Top tips for safe and effective antibiotic use

Although we try to avoid antibiotics by being mindful of our health habits and taking the best care of ourselves that we can, sometimes the need does arise.

There is a safe and effective way to take antibiotics.

The goal is to protect the stomach lining and to replace the healthy bacteria that is also affected by the antibiotic. Doing so means you can avoid digestive upset and yeast infections.

Here are our top tips for safe and effective antibiotic use:

• Always take a probiotic while you are on the antibiotic and for a good two weeks thereafter.
• Take your probiotic 2 to 3 hours after your antibiotic, otherwise the antibiotic will kill the friendly bacteria and you will have wasted the supplement.
• Also be aware that taking an antibiotic with a supplement that contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc can decrease its effectiveness. Leave 2 hours between the minerals and your medication. (You CAN take the minerals with the probiotic, however)
• If the antibiotic is causing stomach discomfort, stop by the office/ order online: Gastrazyme. This product protects your stomach lining.  Use it while you are on the antibiotic.  It’s also helpful when taking other strong medications that can upset the stomach, such as NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Motrin and Advil), which can irritate the stomach lining. Over time this can cause poor digestion, heartburn, reflux or chronic diarrhea. Most people only need 1-2 with each dose and only while they are using the medication.
• If you are using a long term antibiotic, such as for acne, you most definitely need to be taking a probiotic daily and indefinitely. Make sure you take the probiotic as late in the day as possible and at least three hours after you took the antibiotic. Doing so will protect not only your digestive health but also your hormonal health in years to come. And of course, the better strategy would be to discover what’s causing your acne and balance your physiology to eliminate it. We can help you with that.

With these guidelines you should be able to enjoy the best of both worlds. You can take an antibiotic when needed, and have no side effects. If you find that you are requiring antibiotics more than once every couple of years, then you may want to come in and have one of our nutritionists help you improve your immune system.

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BeWell,