What do antibiotics do to your intestines? i've taken a few antibiotics over the years and i've always bloated, i was curious as to why and how they do that and what else they are up to down there : ).

Some : Some of the most common side effects of antibiotics are abdominal discomfort and change in bowel habits (usually diarrhea). Some antibiotics are worse than others depending on their chemical make-up and the classes of bacteria they are designed to kill. Medications such as Erythromycin can cause diarrhea by speeding up gut motility after interacting with a naturally occurring receptor. Other antibiotics may kill off the good bacteria in our guts along with the bad bacteria causing infection. This causes an imbalance in the gut bacteria causing bloating, pain, gas and diarrhea until the good bacteria grows back. Things you can do to help your symptoms are to take your medication on a full stomach (unless specifically told not to) and to eat live culture yogurt to help recolonize your gut with good bacteria. If you ever experience severe pain, fever or bloody stool after being on antibiotics, call your doctor right away. There is a dangerous bacteria called clostridium difficile that can set up shop in your gut after the good bacteria which normally protects you gets killed off from an antibiotic.

The : The gut contains hundreds of species of healthy bacteria. Antibiotics are usually prescribed to attack unhealthy bacteria in the body, however the antibiotic can also kill the normal, healthy bacteria that are found in the intestines. This is called disbacteriorosus. You have already seen how that can impact you when you became bloated. Some people may experience loose bowel movements.