Pred, antibiotics, probiotics and a tooth extraction

I was taking one probiotic a day for my gastritis.  My doc suggested I take a second one while taking the antibiotics.  

The dentist said she thought Pred would make the bleeding worse with an extraction.   I hadnt heard this before, do you know if there is any truth in it ?

Thanks for the info on the Probiotics and the question of whether to increase the Pred for the extraction.  That is good to know.

Pred can make the capillaries (the very small blood vessels) fragile and that is what leads to the unsightly bruising in skin. Theoretically that can be said to increase bleeding risk - but at the dentist it made no difference to me at all. He packed the socket with a cottonwool roll and told me to bite on it to stop the bleeding. I was not to drink/eat for a couple of hours and to chew on the other side to start with.  Hardly the end of the world when the anaesthetic is still there!

In fact, it now occurs to me, I also had anaesthetic without adrenaline because it makes me feel really unwell, always has done and for many years I had dental work done without anaesthetic. Then a dentist told me it was probably the adrenaline which is used to make the effect last longer and also reduces the bleeding during the procedure. Without it I am fine - and it didn't make the bleeding worse. If you have the more usual lignocaine plus adrenaline the bleeding should be less in any case.

Thank you Eileen that is all extremely useful information.  I shall go armed with knowledge which is fantastic.

Happy New Year to you

Do you know Eileen if there is a limit to the amount of Probiotics we should take if we have an auto immune disease and are on Pred ?  I have a memory of reading somewhere that it wasnt a good idea.  I would like to take the really good one that I think begins with S and you have to keep in the frig, after I have had my tooth out.

I've just started taking probiotic pills but have just stopped taking prednisolone I'd like to know when to stop them before starting antibiotics. I was recently on antibiotics and think I'll be put back on them soon

No idea - I think the reservations are about the concept that getting your gut flora sorted out with probiotics would boost your immune system as there is a theory that the gut is very important in relation to the immune system and our immune systems are already in overdrive. I'm not sure it is a case of BOOSTING it with probiotics - I see it more as getting it back to where it should be and possibly that would also improve the PMR symptoms. I know several people who use probiotics and they all say how much better they feel. I suppose it is a case of trying and seeing how you get on. And start with not too high a dose first - I know eating fermented foods with their loads of probiotics can require a gentle start!

Don't think there is any NEED to stop before abx - it's just the abx will knock them out too so it's a bit of a waste of rather expensive pills!

Yes, I see what you mean.  My gut definitely needs a boost back to normal, as my stool test showed I have virtually no good bacteria and lots of bad bacteria !   The antibiotic I am on now is certainly not helping either.  So Once I am off the abx I shall get the best probiotic I can find!   But I will start off with a low dose.

Thanks again Eileen

That's what happens - the bad guys take over and leave no room for the stuff that makes everything work well. It will be a contributory factor in an awful lot of things. Would love to see some good research in the context of various disorders...

Hi Jan

Try things like sauerkraut and artisan cheeses. Mould seems to encourage happy flora. Eat lots of variety but keep away from the processed stuff. 

Me too.   Nothing gets digested properly without the good guys and medications are not absorbed as they should be.

I will try them again.  I tried them some months ago.   At that time my gastritis wasnt very happy, but hopefully I will have better luck this time.  I love sauerkraut, used to eat it regularly.   Thanks Ptolemy

Hi Jan,

i had posted about this some time ago. I had purchased a bottle of probiotics and when I got home and read the small print on the label it said they should not be taken with steroids. 

When I did some googling it was as Eileen says below.....the probiotics increase your immune system.  We take prednisone to decrease our immune system.

I took the the pills right back to the store and decided that I would get my probiotics through food.  And save money - the pills are expensive!

Unfortunately one of the roots is fractured, so I have no alternative.   It was a tooth that I had root canal treatment on a few years ago.   Thanks for your good wishes

You are right.  It must come out.  I had a tooth which we did everything to save, a root canal, a gold crown, everything.  But I still had pain, and a specialist drilled out part of the filling, and the moment he saw the tooth was cracked he stopped, packed the cavity with something antiseptic to prevent further infection, and told me to return to my dentist for an extraction, which turned out to be very simple.  As it's in a place no one can see I've never had an implant to replace it, it gives me no trouble, unless I get an almond or something like that caught in the space   .  I have my wisdom teeth and all other molars so really don't need it, just lucky I guess!