How to Keep Antibiotics from Upsetting Your Stomach

Learn about which supplements to consider as stomach remedies with the help of the experts at Consumer Reports Health.

Eating yogurt or taking a so-called probiotic when you have to take antibiotics may help prevent the diarrhea that often accompanies antibiotic treatment. That's the conclusion of a study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A team of California-based researchers combined the results of 63 randomized trials pitting probiotics versus placebo among almost 12,000 men and women taking antibiotics. Those who took antibiotics plus probiotics were 42% less likely to develop diarrhea as those who got the placebo. About one in three people who take antibiotics develop diarrhea. Antibiotics kill these "good" microbes along with bacteria that are causing an infection. This upsets the balance of the normal flora in the intestines. The result is often loose, watery stools known as antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
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Sometimes when people take antibiotics they develop stomach pain that could be described as a non-stop gnawing pain. Stomach pain may be listed as a possible side affect on your drug information sheet. Not everyone will get stomach pain from taking antibiotics and there are measures that you can take to avoid it. Reading and adhering to warning...

When you need to take antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection, the last thing you want to do is add more symptoms into the mix. Yet many people suffer fro

You've probably heard that probiotics—the active cultures in some yogurts, for example—are good for your health. But not all probiotics are created equal.
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