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A member asked:
How long does it take for antibiotics to kill gut flora, and do i need to take care to avoid any foods-bever. after finishing a course? for how long?
4 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Start right away: Regular flora are killed right away but how much depends on how broad spectrum the antibiotic is and for how long.Eat yogurt every day and take additional probiotics--to prevent this.
Answered 2/28/2019
3.8k views
It's complex.: Because there are so many different bacteria in the gut, any one course of antibiotics does not kill all of them. Therefore, the colonic flora changes in percentages of various bacteria, but not all of the bacteria are killed. When you finish the antibiotics, your usual colonic flora eventually returns over the course of several weeks, unless a second infection with C. difficile occurs. Eat normally.
Answered 9/9/2014
3.8k views
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