Saint Louis, MO
A 38-year-old male asked:
should u take probiotics after taking antibiotics?
2 doctor answers • 7 doctors weighed in

Dr. Lonna Larsh answered
Family Medicine 30 years experience
Yes: Probiotics have been shown to help decrease antibiotic associated diarrhea and abdominal pain. The probiotic that has been studied the most with this regard is saccharomyces boulardii.
5992 viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Vincent Granowicz answered
Family Medicine 62 years experience
Probiotics: Probiotics can help resolve or prevent antibiotic diarrhea. Just simply grocery store yogurt will do.
5992 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Similar questions
A 44-year-old member asked:
How long should I take probiotics after taking antibiotics?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

Dr. Luis Villaplana answered
Internal Medicine 35 years experience
1-2 weeks after: Antibiotics finished.
5852 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Do you think I should take probiotics while taking antibiotics ?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

Dr. Milton Alvis, jr answered
Preventive Medicine 41 years experience
Perhaps, But ......: Since anti=against + bio=life + tic=thing are poisons, killing or suppressing whatever organisms are susceptible/sensitive to them, helpful or harmful, then your idea makes good sense. Unfortunately, large comparative clinical trials to help define/refine relative success vs. Failure are lacking, thus your own personal clinical trial(s) and guesses are the dominant evidence.
4972 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
A 30-year-old male asked:
Hello should i take probiotics whilst taking antibiotics, and how should i space the time between between taking them.
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

Dr. Jan Lei Iwata answered
Ophthalmology 26 years experience
Depends how U use it: Erythromycin is best not on an empty stomach, and probiotics usually go well with right before you eat. So, you could space them apart. You may want to take double or triple the probiotic dose while you're on the antibiotics as it will wipe out your natural gut flora. And you should take it daily anyways on an ongoing basis, but at lower amounts just for gut health.
3884 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Rochester Hills, MI
A 17-year-old female asked:
Is it bad to take probiotics while taking antibiotics?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

Dr. Martin Raff answered
Infectious Disease 56 years experience
Probiotics: No it is not bad, although most probiotics are bacteria which are sensitive to the antibiotic being used and will therefore be killed along with the intestinal flora. There are some probiotics, like Saccharomyces boulardi, which will survive antibiotic exposure. Caution must be used if the patient is immunosuppressed, because there have been reports of sepsis due to the bacteria in probiotics.
3741 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Brooklyn, NY
A 36-year-old male asked:
Can you get SIBO after taking antibiotics with probiotics?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

Dr. Hiroshi Mashimo answered
Gastroenterology 33 years experience
Possibly: depends on type antibiotic, diet, underlying medical conditions, etc. More important than actual overgrowth is likely type (e.g., gas or toxin-formers) or diversity of bacteria, which can be altered greatly w antibiotics. Probiotics and good prebiotics (diet fostering good bacteria) daily would be helpful in general, and avoid unnecessary use antibiotics.
1074 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
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Last updated Oct 3, 2016
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