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Comment by Natsu | Hacker News Reader

I simply took a probiotic after being on antibiotics for a couple months and it had a side effect of curing a lot of digestive problems I used to have. So there's that, too. Incidentally, my doctor was the one who advised this.

EDIT: The probiotic in my case was capsules of 15B cells of Lactobasillus GG. Marketing copy on the box suggests this is the "most clinically studied probiotic strain" but I'm not able to verify that.

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So I run a probiotics site...and what that marketing claim means is that that precise strain of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus is the most researched.

There are many more studies on the species of probiotic Lactobacillus Rhamnosus as a whole...but for that exact "cousin" of the species, it is likely the most clinically researched probiotic.

There's a bit more info on it here: http://probiotics.org/lactobacillus-gg-benefits/

I actually have had similar problems. In the past when I take antibiotics it fixes my GI problems.

There is a condition called Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth that fits this description. There is even an antibiotic that is marketed toward and prescribed for the condition called Xifaxan / rifaximin. Neomycin (another antiobiotic) is also used to treat it.

This research lab is studying it and this doctor (Pimentel) has written a book about it: http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Research/Research-Labs/Pimentel-...

That is interesting. In my case, I was on two courses of antibiotics (a 7-day course and a 10-day course) during which I did not see improvement or use probiotics.

It's only when I started the 30-day course that my doctor told me about probiotics. I started the probiotics at the same time as the 30-day course and saw immediate improvement.

Perhaps my problems were caused by a lack of beneficial bacteria while your troubles were caused by some type of infection? Or maybe it was only the 3rd antibiotic that cleared something out of my system?

I've done this as well. A one week course produces a marked improvement.

My father ended up on months-long rounds of antibiotics and started taking probiotics as a result. He also said it helped some similar digestive problems he's had for years.

Is there a difference between prescription probiotics vs say probiotic yogurt or over the counter supplements? I've also had digestive problems for years that may have been the result of antibiotics.

Honestly, I don't think probiotic yogurt really contains as much of the bacteria as you would need to affect your system. I bought two 4-packs of that stuff and ate them over the course of a week as a replacement for the over the counter stuff, just to see if it would help. No effect whatsoever. Went back to the over the counter stuff (Udo's Choice, which is expensive, refrigerated stuff from Whole Foods) and I was right again. Though I have to say, probiotic with 102 billion cells might be pushing it for most. Flora-wise, I felt like I had a whole rainforest coming out of my ass, but it wasn't really a bad experience. It fixed my burning diarrhea after my run of antibiotics.

>*probiotic with 102 billion cells..."

That's the thing that gets me with probiotics/packaging: they list these counts that can vary widely and are sometimes seemingly astronomical.

It kind of implies that if some is good, then more is better. I've thought that there is certainly some level at which it's not good for you.

Logically, if a certain dosage is produced, then you assume it to have some therapeutic effect. So, adding an order of magnitude to a therapeutic dosage of something wouldn't seem universally harmless.

They list these numbers on yeast packets for brewing too. Much better that your yeast spends as much time as possible fermenting instead of growing and budding. With an initial count and an idea of the age of the batch you can decide if you're going to start the yeast in a small start batch(to prop up their numbers) or just plop the contents in.

What I'm trying to get at is a low dosage might mean the little critters take a while to reach a good population, while a high dosage might be what's needed to discourage growth and encourage their reactions.

In the UK at least, doctors may advise you to take probiotics but do not write you up a prescription for it as it is considered experimental.

I'be personally used acidophilus lactobacillus after an oral yeast infection which I got after taking preventative antibiotics (took pretty much everything - azithromycin, flucloxacillin and ciprofloxacin) for a severe bout of reactive arthritis and it seemed to make a difference. However I was still very messed up for at least 6 months.

That's the same thing they did here. I asked for a brand that other patients had reported success with and ended up with capsules containing 15B cells of Lactobacillus GG.

For about 15 years I have been having a stonyfield organic smoothie for breakfast and within the first month all my random digestive issues cleared up. Other than an occasional stomach bug or bad meal - both pretty rare for me these days - I've had no issues since.

http://www.stonyfield.com/products/yogurt/smoothies/strawber...

I would be surprised if some doctors (or even countries) didn't prescribe probiotics alongside the antibiotics.

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