"This is a review of BOTH Hyperbiotics PRO-15 and Hyperbiotics PRO-15 Advanced Strength (with Kiwifruit). Sorry that some of the photos are upside-down :(, but it's labeled with a sticky note, so you know exactly which is which.

TESTING IF THE PROBIOTICS ARE ACTIVE:
I did a simple bacteria test on the products I ordered with milk, just to test if it’s “active” or not. I had 3 bottles of the regular Pro-15 and 1 bottle of the Advanced Pro-15 with Kiwifruit. The reason I had so many bottles was because Hyperbiotics messed up my order, but they more than made up for it.

THE TEST SUBJECTS (this only tests if bacterias are active):
- Bowl 1 – Regular Pro-15: Added 3 pills to milk; Purchased August 2016 (summer) through Amazon Prime (Amazon’s warehouse).
- Bowl 2 – ADVANCED Pro-15 with Kiwifruit: Added 1 pill to milk; Purchased October 2016 directly through Hyperbiotics website (Hyperbiotics’ own storage).
- Bowl 3 and 4 – Regular Pro-15: Added 3 pills to milk; Replacement bottles because Bottle 1 didn’t have any effect; came October 2016 directly from Hyperbiotics’ own storage.
- Bowl 5 – Regular Milk: Nothing added; Non-expired whole milk.

Note: I only added 1 pill of the Advanced Pro-15 rather than 3 pills like for the other regular Pro-15. The Advanced Pro-15 is supposed to be 3x that of the regular Pro-15. So I wanted to compare and see how 1x Advanced Pro-15 compares to 3x regular Pro-15.

THE RESULTS OF THE TEST (10 hours later):
I’ve uploaded pictures to show what it looks like, but here’s a brief description as well.
- Bowl 1 did not curdle at all! It was EXACTLY like Bowl 5; it was JUST milk. I was so upset when my suspicion that it was inactive was proven right (as this particular first bottle arrived in the mail during the summer HOT!). This bottle was the whole reason I contacted Hyperbiotics customer service in the first place; and I’m glad I did because they were a phenomenal help and sent me my replacement bottle.
- Bowl 2’s entire bowl of milk curdled so much, the entire thing turned solid, like soft tofu. My wife thought I made yogurt…
- Bowl 3 and 4 with the regular Pro-15 was clumpy and had quite a lot of curdling going on.
- Bowl 5 did NOT clump or curdle at all, as expected since nothing else was added to it.

The winner is Bowl 2, 3, and 4. Even though I only put in 1x pill of the Advanced Pro-15 in Bowl 2, it curdled a lot more than Bowl 3 and Bowl 4 which had 3x pills of regular Pro-15 in each. Now, I’m no scientist, so I don’t know if the amount of curdling correlates to how effective it is. All I know is that I can safely say that Bowl 2, 3, and 4 all have active bacteria.

Note: In the pictures, those yellowish things that are floating around are actually NOT the curdling that I was referring to. I believe those are just part of the encasing of the pill.

*******
TIP: Don't order any probiotics through the mail in the summer if you don't want to risk having it arrive dead, like my first bottle did in August 2016. Since Hyperbiotics Pro-15 has a guaranteed shelf life of 18 months, it's probably a good idea to order it in advance if you plan to take it during the summer.
*******

REVIEW OF HYPERBIOTICS PRO-15 PROBIOTICS:
The first bottle I ordered in the summer from Amazon Prime had arrived dead. It came in the mail HOT! I didn't know it at the time that it was dead. All I knew was that the Pro-15 I was taking wasn't doing anything for me. Later I received 2 replacement bottles (it was supposed to be 1 replacement, but there was a miscommunication between Hyperbiotics' shipping department).

Review from my wife:
My wife then came down with the cold/flu. Day 2 of getting sick, I urged her to take 1 pill of Pro-15. Day 3, I had her take 2 pills. That very same day on day 3, she already started getting better right before our eyes. Usually, my wife's immune system kicks in during the night when she's asleep, and usually her cold/flu lasts for around 5 days. This time, we literally watched her get better as the day progressed. In fact, by the end of the night when we prepared to go to bed, we talked about how no one will believe that she was ever sick to begin with and perhaps had lied when she called in sick... which would be a problem. Anyways, she now takes it when her coworkers are sick, and sometimes urges her coworkers to take probiotics. She tells me I made a believer out of her.

Review from my sister:
I gave a bottle of Pro-15 to my sister's family and one to keep for myself. I gave the bottle to her because her family and her children keep falling sick. There has rarely been a time that they weren't all sick when I went to visit the past 3 years. So, I got my sister to take some probiotics. She tells me that she goes to the bathroom (number 2) more regularly since taking Pro-15, which is what's supposed to happen. She also gets mild upset stomach. She's not used to taking probiotics, so she only takes 1 pill a day. She tried 2 pills, but it gave her mild diarrhea. She also caught the stomach flu from her kid while she was on Pro-15.

Update: My sister has stopped taking probiotics altogether 1 week into it. She tells me that she just couldn’t overcome the upset stomach, and since she had just started going back to work after having a baby, it was inconvenient to go to the bathroom often. I’m not sure if she’ll ever want to take it again. Sometimes, there’s never a convenient time to be healthy, especially for someone like my sister who’s not used to taking probiotics. It can take some time to adjust for some people, but time is not what she has lately.

Review from me:
As for myself, I have been taking it once a day in the morning 20 minutes before breakfast for the past 16 days (as of writing this review) as I prepare to travel abroad (I know taking it so early in advance seems like overkill, but I had my reasons). I chose Pro-15 specifically for travel reasons, which you can read at the bottom of this review if you're interested in finding out why. Anyways, I don't feel any different, but I'm also used to taking probiotics once or twice a year (especially around flu season). I do go more regularly to the bathroom while I'm on Pro-15, so that's good. We also had some guests over who got sick from either the food they ate or they had contracted the stomach virus/flu beforehand. We all ate the same thing, but my wife and I were the only ones were fine even the next day. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but I am glad my wife and I are not down with whatever it was. There was vomiting and diarrhea going on with our guests, so we were just relieved we weren't affected. I don't know about my wife, but I really do credit Hyperbiotics' Pro-15 for this though, because when it comes to food-born illnesses, I am usually the first one to get sick - but not this time (huge grin).

Update: Review from my parents:
I finally convinced my parents to take a 30 day course of Pro-15 just to see how they like it. It’s only been 1 week. My dad says he doesn’t feel any different. My mother says she gets bloated and has more gas. It’s pretty normal at first for someone who doesn’t regularly take probiotics. I’ll check back on them when they’ve finished their course.

Other info:
Here's something else you should know as a consumer when searching for the right type of probiotics. Always look for: 1. Variety - the more different types of bacteria a probiotic has the better; you don't want just one type of bacteria as each bacteria does different things. 2. Delivery to the intestinal area - if a probiotic pill isn't going to protect the bacteria the moment it hits stomach acid, what use is taking it at all? It is why you should look for time-release pills that help ensure the bacteria get where they need to be.

Final thoughts on Pro-15:
I feel like I found something that has the complete formula in Pro-15. It has everything I’ve been looking for: probiotics that work!, variety of bacterias, good delivery system, a company that I feel is trustworthy, and value. Yes, value, as in cost. I’ve purchased probiotics costing $50 for a month’s supply. But not comparing that extreme to this Pro-15, it’s still a really good, solid value. Plus, if you “like” Hyperbiotic’s Facebook page, they often advertise coupon codes. So I’ve been taking advantage of that.

REVIEW OF HYPERBIOTICS PRO-15 ADVANCED STRENGTH (WITH KIWIFRUIT):
I couldn't wait to review this Pro-15 Advanced Strength because of how amazing it turned out to be! I had ordered this because I really needed to find something reliable for when I travel abroad. Since I didn't know my 1st bottle of Pro-15 was actually a dead bottle, I thought that I just needed something stronger. It's why I got the Advanced Pro-15 (which is supposed to be 3x stronger), and boy am I glad I got this, because I had only taken it for 2 days before my wife came down with the cold/flu. In fact, everyone around me was sick. Every day, I kept waking up wondering if this was the day I would catch the cold/flu as well. Every day, I'm completely fine! This is probably the very first time I completely avoided getting sick at all. There were times when I timed it just right by taking probiotics around flu season and I would still catch it, but with minimal symptoms. Okay, don't get me wrong. I'm not a delirious kind of person who thinks probiotics keeps you from getting sick at all. Everybody has to get sick once in a while to build up tolerance. The fact that I didn't feel or show any symptoms this time while I was on the Advanced Pro-15 doesn't mean I didn't get sick; it just means I could have slept through it while my body fought it off. I probably carried the germs with me and someone else contracted it from me. So if you're on this formula but still get sick with the cold/flu, it's not always a bad thing. You should, however, cure up a lot quicker than normal. At least, that is my experience whenever I'm on probiotics (Pro-15 or not). With probiotics, my cold or flu always gets better at least twice as fast.

Now, I keep the Advanced Pro-15 as a backup for whenever someone around me is sick. I've only taken 7 days of this. The pills are bigger, so it's probably harder for some people to swallow. I was also afraid that since this has 3x the bacteria than the regular Pro-15, this would give me diarrhea (as overdoses on probiotics can cause this), but I was fine. I don't know if I'm just used to taking probiotics or something...

While I was on the Advanced Pro-15, I felt like I had too much energy. So, I do think you should be careful with this and only take it in short 5-10 day courses (or more or less). I literally couldn't sleep at night and had no idea why I had so much energy. Maybe it was a coincidence that I just happened to be on the Advanced Pro-15 at the time.

REVIEW OF HYPERBIOTIC’S CUSTOMER SERVICE:
I was inspired to write a review because of how good Hyperbiotics’ customer service was after I contacted them with a question. Not only did they take my question seriously, but they unexpectedly regarded my question as a concern, and backed my purchase and their product 100% - giving me the confidence I needed about their brand. However, it’s precisely because their customer service was so good AND their marketing/wording of their products targeting skeptical people like me was so darn effective, that I didn’t want those qualities to overshadow or affect an unbiased view of the actual effectiveness of their product(s). If you have a question about their product, ask, and they will be very helpful.

MY RANT AS AN ANGRY CUSTOMER IN THE BEGINNING (please skip if you don't want to know what happened):
This first dead bottle that I ordered was a real killer and was truly inconvenient. For years, I’ve been trying to convince everyone I know to religiously take probiotics once or twice a year as a maintenance supplement. I had FINALLY convinced my parents to take probiotics for their upcoming vacation; it was my one chance to convince them really. However, because the first bottle arrived DEAD, it put an end to my parent’s belief about the benefits of probiotics. Then out of nowhere, they went and bought a bottle of the cheapest probiotics they could find in the stores, which I’m happy about because that means they still listened to me a little, but I’m NOT happy that they chose a bottle without consulting me. I chose Hyperbiotics’ Pro-15 for a really good reason. I did a huge amount of research to get the best available probiotics I could for my parents. The cheap bottle they went out and bought only contained 1 type of bacteria that they did not need. Now, they are off on their 2 month vacation and I’m worried for them because they are old and get sick often. I just want them to have a good time and not worry too much about their health. So, Hyperbiotics’ dead bottle really ruined it for me and caused me an inconvenience that cannot be undone because now they have it in their head that a $5 bottle with 1 type of bacteria can do a better job than any $25 bottle with 15 types of bacteria, and I can’t convince them otherwise! Well, I’m glad my parents at least bought travel medical insurance though… is how I’m comforting myself now. Thanks, Hyperbiotics…

WHY I CHOSE THIS PRODUCT SPECIFICALLY FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL:
I needed a probiotic that 1. does not need refrigeration, 2. survives all the way to the gut and doesn’t just get killed quickly with stomach acid, 3. is resistant to heat (when not refrigerated), 4. has all the bacteria I need, which is L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. fermentum, B. longum, B. bifidum. After some research, these bacteria seem to be great to have when traveling. That is how I ended up here on Amazon. Pro-15 and Pro-15 Advanced both contain every single type I was looking for. I'll have to see how well it does while I'm on my trip.

Update: I did not get sick on my travels. Happy traveler.

SKIP IF YOU DON’T REALLY CARE TO HEAR ABOUT MY SOB STORY:
After checking up on my family while they were on Pro-15, I noticed that not everyone taking probiotics for the first time has the same reaction. When I used to get sick often and on antibiotics for sinus infections (like every other month), probiotics of ANY kind didn’t help. I don’t pass gas like my mother, but I did get mild diarrhea (and quite often). It was also difficult to get used to taking it every single day for more than 2 weeks at a time as my busy school/work schedule was just hectic. The diarrhea part though is what really made me feel unwell for a while in the beginning, but it eventually subsided. The cost of good probiotics was also a killer… I was a very sick and very starving college student then, so when I think about dishing out $30 for antibiotics or $30 for probiotics, well… I made it work somehow… I had to. It was not normal for my age to be in worse condition than old people. Life decision changes were required. And I’m glad I made it.

I don’t remember when I actually noticed a difference in my health, but I remember it was somewhere around 11 to 13 months later after trying 3 or 4 courses or probiotics. Yep, a VERY long time. Progress was really slow, but the end results is quite lasting, because now, I don’t get sick often. I probably only get sick once or twice a year. My cold/flu medicine always expires because I don’t take it for 2 years sometimes. I haven’t gotten a single sinus infection again. I also don’t get stomach ulcers anymore – it’s something quite hereditary in my family – so I’m really glad I have one less thing to worry about.

On that note, I hope everyone who’s taking probiotics, whether Pro-15 or not, stick to it until you finish the whole bottle. Increase or decrease your dosage as you will to let your body adjust, but don’t stop taking it if you can! Afterwards, plan on taking it at least once or twice a year as a maintenance regimen. I take 15-30 day courses once or twice a year now, usually whenever cold/flu season is. I also haven’t visited the doctors the past 4 years for anything except annual checkups.

HOW TO TEST YOUR PROBIOTICS YOURSELF:
The process is simple if you wish to perform it yourself: step 1. get two cups/bowls/container that are the same size, 2. crush two Hyperbiotic probiotics in one container (it’s fairly easy, just put it in the container and use a spoon to carefully crush it until it’s in powder form or try to get it into a powder form as much as you can), 3. add ½ cup of milk to each container, 4. mix it around well and then leave it alone even if it looks like it’s just floating on top of the milk, 5. label the container so you know which one has the probiotics and which one doesn’t, 6. set it aside for 10-12 hours at room temperature (in the summer) or warm temperature (in the winter, you can do this by placing it in the oven with only the light turned on) - if it's too cold, there will be no curdling and your experiment will go to waste, 7. when time is up, use a spoon to see if the milk has clumped or curdled – because that’s how you know the bacteria is active."

"I am not "educated" about pro-biotics - but I know what I have been through. So this will be a testimonial to this Pro-15 pro-biotics given in the context of my personal experience. I have been dealing with effects of tricothecine poisoning (from long term exposure to black mold) for almost five years. I was correctly diagnosed two and a half years ago (with many "interesting" and "creative" diagnoses along the way). Without going into detail - let me say that I had horrible, horrible indigestion to include all of the symptoms so many others here have mentioned. Six weeks ago, I saw a doctor who believes that "all problems start with the gut" (Including the symptoms from mold poisoning. Imagine that!). Of course his Food Coach recommended probiotics and soon after finding the RIGHT probiotics (Pro-15) ALL of my problems dissipated. Not right away though. It took about 3-4 weeks and about 4 pills a day but today, as I write this, I can say that I feel better in my digestion than I have felt in 5 years. An incredible side effect of taking Pro-15 is that as it began to "clear out my gut" my back and leg pain went away! Yep. No lie. My sick gut caused me intractible, chronic back and leg pain to the extent I thought I was going to have to walk with a cane. I did have a terrible set back early on that I want to mention. Because I did not know exactly which pro-biotic to take, I simply came to Amazon and ordered a "Best Selling" product, "Digestive Advantage." Thinking that all probiotics are made the same, I am sad to say that it was not until I got sicker and sicker and sicker with more and more pain that I decided to READ THE INGREDIENTS. Amazingly, several of the ingredients in "Digestive Advantage" were from "Aspergillus." Not good for a person like me already suffering from mold poisoning. So, Pro-15 had to not only help me with my old sick gut - but it had to fight against the my newly sickened gut from the aspergillus I had taken in "Digestive Advantage." Along the way, I had e-mail conversations with the supplier of Pro-15 who helped me enormously. Being a pro-biotic virgin (if I may) I had lots of questions pertaining to the fact that I take loads of charcoal on a daily basis (to "suck up" the tricothecine), etc. etc. I had fast, prompt and extremly informative responses from the Pro-15 representative which only served to enhance my appreciation for the quality of Pro-15. So as not to have to take 4 pills a day (that being said, they are little round pills, a lot like the little black ones that most Chinese Medicine pills look like and they are very easy to swallow) I am next going to order the Advanced/extra strength pills. Finally, I also want to add that I would never have found Pro-15 in the first place were it not for all the extremely helpful reviews on this cite. Thank you all for your thoughtful and informed comments. For the first time since I have been fighting this poisoning I feel like I am winning the battle. No yucky acid reflux. No waking up at night with a hard as rock stomach. No horrible (ending up in the E/R) pain in the gut. No cramps and spasms in the lower back and legs (for which I was told I needed back surgery). No episodes of chest tightness/shortness of breath/weakness in the arms (yes, indigestion can mimic a heart attack), No being able to stand up straight because your gut feel like it is tied in knots. etc. etc. etc. You know the drill. Thank you all again and thank you Pro-15 for your wonderful product. (Given all the charcoal/etc. pills I take to inhibit the mold poisoning - I am eternally grateful for the time release aspect of your little wonder pills!) BTW, I am a 72 year old woman. Never too late to clear out your gut with Pro-15!!! If you are this far into my post I want to thank you for taking the time to read the entire thing! I hope it has been of help to you. (All of that being said, please do not contact me personally by e-mail or by any other media to ask me about this product. I have said everything I know about it here. I also can't help you with a diagnosis of mold poisoning. There are doctors who do that---in fact you can find them on Google. I apologize for sounding rude, as I sound rude even to me, but I really can't answer questions about mold poisoning. I thought about deleting this review until I saw how many people had seen it and realized that it has probably been helpful --- so I am leaving it up and thanking you in advance for respecting my privacy.)"

"I will be giving a rolling review on this product as time passes. I'm taking these tablets as someone who's had long term IBS, and has tried other probiotic products. There will be detail about bowel movements.

Day One (25/10): Product arrived promptly, and packaged appropriately. Unlike some others, I personally found the tablets very easy to swallow. Basically same as any other tablet.

Week One (1/11): Acknowledging placebo affect and that correlation does not imply causation, I've made the following tentative observations after one week. I'm going to the toilet more often (I was usually once a day, but now 2 or 3 times per day), but having better, more complete movements each time. I've noticed others in the review have described quite dramatic reactions when starting to take this tablets, and clearly I've been no different, though I only took one tablet per day, so perhaps that's why my reaction was not so dramatic as a few others. My movements before starting PRO-15 were usually between type 5 and type 6 on the Bristol stool chart (classic IBS). Now, after a week, they are often type 3 or type 4, unless I've had a drink. Basically, so far it seems like I'm having more "normal" movements, more often. But, this remains to be seen over a greater period of time. Also, my feeling of hunger has changed - I no longer feel like over-eating, and I am choosing smaller portions. I've craving food less. Skin seems a little healthier too. Makes me wonder if I'm absorbing more nutrients now.

Week Two (8/11): Very similar to above, which suggests that the above week was not necessarily a fluke. Still very soon to tell, but I'm noticing that as above, my bowel movement are, on average, more solid (Type 3 and 4) and more complete, which is unusual for me generally, even if I watch my diet (FODMAP) carefully. I'm feel a cleaner hunger that isn't so aggravating when I feel it. I'm far more able to remain hungry when I feel hungry, instead of rushing to eat the nearest snack. I'm craving different things less. It seems like I have less gas and more energy.

5 Weeks (28/11): After some time to observe, it's seems likely that this product is having a positive impact on my digestion, so 4 stars it is! Regardless of diet (I occasionally break my FODMAPs diet), my bowel movements are more consistently Type 3 or 4. I'm back to going to the toilet once a day, unlike week one. Gas has consistently reduced, and is no longer as foul. Even after alcohol, the next morning is no longer as bad as before talking PRO-15. I have taken one tablet daily, without break, and I do now take an extra tablet before eating or drinking anything that I know usually triggers my IBS, and I believe this helps. As it stands, I recommend this product for people with IBS, especially to be taken in conjunction with a FODMAPs diet, and I would recommend taking one a day when on FODMAPs diet, and two if eating or drinking known trigger foods. I will be buying this product again.

6 Weeks (3/12/17) - So, just under six weeks in, I'd like to give my final thoughts (for now). My main vote is with my wallet I guess, as I've decided to buy another container, despite the significant price. Though not perfect, my bowel movements, including gas, have noticeably and consistently improved over the last few weeks, as indicated above. This is even when I drink, or eat off-diet foods, which before could result in quite significant temporary IBS flareups.

I may experiment with an increased dose (two daily) and see if this results in increased improvement or not.

Though it might not work for everyone, I do recommend this product for folks suffering from IBS, especially if used in conjunction with a FODMAPs diet."