Because antibiotics can kill the bacteria in our body that we need to stay healthy, it's extremely important to supplement with a probiotic as soon as possible after starting a course of antibiotics. Antibiotics cannot decipher between "bad bacteria" and "good bacteria" and eliminate the normal flora in the intestine, causing an overgrowth of "bad bacteria" that may lead to diarrhea, colitis, candidiasis and compromise the immune system.
Start Taking Probiotics as Soon as Possible
Start taking probiotics days, or even weeks, before taking an antibiotic if you know you're going to be starting antibiotic therapy. Probiotics don't diminish the effects of an antibiotic, but an antibiotic will kill the probiotics as they are beneficial microorganisms similar to the ones naturally found in the body. Therefore, it's important to take them at least two, if not three or four, hours apart from one another. The further apart they are taken, the better.
Take Probiotics With a Meal
To ensure the survival of the beneficial bacteria, it's best to take a probiotic supplement on a full stomach. Food buffers the acidity of the stomach allowing the live organisms to travel through the intestines and reach their destination. Not all of them will survive the trip, so it's important to supplement with a large number of live organisms, especially when taking an antibiotic at the same time. Taking a formula with more than 10 billion live organisms and eight strains per dose has been found to be most beneficial for adults, while 5 billion live organisms is sufficient for children.
Probiotic Time Consideration
Since probiotics have short-lived effects, taking them for at least a week or two beyond taking an antibiotic is best. This helps to further reduce the risk of side effects from the antibiotic, such as diarrhea, colitis and candida overgrowth, which can cause thrush and vaginal infections. In an effort to minimize one's risk of an infection caused by candida, it's best to avoid sugar, in all forms, as sugar feeds candida, promoting its growth and allowing it to thrive and take over the ecosystem it lives in within the body.
Probiotic Frequency
Taking a well-rounded supplement containing several strains of the Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium species with at least 10 billion live organisms once daily is sufficient for the days leading up to taking an antibiotic. However, it is most beneficial to take it two to three times daily while taking an antibiotic given that they're taken at least two hours apart and the probiotic is taken on a full stomach. Once the antibiotic therapy is completed, continue taking the probiotic two to three times daily for a few days. After that, cutting back to once daily is sufficient and can be continued for days or weeks following antibiotic treatment.
