Should you take probiotics and antibiotic sat the same time? There is a controversy about whether you should take antibiotics and probiotics together and the question cannot be answered with a simple yes or no answer. Evidence for taking antibiotics with probiotics includes a review that reported that kids who were given probiotics after antibiotics had less diarrhoea.
However, there is also evidence against taking probiotics at exactly the same time as antibiotics. We need more research on this topic.
What are probiotics?
Before you get an answer from this article, it is crucial to know what probiotics are. These are live yeasts and bacteria that are beneficial for our health. They are referred to as good bacteria. They are available as supplements and can be bought over the counter from a pharmacy, drug store or health store. They are also found naturally or can be added to foods such as yogurt, chocolate, pickles, miso soup, kefir or tempeh.
The rationale behind probiotics with antibiotics
Taking an antibiotic to cure an infection can kill good bacteria in your gut. Probiotics may be taken to restore the imbalance caused by antibiotics in your body. This is the rationale behind taking antibiotics with probiotics. Severe diarrhoea caused by antibiotics can lead to infections such as C. difficile. This is a bacteria that can cause inflammation in your colon. Probiotics for healthare therefore recommended to prevent this dangerous inflammation.
Experts have hypothesised that if you suffer from gas, cramping or diarrhoea when you take antibiotics, then you may add a probiotic to lessen or prevent these symptoms. The addition of probiotics reintroduces helpful bacteria into your gut that have been killed by antibiotics.
Taking antibiotics with probiotics
When you decide to take probiotics with antibiotics, you should start it the same day you start taking your antibiotics. However, don’t take it at the same time you take your antibiotics. You should allow at least 2 hours to elapse after taking antibiotics before you can take your probiotics. Probiotics are taken twice a day on an empty stomach and they should be continued for at least a few weeks after the course of antibiotics has finished. But some people take probiotics daily to continue to help digestion and boost their immune system.
If you want to take probiotics supplements then you should always choose high-quality supplements made by a reputable company. You should ensure that the probiotic supplements contain at least one of the following: Bifidobacterium sp. At five to forty billion colony units a day, lactobacillus rhamnoses, and saccharomyces boulardii.
Returning your microbiome to normal
As we have already seen, taking probiotics and antibiotics can be helpful for your health. Prebiotics are probiotics’ food and include fibre-rich foods such as cereals, vegetables and fruits. Mixing probiotics with prebiotics could be helpful for your gut as they return your microbiome to normal.
