How long will antibiotics give me a dodgy stomach for? Any cures?

[Cloud44]

Half way through a course of antibiotics and my stomach hasn’t felt great today. Typical that what I’m on them for is starting to get better but now I feel dodgy with a poorly stomach! Has anyone else had this on ABs? When is it likely to pass? Anything I can take to ease it?

Yep. You can take prebiotic and probiotic

Often get this with them and yes it's common, they kill off your gut flora - the good bacteria - as well as the bad.

I take Bimuno sachets - it's a prebiotic so it feeds good bacteria in your gut and it's better than probiotics as the live bacteria in them doesn't normally make it to the gut. You can also have Yakults if you like. A few days of Bimuno always sorts me out.

Optibac probiotics are specifically for people taking antibiotics.

Are there any foods that would help? A bit apprehensive about taking them as I’ve heard they can cause an upset stomach?

Kefir yogurt. Full of probiotics.

My surgeon recommended Yakult when I had a similar problem after antibiotics following breast surgery. Sorted me out quickly

You need to replace your good gut bacteria.

Pre biotics are foods that your gut bacteria need to produce more good gut bugs - typically fibre and the firmer stalky bits of veg. Think broccoli stalks etc. Get some greens and beans in you.

Pro biotic are foods with live bacteria in them that can help recolonise your gut - basically fermented foods. Think natural yoghurt, sourdough bread, kimchi, blue cheese… there are loads.

Get tons of variety in your diet and eat lots of fruit & veg and in a few weeks you’ll feel loads better.

A few weeks 😟? It’s only a one week course of ABs can that still cause quite a lot of disruption? I’ve heard apples can be good?

I was recommended Nutri - they sell all sorts but I've been using the daily probiotics since having 4 courses of antibiotics.

Are Optibac good @spiderlight , I’m unsure to take them as I’m sure they have caused me an upset stomach in the past so I don’t want to make it worse

Yoghurt is one of the best foods when on antibiotics. Apples have pectin in which can help with the runs.

Live yoghurt daily, the yeo valley ones taste good😋

I always get dodgy guts on antibiotics. I now always take them with natural yoghurt.

Should the stomach ease once the course has finished?

I swear by these.

Cawston Ginger Beer got me through my last antibiotics course, which made me feel so sick I couldn’t eat anything unless I had a few sips of their ginger beer first.

Other ginger beers may have a similar effect, but Cawston seems particularly fiery. It’s more medicine than a soft drink 😂

Does anyone know if Alpro Soy Yoghurt with coconut has the same beneficial effect? It’s all I can eat at the moment as I’m on anti-bs for a very painful ear infection. It says it contains Vitamins B12, D2, Live Cultures (S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus) Am only on Day 2 of a 5 day course and am also taking anti-biotic ear drops too.

Gut bacteria can take some time to repopulate, 30-40 days. I’m not an expert, I am going by what I’ve read. There’s a great book called Gut by Giulia Enders that explains it to non medical types and of course the Zoe app people have publicised it all loads, they have useful podcasts on the gut microbiome.
Basically the ABs are nuking everything good and bad. You might feel better when you stop taking them as at least that will stop, but the “repair” will then take a while. Some strains replace faster than others so maybe a few days, but to get the variety back, it takes a while. This is why it’s important to have a wide variety in your diet and lots of plants because different bugs like different things.

( would avoid ABs for this reason unless necessary. I’m not against them, they can be life saving, but should be a last resort. )

Depending on how upset your stomach is, I called 111 and was prescribed an anti-emetic drug when I had antibiotics post surgery. I pretty much survived a week on dry toast, Quorn nuggets and potato waffles as the bland beige was the only thing I could stomach. It did ease after the course finished, and I went back to my usual vegetable heavy diet, with kombucha to help my gut microbes after I’d got through course.