Rifaximin

[WildHorses101]

Morning all,

How quickly does Rifaximin and lactulose treatment take to work and how well do you feel on the regime please?

Many thanks

K x

[Ewife]

My husband feels so much better when on both. He's never complained about the sickly feeling others talk about,but I think that's because he feels rubbish without! He does end up in the loo 4-5 times a day, but we can live with that......its never exactly been a problem. More likely the opposite, if he's been travelling or something and not able to frequent as much as normal he has a bad headache the next day.

[Lavender-Pearl]

Morning, I seem to remember when my husband started on them last December there was a good improvement within the first week. However with the lactulose varies from person to person and we have been told recently to increase if needed but your doctor should be able to advise on what is best for you. It has really made a difference for my husband but it’s not perfect, wishing you well 😊

[DoingItDifferently]

How come lactoluse is a thing that I keep seeing here? I'm new to all of this but I only use the bathroom twice a week max it's been like that for years now. Is it a common problem

[AyrshireK in reply to DoingItDifferently]

In someone with cirrhosis it is important to move your bowels frequently (3-4 times DAILY) or else toxins (which can't be cleared by the damaged liver) will start to build up in the blood stream and this can lead to a condition called Hepatic Encephalopathy which can be very serious. Lactulose has two properties - one of which is it's laxative effect to help with frequent toiletting and the other is an effect whereby it actually helps remove some of the toxins.

If you are toiletting so infrequently it would be wise to ask your doctor about a lactulose prescription because HE can infact lead to long lasting brain deficit.

Many people with an Hepatic Encephalopathy diagnosis also take an additional tablet called Rifaximin which is an antibiotic which also helps with preventing HE.

Read more about HE at:- britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

Katie

[Hidden]

I think Katie, pretty much said everything, the only thing I would add is Lactulose takes 4 doses per day of 15 mg per dose to work for me.

It's important to have the right balance of fluid as well, not too much and not too little, generally I think it's about 1.5 to 2 litre's some people are restricted to 1.5 litres of water per day, I would just double check with your medical team?

[Ubwa in reply to Hidden]

are you still on it post transplant?

[Hidden in reply to Ubwa]

Never been on Rifaximin as far as I know? They stopped lactulose and put me on Senna post tp when I left hospital, that said Senna is not working anymore.

[WildHorses101 in reply to Hidden]

Hi, can I ask if youve been able to have a liver transplant please snd how did you keep built up pre-op?

Many thanks

K

[Hidden in reply to WildHorses101]

Yes, I had a liver transplant, not sure what you mean about built, do you mean prepared for the op or kept my build of muscles.

With ascites it is all but impossible to keep muscles from deteriorating, this is because everytime you accumulate fluid in your body it has to be drained, each drain takes away muscle mass and protein.

It's quite soul destroying, because just before the drain you have just started to build your muscles back up and then you get drained and then build up and then drained, each time you get weaker and weaker.

To a limited extent I maintained some muscle mass, with exercise and trying to eat enough protein 130-160g per dy, restricting salt, I think if memory serves it's 3-5mg per day, water 1.5-2 litres per day, it depends on the individual and you need to get the input of your tp team and dietcians.

You have to stay as healthy as you can, so exercise is very important, even a little walk or rotation or warm up exercises, if you are early pre-tp without ascites then chances are you will still be able to go to gym, I used to go 6 days a week...however in later stages, had to do free weights and cardio at home.

With all my drains I went from being able to bench 45kg in each arm to bench 2.5 kg with each arm, down to struggling to lift a litre of water, even post tp, still haven't recover muscle mass, I can't lift any of the weights I have at home and I am forbidden from working my core or stomach muscles....zzz 😀[if I work my stomach muscles I have been told I might permanently damage the muscles, so have to sit on my bed and vegetate)

Fortunately all of those years of gym, exercise, healthy living, reducing salt and trying to eat enough protein left me healthy enough for the transplant, that said, my liver failed and I was at death's door when the transplant happened.

Thank God!

If you have specific questions you can just open a chat with me and I will be happy to share my boring life's experiences, but please note I am not medically qualified, so as per the rules of the forum, seek medical advice from your GP, medical team etc.

[Ubwa in reply to Hidden]

sorry I meant lactulose 👍

[NorbertGrubbins]

hi - can’t add anything new here but can at least provide another voice for the benefits of lactulose - I find the smaller doses are best because they are more tolerable but the effects kick in after a day and I really feel bad effects (zoning out, tired, woolly headed, achy) if I forget to take any or struggle with side effects for more than a day or two - but it varies a lot day to day and sometimes I take an extra dose if I am struggling

Good luck!

D

[bcsurfer]

Hi was prescribed lactose first in hospital then shortly after ,Rifaximin for brain fog. Rifaximin was my miracle drug and it was an instant miracle!

Both were brilliant.

[BumbleCat]

I ended up switching lactolouse for Movicol. More effective and much kinder. My consultant swapped it for me. You can buy it though over the counter.

[AyrshireK in reply to BumbleCat]

Movicol will certainly help you move your bowels but may not have the same toxin fixing/removal properties that lactulose has.

Lactulose belongs to a class of drugs called laxatives. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way. These drugs are often used to treat similar conditions.

Lactulose is a synthetic (man-made) sugar. It breaks down in your large intestine and then draws water into the intestine. This softens your stool, which helps ease constipation.

Lactulose is also used to treat high ammonia levels in the blood due to liver disease. High ammonia levels can lead to portal-systemic encephalopathy. This drug works by drawing ammonia from your blood into your large intestine. Your large intestine then removes the ammonia through your stool.

For a while my hubby was on both Lactulose and Laxido or Movicol. Now on Lactulose and Rifaximin.

Katie

[Hidden in reply to BumbleCat]

Movicol must depend on the individual, I didn't find it worked for me at all, instead it had the opposite effect. As Katie says Movicol is a laxative only, I had a negative reaction to it, not read anywhere that it is prescribed for removing toxins, I am on Senna since leaving hospital, but for myself Senna doesn't work too well with Furosemide unless I drink sufficient water.