Recovery from Antibiotics [Probiotics and More]

Everyone knows that you should take a probiotic when you take antibiotics since antibiotics kill not just the bad but the good. 

I had to take several courses of antibiotics recently for an old root canal, so I've been doing more in depth research on antibiotics and probiotics and wanted to share some of that information.

First, antibiotics really mess up the good bacteria in our digestive tract, much more than I realized, which can actually take your body months to fully recover from. If you've had to take strong antibiotics or several courses it can be even worse. Sometimes antibiotics are needed and it's amazing that they exist, but we need to be careful to not use them unless they're really needed. For example, in the winter, frequently if you're sick or have a bad cough or just feel terrible and you go to an immediate care facility, they will often still give you a prescription for antibiotics. Most winter illnesses are viral, so antibiotics won't help (though of course listen to your doctor, just know that antibiotic overuse continues to be a big problem). 

So now knowing that it can take months to recover from a course of antibiotics, it just shows how much more important probiotics are to help to replenish the good bacteria in our body and replenish our microbiome. We have a lot of great ones at the store. We have a lot of ones that are a good daily probiotic, but if you've been on antibiotics I would recommend doing a more heavy duty, high potency probiotic. Our Vital Planet Intensive Care probiotics are probably what I would recommend the most. They're on the pricey side, but I think there is not a better probiotic that is at the forefront of probiotic and microbiome research. It's important to look for a probiotic when taking antibiotics or afterwards that has a high potency but also you want to look for one that contains a large number of strains to help with replenishing microbiome diversity.

If you're taking antibiotics, you can still take probiotics at the same time, but the probiotics should be taken separately from the antibiotics, ideally at least two hours after an antibiotic dose. We'd also recommend to keep taking a daily probiotic for several months afterwards- especially with us getting nearer to cold and flu season, since probiotics can help with immune and respiratory health. 

Another interesting thing I wanted to share is about the unique probiotic saccharomyces boulardii. It is a probiotic yeast that is most often used for helping with preventing diarrhea. Since it is a probiotic yeast not a bacteria it can actually be taken at the same time as a probiotic (you can't take regular probiotics at the same time as an antibiotic because it will kill the good bacteria). I wouldn't say that saccharomyces boulardii is a replacement for a regular probiotic, but if you're on heavy duty antibiotics or antibiotics that you take several times a day, I would suggest maybe taking one saccharomyces boulardii with one of the doses. Saccharomyces boulardii works to prevent diarrhea from high dose antibiotics and also helps to crowd out bad bacteria growth. Antibiotics can kill a lot of the good bacteria in our digestive tract so saccharomyces boulardii can help to prevent bad bacteria overgrowth afterwards as well as helping to reduce inflammation in the digestive tract while supporting the stomach lining.

I'd also suggest adding some probiotic foods like Bubbie's sauerkraut or our new Coconut Cult probiotic yogurt- its a yogurt probiotic supplement not a regular yogurt that you would eat the whole jar of, it's meant to be eaten at just a spoonful or two a day.

Adding more probiotic foods that contain fibers that are beneficial to the good bacteria in our digestive system can also be a good idea. Foods like apples, oats, beans, garlic, onion, and pears.

Stop in and see us for more personalized advice and recommendations, we’re at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights!

Healthy Q & A: Help for Antibiotic Side Effects with Probiotics

Q:   I’ve been prescribed a high dose of antibiotics.  I’ve been taking a script for a while now, but they’ve just  upped my dose.  My doctor said I should think of taking probiotics, but I don’t really know much about them or if they’re any good.  I’d appreciate any advice!

A:  Probiotics are very important to take when you’re prescribed antibiotics.  Antibiotics are very good at what they do- killing bacteria; the problem with antibiotics is that they don’t differentiate between good bacteria and bad.  Our body is host to trillions of bacteria, good bacteria which helps with digestion, nutrient absorption, the immune system, as well as preventing yeast overgrowth.  It’s important to have enough good bacteria in the body to help to keep our bodies in balance.  Frequently people have

digestive side effects like diarrhea after taking antibiotics, which are a direct result of a lack of beneficial bacteria in the body.  Also, as we age, the amount of good bacteria naturally present in the body decreases, which makes problems easier to occur.

Fewer amounts of good bacteria also make it easy for yeast to flourish.  Yeast overgrowth, also known as Candida, can be a serious problem.  Most people think of yeast as only a problem for women, since vaginal yeast ingections are a common result of taking high doses of antibiotics, but untreated Candida can even lead to leaky gut and irritable bowel syndrome, which in turn can lead to other inflammatory and immune related problems.

Probiotics are completely safe to take, and are just supplementing the body’s own stores of good bacteria.  Probiotics can be taken while on antibiotics, but they must be taken several hours apart from the antibiotic, or the antibiotic will kill the good bacteria. 

Not all probiotics are created equal however, and it’s important to get a high quality supplement that has a high potency.  Many grocery store probiotics will have a small amount of bacteria, one billion organisms or less, which sounds like a huge amount, but not when you think that our digestive system alone has over 100 trillion bacteria.  If you’ve been on antibiotics, it’s crucial to get a high potency probiotic, to replenish as many of the body’s own good bacteria as possible.

In most cases, I’d recommend taking an enteric coated probiotic, which means the capsule has a special coating to protect the good bacteria from stomach acid, so all of the probiotics get to where they need to be.  Non enteric coated probiotics can be effective, but you need to be careful of when to take them, usually on an empty stomach so that digestive juices and stomach acids don’t kill the good stuff.

There are both refrigerated and non refrigerated probiotics.  Generally speaking, a refrigerated probiotic is going to be a higher potency that one that is shelf stable, though the company Jarrow has just made a new 25 billion pill in a room temperature formula.  Many people prefer to take a room temperature probiotic since it can be easier to remember to take.

Finally, be sure not to take your probiotics with a hot beverage like coffee, since the high heat can hurt the good bacteria.  Everyone would benefit from taking probiotics, particularly if you’ve taken antibiotics recently.