How bad exactly are antibiotics...

[Emilia1991]

How frequent if prescribed is it deemed bad for you? Also does anyone have a method on care after taken. Good probiotics, etc?
Thanks!

[Fishmanpa]

On average someone is prescribed antibiotics 1-2X a year. That will not cause an issue. Even double that will not cause an issue. In general, a probiotic is a good thing for gut health anyway. My wife takes one a day and its helped her with her stomach issues along with a good diet, a PPI and exercise.

Positive thoughts

[Kitkat99]

As long as you take them as instructed, I.e take the full course, don’t miss dosses etc then you should be fine.

People take antibiotics for months, some even have to take them indefinitely. I think if they were that bad they wouldn’t be prescribed so much.

As for probiotics any will do, just make sure they list a variety of different live bacteria. Although there’s evidence that they don’t even work how people think so I wouldn’t worry about taking them that much. I think the best ones are the ones in yogurt/drink form as the dairy is good for you too and helps the bacteria to absorb into the body.

[ErinKC]

It really also depends on the antibiotics, how much it hits your gut. My doctor recommends Align probiotics when I'm on antibiotics and says to take it 2 hours aftery antibiotics dose and continue for two weeks after finishing the antibiotics.

[ankietyjoe]

It also depends on your own reaction to antibiotics. They make me feel like absolute hell and ramp up my anxiety to maximum levels, and I don't suffer with anxiety any more. The idea that they don't effect some people significantly is misguided. Some people are fine, and assume everybody else is the same.

For example, I like peanuts. If my neighbour ate one, she'd be dead in 5 minutes.

Probiotics are essential after taking them.

Having said all that, I'd rather feel like hell than die from a bacterial infection which is very possible. They are a necessary evil.

[RadioGaGa]

If it has been rx for a condition which the prescriber has deemed appropriate (and not under your pressure) they're fine. Some are more prone to side effects than others. Can upset the gut, but if you have an infection severe enough to require abx, this is usually not a consideration.

The problem over the years has been the abuse of antibiotics both by wreckless prescribers and by threatening patients ("GIVE me that antibiotic NOW, OR ELSE!" for their minor head cold). This leads to resistance and if all antibiotics "stopped working" we'd be back in the dark ages medically. Surgery would have high morbidity and mortality rates. Chemotherapy for cancer? Forget it (abx are frequently needed for those with cancer due to infections resulting from their surgery and/or chemo or even as a standard part of their treatment e.g. lung cancer + ciprofloxacin).

Moral of the story: Take them EXACTLY as prescribed and do NOT ask or insist on getting them UNLESS you're told by your prescriber that you need​ them

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yoghurt is good enough as it will deal with the GI side. Healthy flora exists throughout the body, not just in the gut, from mouth to anus (or vagina in women as some leaves the anus and re-enters through there which is natural) so there are many strains. This can mean doing a fair bit of looking around between supplements and it may be hard to work out which does what anyway as the science is limited. Yoghurt tends to provide base strains that others feed off.

[nomorepanic]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your issue.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

Please also read this post:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213239

[WiseMonkey]

Antibiotics are much maligned these days but they have saved literally millions of lives since they were invented. Not every one suits all so as long as you are on one that suits your body then all is well. Sometimes people have to be on them for several months or more depending on what's being treated.