i've no idea what could cause your reaction and i've never heard of water kefir anyway. but it sounds like you already know it flares up your yeast so stop taking it. aside from that, since you can't take dairy everyday, i think your best probiotic options are enteric coated Jarro-dophilus (my favorite) or dairy-free Bio K (expensive!).

You're experiencing die-off. This is normal. Start off drinking very small amounts of the kefir & work your way up according to your comfort level. If it causes you a yeast infection douche with 1/2 water, 1/2 peroxide. Do this as often as needed.

Kefir is one of the best things you can do to replenish the good bacteria. If good bacteria is moving in, the bad has to move out to make way for it. It'll need exit somewhere. This is why you would experience the flare up.

the reason you get yeast infection from Kefir, is because it IS a yeast!! simple as that. It is a combination of bacteria and yeast.

So if you are sensitive to yeast you should not use kefir instead you should use a purely bacterial probiotic

Why do you say you can't drink dairy everyday? If you're having problems drinking water kefir, then the easiest way to get the benefits of kefir is by drinking milk kefir instead.

Kefir made by kefir grains is part yeast and lots of bacteria. And I've found that some people's body have a tendency to reject it initially. But by drinking only the tolerable amounts at first, then slowly increasing the amount, your body will learn to adjust.

Couple more things -
(I just posted for you some info on Kefir... but, forgot to tell you about my Personal experience…)

1. As I understand, you have Water Kefir or I, believe, it also called Aqua Rice or something like that. It ferments Water with dry Fruits & sugar? It is good - but, I think, right now, you will be better on Real Milk Kefir - made by Kefir Grains. It ferments Milk and Milk substitutes like Soy.
Kefir has around 32-35 different Good Probiotic Bacterias and Probiotic Yeast with many acids, vitamins etc. It will re-populate your intestines and you will definitely get better! I did!

2. A bit about my problems… and how Fermented Milk - Kefir helped me…
During last several years I developed huge Bouquet of Health problems ...
It all started with car accidents, spine surgeries... and Tons of medications I took for it! (Bad food too!)
From middle age Healthy Person - suddenly, I felt like 90 year old Lady with all kind of problems: pain and aches all over the body, migraines, spasms, arthritis, digestive problems, thyroids problem, High Blood Pressure, all kind of infections (seems I was catching everything!) and so on and on...
I was falling apart... especially, after several Acute Pancreatitis Attacks… I felt, i hit the rock bottom...
After those attacks - I completely lost ability to digest any food... I was afraid to put anything in my mouth - everything was making me sick... I was literary afraid of food.
I tried all kind pills, herbal and folk remedies - Nothing was helping... it only covered up my symptoms & problems - but did not cure me... I was getting worse and worse...

Luckily, I found this site - it kicked off my journey to health. After extensive reading and getting good advices here, I started to understand what was happening in my body... And what to do.

3.
First, The Main thing - no matter what wrong - we all need to start with CLEANSING & DETOXING!
Otherwise - no matter what you do - it only acts as Bandage - a Cover-up of Symptoms!
After Cleansing - you can use all other remedies - to help Body Heal itself.
That’s where Real Kefir will really Help - it will re-populate intestines and will help eliminate & control overgrown Candida.

I, too, had overgrown Candida - which caused all kind of Infections & problems in the past.
Recently - UTI.
(At that time I started to drink Kombucha... I am not sure if Kombucha had to do anything with it - I just kept drinking it - even after UTI started - I simply increased the dosage!)
In any case, I did not want to go to the Doctors to get Antibiotics - last time when I had Infection they put me on Cipro!!! I did not want to take it again - since (with steroids and other medications) it killed all the good Bacterium in my intestines and was cause of Candida overgrowth!

This what I took this time:
Cayenne pepper - as Hot Tea; inhaled Hydrogen Peroxide; Painted Iodine on my tummy and also took few drops internally. (and kept drinking Kambucha)
Immediately, I started to feel better.
I repeated these treatments thru the day - and Voila! All my problems disappeared! In one day!
I was happy & exited… and stopped my treatments.
But, by the end of the second day - my symptoms returned…

Well, I repeated my remedies, but this time - I added KEFIR - which, just in time, i got from my friend…
Again, In one day - my UTI was gone!
Without any Antibiotics ! And this time - it did not return!
As precaution, I kept taking 2 more days my Cayenne/Peroxide/Iodine. Kefir - I am still drink everyday.

Why I was more successful the 2nd time?
Because, I re-populated my Intestines with all those good Bacterium!
The first time - I only temporarily killed Candida - but not all (it is not easy to kill it as we all know!) - so, Candida re-grew and restarted my UTI.
The second time when I killed Candida - it could not re-grow anymore!
Why? Because the Powerful Bacteria in the Kefir would not allow!

Conclusion? Keep taking Kefir! Increase dosage! Colony of Good bacteria will overtake colony of Candida!
Start with small amounts and gradually increase dosage - if you do not know how you will react to it.
(I took 1 Liter - ¼ of Gallon, a day - right from first day (divided on 3 portions) - I used to drink it in the past, so, I was not afraid. Now I take 1.5 liter a day)
Medicinal effect starts with 1 liter.

I believe, Kefir is the best weapon against Candida.
My previous fight with Candida was long and not very effective... Now, it is under total control.

Also, Drink a lot of water. I drink Distilled water - for cleansing purpose. I continue to drink Kombucha. (I did cleansing with Kombucha too - but it separate story)

I feel much much much better - I able to eat now!
Though, since now I know better - I switched to Raw, Live & Fermented Food. I am now 90% to 100% on Raw Food.

I cured many problems: No more extreme bloating. No burping, No more Arthritis, No knee pain, No shoulder pain, No Hay Fevers, No High Blood Pressure, No infections - and etc. etc.
And You too - will get better!
Good Luck and good Health!

PS Sorry for a long post - there is so much to share!
Good people on this site helped me - now I am trying to do the same!

I hope you are still trying to take the fermented foods because they WILL eventually make you better. In addition to those, you need to eat as much ANIMAL fat as possible...make bone broths... This combination will get you well but you will have die off...WITHOUT IT you WILL NOT get well. Just lower the dosage to on that you can tolerate and drink plenty of water to flush your system, and if you have to paint on Iodine to your body so that it combats the die off... If you don't want to use iodine...use kelp!

Hi,
First, sorry to hear of your not pleasant experiences with water kefir.
Second, I had very similar reactions to water kefir and had to finally stop.
I started kefiring and a few days into it I came down with a horrible UTI. Thinking "die-off" i continued. I got a bladder infection. kept on, several other uti's. My friend came over and drank some kefir, that night she came down with a bladder infection. I now know that the yeast content in the kefir was too strong and have since stopped the kefir drinking. I also want to say I haven't had a uti before or after the water kefir epidemic.
Kefir is not for me.

Hi,

A year ago I started drinking milk kefir. When I started I could only take one drop on my tongue, and so very very slowly I worked up to one tablespoon every other day. After some time I started making my own goat milk kefir, but still could only take a table spoon every other day.

Because of the benefits that I had read about kefir I continued and today can drink as much of the goat milk kefir, and coconut water kefir as I wish.

In the beginning if I took to much of the kefir I would end up feeling pretty poorly, and I attribute that to die off, but do not know for sure. At any rate I am feeling fine now.

Good Luck,

Frank