Can antibiotics make your GERD worse?

[shelovescliche]

Yes, I really do avoid taking them if I can, but sometimes I have to. The Z-Pac was the WORST antibiotic I've ever been on. It set off such a bad flare of the GERD I was sick for weeks. I'm on Biaxin right now, and while it's not so easily tolerated as some of the other, easier-on-the-stomach antibiotics, it's nowhere near as bad as the Z-Pac (which is what my doctor actually wanted to prescribe).

I'm really not sure why this happens. Maybe I've always had a sensitive stomach, even before the GERD? But I can't remember having problems with nausea when I was younger when taking antibiotics. Either way, my GERD is relatively bearable most of the time (I'd RATHER not have it at all, but it's a lost cause :]), just not when I take antibiotics.

The acidophilus DOES help, though, if you haven't tried that. Without it the GERD gets so much worse on antibiotics.

[gaugreg1x]

I agree. Several antibiotics such as Augmentun, Zithromax, and Biaxin have caused my GERD to go way out of control.
Greg

[BadKitty88]

Yes, Yes, antibiotics DO cause digestive problems because they kill off bacteria, but your digestive tract has "good bacteria" in it that you need to have to digest food and nutrients. Unfortunatley, the antibiotics don't discriminate, they kill off any bacteria they find, so you need to re-populate your digestive tract with good bacteria after you are done with your antibiotic regime. The drugs that docs are prescribing are not rebalancing your good bacteria, they are just shutting off the stomach acid pumps, etc. When I finally went back to my doctor and told her how much better I felt after taking the two products listed below, she said, "Yeah, sometimes your good bacteria don't manage to repopulate by themselves after antibiotics. Usually they do, but not always." I was curious as to how long she intended to watch me suffer, taking scripts, without thinking of these health products herself. Needless to say, I am getting a new general practioner.

I had great results with Ultimate Flora, found in fridgerated section of health food store, and 4Digestion by Genesis Today. Cured all of my digestive problems (GERD, hiatal hernia, IBS) very quickly, and gave me no uncomfortable side effects at all. Once you get one digestive problem, it seems it snowballs and you get most or all of them. I've noticed that alot as I was researching my symptoms on the web. I have heard of that new yogurt someone mentioned, but not sure if it is enough to help those of us who were in really bad shape, or on lengthy antibiotics. I am so happy, back to eating as I please after almost a year of misery.