the gut produces about 95% of the body’s total serotonin, I can’t say I’m surprised! My gut is so heavily linked to my mental health (read more about the gut-mind connection here), and the two have been negatively impacting each other for years.

It took me about 3 months to start seeing this reduction in mental health issues. It was at that point that I found some clarity and began meditation and therapy.

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I saw a reduction in my skin inflammation

I have struggled with a mix of skin conditions throughout my life, including eczema and psoriasis. I figured out that whenever my gut health was at its worst, so was my skin.

During my worst IBS flare-ups, I would get horrible itchy scaly skin that would spread from my elbows and knees onto my hands, my ears and even my eyelids. Unsurprisingly, this would trigger my anxiety and, subsequently, an IBS flare-up. So, inflammation was a near-permanent issue for me.

The inflammation in your gut can have a knock-on effect on any inflammation of your skin. Therefore, after taking Symprove for over 3 months and reducing my gut inflammation, my skin became less flakey, itchy and red. Plus, it stopped spreading to new areas.

Now, I won’t claim that it got rid of my eczema. Because, well, it didn’t. But it has helped to keep the inflammation of these areas down by managing the inflammation within my gut.

Here is what one of my readers shared with me after trying Symprove herself:

“I actually have had really bad breakouts on my face but it’s calmed right down again now… defo think the combo of symprove and very clean diet is starting to work.”

– Chelsea, Instagram follower

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Why I stopped after 6 months

At the 6-month mark, I decided to evaluate my situation carefully. I had experienced some pretty significant changes to my gut health, but I was hesitant to keep spending money on a supplement each month when I may not need it anymore.

Ultimately, I decided to stop taking Symprove for the following reasons:

• My IBS symptoms had reduced: The bloating, gas, diarrhoea, abdominal pains, and irregular digestion were under control. I was now enjoying meals that contained natural sources of probiotics without immediate discomfort, which I believed would help keep my gut microbiome in check.
• The results had plateaued: Despite the initial improvements, I noticed that my progress had plateaued and that I had reached some sort of maintenance stage, which I believed could be continued with the consumption of naturally fermented foods and drinks.
• Probiotic supplements contain a limited diversity of bacteria: One key thing I discovered from my research into gut health was the importance of microbial diversity. While Symprove provides specific strains of beneficial bacteria in high quantities (which is great for rebalancing your gut), I realised that relying on a single supplement might limit the diversity of my gut microbiome. Instead, I decided to incorporate a variety of fermented foods like kimchi, tempeh, and sauerkraut into my diet.
• It is an expensive supplement: I understand why Symprove costs the amount it does – it is an effective probiotic supplement! But it isn’t an affordable permanent solution. By investing in 6 months and then letting my diet continue from where the supplement left off, I could save some money.
• Initial scientific research shows concerning issues with long-term use: A study on rats showed that long-term usage of probiotic supplements could have negative effects (see study). However, it is worth noting that this research is yet to be proven in human trials.

It may seem silly to stop taking something when it is working, but alongside the reasoning above, I thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if I stopped. I was keen to see if my gut issues would return and whether I would actually save money or if I’d just end up having to start again from scratch with Symprove.

Read on to find out what happened when I stopped.

What happened when I stopped?

After deciding to stop taking Symprove, I prepared myself for a potential resurgence of my gut issues. To my surprise, not much had changed.

My gut stayed in a pretty consistent state and remained so for quite a few months, until I hit another bad patch with my mental health, and my IBS flared up (see more below).

However, I made sure to maintain a diverse diet, eating at least 30 different types of plants each week and including plenty of fermented foods. This meant that I was still consuming good bacteria for my gut.

Symprove contains only four different strains of bacteria, whereas your microbiome can contain hundreds to thousands. By eating a varied plant-based diet, I was now introducing a wider range of bacteria into my gut.

Thankfully, I enjoy eating fermented foods. Most days, I eat kimchi, fermented hot sauces, hand-brewed kombucha, and much more. On top of this, I eat a lot of whole foods.

If you don’t enjoy such foods, you will have a harder time ensuring you maintain a diverse gut microbiome without taking a probiotic supplement. You may even find that the positive effects you enjoyed from taking Symprove will quickly reverse. So, if you are considering stopping as well, keep this in mind!

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Why I would take Symprove again

Even though I don’t take Symprove permanently, I can’t deny the powerful effects of a daily shot of live and friendly bacteria. It is seemingly one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve bad gut health, no matter whether you have IBS, IBD, bloating, gas, digestive issues, ulcerative colitis, or you’ve been on a course of antibiotics.

I know that whenever my gut is in a bad state, I can fall back on Symprove. For example, since originally testing out their supplement for 6 months, I contracted food poisoning in Bali*. It was probably the most unwell I have ever been, and the side effects continued for weeks.

To help get my gut back to a healthy state, I knew it needed a helping hand, so I committed to another 12-week course of Symprove.

On top of this, whenever my mental health is at its worst, I am prone to nasty IBS flare-ups. Unfortunately, my IBS makes it impossible to eat fermented foods and drinks, so I have to strip my diet of the very foods that provide me with the most probiotics.

This is the beauty of Symprove, it can provide my gut with probiotics without worsening my IBS! There has been one instance of this since my initial 6-month testing period, and I used it for 12 weeks to help manage the symptoms and get through the worst periods.

*Fortunately, they now also offer travel-sized bottles, which means I can keep my gut healthy whilst travelling!

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Symprove review verdict

I experienced many significant improvements in my health during the 6 months of taking Symprove. Not only did it relieve my IBS symptoms, including bloating, gas, and diarrhoea, but it also had some surprising knock-on effects on my skin conditions and my mental health.

As Professor Simon Gaisford, Head of Pharmaceutics at UCL School of Pharmacy, notes: “Symprove is different from other probiotics because it is water-based, which means it limits exposure to gastric juices and digestive enzymes.” This unique feature explains why this is the only probiotic supplement that has worked for me, alleviating many of my gut issues.

Within the first 12 weeks, I experienced improvements in my bowel schedule, reduced bloating and gas, no abdominal pains, and fewer colon spasms after eating.

A 2013 study found significant improvements in the brain activity of participants who took probiotics for 4 weeks. Similarly, after 4 months of taking this liquid probiotic supplement, I noticed a significant reduction in my brain fog and anxiety levels.

However, not everyone needs to take a probiotic supplement. Dr Ruscio advises trying a healthy diet first. If you’re still not experiencing relief from your symptoms, you might consider taking Symprove. This was true for me; my gut microbiome needed additional support beyond a healthy diet.

After six months of significant improvements, I stopped taking Symprove. The positive effects have persisted, but I maintain a varied plant-based diet rich in fermented foods. Whenever I experience an IBS flare-up, I commit to another 12-week course and then discontinue. I have followed this regimen once since I originally wrote this Symprove review!

Alternatives to Symprove

When it comes to probiotics, Symprove is easily the most effective I’ve tried in the UK, but it is also understandably one of the most expensive. Moreover, not all supplements work perfectly for every individual. Therefore, it’s good to know there are alternatives to Symprove available, including other probiotic supplements, plus naturally probiotic-rich fermented food and drinks:

You can also try making probiotic-rich food and drinks at home. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Make probiotics at home with home-brewed kombucha, kefir, kimchi, or sauerkraut.
• Try your hand at baking sourdough bread using a sourdough starter.

I hope you enjoyed my Symprove review! If you have any questions, please drop them in the comments box below.

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