How Probiotics Support Your Gut While Taking Antibiotics

Antibiotics have a time & place and can be life saving.

With that being said, antibiotics have a “cost” associated with taking them. Obviously the pros of staying alive outweigh the cons of the “costs” of taking them, but we cannot shy away from the consequences of antibiotic usage.

Overall, experts advise that antibiotics should be used more judiciously so that they are not overused but used when there is truly a need. Research shows about 1 in 3 antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary

What are some gut related “costs” associated with taking prescription antibiotics and what can you do?
While antibiotics can destroy “bad” bacteria, but they also destroy “good” gut bacteria in the process. Research shows good gut bacteria can remain low for many months or years after you finish antibiotics! There are other “costs” associated like potential for antibiotic resistance, C. Difficile infections, candida infections, increased risk of obesity, increased risk of diabetes, increased risk of allergies, increased risk of asthma, but for this blog we are going to focus on the immediate blow to the gastrointestinal tract.
 
Gastrointestinal bacteria imbalances from antibiotic usage should be taken seriously given the likely short term and long term implications. What can antibiotics do to your gastrointestinal tract? Here are 3 immediate possible gut related consequences (which is non-exhaustive list)
 

1. Epithelial damage to the gastrointestinal lining: This means you are at a higher risk for developing “leaky gut”- know as intestinal permeability in the medical literature which increases risk of autoimmune conditions.
   
2. Problematic digestive symptoms: You are more likely to experience bloating, constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, abdominal pain, nausea, and abdominal cramping and sometimes c. difficile infections happen post antibiotic use/overuse often presenting first as relentless diarrhea and fever.
   
3. Increase your risk for gastrointestinal related diagnoses: This could include SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), SIFO (small intestinal fungal overgrowth), Crohn’s Disease, and Ulcerative Colitis.

The “good news” is there are studied things you can do to lessen to burden to the gastrointestinal tract during and after antibiotic usage.

Three Ways to Protect your Gut During & After Antibiotic Usage
If antibiotics are medically necessary as deemed by your doctor, here are 3 studied interventions to discuss with your Doctor:

1. Start taking S. Boulardii Probiotics
Start taking a stand-alone probiotic supplement called Saccharomyces Boulardii : Research supports 500 mg (about 10 Billion CFU) of S. Boulardii daily during antibiotic usage and for a few weeks post antibiotic usage. Ingesting S. Boulardii can lessen risk of developing a c. difficile infection too!

2. Start MegaSporeBiotic Probiotics
Consider taking MegaSporeBiotic daily during and after antibiotic usage (about one bottle over 30 days – 60 capsules). After that, you can revert to a maintenance dose; and most can continue taking MegaSporeBiotic for long-term maintenance. A study found that participants who took a probiotic containing strains of Bacillus had a faster resolution of symptoms, including fever, and a lower proportion of digestive symptoms.

Another study found that MegaSporeBiotic treatment increased levels of Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacteria which are two commensal (“good”) types of intestinal bacteria.

There is still debate on when to take probiotics. Some healthcare professionals recommend taking probiotics at least two hours away from antibiotics, while others say it makes no difference. I generally recommend taking at bedtime with the S. boulardii as generally speaking. And good news for kids: MegaSporeBiotic has a gummy version that tastes yummy!

3. Start consuming bone broth
Bone broth is great for gastrointestinal tract because its high glutamine content shown reduce inflammation and promote gut healing. My favorite brands easily found in grocery stores are Pacific Foods, Ancient Nutrition. While taking prescription antibiotics, aim for a cup of warm bone broth each day. If you don’t like the taste by itself (I don’t care for it), then use it as a base to make a soup. I generally don’t recommend bone broth for those with SIBO and poorly controlled MCAS/histamine overload issues and bone broth is a high histamine containing food.

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A note on nutrition:
Prebiotic and prebiotic rich foods are a great way to consume and help colonize strains aka “good” bacteria in the gut. In a nutshell – eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Eating a variety of prebiotic fibers supports a diversity of gut bacteria, which is the goal.
 
Signs your gut bacteria are imbalanced post antibiotic usage:
I would highly recommend getting a GIMAP test as part of nutrition evaluation and of course medical evaluation and management too from your Doctor especially during and after antibiotic usage. If you have the following symptoms:

• Bloating
• Gas
• Constipation/diarrhea
• Nausea
• Acid reflux
• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal cramping
• Acne
• Unexplainable weight gain
• Brain fog
• Anxiety/Depression
• Difficulty sleeping
• Fatigue
• Getting sick frequently
• Autoimmune conditions

Then I would recommend exploring this further with your healthcare team. Self schedule a consult package if you would like one-on-one evaluation and guidance!

Studies & References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37544638/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC383048/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21315976/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30024698/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296087/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4785405/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK78217/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6834172/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266414/

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