Pro-Ven Biotics — Frequently Asked Questions
Which Pro-Ven Biotics product should I choose?
Match the strength and format to the reason you are taking it rather than simply buying the highest number of billions:
Can I take Pro-Ven Biotics with antibiotics, and how far apart?
Yes — the range is designed for it. Leave at least two hours between your antibiotic dose and your live-culture capsule. ATB Intensive 35 Billion is the purpose-built option: a ten-day course of high-strength capsules with added Saccharomyces boulardii, a research-backed yeast, for use alongside and following antibiotics. Ultra High 50 Billion can also be used alongside antibiotics, with the same two-hour gap. Keep taking your antibiotics exactly as prescribed and finish the course.
How long should I take them for?
- After antibiotics: the Adult 25 Billion pack is intended to be continued for a further four weeks after the antibiotic course finishes, at one capsule a day.
- For digestive support: two capsules a day of the same product, giving 25 billion, is described as an eight-week course.
- Short courses: ATB Intensive runs for ten days and Ultra High 50 Billion for fourteen.
- Ongoing: the everyday adult, women's, children's and Urgent-C Everyday products are formulated for continuous daily use, and most people find a routine of a few months tells them whether it suits.
What are Lab4, Lab4b and Lab4P?
They are named consortia of friendly bacteria used across the range — Lab4 in the adult and school-age products, Lab4b in the baby, toddler, pregnancy and women's products, and Lab4P in the menopause formula. Lab4 is described as the most extensively studied group of friendly bacteria in the UK, and the Pro-Ven cultures are tested to survive stomach and bile acids so they reach the intestine. Strength is stated per capsule or per serving: 5 billion in the toddler powder, 10 billion in the breast-fed babies powder, 12.5 billion in Fit for School, 17.5 billion in the Women's formula, and 50 billion in the Peri & Menopause formula.
Which products are suitable for babies and toddlers?
- For Breast Fed Babies — suitable from birth. 10 billion Lab4b per serving, given as two small level scoops of powder a day added to expressed breast milk, or applied to a clean finger for the baby to suck. Gluten free, dairy free and vegan friendly.
- For Formula Fed Babies — the equivalent 33g powder for formula-fed infants.
- For Toddlers — developed for children from 12 months to 4 years. A berry-flavoured powder providing 5 billion Lab4b, prebiotic fibre to feed those bacteria, and 100% NRV of all 13 essential vitamins.
What is available for school-age children?
Fit for School chewable tablets are for children aged 4 to 16. They are strawberry flavoured, one a day, and provide 12.5 billion Lab4 friendly bacteria plus vitamin C, which helps to maintain a healthy immune system and general wellbeing. They are free from added colours, flavours and preservatives, gluten free, dairy free and vegan friendly. If your child will not chew a tablet, Fit for School Powder is the same idea in a 28-sachet powder. For a straightforward children's multivitamin instead, see A-Z Multivitamins for Children, Kids Multivitamin or Kids Immunity.
Is there one that can be used during pregnancy and breastfeeding?
Lactobacillus & Bifidus for Pregnancy provides 10 billion Lab4B friendly bacteria per capsule, as used in the Swansea Baby Study, with vitamin C and calcium to support immunity and digestion for mother and baby during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you would rather have one product covering both cultures and pregnancy nutrition, Pregnancy Plus Multivitamins adds vitamins, minerals and fish oil. As with anything taken in pregnancy, run it past your midwife, GP or our pharmacists first.
What about perimenopause and menopause?
Pro-Ven Biotics For Peri & Menopause is a 60-pack formulated for women aged 40 to 60. It combines 50 billion Lab4P friendly bacteria with vitamins B6 and B12, which help reduce tiredness and fatigue; vitamins D3 and K2, which work together to help maintain bone density; zinc and selenium, which support normal cognitive function and help keep hair, skin and nails healthy; plus KSM-66 Ashwagandha, soy isoflavones and milk thistle. It is one of the more complete formulas in the range, so check it against anything else you already take.
Do they need to be kept in the fridge, and can I take them travelling?
Most of this range does not require refrigeration — Fit for School states this explicitly on pack, which is exactly why it works for schoolbags and lunchboxes. Store in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight and away from a hot car or a sunny windowsill, and always read the individual pack, as storage instructions can differ between formats. For travelling, the compact short courses travel best: Ultra High 50 Billion (14 capsules), ATB Intensive (10 capsules) and the sachet formats such as Total Intestinal & Digestive Support. Keep them in hand luggage rather than a hold bag.
What is the difference between the capsules, powders, chewables and sachets?
- Capsules — adult daily and course products such as Adult 25 Billion and Digestive Enzymes, where each dose of two capsules provides 25 billion.
- Powders — for infants and toddlers, mixed into milk or taken off a clean finger, as with the breast-fed babies powder.
- Chewables — for children and for adults who dislike swallowing capsules, including Adult Multivitamin orange chewables and high-strength vitamin D chewables.
- Sachets — effervescent or stick formats. Urgent-C Everyday Immune Support gives 1000mg of vitamin C per sachet with vitamin D, zinc and selenium to support immunity, plus elderberry extract, beta 1,3 and 1,6 glucans, prebiotic FOS and 5 billion Lab4 cultures. The 7-sachet Daytime Kickstart and Night-Time Support packs are the short intensive versions.
Are they suitable for vegans, or for people avoiding dairy and gluten?
Many are. Ultra High 50 Billion is gluten free, dairy free, vegan friendly and GMO free. ATB Intensive, Fit for School, Women's with Cranberry and For Breast Fed Babies are all gluten free, dairy free and vegan friendly, and Digestive Enzymes is vegan friendly. Check the individual pack before you buy if you have an allergy, and remember that food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Do you deliver Pro-Ven Biotics across Ireland?
Yes. Inish Pharmacy is a registered Irish pharmacy and orders are picked and packed by our team at our pharmacies in Co. Donegal, then delivered nationwide across the Republic of Ireland, with Northern Ireland and UK delivery also available. Prices are in euro. Because these are shelf-stable rather than chilled products, they post safely — but if you are ordering the infant powders for a new arrival, or ATB Intensive to start alongside an antibiotic, ring us and we will tell you exactly when it will land. Our pharmacists are happy to advise before you order.
Inish Pharmacy Expert Tip
"When someone collects an antibiotic from us, I suggest they start the live cultures the same day rather than waiting until the course is finished — two hours clear of each antibiotic dose, then keep going for about four weeks afterwards. That single habit is the difference most customers actually notice."
