Ep.20 - Alcohol, Antibiotics, Prebiotics and Probiotics

In this episode, ENT physician Dr. Ron Swain, Jr. and Stacy Wellborn finish their in-depth discussion of antibiotics and antibiotics resistance. Dr. Swain talks about the difficulty of diagnosing allergies or sinus infections during cold and sinus season, and all the pollen in the air just makes matters worse. Finally, someone explains why you shouldn’t drink alcohol when taking antibiotics and why you should finish the full prescribed dosage and days. Plus, what the heck are probiotics, prebiotics, and why you should take them with your antibiotics?

What you will learn:

The difficulty of diagnosing an allergy or a sinus infection. When an antibiotic is diagnosed and when it will not. Why antibiotics and drinking alcohol are not a good mix. The difference between antibiotics, prebiotics, and probiotics. Why it’s smart to take a probiotic supplement when taking antibiotics. The reason why you should ALWAYS finish your full antibiotic prescription. The most common antibiotic side effects.

Need an Appointment or Sinus Consultation?

Call Dr. Swain’s nursing staff at 251-470-8823 or schedule an appointment here.

 

What you should communicate with your ENT physician:

Describe the specific symptoms you are experiencing. Provide a complete history of the symptoms. Discuss other medical conditions that you are currently managing. Mention any allergies that you may have to medication, esp. with antibiotics. List any other medicines you are presently taking by name and dosage.

 

Quotables and Tweetables

There are some medicines that you can't take with alcohol because they have severe side effects. Like everything else, it depends on what the antibiotic is, what the chemical is that you're taking, and obviously, how much partying one is going to do. - Dr. Ron Swain

A lot of the complaints people have with garden variety antibiotics is GI upset, is stomach upset, and if you're having a lot of alcohol that certainly can aggravate that as well. - Dr. Ron Swain

When somebody comes in and they're sick, sometimes is it allergies? We're trying to figure out. Is it do they have a cold? Or do they have an actual bacterial infection? And sometimes it's really hard to tell. - Dr. Ron Swain

If you're looking at the pharmacology and the microbiology of a bacteriostatic antibiotic, you want to have that antibiotic for a certain period of time to make sure that you have eliminated all of the bacteria. - Dr. Ron Swain

How we induce antibiotic resistance is number one, not being good stewards of our antibiotic. - Dr. Ron Swain

When you don't take all of the medication when it's been prescribed and the bacteria get enough of the insult to be able to recover from it, and they come back stronger. - Dr. Ron Swain

Prebiotics are foods that try to help bolster the immune system. - Dr. Ron Swain

Probiotics are bacterial supplements that will replace any of the bacteria that you have in your colon that are being killed when you take an antibiotic. - Dr. Ron Swain

The antibiotic does kill the strep in the in your throat, it does. But that antibiotic will also affect the other bacteria in your colon, and so that helps with our digestion. And so when you wipe that out, you can leave yourself open to other harmful bacteria that can get into your colon. - Dr. Ron Swain

The idea of a probiotic is to avoid potential problems with side effects from the antibiotics that you're taking. - Dr. Ron Swain

With antibiotics, the goal is to kill the bad bacteria that are making you sick, but ultimately it's killing all the bacteria. - Dr. Ron Swain

Probiotics would be something I would recommend anyone taking antibiotics to help balance the good and bad bacteria in their digestive system. - Dr. Ron Swain

If you're on an antibiotic, I think most physicians will agree that we'd want you on something to try to help minimize the GI side effects. - Dr. Ron Swain

A patient visit is kind of like a conversation, and not all conversations can happen in two minutes. - Dr. Ron Swain

What I think I've learned today is that I need to be honest with my doctor, and all of our listeners need to be honest with their doctor, when it comes to giving good history and background and be good patients and take our medicine. And not drink. - Dr. Ron Swain

Some medicines react with certain antibiotics, So, if you're on a lot of medicine sometimes we have to stop some of the medicine that you're taking so you can take the antibiotics. We may have to avoid certain antibiotics because you're on other medication that can't be changed. - Dr. Ron Swain

 

Need an Appointment or Sinus Consultation?

Call Dr. Swain’s nursing staff at 251-470-8823 or schedule an appointment here.

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