Ibs now treated with antibiotics

[Condo1239]

Ibs is now known to be from bacterial overgrowth in small intestine. I had diarrhea at night with sweating g and chills and threw up at times. Had it for a long time. Was treated with xifaxan and it was gone. Now I’m getting g crampy again at night but no diarrhea yet. All from eating sushi and getting g sick one night. Prob going to see gastro again. Wakes me every night.

[Roselynn89]

I recently read about xifaxan as it came out around the same time as Viberzi. As I understand from my research, xifaxan may need to be repeated every several months, once a year, or whatnot. Some people get relief immediately and don’t need repeat treatment, but many people do need to get repeat treatments.

[Condo1239 in reply to Roselynn89]

I was fi e after taking xifaxan for over three months but then got food poisoning from eating sashimi. Husband got sick too. I threw up and had diarrhea with blood. Now I’m waking up nightly with cramps but no diarrhea. Then I’m okay and can go back to sleep about to call doc again o

[Roselynn89 in reply to Condo1239]

Maybe serious food poisoning? I would definitely see the doctor!

[Linley]

Sorry Condo I was not aware that IBS was an overgrowth of bacteria, please where did you get this info from?

[Condo1239 in reply to Linley]

One day I searched treatment for ibs and all these articles came up about this study.

[Linley in reply to Condo1239]

Thank you-

[EOLHPC]

Thanks for this info Condo: very interesting

I’m diagnosed with a secondary slow transit hyperreactive immune dysfunction & connective tissue disorder-related enteropathy, which is very early onset + Crohns-like + includes amongst its manifestations SIBO (small intestine bacteria overflow) and various signs the NHS says are “like an IBS-mixed C&D-type condition”. Some of my other symptoms are very serious, eg i cannot tolerate food by mouth and i am in Intestinal Failure due to my small intestine gradually becoming severely persistently dysfunctional

The daily combined therapy treatment plan for my 3 primaries includes antibiotics (i take coamoxiclav) which were originally prescribed to treat one on my 3 primaries (hypermobile ehlers danlos syndrome, infant onset systemic lupus & childhood onset Antibody Deficiency Disease). Luckily, my coamoxiclav dose also damps down the chronic gastritis my version of slow transit smal intestine bacteria overflow causes (symptoms: persistent nausea, pain, metaplasia, inflammation etc)

This link explains about xifaxan (aka rifaximin) and small intestine bacteria overflow and IBS. As far as i can see, Rifaximin is not licensed by specifically for treating IBS on the NHS:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rif...

Here is what NICE says indicates the NHS can use rifaximin for:

bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/rifaxi...

And here is the Indications section from that NICE link:

Drug action

Rifaximin is a rifamycin that is poorly absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract, and, therefore, should not be used to treat systemic infections.

Indications and dose

Travellers' diarrhoea that is not associated with fever, bloody diarrhoea, blood or leucocytes in the stool, or 8 or more unformed stools in the previous 24 hours

By mouth

For Adult

200 mg every 8 hours for 3 days.

Reduction in recurrence of hepatic encephalopathy

By mouth

For Adult

550 mg twice daily.

🍀🍀🍀🍀 Coco

[Linley]

I have heard of xifaxan-and as with most meds there are side affects-but the list of side effects for xifaxan are as long as my arm! The same as the other so called "wonder" med for IBS viberzi. If they are so good why haven't more of us in the UK been prescribed it?

[Kilgh in reply to Linley]

Because the poster is wrong. SIBO is not IBS. It would be highly dangerous and medically irresponsible to give out a powerful antibiotic like candy to every IBS sufferer "just in case." I think there is enough clinical evidence that in some people gut problems can occur if there is too much bacteria sitting in the lower intestine. But up to 40% of perfectly healthy people also have clinical levels of bacterial overgrowth and no issues whatsoever. No good doctor will prescribe antibiotics unless you test positive for SIBO. Depending on what study you believe up to 96% of IBS sufferers don't have SIBO. One study suggested over 70% did. So far from any consensus on the matter. If you think you could have SIBO request a breath test. Nice and safe. Unlike the antibiotics that could make things worse if you don't have SIBO.

[Linley in reply to Kilgh]

thanks Kilgh

[Condo1239]

Makes perfect sense. Try and get doctors to do the testing.