Rifaximin to treat SIBO

[Hafsah2345]

Hi everyone

Has anybody ever been prescribed Rifaximin by an endo/doctor for treating sibo. My result for sibo came back positive and my endocrinologist has suggested trying Rifaximin antibiotic for a course of 14 days. However, irs incredibly expensive and I’m just worried my GP won’t prescribe it off the NHS, especially as it’s not usually used for treating sibo type issues. Many thanks!

[nellie237]

Not treated for it, but looked at as research for coeliac dx. If I remember - about 10% of coeliac's will have this.

Per British Soc of Gastroenterologists Treatment

Treating recurrent SIBO might require reassessment to find the right antibiotic regimen. Few data are available to guide management. We use 550 mg rifaximin twice daily for 1 week as first-line therapy in patients with hydrogen-positive tests and 550 mg rifaximin twice daily with 500 mg neomycin twice daily for those with methane-positive tests (ie, suggests the presence of anaerobic bacteria, enterococci, and/or bacteroides). Vancomycin is our second-line agent. The major advantage of using these non-absorbed antibiotics is reducing the risk of developing resistance to antibiotics that might be used for systemic infections. However, these drugs are expensive, although data from randomised trials supporting the use of other cheaper agents (eg, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and metronidazole) are limited [16].

Link:-bsg.org.uk/clinical-article...

[Serendipitious]

I was recommended it by a functional medicine practitioner and it did not work for me, this is common though. I paid for it myself. Some people say it takes several courses. Treating SIBO needs a multi pronged approach. It often starts with low stomach acid and is common in hypothyroidism, which can cause dysbiosis, coupled with nutrient deficiencies. A stressful event and/or ingesting a parasite or unwanted bacteria can be a trigger. You have to treat all of these things collectively with dietary changes and address the root cause.

[Serendipitious]

I’d also be very careful with ciprofloxacin as mentioned by somebody else here. Some people have suffered debilitating and life changing side effects with this drug.

[Imaaan]

Hi

I cant comment on the medication you mentioned. If you opt to not take it, look into mastic gum . My family physician brought it up to me because I didn't initially want to take triple therapy(2 antibiotics and a ppi) to treat h pylori. Mastic gum helps to treat h pylori but it's also used by some to treat SIBO.