Our bodies, including our gut, are teeming with bacteria both good and bad. Probiotics are live bacteria considered to be good bacteria because they help with your overall gut health. On the other hand, antibiotics are prescribed when we have an infection to kill that bacteria. The problem is that sometimes antibiotics can also kill off the good gut bacteria that we need for optimal gut health and lead to negative side effects like diarrhea.
Differences between Probiotics and Antibiotics
Probiotics are healthy bacteria and yeasts found in the body, especially in the digestive tract. There are several strains and types of probiotics and some support overall immune and gut health in healthy individuals taking antibiotics. Probiotics can be found in many fermented foods such as tempeh and yogurt.
Even though many types of bacteria can be considered probiotics, two specific types of bacteria are common probiotics found in stores. These include:
- Lactobacillus
- Bifidobacterium
Probiotics are also made up of good yeast. The most common type of yeast found in probiotics is:
- Saccharomyces boulardii
There is currently a large amount of research happening around the idea of what probiotics can do for your body. Even though there are a lot of possible positive outcomes, researchers are still working to find definitive answers about how probiotics can help with various conditions. However, there are some medical conditions where probiotics may help. This can vary between people meaning that what works for one person may not work for another. These can also vary based on the certain probiotic that is taken.
Some of the conditions that might be helped by increasing the number of probiotics in your body include:
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Yeast infections
- Urinary tract infections
- Gum disease
- Lactose intolerance
- Eczema
- Upper respiratory infections
- Sepsis
Antibiotics are the opposite of probiotics. They kill bacteria while antibiotics are bacteria. Antibiotics are medicines that help stop infections that are caused by bacteria killing and preventing them from reproducing. So, while that is a good thing, antibiotics can also kill off natural and healthy bacteria. It may affect the gut and negatively affect the digestive system and gut health. This can often lead to antibiotic-associated diarrhea, especially in children.
Can Probiotics Be Taken With Antibiotics?
Yes. Extensive clinical research suggests the best probiotics to take with antibiotics are particular strains that can be taken alongside antibiotics, rather than separately. These particular strains are Lactobacillus acidophilus Rosell-52, Lactobacillus rhamnosus Rosell-11, and Bifidobacterium lactis Lafti B94. These strains can be taken at the same time as antibiotic medication, which is not the case for most other probiotic supplements.
It’s not necessarily bad or counterproductive to take other probiotic strains alongside antibiotic medication, it just means that the probiotic may not be viable, but rest assured, the antibiotic medication itself would not be affected. It’s always good to take strains of probiotics that have been studied to help with the health concern or situation you are looking to support as not all probiotics are the same.
Taking well-studied strains that have been shown to survive when taken at the same time as the antibiotic medication is particularly useful alongside intravenous (IV) antibiotics which may be constantly administered on a drip. We would always say that it is a good idea to take probiotics during and after courses of antibiotics. Taking probiotics after antibiotics is discussed later in this article.
How to Take Probiotics with Antibiotics?
If you do decide to take a probiotic with an antibiotic, start it the same day you start the antibiotic, but do not take it at the same time as the antibiotic. Allow at least two hours to elapse after taking your antibiotic before you take your probiotic.
Probiotics are usually taken twice a day on an empty stomach. They should then be continued for at least several weeks after your course of antibiotics has finished, although some people take probiotics daily to not only continue to help digestion but to boost their immune system and enhance the absorption of some nutrients.
If you wish to take probiotic supplements, choose a high-quality probiotic made by a reputable company that contains at least one of the following: Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Saccharomyces boulardii, or Bifidobacterium sp. at 5 to 40 billion colony units/day.
