Taking Probiotics While Taking Antibiotics

Potential Benefits Of Probiotics

Arjun Avila, a product development consultant specialized in vitamins and probiotic supplements, says probiotics are essentially very tiny living microorganisms and there are thousands of probiotic strains that offer different health benefits.

Probiotic strains are diverse, Avila says. If you think of dog breeds, it can range from chihuahua to pit bulls, and probiotic strains are very much like that as well.

Researchers are still studying these various probiotic strains to understand exactly how they work. But some studies have shown that probiotics may help improve heart health and support digestive systems, especially when the levels of healthy gut bacteria are off balance.

Probiotics are able to help you balance your gut so that you dont have as many unwanted side effects from the use of antibiotics, Avila says.

Probiotics can be found in yogurt, as well as a wide range of fermented foods like kimchi, miso, kombucha, and kefir. Its generally best to obtain probiotics from food sources since they also offer other nutrients. But probiotic supplements are convenient and easy to travel with, Merenstein adds, and they can last longer than many probiotic foods that need to be refrigerated.

Merenstein also stresses the importance of taking the probiotics as early as possible, before any antibiotic symptoms emerge. In the study, participants started the probiotics regimen the same day they started taking the antibiotics.

Best Probiotics To Take With Antibiotics

There are many probiotic supplements on the market, so how do you know which one to choose?

Well, the right probiotic to choose depends on what youd like it to do. Probiotic effects are strain-specific, meaning that different strains have different effects on the body. If you want to reduce anxiety you could take a strain called Bifidobacterium longum R0175, while this strain may not be as effective if you wanted to prevent c.diff infection.

So as you can see, its important to choose the right probiotic strain for the job!

How Do Probiotics Help

Taking a probiotic can help to restore the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut that is often affected by antibiotics. This additional good bacteria helps a number of digestive and immune functions in our body, and importantly inhibits the proliferation of bad bacteria which can make us sick. As such, taking a probiotic can work to either minimise the severity ofthe unpleasant side effects of taking antibiotics. A healthy balance of good bacteria is important for maintaining everyday health, digestive health and immunity and probiotics help you achieve this.

Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis have been shown to be effective in preventing antibiotic-associated imbalances. If you are taking a course of antibiotics, taking a probiotic during and for several weeks after can help to replenish gut flora balance. It is recommended that probiotics are taken at least two hours from antibiotics, within 30 minutes of eating or as recommended by your healthcare professional.

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Important Tips For Supporting General Health Whilst On Antibiotics

• Eat fermented or prebioticfoods. These can help rebalance the gut microbiome and optimise gut health after a course of antibiotics.
• Avoid refined sugary foods, as these feed the harmful bacteria and yeasts which often overgrow due to antibiotic use.
• Avoid alcohol, even if not contraindicated with your course of antibiotics. Alcohol can also disrupt the gut microbiome and negatively impact immune function, which may hinder your body’s efforts to fight infection.
• Ensure you complete your course of antibiotics. Unpleasant side effects can make it difficult to continue taking antibiotics but failing to complete the course can increase the risk of antibiotic resistance.
• Eat a healthy diet. Don’t let the antibiotics do all the work – include a selection of immune-boosting foods containing vitamin C and other antioxidants, including citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables.

Eat One Serving Of Fermented Foods Daily

The amazing health benefits of fermented foods make them an excellent addition to your diet anytime, but especially crucial if youre taking antibiotics.

These foods are naturally high in friendly bacteria , and they help feed your good bacteria. Just be aware that overeating fermented foods can turn things sour. Thats why its best to enjoy only one serving of fermented foods per day either with breakfast or lunch.

Pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and tempeh are wonderful, healthy, fermented foods to include in your diet. They all contain the helpful live bacteria your gut needs when antibiotics clear house.

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How To Reverse Effects Of Antibiotics And Increase Gut Flora

If you want to learn how to reverse the effects of antibiotics or how to increase your gut health after antibiotics, talk to your doctor first. Diet, supplements, and lifestyle can all affect your gut, and you want to ensure any health strategies you choose wont negatively impact the infection youre trying to treat.

Likewise, make sure you finish your round of antibiotics as instructed by your medical care professional. If you stop taking your antibiotics before your full dose is completed, it can cause a resurgence in your infection and may prolong your treatment time . If you want to know more on how to strengthen your gut, keep reading.

The Best Time To Take Probiotics: During And After Treatment

Bedford recommends that you start taking probiotics the same day as an antibiotic treatment.

While you’re on antibiotics, take those first before the probiotics. Don’t take them at the exact same time because the antibiotics could destroy the bacteria from the probiotic and cancel out any beneficial effects, Bedford says.

“You don’t want the probiotic on board until a couple of hours after the antibiotic itself is taken,” says Bedford.

Moreover, Bedford highly recommends that you continue to take probiotics for two weeks after you’ve completed your antibiotic dose to get your gut microbiome back to normal.

Recommended Reading: Get Rid Of Uti Naturally Without Antibiotics

Are All Probiotics The Same

Delivery mechanisms, diversity, and dosage may differ with different types of probiotics, and the same is with benefits and side effects. Thats why you shouldnt conclude that your body doesnt like probiotic supplements simply because a certain strain or brand failed.

Studies show different survival rates for different probiotic strains, whether taken 30 minutes before food, with food, or after food. You just need to approach your probiotic intake according to the specific strain in your probiotic follow your manufacturers recommendations.

Probiotics are generally safe, but side effects such as bloating, constipation, allergies, and headaches may occur. In case of side effects, reduce your dosage to half and increase gradually as your body adjusts. If symptoms occur for more than two weeks, discontinue your current brand.

Probiotics Reduce Antibiotic Side Effects

When you have been on antibiotics before, did you have adverse effects such as diarrhea, yeast infections, or gastrointestinal pain?

Antibiotics work by killing harmful bacteria that cause infections. Most antibiotics are broad-spectrum, meaning they kill a lot of different types of bugs. This broad action makes them useful for a lot of different types of infections, and its also why they can end up killing good bacteria too.

Antibiotic side effects are often caused by the loss of beneficial bacteria and resulting dysbiosis [6

Antibiotic side effects can be long-lasting, especially with repeated antibiotic treatments. Probiotics can be very helpful in restoring the healthy balance of gut bacteria. A large number of studies back this up.

Lets look at a few examples:

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Video Answer: A Master Class In Gut Health

How is amoxicillin given? Amoxicillin is given by mouth in the form of a tablet, capsule, or liquid suspension. It can be given with or without food, however, if vomiting occurs when dosed on an empty stomach, give future doses with food. Give the medication for the entire prescribed duration unless otherwise directed.

Dogs, cats, horses, and sheep regularly take the same medicines as wounded bipedals. Many, and perhaps most, antibiotics are approved for use in humans and animals. Versions of some of our anti-anxiety medications and painkillers are approved for other species as well.

Absolutely. Dogs, cats, horses, and sheep regularly take the same medicines as wounded bipedals.

Many, and perhaps most, antibiotics are approved for use in humans and animals.

Versions of some of our anti-anxiety medications and painkillers are approved for other species as well.

Cephalexin or cefalexin is sold as a fish antibiotic in dog catalogues with full-knowledge it is being used for off-label treatment in dogs. It should cost about $30 for 100 250 mg. capsules, which is a perfect dose for a terrier.”

Which Probiotics Should You Take With Antibiotics

Your pharmacy probably has shelves filled with different bottles of probiotics. How do you choose the right probiotics to take with your antibiotics? Dr. Bryan Tran, cofounder of DrFormulas, recommends looking for probiotics that have the three Ds:

Dose: The amount of active micro-organisms in a probiotic is measured in colony-forming units, or CFUs. You want a dose with 10 billion CFUs or higher, Dr. Tran says. This dose may appear on the product label as 1 x 1010. And while you may see probiotics with 100 billion or more CFUs, according to Dr. Hoberman, you generally stop reaping added benefits after about 20 billion.

Diversity: The label on a bottle of probiotics will also tell you which bacteria strains the capsules contain. Look for probiotics that have five to 10 unique strains. Studies that compare single-strain probiotics to multi-strain probiotics have found that a variety of strains is more effective at reducing diarrhea, Dr. Tran says.

Delayed-release mechanism: Finally, look for probiotics that use delayed-release capsules. When you take probiotics orally, you expose them to your stomach acid and that reduces the effective dosage that makes it to the gut, Dr. Tran says. Probiotics with delayed-release mechanisms wont release the microorganisms until they go past the stomach.

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How To Properly Take Probiotics With Antibiotics

Note: This is a guest post from Jamie Morea

Even the healthiest among us will likely have to take an antibiotic at some point in our lives whether its for strep throat, a tooth infection, or as a pre-surgery prophylactic.

The truth is that antibiotics are life-saving medicines, but they can do a number on our overall health.

From diarrhea and yeast infections to more serious inflammatory and immune conditions, antibiotics arent without their side effects.

The good news is that if you do need antibiotics for a bacterial infection, you can take steps to support your body during the process to minimize negative health consequences, including taking probiotics with antibiotics.

Which Probiotic Are You Taking

Dr. Amy Myers says that for those with SIBO, a soil-based probiotic is best.

Soil-based probiotics do not exacerbate symptoms of SIBO in the way other types of probiotics can. In fact, one clue that you may have SIBO is that when you take a probiotic containing lactobacillus or bifidobacterium you have an exacerbation of your symptoms such as more gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or other digestive symptoms. If you are currently dealing with SIBO, its not recommended to take a probiotic containing lactobacillus or bifidobacterium strains until youve eliminated your bacterial overgrowth and repaired your gut, as these can actually worsen your SIBO.

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Why I Take Antibiotics With Probiotics

Antibiotics kill our probiotic bacteria. So knowing the benefits of probiotics, I avoid antibiotics whenever possible.

But, you should probably take antibiotics to avoid death or kill serious infections. And if you take probiotics together with antibiotics, youll reduce the damage that antibiotics do to our native probiotics.

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Take The Best Probiotics After Antibiotics

Probiotics are supplements that contain live, beneficial bacteria. Taking these supplements while youre taking your antibiotics can help to counter the impact that the drugs have on your gut bacteria.

For the best results, look for a supplement that contains either strains of Saccharomyces or strains of Lactobacilli. These are the most widely used bacteria strains in antibiotics-related research.

Keep in mind that antibiotics do kill the bacteria in your probiotics. Each day, take your probiotics as far apart from your antibiotics as possible. For example, if you need to take your antibiotics every morning and evening, consider taking your probiotics at lunchtime.

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Probiotic Tips While Taking Antibiotics

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Have you had that dreaded diarrhea after you start a round of antibiotics?

And maybe you worry that if you take probiotics, doing so while taking the antibiotics will just cancel them out.

Youre not wrong to think this because timing is everything when it comes to taking probiotics while on antibiotics!

Thanks to my recent 3-week course of antibiotics after finding a gross blood-filled tick in between my toes, I got a lot of questions about what my probiotic regimen looked like.

Thats why I want to answer your questions about the dos and donts of probiotic supplementation while taking antibiotics.

And offer you insight into how you can approach probiotics so that they do what theyre supposed to do!

Otherwise, your worst fear will come true and youll potentially get stuck dealing with that dreaded antibiotic-triggered diarrhea.

• Why you might need antibiotics even though youd rather not take them
• How to take probiotics so that antibiotics dont cancel them out
• Foods to help support your gut flora during antibiotics
• Are yogurt + other fermented foods enough ?
• Why probiotics taken during antibiotics could be really helpful
• When taking probiotics with antibiotics might NOT be necessary

Look For Certain Probiotic Strains

Two of the antibiotic-related symptoms people want to avoid are antibiotic-associated diarrhea and Clostridium difficile infection, which can result when antibiotics interfere too heavily with your gut’s microbiome.

The best probiotics for antibiotics include bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces boulardii, and Lactobacillus acidophilus.Nexabiotic probiotic is a good option as it contains all three of these probiotics. Be sure to ask your health practitioner which strains are right for you.

Research shows that the bacteria strains most likely to help reduce and prevent diarrhea are:

• Lactobacillus rhamnosus: One of the most widely used probiotic strains, rhamnosus is well documented for its ability to relieve GI infections and diarrhea. Its other benefits include supporting a healthy urinary tract and immune support.

• Lactobacillus acidophilus: acidophilus is a strain of lactic acid bacteria which lives in the human stomach and intestines. It can promote recovery from diarrhea, particularly in young children at a dose greater than 10 billion CFUs per day.

• Saccharomyces boulardii: This probiotic yeast has been shown to be effective for the treatment of diarrhea as well as a number of other gastrointestinal disorders which cause inflammation. It also helps restore healthy gut flora.

Also Check: How To Restore Healthy Gut Flora After Antibiotics

What Studies Support Giving Probiotics With Antibiotics

A Cochrane review of 23 studies investigated giving probiotics containing either one or a combination of the following: Bacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Clostridium butyricum, Lactobacilli spp., Lactococcus spp., Leuconostoc cremoris, Saccharomyces spp., or Streptococcus sp.

Results from 22/23 trials that reported on the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea show a significant benefit from probiotics compared to active, placebo, or no treatment control . None of the 16 trials that reported on side events documented any serious side events attributable to probiotics with the most common ones being rash, nausea, gas, flatulence, abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting, increased phlegm, chest pain, constipation, taste disturbance, and low appetite. The authors concluded that there was a protective effect of probiotics for preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea. The relative risk was 0.46 and the NNT was 10.

The authors considered Lactobacillus rhamnosus or Saccharomyces boulardii at 5 to 40 billion colony forming units/day to be the most appropriate choice. They also commented that although no serious adverse events were observed among the otherwise healthy children in these trials, serious adverse events have been observed in severely debilitated or immuno-compromised children with underlying risk factors , and advised that probiotics should be avoided in pediatric populations at risk for adverse events until further research has been conducted.

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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Why Take A Probiotic With An Antibiotic

Replenishing the gut with probiotics helps to rebalance the gut microbiome following antibiotic use. The NHS has recognised the beneficial effects of probiotic supplementation7. When prescribed antibiotics, many individuals now choose to supplement their natural bacteria with a probiotic supplement. Your local pharmacist may even recommend probiotics when dispensing antibiotics.

Antibiotic-associated diarrhoea is one of the most common side effects of antibiotics, with a prevalence of between 5 to 35%, depending on the type of antibiotic8 taken. A meta-analysis of 23 studies carried out in 2012 supported the use of probiotics in antibiotic-associated diarrhoea9. One particular form of AAD is Clostridium difficile infection, which manifests as chronic diarrhoea and in severe cases, colitis. This is of particular concern in the elderly and can sometimes be fatal. Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 randomized controlled trials including 4213 patients, evidence suggests that probiotics are both safe and effective in helping to support the health of the gut microbiome and reducing digestive upset related to Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea10. Health professionals can visit this article in the Professionals site to find out more about Probiotics and Clostridium difficile.