Can probiotics be used at the same time as antibiotics?
Whenever antibiotics are used, especially orally, the normal population of gut flora is disturbed and when antibiotic therapy is prolonged the effect on the gut can be profound. Probiotics will of course help to restore the normal population of gut microflora and this is one of the principle indications for their use. Whilst the restoration of the gut microflora will be of most benefit when antibiotic therapy has finished, there is logic in giving probiotics at the same time as antibiotics. This is because the gut is a dynamic place with waves of microfloral activity occurring depending on the food present and the antibiotic concentration at any specific time. Therefore repeated boosts to normal microbial activity by using probiotics will be to the animals benefit.
