Sometimes consumers are concerned about taking too many probiotics or wondering if our bodies can become dependent on them (as can sometimes happen with laxatives or nasal spray). Even when consuming very large amounts of probiotics every day, it will not cause dangerous side effects or death. "There haven't been any accounts of such occurrences," says Ashkan Farhadi, MD, MS, FACP, gastroenterologist, and director of MemorialCare Medical Group's Digestive Disease Center.