Want to know how to recover after taking antibiotics? Wait, recovering antibiotics? Aren’t antibiotics supposed to fix everything? Well…sorta, but they can do a lot of damage. And you may not know you need to recover, many people don’t, but your guts need to recover after antibiotics because they affect them greatly. More specifically, your gut biome needs to heal after antibiotics. Antibiotics are both a blessing and curse, and even though you can’t see the damage done, you still need to learn how to recover after taking antibiotics. Let’s take a look at the how and why.
I Had To Learn How To Recover After Taking Antibiotics
Growing up, anytime we were sick the doctor immediately stuck us on a z-pack. Never thought anything of it. I just thought that’s what happened when you were sick. But I had many stomach problems growing up with no answers. As an adult, my health has been even worse. And at one point antibiotics and malpractice at an urgent care nearly killed me. After that, I was suspicious of doctor’s and antibiotics and learned about big pharma.
However, I do know that allopathic medicine has a purpose and so does antibiotics. But each time I take antibiotics I get scared. I’m terrified of getting C.Diff again. It was worse than any illness I have ever had, including Covid, and almost killed me. So, I really had to learn how to recover after taking antibiotics. I do not bounce back and suffer a lot of problems after antibiotics, and because I have had C.Diff before I could potentially get it again. So, that’s why for people like me, and really anyone, it is imperative that we recover after taking antibiotics.
Related: Why do we need probiotics in our diet?
Antibiotics Are A Blessing And A Curse
Antibiotics can be a blessing and a curse. They heal the body faster from bacterial infections and help us kick bacterial based diseases that can seriously hurt us like strep throat. However, antibiotics do not discriminate. They destroy the good bacteria in your gut biome as well. Because of this, your immune system takes a hit and it opens the door allowing bad bacteria to bloom and thrive. Which is why it is imperative to recover after taking antibiotics.
Antibiotics Are Over Prescribed And Abused
Unfortunately, antibiotics are overprescribed. According to the CDC 1 in 3 antibiotic prescriptions are actually unnecessary. That’s not good. People are destroying their gut biomes for no reasons. But we are so quick to want that instant gratification that we can’t handle being sick a short while. And sometimes, antibiotics are needed, I’m not knocking that.
But if the CDC (not that I’m a fan of them) are saying that 1 in 3 antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary…there may be a problem.
But doctor’s hands are a little tied too. They can say no, and often will advise against them, but people will throw a tantrum and demand them. It helps nothing if you don’t have a bacterial infection. So all you manage to do is destroy your gut biome, which is why it is important to recover after taking antibiotics.
Why Does Your Gut Biome Matter?
Your gut biome is linked to pretty much everything. Depression, anxiety, hormones, inflammation, arthritis, memory fog, a lot of chronic illnesses all are deep rooted in the gut biome. Grant it, there are other outliers that can affect these things, and I understand that so don’t come at me. But most problems and illnesses come from the destruction of the gut biome. And why is that? The immune system is the gut biome. And if you’re wiping out all the good…what do you think is gonna happen? You’re gonna have more problems in the long run. So, how do you recover after antibiotics to offset the damage done?
How To Start Recovering While You’re Still On Antibiotics
You can already start to recover while you’re on antibiotics. I learned this while I had C.Diff and while I was in and out of the ER.
You know how they tell you to eat yogurt while you’re on antibiotics? I always heard it was so you wouldn’t get a yeast infection. So, I always ate yogurt with my antibiotics. However, when I was diagnosed with C.Diff I was told I should have been taking probiotics with my antibiotics. And since and I ate yogurt, I thought I was. I was told it wasn’t enough. So why didn’t my doctor tell me that beforehand? Well, because they’re not really trained in nutrition. And did you know if you don’t take probiotics or eat fermented food at the right time you’re not really helping yourself? Here are some things you should be doing to recover while on antibiotics
- Take Floraster or Similar Products (Saccharomyces boulardii)- It Is A Yeast Based Probiotic That Antibiotics Cannot Kill
- Take Bacteria Based Probiotics 4-5 Hours After Taking Antibiotics (I stick to things like yogurt and Suja)
- Make Sure You’re Eating Healthy- Eat Probiotics, Fiber, and Stay Away From Inflammatory Foods
- Make Sure You’re Washing Your Hands and Keeping Your Hands Clean After Being On Antibiotics
- Don’t Eat Out For A Hot Minute To Avoid Food Borne Illnesses
How To Start Recovering After Antibiotics
Recovering after antibiotics is similar to the things you do while you’re on antibiotics. Except I will say, this is the time where you can kind of take it up a step. But understand too many probiotics can also cause diarrhea and cause gut biome disruption.
- Eat And Drink Fermented Foods (Sauerkraut, Pickles, Kombucha, Suja, Yogurt, Kefir)
- Take A Daily Probiotic (I take A RenewLife Probiotic and Akkermansia (prescribed by my doctor))
- Eat Lots Of Prebiotics (Garlic, Onions, Oatmeal (inflammatory so limit this), Potatoes (with skins), Green Bananas, Apple, Broccoli, etc)
- Aloe Vera Juice Can Help Ease Inflammation In The Stomach (Too much will make you poo)
- Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Postbiotics (Postbiotics would be like B vitamins, vitamin K, antimicrobial peptides, and amino acids)
- Make Sure You’re Washing Your Hands and Keeping Your Hands Clean After Being On Antibiotics
- Don’t Eat Out For A Hot Minute To Avoid Food Borne Illnesses
How Long Can It Take To Recover From Antibiotics
The side effects of antibiotics will stop as soon as you’re off of antibiotics for some, but others will suffer for a couple weeks after. As for gut healing, it can take 1-2 months, sometimes more depending on how long you were on them.
What If I Don’t Get Better After Taking Antibiotics?
If you have diarrhea from taking antibiotics it can go away on it’s own or by changing your diet. However, if it persists and you’re going 5+ times a day, there is swelling in your stomach or sides, pain, fever, dehydration, chills, pain… go to the doctor. There is a chance you have a C.Diff infection or another infection that his called pseudomembranous colitis. As many of the bacteria that causes pseudomembranous colitis are drug resistant, you will need special drugs to help kill the bacteria.
A List Of Opportunistic Bacteria
What are opportunistic bacteria? This is the “bad” bacteria that tends to not be a problem when you’re healthy, but as soon as you’re ill, hurt, or have a weakened immune system can wreck havoc and make you feel ill, cause inflammation, chronic disease, and sometimes even cause life threatening infections. Let’s look at a list of these bacteria:
- Bacillus spp.
- Enterococcus faecalis
- Enterococcus faecium
- Morganella spp.
- Pseudomonas spp.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Staphylococcus spp.
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Streptococcus spp.
- Desulfovibrio spp.
- Methanobacteriaceae (family)
- Citrobacter spp.
- Citrobacter freundii
- Klebsiella spp.
- Klebsiella pneumoniae
- M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis
- Proteus spp.
- Proteus mirabilis
- Enterobacter spp.
- Escherichia spp.
- Fusobacterium spp.
- Prevotella spp.
A List Of Bacterial Pathogens
While most people won’t have these bacteria or toxins present on a regular basis, when your immune system is down because of the lack of healthy bacteria they quickly can become a problem. A list of these bacterial pathogens are:
- Campylobacter
- C. difficile Toxin A and/or B
- Enterohemorrhagic E.coli
- E.coli
- Enteroinvasive E.coli/Shigella
- Enterotoxigenic E.coli LT/ST
- Shiga-like Toxin E.coli stx1
- Shiga-like Toxin E.coli stx2
- Salmonella
- Vibrio cholerae
- Yersinia enterocolitica
- Herlicobacter pylori
What Bacteria Should I Focus On Replacing In My Gut Biome After Antibiotics?
We have so many bacteria in our gut biomes, however, we can be low on keystone bacteria from unhealthy diets and from antibiotic use. So what keystone bacteria should we focus on after antibiotic use?
Well, these two are the more popular ones:
- Bifidobacterium spp.
- Lactobacillus spp.
However, there are other important ones like:
- Bacteroides fragilis
- Enterococcus spp.
- Escherichia spp.
- Akkermansia muciniphila
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii
- Roseburia spp.
But how do I know which bacteria I need? When I take antibiotics I mainly focus on the following:
- Saccharomyces boulardii
- Bifidobacterium spp.
- Lactobacillus spp.
- Bacillus coagulans (spores)
- Akkermansia muciniphila
However, I have also had a GI map done and I know what bacteria I was low in to begin with. Also, I know that Saccharomyces boulardii can help prevent C.diff and help with minor cases of it. I would suggest getting a GI map done if you’re having stomach problems to help you figure out what the problem may be and which bacteria you may need.
What Happens If I Take Too Many Probiotics?
Probiotics may be good for you, but like anything else, too many probiotics are not good for you. They can cause problems in your GI as well. So, what happens if you take too many probiotics? Well you can get some of these symptoms:
- Fungal Infection-Some yeast based probiotics can cause fungal infection if taking too many yeast based probiotics with a weakened immune system.
- Gas
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Increased Thirst
- Headaches
- Increased Histamine Levels
- Allergic Reaction
- Increased Risk Of Infection For Some
If you start having any of these issues, I would say you should probably stop taking the probiotic and talk to your doctor. Again, before taking any probiotics, talk to your doctor and get a GI map done to see which ones you need.
How Do I Feed The Healthy Bacteria In My Guts?
You feed the good bacteria with prebiotics! But what are some foods you should be eating? Some prebiotics are:
- Green Bananas
- Oats
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Garlic
- Jerusalem Artichokes
- Leeks
- Spring Onions
- Chicory
- Asparagus
- Fennel
- Green Peas
- Dandelion Greens
- Cabbage
- Eggplant
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
- Beans
- Peaches
- Watermelon
- Apples
- Dried Fruits
- Nectarines
- Barley
- Rye
- Wheat
- Cocoa
- Flaxseed
I’m sure there are more, but these are the ones I’m familiar with.
Knowing How To Recover After Taking Antibiotics
To sum up everything, we need to know how to recover after taking antibiotics. Antibiotics are so hard on the body. And for some of us who are on the more fragile side, it can be life-threatening or at the very least uncomfortable. After antibiotics, even if I don’t relapse, I have a lot of pain, discomfort, and issues. It sucks. So, knowing what to eat, what to take, when to take it can really help your body and your gut biome heal quicker. We gotta keep ourselves healthy and our temples clean. So, I pray any of you on antibiotics heal quickly, that there are no issues after, and that your immune systems stay strong.
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Did you already know how to recover after taking antibiotics? How important do you feel recovering afterwards is? Any tips or ideas?
