SIBO UK TREATMENT?

[Alysm]

Hi has anyone been diagnosed with SIBO in the UK and if so what treatment was they given? If antibiotics, which ones please. Thank you

[Hidden]

See the link below.I dont know how easy to is to get one though.

I think cutting out sugar and going on a low carb diet helps.

nbt.nhs.uk/sites/default/fi...

[Alysm in reply to Hidden]

Hi thank you for replying. I have already had the breath test and it has come back positive yesterday. I wasn’t sure what steps to take next with treatment and what treatment options you are given in the UK.

[EOLHPC]

I’m on daily antibiotics forever due to a bone marrow deficiency disease. These daily antibiotics also help me manage my version of SIBO which is due to chronic early onset slow transit dysmotility + visceral hyperreactivity (i have a progressive incurable crohns-like inflammatory gi tract illness caused by my other comorbidities - systemic lupus & hypermobile ehlers danlos). My daily antibiotics are prescribed by immunology for my bone marrow deficiency illness. But my gastro clinic acknowledges these antibiotics are also treating my SIBO.

We now know my decades of chronic gastritis was caused mainly by my mouth to exit GI slow transit-SIBO. Before i got onto daily antibiotics for ever. I managed my GI slow transit via self help including high fibre Low FOFMAP diet + exercise etc. Fresh ginger tea especially helped manage my SIBO

I hope someth8ng in there is useful to you

Take care & good luck, Coco

[Alysm in reply to EOLHPC]

Hi Barnclown, thank you for your information. I have also suffered with chronic gastritis.

[EOLHPC in reply to Alysm]

Am guessing you have slow transit dysmotility constipation, possibly alternating with diarrhea...

[Alysm in reply to EOLHPC]

Constipation, no diarrhoea. Am having a test in March to see if slow transit.

[EOLHPC in reply to Alysm]

Good: am feeling as if you’re on the right track XO

[Hidden]

I understand antibiotics are one of the options, but I do not know if there is a ‘best’ for it.

Diet is also very important and that should be the first big step in tackling it.

See link below.

healthline.com/health/sibo-...

The problem with drugs, is that they are often a short term fix, but do not treat the underlying cause. It is the same with IBS.

A big reduction in sugar and a low carb diet should be considered. Check sugar content in what you are eating, some foods are full of it. I had to do this to control pre diabetes. When you start to check ingredients it is unbelievable how much you could be consuming without realising.

[Alysm]

Thank you Fuv38. I am trying the low carb and sugar diet whilst I await some form of treatment. Not sure what treatment or antibiotics they use in the UK. There seems to be more info about this condition in the USA.

[Mc89]

I have SIBO. Antibiotics are Rifaximin (not available on NHS) now doing FODMAP diet.

[Jenny3267 in reply to Mc89]

Rifaxamin is available on nhs in Uk. Gastro can tell GP to prescribe it.

[Alysm]

Mc89 thank you. We’re you put on any antibiotics?

[Mc89 in reply to Alysm]

Yes the Rifaximin

[Kerry12]

I was given Augmentin on the NHS but it didn't help much. I then managed to get Rifaximin when abroad and had high hopes of success but it made no difference to my symptoms either.

[Liz1234ty]

Hi - treatment may depend upon what NHS Trust you fall under. I am in Yorkshire and York Hospital GI consultant team gave me a course of Rifaximin for a positive SIBO test so I would speak to your GI consultant or GP about that. Diet very rarely 'cures' SIBO but can control the symptoms and low sugar low fermentable diet should help, but personally I find the relief from this limited. There are also various functional gut specialists such as nutritional therapists who can offer help via antimicrobial treatments.

The key thing is that SIBO is a side effect of another condition rather than something you 'catch' like a cold so it is essential to be under the guidance of a medical expert in GI conditions/SIBO to work out what is causing it, otherwise it will keep recurring whatever treatment you do for it. My next appointment at hospital is mid-May when I hope to start to get to the bottom of my SIBO issues. My suspicion is PPI use causing low stomach acid but it will be useful to test for this and other possible issues.

[Alysm in reply to Liz1234ty]

Thank you Liz. That’s really interesting. I have been on high dose proton pump inhibitors for over 10 years! So I think that’s what has caused mine too, but I haven’t been offered any tests etc to see what is causing it.

[Liz1234ty in reply to Alysm]

Wow that is a long time on ppi's. I was only on them for about 3 months before my sibo symptoms started. Have your stomach acid levels ever been tested? Based upon taking a digestive enzyme with betaine hcl mine appear to be low and apparently that can cause sibo but i am not sure what other tests the hospital will do to check for causes.