You’ve Taken Antibiotics, Now What?

Antibiotics have their time and place. They are anti-bacterial, but unfortunately they cannot differentiate between good and bad bacteria. We also have a problem with over use which contributes to the antibiotic resistance issues we are seeing.

It is shown that a single course of antibiotics can permanently change the gut microbiome. There are many botanical anti-microbials that we use in functional medicine, but they still have an impact on the gut microbiome, although it is less. My past from last week about biofilm busters can also come in handy if needing an antibiotic to help with the efficacy.

If you need an antibiotic, that is what they are there for, to help fight a bacterial infection. But, you may be asking, what can I do to help my microbiome?

One question I often hear, is if I’m on antibiotics won’t the probiotics reduce the effectiveness of the antibiotic?  The answer is no. Probiotics don’t need to actually colonize the gut to be beneficial and the impact they would have on the antibtiotic is minimal. To reduce the effect on the antibiotic wait 2 hours to take the probiotic after the antibiotic.

Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, or Saccharomyces boulardii are some of the most common strains to use after antibiotics.  S. boulardii is actually a beneficial yeast rather than a bacteria, so it’s particularly useful during antibiotic treatment because the antibiotics can’t kill it. If taking a probiotic continue for about 6-8 weeks after finishing the antibiotics. You want to give the bacteria time to repopulate.

The main difficulty after a course of antibiotics isn’t recovering the number of bacteria flora, but recovering the diversity. One of the best ways to expose yourself to more diverse beneficial bacteria is by consuming fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and yogurt are options.

I always like prebiotics if one is taking probiotics. Think of them as the food for the probiotics. Examples of prebiotics are many vegetables, such as, carrots, winter squash, summer squash, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, and beets.

During and after antibiotic use, focus on getting plenty of soluble fiber, which feeds beneficial bacteria and is found in starchy tubers, squash, and peeled fruits.

The gut lining can take a hit too, which is why I added a few items in my Fullscript for that as well.

See Fullscript protocol under “Post Antibiotics”.

*Informational purposes only, not medical advise.