Lactaid side effects

i introduced my bf to lactaid about a month ago since we discovered he was lactose intolerant. i really thought it would help considering he still loved to eat cheese and other lactose containing foods. at first, the lactaid seemed to be helping but just last week he took 3 extra strength lactaid pills because we were having chicken cordon bleu for dinner, he woke up 1 hour later with severe stomach pains and he was vomiting over and over. this lasted about 1.5-2hrs. i'm not lactose intolerant and didn't see the connection to the lactaid pills. we thought it was just from chicken cordon bleu because he had it before without the lactaid pills and he got sick from it too. today he took 2 extra strength lactaid pills and again, about an hour later he was feeling ill and was vomiting and experiencing diarrhea. we can now conclude it was the lactaid pills causing him all this pain. i feel so guilty for introducing him to these pills because i thought they would work. never again would i want to see him go through that much pain.

i gave my 12 year old son a Lactaid fast Act last night with his ice cream. He has recently been diagnosed as lactose intolerant. This was the first time I had given him any lactase. This morning he woke up vomiting and has been sick all day vomiting and having diarrhea. Terrible stomach pains, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting.

Well, i haven't been vomiting..although i have been feeling nauseous... i figured it was because of the lactaid pill that i've been taking but i stopped taking it a while ago and yet i still experiencing these side effects...i have the same side effects as pocoloco's minus the vomiting......Also i've been getting constant headaches that come and go. Distracting me from my schoolwork..i don't know what to do i guess i have to stop taking these pills..im getting a blood test this week and we'll see how that goes.

My story is very similar to the others here. I had taken Lactaid a few times without any problems. I did take two a little over a week ago with dinner and about an hour later I was violently vomiting. I had never been that sick before. It continued for a couple of hours, and I finally went to sleep with terrible pains all over. It took a few days to feel like myself again. I thought originally it must have been food poisoning from the restaurant. Then the other day I took two more with breakfast and the same thing only worse happened. I vomited so hard I thought my back would break. Bed rest for the rest of the day with chills and pain. Now its my third day out and I'm still feeling nauseated and weak. Pepto Bismol is not helping either. I just want to feel better again. I got rid of all the Lactaid in the house as two of my children take it also, but there is no way I'm taking a chance with them. I felt like I was going to die from poisoning or something, I can't imagine a child going through this.

I take a Lactaid tablet in the morning before I drink my coffee or tea with milk in it. I get a sore stomach and feel nausea for about an hour or so, then it goes away. I get progressively better during the day.

When I take a tablet with milk for dinner, it doesn't happen. I am wondering if it is the combination of the Lactaid pill and the coffee and the tea that is doing it. By the way, both are decaf!!

So I am going to cut out the Lactaid and tea and/or coffee in the morning and see what happens.

Three years ago, I came to the conclusion that I was lactose intolerant. I switched to soy milk in my lattes. A couple of months ago, I learned about lactaid and decided to go back to regular milk. The product worked great but then after about 3 weeks I began to develop stomach pain after my visits to the coffee shop. I didn't know what was causing it. Had I become sensitive to the acid in the coffee? Was it the artificial sweetener I was using to make my scones? Maybe I wasn't taking enough lactaid to counter-act the effects of the milk. After a few 'tests' I decided that I needed to take more lactaid. So this morning I took two pills with my latte and within 20 minutes I was in so much pain I had to call my husband to come drive me home. As soon as I was feeling better, I got online and googled 'side effects of lactaid' and found this site. I will never take lactaid again. It's back to soy lattes for me!

I, too, am lactose intolerant and have been taking Lactaid. Just three days ago, I had another attack of severe abdominal pain, constipation, then diarrhea, and the feeling that I needed to vomit. The severe pain lasted for two hours. I still have some discomfort. I nearly called 911. This episode is the third that I have had. I was hospitalized for four days last May. That time and the one previous to it, I was diagnosed with ischemic colitis. No firm explanation was given for the cause other than constipation could cause it. However, the first time that I experienced ischemic colitis, I was not constipated. I now suspect that Lactaid may have brought on all three episodes and will stop taking it. I would much rather have the side effects of milk then those of ischemic colitis!

I have a lactose intolerance and was told to try taking lactaid supplements. I tried taking it once months ago but experienced severe abdominal troubles---pains, gas, bloating, vomiting and diarrhea.
Thinking it might just have been a coincidence at the time, I tried taking a tablet just yesterday. Within hours, had the same syndrome. Vomiting, pain, diarrhea. Lasted about 4 hrs at worst, but several more hours of pain.

Would never even think of trying to do it again.

ABOUT A MONTH AGO THE DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT I WAS LACTOSE INTOLERANT, I STARTED USING THE LACTAID CHEWABLES BEFORE ANY DAIRY, AFTER ABOUT A WEEK I STARTED GETTING STOMACH CRAMPS PRETTY BAD AND HAD THE WORST VOMITING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED, AFTER THE PAIN LASTED FOR A COUPLE DAYS I WENT BACK TO THE DOC THINKING I HAD AN ULCER, I HAD AN UPPER GI AND I DID HAVE A SMALL HIATEL HERNIA HE PUT ME ON MEDS AND AFTER ABOUT 2 WEEKS I AM FINALLY FEELING BETTER. THIS AM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS I JUST TOOK 2 LACTAID CHEWABLES AND NOW I AM EXPERIENCING UPPER ABDOMINAL PAIN AGAIN! MAYBE IT WASN'T THE HERNIA @ ALL??? I WAS VERY INTERESTED TO READ ALL OF THE COMMENTS, THANK YOU- I THINK I WILL STAY AWAY FROM THE LACTAID TABLETS NOW.

I am so glad I found this site with Lactaid experiences. Thank you. Since starting lactose enzymes (Walgreen's generic) this past month, I've experienced severe constipation and severe acid in throat (LPR reflux). I will be cutting this enzyme from my diet and see what happens. Will post my results later ... very interesting.

If it turns out to be the Lactaid after all, I can certainly deal with the gas from time to time much easier than the severe reflux, for sure.

Brought a box of lactaid ultra last week. I took a few pills Thursday and Friday, I was o.k. Starting on Sunday, my stomach started hurting so bad, I had to be rushed to the ER. They did X-Rays & Cat Scans, nothing found except my liver enzymes were a little high. II am about to go get some Kaopectate and never use the ultra lactaid tablets again. My stomach is still in pain every morning.

Just had a bowl of cereal, took two lactaid chewables just before and about two spoonfuls into my cereal I was running to the bathroom with violent vomiting. I had been using lactaid for about a year and lately I had been feeling kinda nauseas when I used it but had not pinpointed to the reason. Until today I can now surely say it was the two lactaid tablets I took. The reaction was almost immediately and violent to say the least. Does any one know whats going on with this type of reaction after you have been taking it just fine for some months and then this reaction to the product?

My 2 1/2 year old has been on Lactaid milk now for over a year. Just after her 1st birthday she began this mysterious vomiting all the time.
She did test positive for the rotavirus right around her 1st birthday but the vomiting and loose stools continued for nearly a year afterwards. So after numerous tests including a horrible one to test how much reflux she had (which came out as minimal) her docs said she must be lactose intolerant. We put her on Lactaid but the vomiting continued. It did get better but it didn't totally go away until just after her 2nd birthday. Then more than 8 months later with no throw up she came down with what I think was the 24 hour flu because she couldn't keep anything down for a full day. Took her to the docs and they said just keep her on liquids as much as possible to keep her hydrated since she also hadn't had a wet diaper in more than 12 hours. The next day she was better and finally had a wet diaper but now she complains of a tummy ache all the time after she drinks her Lactaid. At first I thought maybe it's a comfort thing since I held her so much when she had the flu but now I'm not so sure. She has been complaining now for over two weeks. The only other thing that is new for her is we are trying to potty train. She has woken up with a dry diaper for over 6 month now so we thought she would be ready. However, she is very reluctant and holds her pee for a hours after she wakes up dry. I do notice that she also has quite a bit of gas when she is complaining of her tummy hurting and her stools are firmer than they used to be. I thought maybe it was because I would buy generic Lactaid like one person mentioned but she complains even with the good stuff and even the new Organic Lactaid. She doesn't eat much dairy products other than milk. She doesn't like yogurt and rarely eats cheese and we don't give her ice-cream. So not sure what is going on?? That's why I was searching on the net and found this site. Hope someone has some suggestions for us.

I am so glad I found your comments regarding Lactaid. Although I haven't experienced the vomiting most of you have mentioned, I have suffered the last few weeks or so with diarrhea and nausea. I found drinking water has kept the thoughts of vomiting at bay. However,I have gone to bed in the fetal position spoken about and slept. When I began Lactaid, I purchased the "best" brand. It was working very well. After the first bottle, I bought one of the generic brands. Now, I realize the mistake I have made. At first I thought they weren't mixing well with the "hotflash" medication I take, but after elimination testing, that isn't the case. Reading your blogs have just verified my pain and my need to either go back to the "best" brand, or stop taking Lactaid altogether. Thank you and have a painless day!

I, too, experienced the violent vomiting from taking a Lactase enzyme tablet (it was the store-brand generic version of Lactaid), after having taken it just fine for months.

My mom was visiting my husband and I and we all went to breakfast. I took a tablet right before I started drinking the large glass of milk I ordered (I'm weak when it comes to dairy, oddly enough). Within an hour I was home, vomiting, and dealing with abdominal pains and bloating. I continued to vomit for a couple of hours until finally, I was able to sleep.

A week later, I was eating with my husband at a restaurant for lunch, and because I had sour cream and cheese on my tacos, I took a tablet. About two hours later, I was calling him to take me home because I was sweating and it dawned on me what was going on. I felt exactly how I did the last time. By 8 that night, I was done vomiting.

I will be avoiding this product, generic or name-brand, for good now.

Recently, I had an experience very similar to pocoloco's experience with Lactaid. The main difference is that pocoloco experience seems to have wained within hours, mine were much more severe and lasted for days.

On a Monday, I took some Lactaid before eating a salad, that had perhaps 2 tablespoons of Ranch dressing. The next morning I awoke with very painful stomach pains. Like pocoloco, I feel I have a high threshold for pain, but throughout the day, I was unable to concentrate on my work because the pain was so severe. I went to my doctor the following day as I had not made a connection between my pains and Lactaid. The doctor had bloodwork done and a sonogram performed. She thought that my pain may have been the result od some gallbladder trouble or a viral infection. She prescribed a strong antibiotic, pain medicine and ulcer medicine to attack it from multiple angles as I am a healthy 32 yr old.

Over the next several days, I was feeling better, but still in discomfort. On that Friday, I took a Lactaid pill with a bowl of cereal for dinner around 7-8 pm. By 11 pm I was vomiting violently and had extreme abdominal pain. Again, because I had feeling better, I thought that perhaps I had a bad reaction to the combination of antibiotics and pain medicine. I vomited over a period of 4 hours, and like pocoloco, was expelling yellow/green liquid (bile?) near the end of the experience (3-4 am).

Between Saturday and Tuesday, I was still in discomfort, but was 90% better by Tuesday. I decided on Mexican food for dinner. I took a Lactaid pill and had some Queso with chips for an appetizer. By 11 pm, I was vomiting more violently than the first time and had a strong bitter taste associated. I finished vomiting around 5 am this time and the following day was still nauseated and in very strong discomfort from stomach pains. This was all it took to finally connect the dots and realize that the effects were the result of Lactaid, not a viral infection or stomach flu.

I would say my experience was very similar to pocoloco's, except that my stomach pains lasted over several days and my vomiting was over 4-5 hours as opposed to his 1-2 hour experiences.

About eight to ten years ago i had a violent reaction to lactaid. I had taken it numerous time before with no problems and then I woke up one morning - had a bowl of cereal and a lactaid pill - within the hour I was experiencing severe stomach pain along with vomiting and diarrhea. I thought it might have been due to the fact that i had had very little to eat the day before and only a bowl of cereal that morning with the extra strength pill.

the following weekend i was brave enough to try it again with some ice cream at night (this time i had a full stomach from dinner). BIG mistake - this time it was worse - the stomach pain was out of this world (i have a high pain threshold but this had me in the fetal position) and i couldnt leave the toilet and trash can for a few hours. My girlfriend was scared and called one of those nurse hot lines. they told her to coat my stomach with some kaopectate - which seemed to help. I checked the bottle of lactaid - and the expiration date had passed - so i threw it away and swore off of lactaid pills. fortunately they came out with the lactaid milk!

Fast forward to now - never touched the stuff again. well the other day I was out of lactaid milk and my wife (yes the same girlfriend) had picked up some samples of lactaid pills at a trade show - so I guess with the passage of time - I forgot how painful and miserable the other experiences had been - so i took the pill. Nothing happened!

Last night i decide to take another one because i had a craving for ice cream (had been awhile!). I figured it was ok since i had no reaction a week ago. Well sure enough - within the hour I was on the floor in severe stomach pain - followed by vomiting and diarrhea. This time we had kaopectate in the house - so i started taking it - well i just threw it right back up.

This episode lasted about an hour and a half this time. There was a metallic taste in my mouth about the third time i vomited, and the fifth and final time, there was puddle of yellow liquid that came out at the end.

Terrible experience!