Antibiotics: Is It Necessary To Take A Stomach Protector?
Antibiotics cause diarrhea in some people. For this reason, many think that it is necessary to take a stomach protector when ingesting these types of medications. This is actually a myth, since diarrhea in these cases is not due to stomach problems.
There are many doubts about the use of antibiotics. Among them, the idea circulates that it is necessary to take a stomach protector before ingesting any of these medications. This is because digestive problems often appear after consumption.
There are also many myths and doubts about what a gastric protector is and what it does. Stomach protectors are medications that are often sold freely and that some people consume without consulting their doctor about it.
It is neither good nor healthy to ingest a stomach protector when it is not required. It is also unhealthy to combine antibiotics with other medications, based on beliefs that may not be so true. Let’s look at all of this in more detail.
Gastric protectors
A stomach protector is a medicine used to prevent the discomfort caused by stomach acids. There are several types and each of them has different effects. Its central function is to protect the stomach from the acids proper to digestion and from acid due to reflux.
It is believed that there are natural stomach protectors, such as baking soda or fruit salt. That’s not true. None of these substances protects against the action of acids, but they neutralize them during digestion. Therefore, they cannot be considered gastric protectors.
If there are stomach problems, only the doctor can define if a gastric protector should be used and which specifically should be used. That said, we return to the initial question: is it necessary to take a stomach protector when taking antibiotics?
The effect of antibiotics on the stomach
There are many people who develop diarrhea after taking antibiotics. In general, these are mild episodes, in which there are simply more frequent stools, with softer stools than normal. Most commonly, these symptoms appear one week after starting antibiotics.
The most common is that this type of diarrhea resolves on its own, without major consequences. It is also true that not all antibiotics cause it, but mainly cephalosporins and penicillins. Those who have already suffered from this type of diarrhea are more likely to suffer it again when they take antibiotics.
Antibiotics are drugs used to attack bacteria that cause harm. However, its action is indiscriminate and, therefore, it also ends up attacking bacteria that are good for the body. This appears to be the cause of postantibiotic diarrhea.
The microbiota
The microbiota, formerly known as the gut flora, is directly related to digestive health and the immune system. It is a fragile ecosystem, which is easily altered by factors such as dietary changes or the use of antibiotics, among others.
Antibiotics destroy pathogenic microorganisms, but also the intestinal flora. By breaking the balance of it, it is not uncommon for problems such as diarrhea to appear. These are not stomach problems, but intestinal problems. The way to avoid them is to compensate the situation with a diet that helps to regenerate the flora.
Only rarely do antibiotics cause a Clostridium difficile infection. It is a bacterium that grows rapidly in the absence of other bacteria to neutralize it. In these cases, more severe diarrhea occurs, with fever, pain, nausea, and loss of appetite.
Is a stomach protector necessary when taking antibiotics?
For all that has been said so far, when faced with the question of whether it is necessary to take a stomach protector when taking antibiotics, the resounding answer is no. Any pill that is swallowed breaks down with the help of saliva and gastric acids. Antibiotics are no exception.
Under normal conditions, antibiotics do not affect the stomach. There are medications that have active ingredients that are harmful to the gastric mucosa, such as aspirin, ibuprofen or diclofenac. However, they only cause harm if they are taken in high doses for long periods of time. It is the same as eating a lot of spice for a long time.
Antibiotics can cause an imbalance in the microbiota and this is where their potential digestive damage lies. This can be compensated by increasing the consumption of prebiotics and probiotics in the diet. In this way, the effects of this type of medication on the intestinal flora will be reduced.
