The Power of Probiotics: Why Taking Them with Antibiotics is Essential for Your Health

The Power of Probiotics: Why Taking Them with Antibiotics is Essential for Your Health

Antibiotics are a category of medications used to kill or disrupt the replication of bacteria that cause you to feel sick. Antibiotics have revolutionized modern medicine, saving countless lives by effectively combating bacterial infections. However, their broad-spectrum nature can disrupt the balance of beneficial bacteria in our bodies, leading to potential side effects and long-term consequences. Enter probiotics, the friendly bacteria that can play a vital role in restoring harmony to our gut and overall health when taken alongside antibiotics. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of pairing probiotics with antibiotics and how this simple practice can make a significant difference in your well-being.

The Gut Microbiome: An Ecosystem of Health

The human gut is home to approximately 1,000,000,000,000,000 bacterial organisms which are referred to as the gut microbiome. In fact, there are more bacteria in your gut than there are cells that make up your body! This complex ecosystem influences digestion, nutrient absorption, immune function, and even mental health. This diverse community of organisms have balanced in numbers to keep you healthy and live together symbiotically. Antibiotic treatment can disrupt this balance by indiscriminately killing both harmful and beneficial bacteria.

Impact of Antibiotics on the Gut Microbiome

When your doctor prescribes you an antibiotic, the goal is to kill the harmful bacteria that is making you sick- a good thing! Unfortunately, this treatment will disrupt the bacteria in your gut that are helping to keep you healthy. Even though the benefits of antibiotics greatly outweigh the risks, the disruption to your body can lead to gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, constipation, and bloating, as well as more severe complications like antibiotic-associated colitis. Courses of antibiotics can also trigger yeast infections because they kill off beneficial bacteria that are keeping harmful yeast at bay. 

Probiotics: The Bacterial Heroes

The word probiotic simplified means “in favor of” (pro-) “life” (-biotic). Probiotics are live microorganisms that offer numerous health benefits when consumed in adequate amounts. These beneficial bacteria should be thought of as the “the good guys” since they help provide your body with nutrients from your diet and help to fight off the harmful bacteria that cause you to feel ill. There have also been studies to show that the composition of your gut microbiome influences your mental health. A stable balance of healthy bacteria in the gut is linked to less anxiety and mental stress in life. 

Why Pair Probiotics with Antibiotics?

Restoring Balance: By taking probiotics alongside antibiotics, you can help restore the natural balance of your gut microbiome. This promotes better digestion and nutrient absorption, leading to improved overall health.

Reducing Side Effects: As mentioned earlier, antibiotics can cause unpleasant side effects like diarrhea. Probiotics have been shown to reduce the risk and severity of antibiotic-associated diarrhea by restoring the gut’s healthy bacteria.

Strengthening Immunity: A significant portion of our immune system resides in the gut. By fortifying the gut with probiotics during antibiotic treatment, you can support immune function and reduce the likelihood of additional infections.

Protecting Against Antibiotic Resistance: Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern worldwide. When probiotics help maintain a balanced microbiome, they can potentially reduce the need for prolonged or repeated antibiotic courses, thus contributing to the fight against antibiotic resistance.

Conclusion

The human body is a magnificent ecosystem, and maintaining a healthy balance of bacteria is vital for overall well-being. While antibiotics are life saving medications, they can sometimes disrupt this delicate equilibrium, leading to undesirable side effects. By introducing probiotics into your daily routine while on antibiotics, you can support your gut microbiome, alleviate potential side effects, and boost your overall health. So, the next time you find yourself prescribed antibiotics, don’t forget to enlist the help of these friendly bacteria for a healthier you! At Skippack Pharmacy, we stock plenty of probiotic supplements to keep you healthy and happy before, during and after a course of antibiotics.

References:

1. NCBI
2. NCBI
3. Pubmed