Why Would I Take Probitics With Antibiotics
If antibiotics are killing bacteria in our bodies and gut, is it pointless to take probiotics when you are taking antibiotics? Are they just being killed off? Are you wasting your money? Not necessarily. Itâs important to your overall health to keep as much âgoodâ bacteria in your gut as possible. Increasing the amount of probiotics you are taking while taking antibiotics can be a good thing. The health of our gut directly correlates to the health of our body. Additionally, antibiotics have been known to cause severe gastrointestinal distress and diarrhea. Putting good bacteria in to replace the good bacteria that were attacked is important. Another benefit of probiotics is helping to prevent and treat yeast infections, which many develop while taking antibiotics since the good bacteria is attacked.
Timing The Dosing Of Your Probiotics
When I have a client on an antibiotic regimen, I typically suggest that to minimize the killing of the probiotic species, to take the antibiotics and the probiotics at least five hours apart. I have found that clinically to work well*. Unfortunately, there is very little research on this unique issue.
However, research does illustrate that starting probiotics at the start of an antibiotic regimen vs. waiting until later does minimize potential adverse side effects from the antibiotic regimen*. The time of day is not typically a big issue, but youll want to keep in mind what times your antibiotic will be dosed as that will dictate the times you can optimally take your probiotic!
Renew Life Ultimate Flora Probiotic
Renew Life Ultimate Flora Probiotic is an excellent choice for a probiotic supplement as it contains natural ingredients. This probiotic is allergy friendly making it usable by many people.
It comes in an easy to swallow capsule that utilizes a delayed release formula. This product promotes a healthy digestive balance and helps to relieve digestive discomfort. I must note that each capsule has whopping 50 billion CFU which is great but could be way too much to take for extended periods of time.
The capsules are made without the use of any fillers or unnecessary ingredients which makes it a great choice for those looking for a healthy product. The use of natural ingredients also makes this probiotic allergy friendly.
Its dairy free, gluten free, nut free, wheat free, and egg free. This probiotic utilizes a special delayed-release formula that is designed to help the capsules withstand your stomach acid and make it all the way to your digestive tract. This allows the good bacteria to make its way into your intestinal tract so it can go to work. If the capsule were to be destroyed by the harsh stomach acids, the probiotic bacteria inside will be easily destroyed and digested.
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Add Fermented Foods To Your Diet
If you want to learn how to restore healthy gut flora, it all starts with fermentation. Fermented foods are naturally high in beneficial bacteria, and eating them helps to repopulate your gut after antibiotics.
As noted above, antibiotic usage can also cause an increase in harmful bacteria in your digestive tract. If you want to learn how to get rid of bad bacteria in your gut, studies have shown that fermented foods like yoghurt actually help to eliminate harmful bacteria while increasing beneficial bacteria.
Other fermented foods to try include:
-
Kimchi
How To Take Probiotics With Antibiotics
If youve visited your doctor recently and received a dose of antibiotics, its likely that theyor perhaps your pharmacistrecommended you also take a course of probiotics at the same time.
This is because while antibiotics are undoubtedly both necessary from time to time and life-savinga course of antibiotics can also have a dramatic impact on our overall gut health, influencing the amount and diversity of bacteria in our gut and drastically disrupting our microbiome. There are also many different types of antibioticsbut in essence, they work to treat bacterial infections and stop them from spreading further. Trouble is, while killing off harmful bacteria is a wonderful thing, antibiotic treatments are often also broad-spectrum, meaning they can act on a wide diversity of gut bacteria and also wipe out some of the good microbes, too. In fact, research shows that just one week of antibiotics can potentially change the microbiome for as long as a year! Not only that, but as with any drug, there are also side effects and there is now very real attention being paid to the risks of antibiotic resistance which occurs when antibiotics are overusedas well as the effects of antibiotic use early on in life.
Therefore, to help protect and preserve our gastrointestinal health, a course of probiotics is now widely recommended. Curious to know more? Read on
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Just Potent Probiotic Supplement
Just Potent Probiotic is an above average supplement that contains 8 powerful and essential strains that improve your immune and digestive system. With a CFU count of 35 billion, this probiotic supplement is a force to be reckoned with.
This probiotic helps you in many ways such as helps you become lactose tolerant and regular again, helps you fight against stomach upsets, helps you digest food better, experience less gas and bloating, helps with occasional diarrhea, greatly improves your bowel movement.
Just Potent Probiotic is also shelf stable and doesnt need to be refrigerated. The stability of these capsules also helps them survive stomach acid. This probiotic is very allergy friendly and the capsules are also veggie caps.
Bio Schwartz Advanced Strength Probiotic
Though Bio Schwartz includes a huge amount of bacteria the choices of which ones to include are a little odd.
The staple bacteria lactobacillus acidophilus is there, but the other three are less common and less well-researched bacteria. The supplement also includes fructooligosaccharides to support the growth of the bacteria, but it doesnt document how much it actually includes in the supplement.
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Antibiotics And Gut Health
There is no doubt that antibiotics have an essential role to play in modern medicine in preventing and curing bacterial infections. Thanks to antibiotics, bacterial infections are no longer the most common cause of death in the modern world1. However, in recent times it has become increasingly recognised that antibiotics negatively affect our gut microbiome2.
The gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem of trillions of microbes that live together in harmony in our gastrointestinal tract. These microbes have far reaching effects on human health, enhancing digestion, immunity, skin health and energy3,4,5. A balance is required between beneficial microbes and more harmful microbes that naturally colonise the gut. This balance can be disturbed by various lifestyle factors including low-fibre diet, travel and infection, among others.
So, what happens to our gut microbiome when we take an antibiotic? Unfortunately, taking antibiotics can be detrimental to our gut health. Whilst effective in killing bad bacteria antibiotics are essentially non-selective and can also deplete the beneficial bacteria residing in the gut. This is thought to contribute to the development of diarrhoea, constipation and/or vaginal thrush when taking an antibiotic. In certain cases, this disruption to our gut microbiome can result in an overgrowth of unwanted, pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium difficile.
People taking antibiotics may experience6:
How Is Bowtrol Different From Other Probiotic Products
These are the reasons to select Bowtrol Probiotic among other options:
- Restore your digestive health in just 10-14 days!
- The largest concentration of CFUs.
- One capsule has 10 times more probiotics than in a gallon of yogurt.
- Identical constituents verified for effectiveness in 90% of research and studies done with probiotics.
- Bowtrol has the potent strain DDS-1 and Bifidobacterium, 2. They are super strains that are 10 times more powerful than other probiotics altogether.
- Each batch of Bowtrol probiotics gets tested for potency by a 3rd party laboratory.
- 100% Natural and Vegetarian.
- Supports the immune system.
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Probiotic Foods Vs Supplements
If you’re on antibiotics, it’s best to start taking a probiotic the same day and continue for two weeks after you’ve finished your dose of antibiotics.
In this case, a good option is a yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745, which you can purchase as a supplement by the brand name Florastar. McFarland says that a yeast is best in this situation because it will not be killed by the antibiotics.
This is one case where probiotic supplements may be helpful. However, in general probiotic supplements are considered by experts to be a waste of money.
“If you’re concerned about health, skip the supplements and seek out naturally live-cultured, probiotic-containing foods,” says Cate Shanahan, MD, a physician who specializes in nutrition and food sensitivity.
If you have a chronic condition like IBD, you may need to consume probiotic foods on a regular basis. In fact, any digestive disease that causes frequent diarrhea should be countered with frequent probiotic foods.
For IBD, McFarland recommends a mix of 8 strains called VSL#3. You can find these strains in two types of yogurt: ProViva and Align. Probiotics won’t cure these chronic conditions but they can help alleviate or prevent symptoms.
For IBS, a growing body of research suggests that yogurts containing strains of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria show some promise in helping improve symptoms.
Best Probiotics For Long
Its a good idea to look for research on the best probiotics when taking antibiotics long term if you are on longer courses of medication. If you need to take long term antibiotics, you may wish to consider choosing a supplement that contains Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM®. A supplement that contains this particular strain has been demonstrated in a randomised controlled trial to minimise disturbance to the composition of the gut microbiome when taken alongside antibiotics14. This can be useful when antibiotics are being taken for longer than two weeks. However, it is recommended to take this probiotic strain 2 hours away from an antibiotic, rather than at the exact same time.
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Take Probiotics During And After Treatment
Taking antibiotics can alter the gut microbiota, which can lead to antibiotic-associated diarrhea, especially in children.
Fortunately, a number of studies have shown that taking probiotics, or live healthy bacteria, can reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea .
One review of 23 studies including nearly 400 children found that taking probiotics at the same time as antibiotics could reduce the risk of diarrhea by more than 50% .
A larger review of 82 studies including over 11,000 people found similar results in adults, as well as children .
These studies showed that Lactobacilli and Saccharomyces probiotics were particularly effective.
However, given that probiotics are usually bacteria themselves, they can also be killed by antibiotics if taken together. Thus, it is important to take antibiotics and probiotics a few hours apart.
Probiotics should also be taken after a course of antibiotics in order to restore some of the healthy bacteria in the intestines that may have been killed.
One study showed that probiotics can restore the microbiota to its original state after a disruptive event, such as taking antibiotics .
If taking probiotics after antibiotics, it may be better to take one that contains a mixture of different species of probiotics, rather than just one.
How Probiotics Can Help After Antibiotics
Probiotics are so useful during and after a course of antibiotics because they replenish the good bacteria which the antibiotics are destroying.
While continually building up your supply of good bacteria is a strong component to any healthy routine, this is even more important when these healthy bacteria are under threat from antibiotics.
Antibiotics are strong, but you can be proactive in giving your gut the best chance of staying strong and healthy during the course of your medication.
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When Should I Take Probiotics When Taking Antibiotics
Generally, with a few exceptions aside, it is best to take our probiotic supplements in the morning with breakfast. If you are taking a probiotic containing the strains Lactobacillus acidophilus Rosell-52, Lactobacillus rhamnosus Rosell-11 and Bifidobacterium lactis Lafti B94, you would still be able to follow this recommendation alongside antibiotics and take both with your brekkie.
However, if you are taking different strains, it is best to give a 2 hour gap between antibiotics and taking the probiotic supplement. So, if you have been instructed by your doctor to take your antibiotics with breakfast, you would take the medication first in this instance and leave a 2 hour gap before taking the other probiotics. Its a good idea to take our supplements with food, so in this case, with your lunch or a mid-morning snack.
Why We Take Antibiotics
Antibiotics are a powerful form of medicine that can fight bacteria. While there are downsides to antibiotics, they are considered one of the most important medical inventions of the early 20th century.
Antibiotics, like penicillin, have saved countless lives, and continue to heal thousands today. However, it is critical to understand the appropriate use of antibiotics, which is to fight bacteria only. Many people misunderstand what antibiotics are for.
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Getting To Know Your Enemy
While the bacterium is typically found in older adults that are in long-term care facilities, it has recently been found in more individuals that are not considered high-risk.
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C. diff also shows up after prolonged periods of antibiotic use, which seems ironic given the fact that antibiotics are supposed to protect us from bacteria.
Every year, close to half a million people get sick from C.diff, indicating a strong increase in the prevalence of this bacterium. The microorganism actually exists all around us in the air, soil, water, and in both human and animal feces.
In some cases, this bacterium lives among the bacterial colony in your gut, but symptoms may never develop.
It seems that certain courses of antibiotics trigger a reaction in C. diff and cause symptoms to develop. These can range from mild diarrhea and abdominal cramping to more severe issues, such as:
Long-lasting diarrhea
Severe and persistent abdominal cramping
Blood or pus in the stool
Weight loss
Swollen abdomen
The C. diff bacteria does not affect everybody and is most common among the elderly and individuals that spend extended amounts of time in hospitals and health care facilities. The startling discovery of the bacteria affecting other individuals has caused a deeper focus to be given to the bacterium.
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It Doesnt Require Refrigeration
I personally recommend probiotics that require no refrigeration as to give you the convenience of being able to take it anywhere at any time. You may not always have access to a refrigerator or other cooling device, so choosing a probiotic that is specifically formulated to stay at room temperature is highly recommended.
Refrigerated products can also be damaged during shipping. There are some good ones out there that do not fit this criterion but I get concerned if the probiotics are properly handled during the delivery process. You simply must do some research and find what is best for you.
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Whats New: A Reason To Pair Antibiotics And Probiotics
This meta-analysis reached a similar conclusion as the 2006 meta-analysis: Probiotics appear to be effective in preventing and treating AAD in children and adults receiving a wide variety of antibiotics for a number of conditions. The results were also consistent with those of a new meta-analysis that looked specifically at one pathogenand found a reduction of 66% in C difficile-associated diarrhea in patients taking probiotics with their antibiotics.
What We Do And Dont Know About Concurrent Probiotic And Antibiotic Use
To begin, probiotics will not deactivate the antibiotic or make them not work. It is actually much closer to the opposite, where antibiotics will deactivate/kill probiotics when dosed too close together. The need and relevancy of taking probiotics when on an antibiotic is justifiably increased however, as antibiotics are typically not a very discriminatory killer.
That means that while antibiotics may kill off a lot of the bad bugs causing illness, they will also typically cause a lot of your beneficial bacteria to die and instigate a variety of potential side effects, including diarrhea. Probiotic supplementation can help to offset these potential issues.*
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About Urgent Care 24/7
Urgent Care 24/7 has 5 locations in Savannah, GA and will be opening in Centennial Park in Atlanta, GA in Spring of 2018. Urgent Care 24/7 also owns and operates Bulldog Urgent Care in Athens, GA. Open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, Urgent Care 24/7 Midtown is the only regional Urgent Care clinic open 24 hours a day. Urgent Care 24/7 is committed to keeping you and your family healthy and functioning your best. Providing complete medical care when you need it, where you need it, Urgent Care 24/7 has coastal Georgia locations in Historic Savannah, Whitemarsh Island, Southside Savannah, Midtown Savannah, and Pooler, GA, when you search Urgent Care Near Me, you are sure to find one close to home.
Urgent Care 24/7 also offers Occupational Health and Employer related services. D.O.T. and non-D.O.T. drug screens are always available. Employment, Sports, and D.O.T. physicals are available at any clinic on a walk-in basis as well. Full service lab testing is available with in-house and send-out labs. No referral or provider visit is needed for basis lab work. Urgent Care 24/7 also maintains an in-house dispensary so most prescribed medications can be obtained without a trip to the pharmacy, however all prescriptions may be called in to the patients pharmacy of choosing.
Your Guide To Taking Probiotics And Antibiotics At The Same Time
The most common question that is asked around this topic is whether you can take your probiotics and antibiotics at the same time. While the simple answer to this question is yes, the exact timings of when to swallow each need to be carefully considered. So, while you can consume both as a course over a period of a few days, weeks, or months probiotics and antibiotics should be consumed at least two hours apart. This is because you want them both to be able to do their job efficientlyand if you consume them at the exact same moment, it can negate their positive effects. By swallowing your probiotic at the same time as your antibiotic, any potential good bacteria could effectively be wiped out by the antibiotic. Which, lets be real, is not ideal.
The bottom line? To reap the benefits of both, always ensure you follow medical advice and take your antibiotics as recommended by your doctor before taking your probiotic at least two hours afterwards.
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