gut/brain connection and Rifaximin

[Halfwayuphill]

I hesitated to send this obscure bit of research. It’s actually on healthy volunteers and a very small sample. I’m going on holiday tomorrow and struggling with a uti and diarrhoea. I have delayed my Rifaximin to take then but had to treat the uti and was worried about overlapping antibiotics so I did a search and this cropped up!

A lot is way over my head but if you go to the last two sections on conclusion and effect of Rifaximin it’s fascinating. I’d long thought I get a drop in mood just before my SIBO symptoms start and also very quickly my mood improves when I start Rifaximin. I do get some autonomic nervous system symptoms which come and go. I suppose brain fog could also be explained in this way. It seems a lot is unknown but gut disturbances seem to have a lot of relevance.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Castella]

Thanks for this. Strangely, rifaximin did not help my gut problems, but Fluoxetine did!

[Halfwayuphill in reply to Castella]

How strange. I had heard it helped Raynauds but didn’t realise helped other physical problems. I would rather take Fluoxetine than endless antibiotics. I’m glad you found it helped

[Buttsy]

Morning,

Just had a Quick Look, will read more in depth later, but that is an interesting finding.

[Duck33]

Thanks for sharing. This is fascinating. I'm currently on antibiotics for tooth problem, and my gut issues have resolved, and I feel much calmer and less stressed. Whether the latter is because of the phycological impact of gut being better, I don't know. But so interesting. Hope your UTI etc has improved and you have a lovely holiday. Take care and thanks again.

[Halfwayuphill in reply to Duck33]

Thank you Duck33 and glad your gut problems are better. We got here but shattered and stomach bad on way. It’s a lot of stress though not knowing how you will be on any day. I’m wondering if I can carry on flying. Doesn’t help this flight was early. At least you can delay car journeys etc! Anyway it’s lovely here and don’t have to travel anywhere other than pottering for a week. Hope the tooth improves xx

[Duck33 in reply to Halfwayuphill]

Oh gosh, so sorry to hear that you are still feeling poorly. Travelling when unwell is incredibly stressful. I hope you can rest now, and recover. Hopefully some sunshine, too. Thanks for the well wishes for the tooth. So kind of you. Take care and get well soon. xx

[Lupiknits]

Fascinating! Thank you. I’m starting my Rifaximin today and will take notes.

The gut brain axis has always fascinated me. There seem to be a number of correlations between gut and mood. I haven’t kept up on it, but I was very interested when trying to sort out the correct meds that keep my bipolar disorder controlled (found them thanks to a very understanding psychiatrist) .

[Halfwayuphill in reply to Lupiknits]

Hope the Rifaximin works well Lupiknits. X

[Lupiknits]

I’m definitely testing it this week x

[OldTed60]

Thanks so much for this - what an interesting if mind boggling read! It took me an age to even understand what was meant by social inclusion and exclusion in this context (thought initially that we SIBO people may have no friends because we smell bad?!) and to get what was meant by the cyber ball game - let alone configure the significance in relation to Rifaximin!

I’m prescribed three a day, 2 weeks on off. Haven’t noticed a big difference in cheerfulness levels but I suspect from contents of my stoma output that I’m not getting as much from it now as I was before surgery 💩🥴🤦🏼‍♀️! Although the orange colour is a good reminder to take my huge midday tornado pill and at least it has no other side effects for me. I’ve often thought that if Prof Tim Spector is right about gut being our second brain then my wholly dysfunctional gut isn’t any kind of back up for my weary old first brain? In fact it must have a very low IQ indeed!! But as this paper is about them both working together in tandem along with vagus nerve then feel I must truly be doomed! 😬🤷🏼‍♀️

I’ve been researching chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction - which is strongly associated with my Fibrillarin/ U3 RNP antibody apparently. But it’s never been mentioned by any of the GI team here as a possibility and my stoma nurses sound baffled when I describe the pain and plumbing noises I get intermittently with what now often appears to be dumping syndrome. So do please let me know if you come across any similarly enlightening research on CIPO X

[Halfwayuphill]

I will indeed let you know if I find anything else although I normally learn more from all of you than I find! The game and effect of feeling left out is interesting. If you think about it finding you see people less and do less as often happens with the gut issues especially is going to create the same stress. The in balance of dopamine and serotonin and could be adrenaline?

That plumbing noise is well documented I’m sure and many of us gets it along unfortunately with dumping which I had over the last two days. I’m sorry your condition is so difficult.

Having feeling all I wanted was home yesterday I feel more relaxed after a night asleep and it’s going to be 26 degrees here (Crete). Very quiet in old village house. Husband joining class of women doing yoga and I’m hopefully trying restorative tonight.

thanks for your message x

[OldTed60 in reply to Halfwayuphill]

Yes I wasn’t sure, especially given this trial was based on healthy people (with or without IBS), how much of the brain change was psychological?

How lovely 26 degrees sounds - and the sleepy village too. I do hope this resets the restorative button to work to very good effect. We haven’t been abroad since a trip to Dublin in 2018 - don’t even have passports now - all thanks to my scleroderma bowel and fear of travel plus shortage of funds thanks to cost of living crisis and so on. But I badly crave warmth so Crete in September may be our first foray if and when we ever reach our state pensions! Lovely the idea of yoga class. I do hope the antibiotics work and that you can join in soon xx

[Halfwayuphill in reply to OldTed60]

Dearly hope you do one day make it OldTed60 xx