Has anyone ever taken probiotics?

[tavernier]

Hubby was on eight weeks of different antibiotics which apparently killed all the good bacteria. Now on probiotics , quite sick and struggling to get back to normal.

Any advice appreciated from anyone who has gone through this.

[Historic NY]

1. I used to eat yogurt with "live cultures"...

after taking antibiotics. Some fermented foods help too.

[tavernier]

3. Appreciate your response

but he is on a one month's regimen of probiotics (pills).

[bettyellen]

2. Natural sauerkraut from health food stores are supposed to be amazing for this

[tavernier]

4. Thanks, but specifically wondering

if anyone is on the probiotic pill!

[bettyellen]

8. Gotcha, from what I understand the best ones are refrigerated and $$$

I've done some and used them on my cats, can't really say if they helped my stomach. Other stuff, yeah BR not sure about the tummy. Good luck!

[LunaSea]

9. Probiotic pills are bacterias and live yeasts

Quite similar to what you'll get in the yogurt or buttermilk.
You're growing a garden inside, variety will speed it up and get the digestion up and running again.

from WebMD-
Lactobacillus. This may be the most common probiotic. It’s the one you’ll find in yogurt and other fermented foods. Different strains can help with diarrhea and may help with people who can’t digest lactose, the sugar in milk.

Bifidobacterium. You can also find it in some dairy products. It may help ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and some other conditions.

[pbmus]

26. I get mine at Walmart, pearls are my favorite , good luck ...

[LunaSea]

5. Yogurt and buttermilk

Look for the active cultures. Kinda like adding Riddex to your septic system to get things growing again. Also watch for other problems as certain gut bacteria keep fungus' and other things in check in and on the body.

[tavernier]

6. It is called Align

but he is taking the CVS brand.

[Mosby]

28. That's the one in a pink box?

That was the worst one I tried but the formula may have changed, the ones I had only had b. Infantis or something like that. Try to find one with 4-5 different bacteria strains.

[PinkTiger]

7. Yes

I have ibs and am diabetic, and I take probiotics to defeat yeast infections- works!

[tavernier]

10. He is quite ill

after a few days. Wondering if we should continue?

[PinkTiger]

20. Not all probiotics are the same

And if he is having a bad reaction, you should immediately contact his physician.
I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV (LOL)

[Donkees]

21. It may be a 'Jarisch-Herxheimer' reaction...

Excerpt:

...the good guys begin building strong colonies of beneficial bacteria that inhibit the inhospitable microbes in your GI tract—who then start to die off in mass amounts.

When large quantities of the bad guys are crowded out and attacked, they release toxins that can build up faster than you can expel them. Your body then creates an immune system response to clean house, which can manifest as mild and temporary side effects like cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea, irregularity, achiness, and even skin breakouts.

Officially known as a “healing crisis” or the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, these detoxification effects (frustrating as they may be) are actually excellent temporary indicators that your probiotics are working to reshape, repair, and remold the flora within your gut microbiome, which, in turn, can lead to a stronger foundation of health.

What’s more, probiotic strains stimulate a variety of positive activities in the intestinal tract, like producing lactic and acetic acid, stimulating cytokine production, increasing T-lymphocytes, creating natural antibacterials, and synthesizing vitamins and enzymes.

[hunter]

11. I live with dogs. I don't know how compatible dog probiotics are with humans...

... but I'm certain I've got plenty of them.

I've had to take heavy duty antibiotics a couple of times in my life and it's never fun.

But it's important to complete the prescription, otherwise you may be contributing to the evolution of resistant bacteria.

[tavernier]

12. He completed ( I'm a nurse so understand this)

but it wiped out his good bacteria.

Very miserable hubby...

[Yonnie3]

13. C. difficile infection?

I had a C. difficile infection after taking antibiotics. It took over when all the good bacteria was killed. Probiotics didn't help. It took me pestering a doctor for more than a week to get a culture done and proper treatment.

I hope this is not what it is.

[hunter]

17. My guts were wrong, my mouth was wrong, and my skin was wrong.

The gut stuff was the most debilitating, but the skin stuff was the most annoying. Acne and "athlete's foot" in places not my feet.

It's a little strange thinking about ourselves as ecosystems, but we are. After a course of heavy duty antibiotics we are a damaged ecosystem.

Aside from our dogs, I think our garden is helpful. We compost all the food waste our dogs won't eat, and then we dig around in the compost later.

My wife is a fan of the magic probiotic yogurts, and we both eat locally grown fruits and vegetables, our own or from the farmer's markets.

At last resort, Fecal microbiota transplant is a real thing... but I think I'd rather be kissed by a dog first.

[applegrove]

14. My sister is going through the exact same thing. Her naturopath told her

not to go on probiotics because the good bacteria in her gut was killed off by antibiotics and you don't want to feed the bad bacteria. She was told to go off gluten, dairy and anything fermented to try and build up her good bacteria for a while. She has totally lost energy. If it was me my natural inclination would be to go on probiotics. Try a naturopath.

[hlthe2b]

15. I make my own yogurt-though any quality active culture yogurt is helpful

More than three years now--eating daily and neither my dog or any human family member has had gi upset in that time. Kefir is also good.

[Laffy Kat]

16. Make sure he doesn't have C diff. colitis.

That needs to be treated with meds. and you need to stay on top of it. Run his symptoms by his doctor. I sure hope he feels better soon.

[femmedem]

18. Echoing the other DUers urging him to see a doctor to check for C. diff

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/symptoms-causes/dxc-20202389

I hope he feels better soon.

[PennyK]

19. I'm taking a special one

VSL #3, it's called.My daughter, who has struggled with IBS since adolescence, thinks this stuff is magical She did say it MUST be taken with a source of fiber (she prefers inulin), because those little guys need food to eat!
I'm having issues after an antibiotic and possibly partially due to oxycodone,which i take once daily.

[tavernier]

23. Thanks everyone.

Advice much appreciated.

[Mosby]

24. I have taken 3-4 different kinds

Look for a probiotic that has multiple strains. Sam's club (believe it or not) has a really good one called simply right. The worst one was the one in a pink box, I forget the name.

Check out Gut Shots, you can get it at whole foods, try the regular or beet and ginger, the jalapeno is a little intense.

[Warpy]

25. Eat yogurt with live cultures

or other fermented foods like sauerkraut. What you want are lactobacillus to repopulate your guts first, preventing any of the bad stuff from growing. The other bacteria strains in feremented foods are also beneficial ones.

The truth is that most probiotic pills are mostly lactobacillus. Not enough is known about the huge number of different bacteria species in our guts to make appropriate probiotic formulae as yet.

Really, your best bet is eating fermented foods. My last bout with near death involved triple antibiotics in the hospital for five days and I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there to start eating yogurt and drinking kefir. Antibiotics + IBS= doubleplus ungood.

[MFM008]

27. Yes

I got a skin infection , then after antibiotics got a fungal skin infection. Taking 20 billion probiotic per pill now. Doing better.

[lunasun]

29. Best to start while taking antibiotics . Make sure he is taking good ones hopefully . There is a lot

of cheap crap out there , and different issues, ages need different strains.
I take them regularly just for digestion aid health supplement not antibiotic use or problems
Hope he feels better but it's not like Aspirin that it works in an hour or two more like weeks
Recommended to take probiotics every day during your course of antibiotics; this way you can replenish your friendly bacteria on a daily basis, before your digestive system is upset by a longstanding microbial imbalance.
Can I take probiotics with antibiotics? | OptiBac Probiotics
OptiBac Probiotics › uk › faq › can-i-tak...
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[2naSalit]

30. +1

I rarely end up with something requiring antibiotics but have had to twice in the past 18 months... couldn't survive w/o eating yogurt while on the meds. I don't eat yogurt except if I take antibiotics.