Meds and Your Microbiome

From eNewsletter 6/29/2026

DID YOU KNOW that medication can leave a lasting, negative impression on your gastrointestinal ecosystem?

In one study from Nature Medicine, compared with people who have not received antibiotics, those treated with certain antibiotics show differences in their gut microbiome up to 8 years later, with the strongest differences associated with clindamycin, fluoroquinolones, and flucloxacillin. Evidence of absent beneficial microflora species in the gut years later was observed even after just one course of antibiotics. The authors did not mention how probiotic supplementation can repopulate lost species, but this would be how to do it.

Another study from mSystems found that changes persisted long after people stopped taking medications that were not limited to antibiotics. Antidepressants, beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and benzodiazepines also left distinct microbial fingerprints, with benzos having as strong of an effect as antibiotics.

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