Do antibiotics weaken your immune system?

Antibiotics have the ability to fight against a wide range of good and bad bacteria in order to treat bacterial infections.

Patients have often been prescribed antibiotics while suffering from urinary tract infections(UTI), strep throat, or severe bouts of diarrhea.

But do you think antibiotics can weaken your immune system as well? If so, then how can you protect your immune system after having antibiotics?

So, to get the answers to all your queries, read this blog till the end.

What are Antibiotics?

Your immune system is considered the defense system of your body. It is capable of protecting your body from nasty bacteria, pathogens, and viruses.

As the white blood cells fight against the infection, the T cells harm the infected cells and the B cells start making antigen-specific immunoglobulins.

But there are times when the natural defense system of your body stops fighting the infection.

This is the time when you need to take antibiotics. They support your immune system and help it to fight against the infection in two different ways. Antibiotics either kill the bacteria straight or stops them from reproducing.

It is important to know there are different types of antibiotics available in the market.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics work effectively on diverse bacteria. On the other hand, certain antibiotics are formulated to work on particular bacteria only. 

Some good bacteria are required to support the immune system of your body

You must have heard that antibiotics kill the bacteria in your body but they can also kill some of the good bacteria in your stomach. Good bacteria play a vital role in your immune system. Your body requires these good bacteria to fight against infection and other health issues.

In order to counter this effect quickly, one needs to use antibiotics directed by the doctor. If you wish to give your gut a boost, try taking probiotic shots during the treatment with antibiotics.

Antibiotics can have unpleasant effects on your immune system

The immune system is considered your body’s defense against aggressive viruses, bacteria, and other harmful pathogens. This infection-fighting work takes place on a cellular level.  

There are times when your immune system is not able to fight against the bacterial infection alone. This is where antibiotics come into the picture. Antibiotics begin to work in your body by either killing off bacteria or stopping them from reproducing.

However, these powerful medicines also come with a downside. Sometimes intake of antibiotics can harm the normal or healthy bacteria present in the gut.

This further affects the working of your digestive system, metabolism as well as parts of the immune system that are present in the digestive tract.

Overuse of antibiotics might lead to antibiotic resistance

It is noticed that overuse of antibiotics has become a growing problem in the world i.e., antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance takes place when bacteria turn out to be immune to the effects of antibiotics. This further makes it difficult for antibiotics to fight against infection. 

Antibiotics have the potential to save several lives but their improper use can even harm countless lives. To avoid the issue of drug-resistant bacteria or worsening disease to happen, you must follow the doctor’s treatment guidelines.

Following the doctor’s prescription will not only improve your health but also decrease the risk of experiencing an extended infection. Remember prolonged infection can be dangerous and even infect other people.

Ways to strengthen your immune system after taking antibiotics

Here are some easy ways that can help to strengthen your immune system after the intake of antibiotics.

Probiotics

One of the major side effects of antibiotics is the imbalance in your gut bacteria. Intake of probiotics during and after the antibiotic course can aid you to restore the population of gut bacteria. As a result, the problem of intestinal diarrhea can be avoided.

Prebiotic

Prebiotic food is very good at helping good bacteria to grow in the gut. Apart from several high fiber food items, certain food that is not high in fiber also works well as prebiotics.

Cocoa and red wine work as prebiotics but they are not good sources of fiber.

Food to rebuild gut bacteria

There are certain foods that can aid to restore your gut bacteria, mainly after going through a long course of treatment. Fermented foods such as cheese, curd, kombucha, and kimchi are packed with good bacteria such as bifidobacterial and Lactobacilli.

Both bifidobacterial and Lactobacilli are good at restoring balance in your gut. When you take antibiotics, it is vital to consume high fiber foods such as whole grains, berries, bananas, nuts, beans, peas, lentils, grains, etc.  

Thus, antibiotics are necessary medicines to fight against serious bacterial infections. To keep up your immunity, make sure to take the antibiotics as directed by the doctor.