Is Rifaximin (Xifaxan) available in Canada?

im from canada never heard of it before but just looked it up online and it is suppose to be. Says it is for travelers D

Thanks for the replies all.

I can't find a DIN for it on Health Canada's website. If anyone has a DIN for this, can they post it up?

Thanks!

I've contacted the maker of Rifaximin and they told me it's not available in Canada nor do they have any plans to make it so.

Yes, tell me about it.

If you are really interested in trying it, talk to your GI or call Health Canada and inquire about the Special Access Program. I'm not sure if this drug is included but it's worth a shot.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/acces/drugs-drogues/index-eng.php

OMG that is a crazy medical bill. Yes they told me in no uncertain terms that they aren't interested in Canadians. Have you tried the special access program? That might make it pharmacare eligible.

Too bad. :(

I have been on Rifaximin for about two years now (consistently - I had been on it off and on before that). It does/did work for me, but it doesn't kill a flare dead - it takes about a week to kick-in, and was a month or two before it really, really did more for me. My disease, when I started the drug, was everywhere from the terminal ileum down.

I started on two 250mg tablets 3x a day, am currently at the same dose 2x a day. My doctor is a bit twitchy about how long I've been on it (no long-term studies), and we've discussed coming off of it - I am currently flaring (but it's mild in terms of symptoms - waiting on the scope report from last week to know the real extent of inflammation), so I don't know what we'll be doing. To be honest, while it has helped me (before I took it long-term, my symptoms came roaring back within 1-2 weeks of stopping the medication), I'm not sure if it's helping me now (I am also on Imuran, have been on that for over 7 years).

Previous studies that I have seen regarding this drug and IBD suggest that for most patients, this drug has a limited lifespan in terms of efficacy - most who get relief relapse in 8 months, on average (I do not have the link - I looked this up nearly two years ago...the data may be different now).

I do take Florastor with it, as there's a slight risk of C. diff (as there is with any antibiotic that isn't Flagyl or Vancocin). As far as side effects, I haven't really had any, beyond some serious bloating when I start it (I assume from the die-off of gut flora).

Hope this helps. It certainly isn't a cheap drug (I am in the US and have prescription coverage - without it, it would run about $600/month).

My daughter originally took Xifaxan in a low dosage and it really seemed to help but the GI she had at the time was afraid to continue with it. I had read that she really needed a higher dose and for a longer period of time to hope for any effects for CD. She then tried the anti-map, 3 antibiotic cocktail from another GI but she had to discontinue it after a time because it lowered her white blood count. He suggested she continue with Xifaxan again at a higher dosage--2 tablets 3 times a day. Salix has programs for people that can not afford the medication if you have no insurance but because she has $500/year coverage for medication, she was ineligible. Luckily, a doctor was able to work with one of the sales reps to get samples for her for about 6 months. That was 2 years ago and she is still in remission.

The studies on this drug are difficult to rely on because they all give different doses for different lengths of time.

My daughter tried every conventional treatment for Crohn's and she was either allergic to them or they lowered her white blood count. She was one of the first to try Humira and also Cimzia at her GI office. I was desperate to find help for her and scoured the Internet every day. At this time, worms were almost impossible to try because they had just moved their production from the U.S., LDN wouldn't work because she is on pain meds, so the anti-map treatment was my last hope. Also, my daughter always had a positive reaction when taking antibiotics. Her whole problem started with a ruptured appendix, abscesses, and Peritonitis. While she was in the hospital, she got MRSA and several other infectious diseases and was given antibiotics to fight them that they stored on a 'back shelf' according to the pharmacist. Every one's Crohn's seems to be different but hers seems to have a relationship with bacteria.

When we contacted Dr. William Chamberlin in El Paso, TX, I knew the information about the anti-map treatment backwards and forwards. Now I'm not as clear about it. We also communicated with several others who had successfully been treated. We flew to his location and she was given a colonoscopy which showed Crohn's in the terminal ileum area and granulomas were mentioned. She was given the three antibiotics which were rifabutin, clarithromyicin, and Levequin.

This was in 2009 and Dr. Chamberlin was excited because Dr. Rod Chiodini had come out of retirement to head a team to once and for all come to a conclusion about whether or not there was a connection, in some instances, between MAP and Crohn's. Dr. Chiodini was one of the pioneer scientists in paratuberculosis and had fulfilled Koch's postulates by isolating MAP in a Crohn's patient and using it to induce Crohn's Disease in goats. Their work and website is at www.thecrohnsdiseaseinitiative.com.

Dr. Chamberlin and all the other doctor's involved will tell you right at the beginning that they do not believe MAP is responsible for all Crohn's Disease in people. There have been so many misleading studies done that our local GI doctor's quote as reasons why they don't believe there is a connection. You are lucky to have such an open minded GI in my opinion.

Dr. Chamberlin never asked us before we came there where her Crohn's was located and I don't remember ever reading anything about MAP be associated with a specific location in the intestine but your doctor may have other information.

My daughter's case has had so many twists and turns and there are many mysteries still. But when we went to El Paso, he gave us pictures of the colonoscopy he performed with Crohn's inflammation and then in 2010, it had disappeared in two different colonoscopies. The GI's continued to disregard the MAP connection but a surgeon was the one that was able to supply us with Xifaxan for about 6 months to continue the antibiotic treatment. I am assuming the anti-map treatment worked.

I believe Dr. Chamberlin told us that after you are in remission, you go on a maintenance level of maybe two of the antibiotics for MAP because you can be reinfected. Since my daughter can not take the anti-MAP treatment and the Xifaxan is so expensive, she is not taking either now. I am just hoping that she will have another option if and when it returns.

In 2010, she was still experiencing pain and she was first told the pain meds were tricking her brain into thinking she was in pain. I started scouring the Internet again and decided the adhesion's that were such a problem when she had surgery in 2008 were probably back. The doctor's told me there was nothing you could do for adhesion's but my daughter kept getting worse--would vomit when she tried to eat, could hardly have a bowel movement, and was in so much pain. I found Dr. Clark Gerhart in Wilkes Barre, PA who specializes in robotically removing adhesion's. She had surgery last month and he found all of her abdominal organs encased in adhesions--everything was frozen--nothing could move. Her bowels were folded over in several locations, then twisted and torqued with these awful things. She also had an internal hernia from them and one of her ovaries had tried to regrow which formed a huge painful cyst. She is still very sore but now she can eat and go to the bathroom!! Even though the doctor did this procedure roboticallly which cuts down on adhesion's reforming and used barrier sprays and gels which weren't used on her previous surgeries, there is still a good chance she will be bothered by this again. But at least we now have a doctor who is not going to tell my daughter she is imagining things and shuffle her off to another doctor.

I just hope this whole process doesn't stir the Crohn's into action again.

Any ways, back to your daughter's problem--since she doesn't respond to the other antibiotics, it would seem she would be less likely to respond to antibiotics but that is only my guess. I really felt sure it could be the answer for my daughter because of her previous responses. Even though it sounds like you have a much better doctor than we could ever find locally, I would not give up looking for answers yourself also. I wasted too much time at first thinking the doctors were going to fix things. I will never do that again.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

I must tell you first of all that Dr. Chamberlin is the best GI doctor I have ever met. You can tell that it is in his heart to find an answer for you. He gave us his cell phone number and told us to call at any time. When I called once and he was doing a precedure, I decided I would only email him in the future but he chastised me for not continuing to call him. After my daughters colonoscopy, he brought her a wrapped sandwich in his pocket because she hadn't eaten before hand. He's just the best.

I did not know that Dr. Chamberlin moved but I am relieved he is not still in El Paso. Every time I see the news and all the problems there, I think about him. Is he still with Dr. Chiodini? I would love his current contact info so that I could let him know the latest on my daughter.

Yes, Dr. Chamberlin did give us all the information on his successes but what those numbers are, I don't now know. I'm sure he can help you with that. When my daughter first started the treatment, he said the sicker she got with it at first, the better it was, the better chance it was working. And she was awfully sick--flu like symptoms. With the Xifaxan, she had no side effects. I think it's the only medication she has ever taken that had no side effects for her. That was the beauty of it. She is reading this and now tells me it did make her nauseated for maybe an hour after taking it but that is nothing compared with the other things she experienced.

My daughter is in martial arts, goes to Korea about once a year to train, has her own school, and competes. She has been sick for 9 years. She refuses to let Crohn's and her other health problems stop her. I know I couldn't do it. I can barely watch her keep going when she is in so much pain.

You are on the right tract with your daughter. I feel Dr. Chamberlin will be able to help you. I'm so happy you have found him too. Keep us posted on your progress.

I was admitted to hospital Dec 17th 2012 in Palm Springs California.  I am visiting Palm Springs for 6 months.

I was discharged on December 23 with Dx of Portal Vein Thrombosis leading to Hepatic Encepalopthy.  I was discharged from hospital and started on Generlac 15ML 4 times a day and Xifaxan 550mg twice a day.  My ammonia levels in my blood have dropped from 138 down to 71 on March 4th.  The combination seems to be working.  My only problem is the XIFAXAN is NOT available in Canada.  It is not covered with my BC Medical or extented health plan.  The cost is $1668.00 US a month so this has been a major expense and I was only cleared to travel by my GP and GI  Doctors here in Palm Springs at the end of January.