Probiotics

We always had to have lots of yoghurt after antibiotics. Don't know what difference it actually made but I always felt fine if you know what I mean.

My medications give me lots of stomach problems, but I have found that probiotic yoghurts lessen the symptoms.
You have nothing to lose by trying them.

I had to take three different antibiotic every day for 18 months. The side effects were bad and when I asked the consultant for advice about probiotics she thought for a moment and then said 'Well I suppose they wouldn't do any harm'. Hardly a swinging endorsement! I looked into it a bit more and it seems that there is no proof that they do any good.

Yakult to my mind is by far the best probiotic.

I take a daily probiotic and I have had fewer stomach 'issues' than previously.

The antibiotics I received after my mastectomy caused the same issues your dh is dealing with. A friend/gp advised I take Align (probiotic) capsules. I noticed improvement quickly and since then keep a supply on hand for anytime we are on antibiotics. I would imagine that any similar probiotic would work as well though I've stuck with the Align. I wish your dh a smooth and speedy recovery.

Pre biotics are as important as pro biotics: garlic & onion!

Lots of probiotics are BS . They get digested in the stomach and dont make it to the gut. Yakult is one of the few that is evidence based for making it to the gut.

Keep sugar levels reasonable (no crazy "keto" no carb diets required. Just normal RDAs) thatll help prevent gut colonisation as well as general healing.

Tell your docs what suppliments he is taking. Some suppliments interfere with other meds.

P.s. be careful with pre biotics if he is on blood thinners after his op. Whole food sources are fine, but not concentrated tablet type forms

I have used the Optibac capsules "for those on antibiotics"
and found them helpful. Don't know about any contraindications with other medications but the helpline is very "helpful".

I have found that Holland and Barrett staff seemed to be very knowledgeable and well trained on what they sell. On asking for something for my brother a long time ago was told no as he is diabetic so they're not pushing to sell just because they work there. Give all information and medication details as they can counteract or consult a pharmacist or doctor to be on the safe side.

After a year on antibiotics I was advised to take acidophilus. My GP told me that the yoghurts available never contain enough probiotic to make any difference to my God

gut!!! The doctor described my gut after the prolonged use of antibiotics as being like a septic tank with gallons of bleach having been put in it, I needed to reset the balance and the acidophilus did this very quickly.

Holland & Barrett's acidophilus capsules contain many times the number of active cultures found in the yoghurts. I found them really effective when I started getting symptoms of the digestive problem I'd had before. They're on half price offer at the moment too.

They have to be refrigerated, otherwise they become less effective.

I'm sure other reputable stockists are available.

Its not about the amount of probiotic in the product. That is just a marketing ploy. Its about which products survive digestion and actually GET to the gut, and they are not the ones that boast the most probiotic to start with

Try Bio-kult. Also eat plenty of fermented foods eg yoghurt.

I think some people get confused about what ‘amount’ means. Yes, you do need one with several different varieties of cultures and you need these to be in sufficient quantities to survive the journey through the digestive system.

Well it's all about what works for the individual, really, isn't it? Yakult has had plenty of marketing and other publicity too, both good and bad, but certainly didn't make the slightest difference to my condition (helicobacter pylori), whereas acidophilus capsules did, and quickly. And of course you get 2 teaspoons of sugar in every little Yakult bottle (artificial sweetener in the light version). If it works for you, you could probably live with that.

Or science some are evidenced to survive the stomach and some are not..

Thats why yakult was licenced for NHS prescription.

I think some people get confused about what ‘amount’ means. Yes, you do need one with several different varieties of cultures and you need these to be in sufficient quantities to survive the journey through the digestive system.

It is not about quantity, it is about strain and form

To be blunt, you could have a gazillion of the wrong form in a product but it would only work if you inserted it into your bottom.

Less in a form that makes it is what works.

Its not a "safety in numbers" situation. Its about using a type that survives gastric digestion

Llamedos, all I can say is - the acidophilus capsules worked for me. So in answer to your question, yes, they actually helped.

If you do not want to use the capsules then Kefir would probably be the best option, followed by a natural bio yoghurt (not fruit or flavoured). Yakult is the least beneficial & is over sweetened. These were shown up when tested on three different groups on the Dr Mosley programme. But whether you go the capsule or product route it is as some others have said a very individual thing to what will work.

My daughter suffers from IBS and has had a lot of antibiotics for UTIs. She has started a twelve week course of Symprove, not cheap, but she has noticed a real difference! Did a lot of research and this was recommended by Drs and dietician so.

Yes I take hem when needed and a great believer in their benefits. I take them when I am travelling in Asia and use them if I have an upset stomach as well as when I have taken antibiotics. Also I have been prescribed them when in Thailand and had to visit the the hospital. They are great, just get the best you can.

Thank you everyone who commented, I have lots to think about.

I use them all the time and find it's not just the bowels which stay healthy but all my intestines. I begin to get wind and rumblings and a distinct discomfort if I run out or forget to take them regularly.

I have friends who run a rest home and they recommend (not force) all their residents to include probiotics in their diet and it's helped in numerous ways. Some even long-standing problems have been eliminated (so to speak!)

As we age, we just don't make enough good bacteria to deal with everything our guts have to do...and fight off.

Yoghurt, deliciously good though it is, especially if you make it yourself with an acidophilus bifidus mix, is just not enough, for me at least. I cannot take it in the quantities needed.

I too have recently been prescribed a 10 day course of antibiotics, something I have not needed for over 30 years and I feel a real difference in my tummy.

I have two days to go before the course (for sinus trouble) is finished and then I'm back to the good bugs.