antibiotics and probiotics

[emily_in_nc]

Timely...my DH just started a course of antibiotics for a bacterial infection around one of his fingernails that just won't clear up on its own. We also bought him a bottle of probiotics, and after doing some googling, he determined that he should take the probiotic capsule in between anti-biotic doses. Kinda makes sense considering the names of both! We also got him some probiotic yogurt, which he'll only eat in between anti-biotic doses as well.

The antibiotic he's on, Clindamycin, sounds like it has a high potential to cause diarrhea, so hopefully this regimen will keep him from suffering.

[Raiza]

I'd hold off on any probiotic until the antibiotic course has been finished up. Many probiotics, i.e. ones that have a PROVEN benefit to health, carry antibiotic resistance genes that can be transferred to any other bacteria in the body. Other bacteria can carry these too. If Bacteria A can transfer the gene for resistance to Antibiotic 1, then when Antibiotic 1 is given there will be selection to favour all of those who have received the new gene. Those with the resistance gene to Antibiotic 1 will survive and you have a lot more antibiotic resistance in some new bugs you may never have wanted to keep around.

It's not just over-prescribing by antibiotics that's putting us in this big antibiotic resistance mess.

There is work in Europe and Canada by their respective authorities to clearly indicate what antibiotics should be avoided for certain probiotics. You may have to do some searching to figure out what they are.

In the US, anyone can call a product probiotic, even if there isn't any bacterial strain in the product to bring any benefit whatsoever. Caveat emptor.