3 ms·

I'm on antibiotics for an infection right now, how badly have I disrupted my microbiome? How will this effect me down the line?

• brigandish 6y ago
  You can work to repopulate the gut through diet. Fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, for example, the odd bit of green banana every now and then to reach the intestines as a prebiotic, and avoiding junk food, obviously. There’s lots you can do. I made my first kimchi a couple of months and I’ve been making sauerkraut for a few years now. Even if they weren’t healthy I’d continue, the taste is worth it! (And so much better than what you can buy in the shops) Most of all, don’t let news like this stress you out, let it inspire you to a more fulfilling diet instead. Stress isn’t going to help.
• genewitch 6y ago
  Only some antibiotics will cause issues. If you have to take alternatives to any of the "cillin" family, the medical community at large recommends no more than 2 full treatments within 18 months. Anything more than that can lead to things like C. Diff and may require a fecal transplant or needing to take probiotics that a pharmacy will carry in a refrigerator up on their deck. I forget what the terminology is, but broad spectrum antibiotics are generally worse for your gut than something targeted, iirc.