Probiotics worth it?

[horlickstablets]

I’m on my 4th course of different antibiotics in 4 weeks and wondering if any probiotics are worth taking or not… anyone recommend?

You have tried 4 different ones in 4 weeks?

or you’ve tried the latest for 4 weeks?

you have to give it 12 weeks

4 different courses of antibiotics in 4 weeks so I’m wondering if I should take probiotics

Yes I would always take a good probiotic with antibiotics, the one I take is Optibac.

I only take them when the course is finished for about a month or so. I think it was optibac I took. I read somewhere that antibiotics can negate the effect of probiotics if taken at the same time. So I didn't. I can't say if they did any good or not, I felt the same either way.

I was on a hefty two week quadruple therapy regimen for H Pylori and it was the heavy duty stuff. So far so good. Maybe they did help, although I was very lucky not to have had any side effects during the treatment. For once!

Absolutely yes

Yes but wait until you have finished the course of antibiotics, just take a good quality ‘daily’ one, not one of the heavy duty high dose ones as you don’t want to cause further imbalance in your gut. Take it with your biggest meal everyday. I’ve also used the optibac ones, you can order from Amazon x

I’ll have a look on Amazon for some, just started my 4th antibiotic course today and feeling rather fed up

And on my 5th course… another type
had cefalexin, nitrofurantoin, flucloxacillin x 2 and amoxacillin

my poor stomach is shredded!

yes, you definitely need probiotics! Is it rude to ask why you are on the antibiotics?

No not at all
2 for a UTI that wouldn’t shift
1 for a breast abscess
1 for a skin infection
last lot for a failed root canal

I sympathise. I'vd been on antibiotics for 6 weeks with an infected Bursa.
I started on the 3 million probiotic from Holland &Barratt. Feel so much better.
You need to take the probiotic 3hrs either side of antibiotic.

If you order online from.H&B it's buy 1 get 1 free.

This is very tough , I sympathise. Have you cleared these things up? I hope so! I have a collection of stuff I use to try to avoid antibiotics now. For skin things if you catch it quickly colloidal silver is surprisingly effective. I spray it on, feels like water. Breast abscess - so painful! - castor oil pack apparently is top notch for clearing these. Can layer it over the silver spray.
UTi ‘s are hellish. I’ve been taking d.mannose and cranberry to keep them at bay, but I know for sure that using topical oestrogen cream is our best protection against these kind of recurring infections.
I sometimes do a course of garlic pills or black seed oil capsules, to keep these infections at bay. I’m in the fence about oregano oil capsules.. they’re effective but I have a delicate gut lining and they are potential.
( obviously I don’t know your age so the oestrogen cream might not be for you unless your peri or menopausal or post menopausal. )

I’m immunocompromised so have to go straight on antibiotics unfortunately. I can use other stuff alongside so for the UTI I use d mannose and vaginal oestrogen but I need antibiotics as quickly as possible

@horlickstablets ah, I see, you’re in a tough situation. Topping up your micro flora has to be a win, then. Do things like echinacea that boost immunity help at all.
Ive had chronic fatigue in the past, after various bacterial infections, and probiotics turned it around for me. At the moment I’m using L.Reuteri which is really helping my sleep and my mood. When my gut was very diminished after Covid, I used sac. Boullardii and it really helped. Having a robust micro flora is something I’ve taken on board now, after various dips and troughs that probiotics have helped with.
I also take monolaurin, in virus season especially, to try to avoid viruses, because I’ve had EBV. It’s very helpful.
Im bombarding you with possibilities! All I mean is: yes! Try probiotics and good luck! X

No it’s a blood disorder which means I don’t have enough white blood cells to fight infection so nothing helps really
I’ve just thought I need to check if I can take probiotics as I’m not allowed to eat anything like kimchi

I take Semprove (not cheap) whch is live bacteria in water. I take a dose every other morning before I have breakfast. You need to take it on an empty stomach or your stomach juices will kill the bacteria. You also need to keep it in the fridge. Its about £70 for a 4 week supply but you can later go onto a lower maintenance dose.

I’m hoping I haven’t been tedious by mentioning other things that aren’t relevant to you! But I think I have! Sorry! I just looked up echinacea, which I mentioned earlier. Obviously skip this input from ai if you like!
Herbs for Supporting White Blood Cells
Many practitioners use specific botanicals believed to stimulate the production or activation of various immune cells. 1, 2]

• Echinacea: Widely studied for its ability to stimulate macrophages and neutrophils. Some research suggests it can increase total circulating white cell counts and activate natural killer (NK) cells.
• Astragalus: Often used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), its root contains polysaccharides that may increase WBC count and promote stem cell activity in the bone marrow.
• Cat's Claw: Some studies indicate that supplementing with this herb can significantly elevate WBC counts over time.
• Andrographis: Known for stimulating the production of white blood cells and cytokines, which help regulate the immune response.
• Medicinal Mushrooms: Varieties like Shiitake contain lentinan, an immune-stimulating substance used to enhance overall immunity. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

And back to probiotics! I tried Symprove too. It’s very spendy, and I didn’t notice it to be more effective than good quality probiotics that work out much more affordable! xxx