IBS and Rifaximin meditation

[Laxmik]

Hi guys. Just wanted to ask. My doctor has put me on rifaximin medication for IBS- d I just wanted to know if anyone has used the medication and how effective it is.

Update:

Hi guys just wanted to give an update. The antibiotics mentioned above seem to be working for now. I did have a reaction to the medication but my doctor didn’t seem to be worried. He’s put me now on a probiotic and says to meet him after a month. I am still on the FODMAP diet for the next month. But my gas has definitely reduced considerably. Thanks. I will update again after a month.

Upadte:

So my doctor has put me on Rifaximin again for ten more days. The gas has improved a lot but I still get d only in the morning. Which is a little unsettling. But after the morning d I am good all day long. Still on the FODMAP diet and also probiotics and digestive enzymes.

Update

Hi guys. Just wanted to give an update. My doctor has put me on Rifaximin again for another ten days. My gas was improved a lot again from my last ten day course. My D also has reduced to only two to three times in the week only twice in the morning. My stomach feels so much better. Still on FODMAP diet and digestive enzymes. Once my ten day course is over I will start reintroducing food back into my diet and will be seeing my doctor at end of August. Things are definitely improving at the moment.

[Hidden]

Hi Laxmik

I have had 3 courses of Rifaximin as a Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO) sufferer. Each time my SIBO symptoms returned after the 10 day course.

Finally finding a GI who accepted the condition exists, properly understood it's treatment and because my Lactulose breath test had shown a predominate of methane he prescribed Rifaximin (1100 mg/day) and Neomycin (cannot find the dose).

I continued my low FODMAP diet and used fermented food as my probiotic. Tempeh has no adverse effect on me but it seems I am sensitive to Oxalates at the moment so Sauerkraut and Kimchi have an adverse effect. Fermented food is far more effective than tablet probiotics and has a much wider range/count of good bacteria.

Both these antibiotics are narrow spectrum and little or none of the chemicals are absorbed in to the bloodstream (so says the Pharma companies!) so don't worry about repeated courses. Avoid wide spectrum 'general' antibiotics at all costs they destroy the microbiome and much else their path. No one in the UK, including GP's, ever mention rebuilding your gut flora after antibiotics...in my humble opinion (and an increasing body of research) suggests this does more harm than good and obviously contributes to Resistance.

Thankfully I am on the mend. It appears that I am only sensitive to Fructans now. It could be non celiac gluten sensitivity (one of many conditions mainstream medicine doesn't acknowledge!) as I react less to onions etc...time will tell and it can take years for the gut flora balance return to normal!

Good luck

[yogaman in reply to Hidden]

I tested positive for SIBO and had 2 rounds of Ryfaxin the first helped and stopped working a day or two later the second did nothing so it is back to the journey

[Laxmik in reply to Hidden]

Hi David.

Thanks so much for your detail answer. It has been very helpful. I actually have not been diagnosed with sibo. I had a breath test last year. But nothing was registered during the breath test.

I also wanted to ask you if you had any side effects during the medication course. Like more Diarrhea or pain. Do let me know. Cause frist time also I had some Diarrhea during the course and pain just once in the last day of taking the medication. But it wasn’t too sever.

This time while taking the medication ( am currently half way through) I am Okie. Expect have had pain once. Again not too sever thought. Let me know your experience of taking this medication.

[Hidden in reply to Laxmik]

Hi Laxmik

Shortly after starting the course of antibiotics (AB) I experienced nausea, light cramps and altered bowel movements (BM). This lasted for the duration (10 days) of the medication usage, and for a week or too after.

My BM's in particular were most effected. I tended towards very loose/diarrhoea and the frequency/quantity were considerably reduced.

My GI commented that this was a positive sign. The AB's are doing their job, killing all bacteria in their path. The quantity of stool was especially significant as a healthy BM is largely discarded bacteria and not food remains as most people believe. Remember though, most bacteria is advantageous to us so its important to start rebuilding your gut flora. This is why probiotic food or supplementation is very important...whatever the type of AB. This fact is just not understood by GP's and many specialists in the UK!!

As someone who follows a plant based diet and is used to 70 odd grams of fibre in their diet every day (not all fibre types are your enemy, even as an IBS sufferer!) I saw a dramatic reduction. This recovered some 2 weeks after the meds were finished.

I hope this helps