oral thrush

[crisgal]

i've been taking antibiotics and have now got thrush. Should i carry on with the tablets tonight or stop taking them?

[Sasha13]

What ever you do DON'T stop taking the antibiotics -Harmless bacteria and fungus live in the body in harmony normally - when you take certain types of antibiotics, and the bacteria are killed, it gives the fungus room to breed and grow more than it would normally, hence you can end up with infections like thrush.  If you stop taking the antibiotics, not only would the thing that you're taking the antibiotics for not go away, chances are you won't be able to stop it with an additional course of antibiotics due to them building up resistance. People stopping courses of antibiotics half way through is one of the reasons that antibiotics are becoming less effective!! Pop yourself down to the chemist and grab some canestan (sp?) it'll sort you out in no time. 

[artee]

Further to that crisgal,  If you get the thrush back later, after the antibiotics are finished, it means that your natural bacterial function is still unbalanced.  If you eat acidophyllus yoghurt this can help, but the best is to get acidophyllus, or even better bifidophyllus which has even more types and amounts of beneficial bacteria in it. (From health shop).  It needs to be stored in the freezer to prevent loss of the amount of bacteria.  Hope you do well.

[flaming]

You have to take pro-biotics to get the buil-up of the good bacteria, which the anti-bs will have killed off with the baddies!  The sustained use of anti-biotics might cure the original complaint, but invariably leaves the patient with thrush.  GPs don't usually prescribe them now unless it's a serious need, because of the "superbug".  However, pro-biotics are available from health shops or "alternative" pharmacies.  These offer a good antidote and would work more quickly than the live yoghurt on its own.  Make sure you get plain "live cultures" yoghurt,

[artee]

PS ..When I said acidophyllus or bifidophyllus needs to be kept in freezer, I was talking about the products in capsule form, not yoghurt. Maybe in your country you can't get them. Maybe that is what flaming's pro -biotics are.

[crisgal]

so these adverts - in the uk - selling yogurts with wierd sounding "cultures" in them, friendly bacteria and the like, are actually REAL?? I always wondered if they were making some of it up!

[artee]

It's true crisgal, BUT, not nearly as good as the bacteria in capsule form. We in NZ now have one in tablet form that is not affected by the temperature and doesn't need to be frozen. Maybe the pro-biotics are the same. I don't know that one. There is no point in taking any until the antibiotics are well and truly finished as that would just kill any 'beneficialities'.