To think antibiotics do not cause weight gain?

[AngelOfMusic]

I've been put on a 7 day course of amoxicillin.

I told a family member about it and they said to be careful because you can gain weight with these antibiotics. I've lost a lot of weight so she knew that that would bother me but I feel so lousy that I'm taking them anyway.

Is she winding me up or has these antibiotics caused weight gain for others?

Even if they did, how much weight can you possibly gain in 7 days while fighting an infection?

How much weight could you gain in a week?

Of course you must take the antibiotics.

There is a school of thought that antibiotics cause weight gain in the longer term because along with the hostile bacteria in your system that they are meant to kill, they also deplete the good bacteria in your digestive system.

People with lower stocks of good bacteria in their digestive system tend towards overweight. As soon as your course of antibs has finished, go to the health food shop and get advice on replacement live bacteria supplements.

I’ve heard that because they affect the bacteria in your gut, this can affect whether or not you lose or gain weight easily in future?

Sorry x post!

Its probably been the case of someone she knows/her has lost weight because of an infection and then, when taking antibiotics and feeling better, has gone back to normal.

If you need antibiotics, then you shouldn't cut calories when on them, your body needs nourishment.

To be fair, before the invention of antibiotics lots of people wouldn't survive an infection, and they definitely didn't gain weight I'd second a course of probiotics when you're better though, to keep your stomach healthy.

Thank you for your replies, I thought it was a very strange thing to say especially as I only have a 7 day course.

Lost of rest for me!

Never put on weight with antibiotics! My mum regularly takes both antibiotics and steroids so maybe she's confusing the two?

Take a probiotic. There is some evidence that an imbalance of gut flora might cause weight gain, but no definitive evidence on how or why this might happen. A probiotic in the week after the antibiotic might help restore any ‘good’ flora which had been damaged.

no. steroids yes. antibiotics no.

Possibly long term (gut bacteria etc) but if anything when I have a 7-day course of ABs they make me feel nauseated so appetite is greatly reduced

They essentially kill off a load of gut flora so can affect your normal gut activities but nothing to be concerned about