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Antibiotics and Probiotics

3/6/2015

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You frequently hear that  taking antibiotics when you don’t really need them  causes resistance to bacteria which stops antibiotics  being effective. However sometimes you have no choice but to take a course of antibiotics.

When antibiotics enter the body they destroy some of the good bacteria in the gut as well as the bad bacteria they are targeting. This upsets the natural balance of bacteria and can cause side effects like diarrhoea, thrush and tiredness. In the longer term this can can lead to digestive problems and  lowered immunity.

Doctors used to advise waiting until a course of antibiotics was finished before taking probiotics, as it was thought that antibiotics would just kill off the new good bacteria.

However, research now show you can take both antibiotics and probiotics at the same time if you do so in a way that will protect the good bacteria. How you do this will depend on which probiotics you take and when you take them.

What to take

Not all probiotics are the same. Some off the shelf probiotics contain  strains of bacteria that are not effective to use with antibiotics or ones that and can’t survive the acidic conditions in the stomach and never reach the gut.

You need to make sure that you get the right strains of bacteria - Certain strains are most effective to take with antibiotics. Strains of  Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Saccharomyces have been researched and  found to reduce the immediate side effects of antibiotic use.

You  also need to be sure that the probiotics you buy guarantee the number of good bacteria to be in the product when you take them not just when you buy them. 

When to take them

There are certain probiotic products that can be taken at the same time as antibiotics. However, most probiotics should be taken 1-2 hours after taking the antibiotics. A few won’t survive but most  will, and can help prevent the immediate potential side effects from taking antibiotics and  protect your gut and your immune system from longer term harm. If in doubt ask for advice.

 
So, take probiotics whilst on antibiotics rather than wait until the course of antibiotics is finished

If you have had a course of antibiotics it is still not too late to take to take a probiotic.

Just remember all products are not alike and you may be best to seek advice from a nutritional therapist  to get a good quality effective product

 If you want any advice about probiotics then contact me - heather@improvenutrition.co.uk

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