Probiotic advice while on augmentin

[jtp]

What sort of probiotic should my DS use while taking augmentin. Is yogurt okay? or should we use a supplement.There are so many confusing articles about the use of probiotics do they actually work? We had our first appt with Dr B today and he prescribed augmentin for at least a month until we see him again in June.My son is 12 years old and has had two episodes one in 2008 and another in 2011. Dr B thinks my son has strep in his sinuses. I am not a big fan of using antibiotics long term but Dr B. took a lot of tests and said that we can not move forward until his sinuses are clear from infection. I am trying to avoid killing his good bacteria. He has rarely taken any antibiotics and is sensitive to medications.

 

Thanks for any advice given.

[bigmighty]

What sort of probiotic should my DS use while taking augmentin. Is yogurt okay? or should we use a supplement.There are so many confusing articles about the use of probiotics do they actually work? We had our first appt with Dr B today and he prescribed augmentin for at least a month until we see him again in June.My son is 12 years old and has had two episodes one in 2008 and another in 2011. Dr B thinks my son has strep in his sinuses. I am not a big fan of using antibiotics long term but Dr B. took a lot of tests and said that we can not move forward until his sinuses are clear from infection. I am trying to avoid killing his good bacteria. He has rarely taken any antibiotics and is sensitive to medications.

 

Thanks for any advice given.

 

Consider adding saccharomyces boulardii supplement along with the yogurt. Florastor is the most well-known brand, but others are less expensive. It is the only probiotic known to reduce risk of c-diff.

[MomWithOCDSon]

My DS was on Augmentin from age 12.5 until nearly 15, and yes, we used probiotics, and generally quite successfully.

 

Yogurt may be good so long as it is given some 2 to 3 hours away from the antibiotic dosing, but that can get tricky. Thing is, most yogurts and kefirs have acidolpholus as their primary culture, and antibiotics readily kill off acidolpholus. So not many of the beneficial organisms live long enough in the gut to do much good.

 

We have used a mixed probiotic by RenewLife (buy it at the Vitamin Shoppe) that contains a number of other strains (lactobillus, bifodolpholus, etc.) that are more resilient to antibiotics. Lactobillus is also the dominant strain in Culturelle, which you can get at just about any grocery or drug store for a reasonable price.

 

Another great one that is impervious to antibiotics is sach b. or sachromyces boulardi. This is the strain that's in FloraStor (available at the pharmacy), but you can get it under other brand names too, usually at lower prices. We like one by Jarrow that we get at the Vitamin Shoppe. Sach b. is especially good for combatting the diarrhea that can sometimes accompany long-term abx use, and it's also a good yeast that helps crowd out bad yeasts, like candida.

 

In general, for a child of your son's age, I would aim for somewhere between 50 and 150 billion units per day; but I would also work up to that somewhat slowly, since enough probiotics usually make your child feel better, but too much or too much too fast can increase gas and bloating, potentially making him more uncomfortable. So once you hit the "sweet spot," just hold there for the duration of the abx.

 

Good luck!

[jtp]

Thank you, it's sounds like exactly what we need.

[ptcgirl]

What sort of probiotic should my DS use while taking augmentin. Is yogurt okay? or should we use a supplement.There are so many confusing articles about the use of probiotics do they actually work? We had our first appt with Dr B today and he prescribed augmentin for at least a month until we see him again in June.My son is 12 years old and has had two episodes one in 2008 and another in 2011. Dr B thinks my son has strep in his sinuses. I am not a big fan of using antibiotics long term but Dr B. took a lot of tests and said that we can not move forward until his sinuses are clear from infection. I am trying to avoid killing his good bacteria. He has rarely taken any antibiotics and is sensitive to medications.

 

Thanks for any advice given.

 

I know how scary it can be when you first start your child on longer term antibiotics, but I really trust Dr B. Hang in there.

[fightingmom]

My DS was on Augmentin from age 12.5 until nearly 15, and yes, we used probiotics, and generally quite successfully.

 

Yogurt may be good so long as it is given some 2 to 3 hours away from the antibiotic dosing, but that can get tricky. Thing is, most yogurts and kefirs have acidolpholus as their primary culture, and antibiotics readily kill off acidolpholus. So not many of the beneficial organisms live long enough in the gut to do much good.

 

We have used a mixed probiotic by RenewLife (buy it at the Vitamin Shoppe) that contains a number of other strains (lactobillus, bifodolpholus, etc.) that are more resilient to antibiotics. Lactobillus is also the dominant strain in Culturelle, which you can get at just about any grocery or drug store for a reasonable price.

 

Another great one that is impervious to antibiotics is sach b. or sachromyces boulardi. This is the strain that's in FloraStor (available at the pharmacy), but you can get it under other brand names too, usually at lower prices. We like one by Jarrow that we get at the Vitamin Shoppe. Sach b. is especially good for combatting the diarrhea that can sometimes accompany long-term abx use, and it's also a good yeast that helps crowd out bad yeasts, like candida.

 

In general, for a child of your son's age, I would aim for somewhere between 50 and 150 billion units per day; but I would also work up to that somewhat slowly, since enough probiotics usually make your child feel better, but too much or too much too fast can increase gas and bloating, potentially making him more uncomfortable. So once you hit the "sweet spot," just hold there for the duration of the abx.

 

Good luck!

 

great info in here. Will be heading out to buy some Sach B. to add to my son's probiotic regimen. He's been getting diarrhea lately. Didn't at the beginning but starting to now.