Medical Questions » Medicines Questions » Question No. 1346
| Question: | Antibiotics give me an upset stomach. Is there anything I can do to stop this? |
| Answer: | Antibiotics have a kind of ' throw the baby out with the bathwater' effect, stripping out the healthy bacteria in your gut along with the baddies. This can lead to stomach and other digestive upsets. Taking a probiotic supplement will help to repopulate your gut with healthy bacteria, the two most prevalent strains of which are Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Some fermented products, such as the cultured milk drink kefir, contain these bacteria, but a more direct way to boost levels is to take a supplement.
It' s best to take probiotics on an empty stomach - one tablet first thing in the morning and again before you go to bed. Start when you begin the antibiotics and continue for one week after you finish the course. Don' t take probiotics and antibiotics at the same time of day. If it' s a one-day antibiotic, for instance, and you take it at night, then take the probiotic in the morning. |
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