Xifaxan for SIBO

@foxj let us know what the doctor says in your next appointment. Maybe they have a new theory!

I can't swear that it helped me or not but late last winter I did a 3-week course of Xifaxin and then had a couple of weeks later what some might say is a "die-off," where I had multiple large bowel movements in one day. And then, I did seem to be better. But I have continued to strictly observe my no-sugar diet (and there are other no-no's for me because of the damage to my gut lining from the SIBO). I do think that there is a possibility that there is some bad bacteria still there in my small intestine but I've been keeping it at bay. Avoid sugar in all forms like the plague. It seems to be one of the things that feeds the bacteria.

@glennas
You’re very welcome. It took a long time to find a doctor that understood and knew what to test for. Our medical system is not designed to get to the root cause of our symptoms. They instead treat the symptoms- which can help-but does not cure. That is why I finally turned to Functional Medicine. If you are interested, you can find one by city and state at ifm.org. (The Institute for Functional Medicine. Scroll down to Functional Medicine Practitioners in Your Area).

I did the trio test last spring and was diagnosed with hydrogen SIBO. I belong to Southern California Kaiser Permanente and my experience may help other Kaiser members. I was not having success with low FODMAP diet and asked my GI about the SIBO test. She said Kaiser would not pay for the test but would pay for the generic xifaxin which she would prescribe. (She agreed with me this made no sense). I did not want to take the antibiotic without a diagnosis so I paid out of pocket. Got the test prescribed on line, did it at home and sent the samples in. I got the positive hydrogen result back, sent it to my GI and she gave me the prescription.

The two weeks on the antibiotic were rough, as it cleaned out my system, and then I added a probiotic my dietitian recommended. Several weeks later i was almost normal and started doing the FODMAP food challenge. I had no symptoms with all foods other than garlic and onion and have been able to eat everything but that. (I must have eaten a sauce last week with garlic because it affected me badly so I know that is still a problem.)

I’m hopeful that after this lapse I will heal and return to my almost normal state. It’s not perfect but such an improvement over my life pre SIBO test.

@glennas I always tested negative for Celiac because I didn’t eat much gluten before endoscopy. Now there is a blood test and I was positive and very high. Even after almost 2 years gluten free I still have stomach issues but at 74 and lifetime untreated think a lot of damage was done. Getting tested for Sibo next month.

@atty Wow a home test? I’m going to Mayo for Sibo test and there is a lot of prep and special diet plus 12 hour fast before test.

Does Medicare cover it?

@jord I’m celiac so no gluten and no sugar including fruit, not helping.

The test is called Triosmart and developed by a company associated with a cedarsSinai (LA) GI who seems to be one of the leading lights in gastroenterology. My GI at Kaiser was familiar with the test. I believe it was developed in the last several years, maybe longer. It tests for all three types of SIBO. After a review of your med history by one of their drs, they mail you a kit. You drink some sort of glucose mixture and then breathe into a paper bag and seal it. You do this every half hour at least a half dozen times, the put the bags in the box it came in and send it back overnight with a prepaid label. A few days later they email you a full report with the results. I think the test was about $400 which, while pricy, is much less than the antibiotic used to treat SIBO. So I wouldn’t do the test unless you know you can access the antibiotic if you get a positive result. I was lucky that Kaiser would pay for the antibiotic and that I had a GI willing to work with me on this.

@saucy I’m so sorry. I understand how you feel. One of the nurse practitioners in my gastrointestinal office just kept telling me to take more dicyclomine for 4 years. Never ran any tests! Awesome.
I’m 73 and as I sit back and think about it, it’s been around 20+ years I’ve been messing with this. Just never gave it too much thought til I had to.
Let me know how your SIBO test goes. Lots of thoughts headed your way!