Probiotics May Prevent Antibiotic Diarrhea

MedPage Full Article

By Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage TodayPublished: May 08, 2012
Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner

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Action Points

• A meta-analysis of 62 trials concluded that probiotic administration significantly reduced the incidence of diarrhea associated with administration of antibiotics.
• Note that there was unexplained heterogeneity among studies and that the actual composition of the probiotics used in the different trials was poorly documented.

Probiotics appear to fight diarrhea that occurs as a common side effect of antibiotic treatment, a meta-analysis affirmed.