Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO)

Can you tell me which canadian pharmacy you use to get xifaxan? I live in the US and pay nearly 900.00/ month for 60 550mg tablets.
Thank you

Our entire intestinal tract is filled with bacteria - good bacteria and not so good. My doctor explained my SIBO was caused by good bacteria in the lower intestines migrating to the upper small intestines to feed. That is due to not digesting food well in the small intestine to move it to the lower where these bacteria feed and causing problems like gas and acid reflux. I took prebiotics and probiotics for a period of time. When my symptoms subsided, I went off the prebiotic and continued with the probiotics. During this time I also made changes to my diet - omitted sugar (substituting stevia for tea and coffee) and sugar laden desserts, reduced alcohol, limited fruits to berries, and vegetables low in sugar. Bacteria like to feed on the sugars. So the goal was to get the lower intestinal bacteria back to the lower intestine by improving digestion in the upper small intestine. I also took 10 minutes before meals 2 pumps of bitters with water to get the digestive juices going, followed by a digestive enzyme after several bites of food.
Prior to all this, I took Rifaxamin for 6 weeks prescribed by a different doctor but once off it without the dietary changes, the symptoms returned.
I’m now symptom free which has benefited my heath in other ways as well.
In my humble opinion, a doctor should be open to both botanical, herbal supplements as well as a pharmaceuticals if that is the best way to treat and also test for vitamin and mineral levels to prescribe supplements to get the vitamins and minerals we may be low in that are critical to our well being.

Search on breath test: "aerodiagnostics"
My insurance paid half. Blue Cross.
Look into "sibosos"
to get this resolved OR another, likely equally effective on line source, is "Dr Robillard"
Personally, I am working with a local dietician associated with a Chiropractor while considering one of these two to supplement my knowledge about SIBO.
I went to a ND(Naturopath) because I was disgusted with my local physician being dumb as a box of rocks and Gastro docs not being available and finding previous interactions indicating they were not knowledgeable. . . Long story short I quickly dumped the ND also! After test results showed I had SIBO(one good outcome of this intereaction) he wanted to sell me on 960 pills to take in one month of 7 different varieties!

This gastro stuff is a minefield with many doctors being obstructions around the mines. I am not happy with the allopathic professions. Good luck. Think for YOURSELF.

"2 pumps of bitters with water "
please explain. . . thanks.

likewise, I too have lost confidence in allopathic med docs. I have SIBO and am strongly considering the "elemental diet" as a means to make progress. I am presently in a queue to make an appt at Mayo, if they will condescend to allow me one. However, after hearing things that reinforce my experience so far and have heard elsewhere it will be hard to go down this additional rabbit hole.
My take: I believe antibiotics wrecked the microvilli and mucousal membrane in my intestines, causing the SIBO, maladsorbance in the small intestine, and migration of bad bacteria(citrobacter koseri) into it from the colon. The way to fix is to rest the entire system with the elemental diet. That is my plan. . . for now at least.

Interesting>
I had an ND doc recommend 960 pills for me to take in one month-- 7 different types!
I walked away after dumping $500 like you.
Working with a dietician and considering the "elemental diet".

interesting the docs say that it is giving false positives. I am an engineer. This test must use some sort of gas sensor to test for levels of hydrogen and methane. My test came back with a nice smooth curve showing the rise in gases over the 3 hrs of my test. It was a continuous rise without big jumps. This indicates to ME, at least, that the sample vial I generated from each breath draw(every 20 min) gave consistent results. They calibrate their test system with pure gases before they measure. This technology is old and proven and I BELIEVE the test results.
My take: the docs who shoot this down either: 1) don't want to accept the concept of SIBO, 2) don't have access or want to bother with the test, or 3) are simply ignorant of its efficacy.

Ten minutes before each meal I take Dr. Shade’s Bitters available on Amazon. It’s a liquid digestive blend and I take 2 pumps of the dropper it comes with. It was prescribed by my doctor and it’s purpose is to start the digestive juices that decrease with age. That helps with meal digestion to prevent food from staying in the small intestine where bacteria can feed in it creating SIBO and gets the bacteria back down to the lower intestine where it belongs.
I understand you’re frustration with the medical community, experiencing the same. I had 3 endoscopies before I went in search of a functional medicine doctor. It took 3 tries before I landed with one of the best. If you’re interested, the website ifm.org has doctors listed by city and state. Each doc has a bio and their specialties.
Best to you, I sympathize and empathize for you.

My doctor is an MD who turned to functional medicine as a better way to help her patients. She isn’t opposed to prescription medication and in some cases will prescribe a med if that is the best way to treat.
No, I haven’t heard of the elemental diet. This diet certainly appears to give you the nutrients needed, especially in severe cases of indigestion. I do not understand how that is going to be helpful in the long run without a very strict reintroduction of specific foods to eat and what foods to avoid. Unless of course that is part of the treatment.

If you are going to take pills and spend lots of money, get Xifaxan. It's the only thing that works for my Sibo. You can look up my name and read my story on why I have to take it every day.