Antibiotics and Intestinal Health

I am sure all of us have, at some point in our lives, rubbed shoulders with antibiotics. Some important things you should know about antibiotics:

Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, they don't help treat viral infections. In fact they lower immunity and reduce a persons ability to fight a viral infection and so should never be taken without the knowledge of your health care provider.

Antibiotics should always be taken till the course is complete. Most of the times, you may experience a relief of symptoms after completing part of the course. This is not an indication to discontinue the medication. Stopping the course midway may result in development of antibiotic resistance by your body which will culminate in a requirement of stronger antibiotics to fight future infections.

If you have never taken a particular antibiotic before, be careful to note any symptoms of allergies you may develop. Different antibiotics cause different side effects. Two of the most common side effects are mentioned below. If you develop these symptoms, discontinue the medication and contact your health care provider asap:

Hives, itching, rashes, redness, swelling or a burning sensation of the skin (Anaphylaxis)
Diarrhoea and cramps: bloody diarrhoea (Pseudomembranous colitis)

A very useful link to Mercks manual: Information about antibiotic side effects and resistance.

What do you do if you develop gastrointestinal irritation or, simply put, diarrhoea and cramps? The first thing to do is to discontinue the medication and let your physician know.
Do not take any medicines for the diarrhoea or the cramps. Do not take any analgesics (pain medication). These may increase the symptoms.

Start off on a course of probiotics. These are capsules/tablets available in many health food stores. They contain helpful bacteria which will colonize your intestines and bring them back to normal very quickly. Probiotics are available in Trader Joe's for $5.99 per a box of 30, available in tablet form combined with acidophilus.

You can also get immediate relief by including as much Kefir or yogurt with live cultures in your diet as possible. Kefir is a good choice because, like probiotics, it contains live cultures which will colonize the intestines. Kefir is available in Whole Foods, price ranging from $2.99 to $3.29 per bottle, available in many flavors. It is also available at most Safeway stores and Albertsons for approximately $4.59 per bottle. If you are unable to find kefir, yogurt is still a very good alternative.

The best course of action if you are on antibiotics is to include probiotics, either in tablet form or from yogurt and kefir, in your diet. This will help avoid the potential complications of gastrointestinal irritation.

Another important thing to remember while you are on antibiotics is that Vitamin B12 absorption by your body is impaired. This is because the helpful bacteria which synthesize "intrinsic factor" necessary for absorption of Vitamin B12 are also killed. To avoid deficiency symptoms, combine consumption of probiotics with Vitamin supplements during antibiotic therapy.