Live cultures can be taken in almost anyone any age. There are a small number of reasons when we recommend that they are NOT taken without a discussion with your doctor first as they may be contraindicated with either a medical condition or a drug. Symprove and KEFIR are considered live cultures.
Live cultures are not recommended for those with serious medical conditions eg. those who are severely immunosuppressed, have pancreatitis, are in the ICU, have melaena, have a central venous catheter, infants with short bowel syndrome, or to patients with open wounds following major surgery; unless under a doctor’s care. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should consult their doctor before taking certain live cultures. It is recommended that live cultures are not taken in these circumstances unless with the advice of a doctor.
There are no known contraindications with medical drugs or supplements, however there are some considerations when taking live cultures with certain medications or supplements: If taking probiotic bacteria alongside antibiotics you would need to take these 3-4 hours away from your medication, ie antibiotic at 8am and probiotic at noon. Unless you are taking live cultures supplements which are specifically formulated for taking with antibiotics. This may also be a consideration when taking bacterial live cultures alongside other natural supplements which have an anti-microbial action. If you are taking anti-fungal medication like metronizadole ie flagyl, itraconazole sponorox, or natural supplements with anti-fungal properties, then again you would need to take probiotic yeasts like saccharomyces boulardi at a different time of day.
