Do all antibiotics kill the friendly gut bacteria in children? Are some worse than others? My 7 year old granddaughter is currently on her 3rd course of antibiotics. The first 2 for a skin infection, rapidly followed by a urinary tract infection. I think she has had Trimethoprim and Amoxicillin, but not sure. Her Mum seems to think that because of the type of antibiotics they are, her gut will be OK. She hasn’t had any diarrhoea. I am offering to buy her a course of Culturelle, but I have to persuade her of their value! How many months would she need to take them for?

Yes, all antibiotics kill good bugs as well as bad. The broader the spectrum the antibiotic and the more doses given, the greater the effect. Repeated, frequent doses seem to have a long term effect. The recommendations in clever guts will help. I can also recommend some of the probiotics from the Optibac and Healthaid ranges. Both do kids-specific probiotics and both do probiotics targeted at reducing the dysbiosis after anti-biotic treatment. I would suggest ALWAYS take these when taking anti bionics and for a month after

Thank you very much indeed. I have passed the information on! And thanks for the recommendation of other brands. Are they just as effective as Culturelle? So far as I can tell, Culturelle is the only one that has Lactobacillus GG

At a quick glance, Culturelle only has the one probiotic bacteria. That is hardly an advantage. One size definitely does NOT fit all. I can’t see anything special or uniquely recommendable about the Culturelle range. Also don’t over-rely on probiotics. A healthy diet high in pre and pro-biotic foods is key!

Thank you very much indeed for looking into that. Most helpful.

Antibiotics may be prescribed for your child to combat bacterial infections but can also disrupt the balance of beneficial bacteria in your child’s body. Containing a robust probiotic strain, Qiara Kids Probiotic may help to restore beneficial bacteria that may have been disrupted by the use of antibiotics and maintain a healthy digestive microflora balance.

With regards to the above, just warning readers of the naked promotion of one particular brand of pro-biotics by someone I assume works for Qiara but hasn’t declared any conflict of interests. As a health professional I have no particular axe to grind but I’m aware of nothing particular about this range that makes it uniquely recommendable