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Posted 2/9/2007 3:40 AM (GMT 0)
Our local Dr. Dr. Dean Edell who does a syndicated radio show nationwide was on TV tonight talking about how successful Xiflacin was for IBS sufferers and how it is being used more extensively now. Just thought I would post this to see if anyone has had success with it. I know someone was recently put on it.
Posted 2/9/2007 6:14 AM (GMT 0)
XIFAXAN™ is the brand name for rifaximin. There's been alot of published journals lately about the benefits of Rifaximin on Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Unfortunately it's not been approved where i am in Australia :(

But i have tried Flagyl and responded well to that until i stopped taking it.
Posted 2/9/2007 6:23 AM (GMT 0)
When I was at my gastro office I saw a lot of samples and the nurse told me that it worked really well and she thought it should be used more. Since mine is not as bad as many of you and not an everyday thing I didn't ask him whether it was something I needed. Sort of figured that I wasn't that bad. Course I was feeling good when I was there. Why does it always happen that way.
Posted 2/10/2007 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
i took xifaxan for the better part of a year, though i do not have IBS, per se. they're calling it an intestinal dysbiosis: i got sick on a trip abroad (picked up proteus) and am still suffering a busted-up GI tract two years later.

okay: xifaxan. i endorse it.

i just finished a 10-day course of xifaxan almost a week ago.

the typical dosage is 2 tablets 3 times/day.

sometimes the side effects mirror/are worse than what one has already got. side effects include fatigue, nausea and stomach cramping, and yes, diarrhea/regular softer poops, even though it IS an antibiotic typically prescribed to travelers who get the runs on the road. go figure. 

i have issues with chronic constipation, so the idea (among others) is that it will get me to take regular poops and to reduce my gas and bloating. (well, not really, as it turned out this time around, in my case.) 

often, you'll notice you do feel better for a couple months after you've stopped.

i say, while i cannot speak for those with IBS, it is worth a shot. i have felt better after taking it, though alas, right now, i feel worse.

i am actually on a liquid diet this weekend til i see my gastro monday, when we figure out just what to do with me sad   one bite of food, one sip of anything, my stomach blows up and i look pregnant. it is alarming, embarassing, painful, uncomfortable. i could go on...

if anyone here can pitch in with advice/experience, i would really be grateful.

Posted 2/13/2007 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
I am now on Xiflaxin. I suffered from IBS - C for almost 2 years before I went on a trip to India this summer. To say that constipation was no longer the issue on the trip would be an understatement, however, when I got back the C was pretty bad. Then this past January a horrible stomach bug literally rocked through the town that I live in. I started having HORRIBLE d and gas and bloating. I got really panicked about a possible parasite from the India trip and so the doc ran some stool samples and blood tests. Those all came back negative. But the D was still rearing it ugly head. So then I tried a pretty strict regiment of fiber pills, caltrate-d and activia. I thought i was finally over it when just this past Sunday it all came rushing back. So i filled the prescription for Xiflaxin and started taking it last night. I will say that all of the bloating and gas problems quickly went away. I had one episode of D this morning but no where near as bad as before and it feels like everything might be starting to settle down, but again, I'm literally on hour 12 here so who knows. My doctor thinks that if I had picked up anything from India that it would have either presented itself a little sooner, (the chronic D didn't start till 6 months later) and that some abnormality would have shown up in the tests. So even though this pill is used for traveler's d, we think that maybe I caught the stomach bug that went around and because of the IBS I already had, my body couldn't get rid of it like everyone else, and it just festered in my intestines. I'm really hoping that this will work, because I'm starting to get really scared. I'm having a consultation with a GI specialist on Thursday which I'm pretty sure is the prequel to a colonoscopy and endoscopy.

I do have a question about my prescription though, I'm on a 5 day course at 3 pills a day. I keep reading that the usual is 2 pills a day for 10 days. Any thoughts?
Posted 2/13/2007 6:24 PM (GMT 0)

I'm a fellow Xifaxin (rifaximin is the generic name)-newbie here, just started it yesterday.  If you ever read any of my other posts you'll see that I have a really protracted (i.e., six years') history of intermittent, severe chronic diarrhea w/ fecal blood and leukocytes, fever, abdominal pain, etc. after living in East Africa for a while.  I've taken three rounds of Flagyl in the past and always felt better for 2-3 months afterwards.  A couple weeks ago I had a terrible day with something like 50 episodes of diarrhea in 24 hours and I went to see a new GI, who prescribed this rifaximin, 400 mg twice a day for 10 days, which I guess is the standard dose. 

The main bug that the antibiotic is targeted for is E. coli, which causes most cases of "traveler's diarrhea," but may also affect other bugs.

Posted 2/13/2007 8:58 PM (GMT 0)
I hope that those of you have started this drug will keep posting.  I have recently read about it and it would be helpful for everyone to know what your longer term results are.  Thanks.
Posted 2/14/2007 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
Okay, so day 2 of the Ixflaxin. Last night the trapped gas pain was back in full effect, but I did eat a pretty full meal. It felt like ages since I'd ate anything really. The D is gone, I've had a couple of loose but formed stools and only once in the morning. Right before it comes out there's sorta a wave like its going to be D but then its somewhat normal. The biggest symptom I'm having right now is that I feel like my stomach is constantly contracted. Its like I have to really breathe slowly and quasi meditate to get it to relax. I know the medicine is designed to stay in in the stomach and so that's most likely the deal. But I'm a little irked by the notion that because its working there might be a bug in there, but maybe its just a bacterial infection that couldn't heal on its own? I'm scheduled to see the GI for the first time tomorrow.

Has anyone out there in message board land ever been prescribed Ixfaxin even though they'd never traveled to a place where you could pick something up? As I've mentioned a few times, I went to India this summer, but again. I had zero symptoms of anything being wrong until 6 months after I got back. And this hit me out of no where, literally one day nothing next day a 2 month bout of sporadic D.

And honestly, I'm really scared. I know that the stress is not helping, but I feel like this isn't going away. My PCP Doc told me that he really doesn't think its a parasite because the textbook definition of IBS is constipation to d and back again. But if these antibiotics are working, is that a tell tale sign that I brought something back with me?
Posted 2/14/2007 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
It is being prescibed to people who have not traveled out of the US. It was prescribed to me and I have not been out of my state in 10 years and never have been out of the country. I have not started the medication yet, even though I have it.
Posted 2/14/2007 8:53 PM (GMT 0)

Antibiotics like Xifaxin, Flagyl, etc. are being used for people who experience everything from inflammatory bowel disease to parasitic infections to IBS.  People over on the Crohn's board are taking Xifaxin or Flagyl; some consistently, every day, for years.  I think it's not quite clear how these drugs can help so many different tummy troubles, but they do...research is being done constantly to figure it out.

I am on day 3 of Xifaxin and am having some trouble with the big D.  I'm hoping this is temporary, just a glitch.  Flagyl has worked very well for me before, although the side effect profile really is nothing to brag about. 

Posted 2/14/2007 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,

I posted a new thread a couple weeks ago titled Bloated/Distention/Intestinal Gas (or similar).  I have tried so many things to relieve this issue, but nothing has worked so far.  I also saw the news segment with Dr. Dean Edell, and it basically says that Xifaxan was really helpful in eliminating chronic bloating.  My only symptoms are bloating, distention and intestinal gas.  I have had this issue intermittently for a few years, but daily for the past 4 months.  The things I have tried are as follows:

 

Gas X (only effective before gas reaches the intestine)

Charco-Caps

Lactaid (for dairy.  This was before I tested negative for lactose intolerance).

Beeno (digestive enzyme)

Peppermint oil capsules (to help alleviate intestinal gas/bloating)

Papaya enzymes (to help alleviate intestinal gas/bloating)

Fennel seeds (chewing them is supposed to help intestinal gas/bloating)

Prilosec OTC (tried this for 2 weeks even though I don’t have heartburn)

Digestive Advantage – IBS (even though I don’t have IBS, this is supposed to help bloating by restoring the balance of good bacteria in my GI Tract.  Only works if the bacteria count is skewed)

Dairy-free Diet – 10 day trial.  Didn’t consume any known dairy.  Also, was diligent about avoiding hidden dairy.

My GI said that this could help because it is a good gut sterilizer with relatively no major side effects.  I am thinking about starting this in a couple of days.  I don't suffer from any constipation or diarrhea.  However, my concern is that I am hoping that taking this antibiotic won't change it to the point where this becomes a problem.  I don't think that this would happen.  I would think that if it doesn't help, it just won't work (it won't create new problems).  I just left a message for my GI to verify this. 

I am really hoping that this resolves my issue.  If it does, I will probably start taking a supplement to ensure that I always have a healthy balance of good bacteria in the intestines.  If this doesn't work, the only other things I think I could try at this point would be a lower carb or a gluten-free diet. 

I also want to say thank you for everyone who responded to my original post from a couple of weeks ago.  Good luck.

rp71

Posted 2/15/2007 2:09 PM (GMT 0)
So, Day 3 of Xiflaxin. I will say this, last night I ate an equally as big of a meal as day two and had no trapped gas issues after. Ever since I started this on Monday, I've noticed that right before dinner , my stomach tightens, its a really contracted feeling, not so much gas, but it does feel full. I sorta ate through that last night then drank some Republic of Tea that is made for gas relief, and viola! I haven't felt the urge for a BM in 24 hours which I must say is refreshing. I have my appointment with the GI today.
Posted 2/15/2007 4:53 PM (GMT 0)

Great news, Anabelle!!!  yeah

Maybe your body just needs some time to adjust to the new med.  Soon you'll be a pro, like Keri w/Welchol, on adjust your dosage as needed.
Good luck at the GI today!  Keep us posted.

Posted 2/15/2007 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
So, I have good news to report from the GI. First of all, he's a great guy, really nice and listened to every and all crazy tale I had about my lovely bowel problems. After going through the IBS-C to India to Chronic D for the past month stories to finally relief from Xiflaxin his thoughts are that I definetly caught that evil stomach bug that went through town as opposed to harboring a parasite or something equally as lovely from India, and that due to my "textbook" IBS symptoms my body just couldn't shake it like a normal person. Relief from Xiflaxin is pretty conclusive that I've just got some real bad bacteria in my stomach. He agreed that the 5 day dose was fine as opposed to the usual 10 day dose because I'm taking 3 pills a day as opposed to 2. He is ordering a blood test to check for celiac disease. I will say this, if that comes out positive and I have to say goodbye to beer and specifically Sam Adams Boston lager, I may mourn for a while. Anything to feel better though.

My advice is this, if any of you out there in message board land with our good friend IBS catch a stomach bug that just doesn't wanna quit, I'd for sure try out the Xiflaxin. Side effects for me have been a strong stomach cramping, CRAZY dreams, and a little dizziness at times, but the benefits STRONGLY out way the side effects in my opinion. Hopefully in a few weeks this episode will subside.
Posted 2/22/2007 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hello All,

I just wanted to post my most recent attempt to get rid of this daily bloating/distention/intestinal gas. I tried a 6-day course of Xifaxan (200mg 3 times a day). Unfortunately, this didn't help me at all. Now I am really discouraged. However, I will probably start a 2 week gluten-free diet to see if this helps at all.

rp71
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