Probiotics with or after antibiotics in New Zealand: strain, timing and safety
Some specific probiotic strains can reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, but “a probiotic” is not one interchangeable treatment. Benefit depends on strain, dose, population, antibiotic setting and when it is started. An outpatient meta-analysis found diarrhoea in 8.0% of probiotic users versus 17.7% of controls, but trials varied and the result cannot be applied to every product on a New Zealand shelf.