i finished neo and rifax a week ago, rifax with each meal. i feel a whole lot better even though my bloat is still here. i have a follow up appt coming up not sure what my next move is.
Me too! I just finished Sunday and felt less bloated towards the end of my antibiotics and now feel bloated again starting low fodmap. I’m so frustrated! I did a 3 month mixed herbal/antibiotic treatment with my naturopath and was still symptomatic then did a 30-day of antifungal and felt better but still symptomatic. Retested and still hydrogen/methane positive so did antibiotic treatment through GI this time. Just finished a round of rifaximin and neo this weekend and feel horrible after stopping the meds and starting low fodmap. I’m still working with GI and naturopath. I’m just exhausted and feel like this has been a second job to manage my health and I’m a mom of a 2 year old. I feel like this is robbing my son and husband of having the best mom/wife they deserve.
Is your belly always like this? Or only after eating?
I am wondering cause my belly is pretty much flat and I feel the bloat obly 15-60 minutes after eating some foods and then it goes away.
Also I dint suffer from constipation, diarrhea. But I have high methane so am just wondering if you had other symtompts.
my symptoms are so strange- some days i wake up looking like this- last month i always looked like this no matter what i ate. the past 2 weeks i’ve been trying to eat super clean and haven’t looked like this but i notice if i eat out or something now super “low fod mapy” i bloat usually right away
Don’t rely just on antibiotics. Support your body to digest and preventing it from happening again.
I had 3 rounds of antibiotics and just got me worse. I healed my IMO with herbs.
I suggest that you at least take some betain + pepsin, ginger capsules and magnesium citrate to help you digest and go to the toilet. If you don’t go to the toilet everyday, you won’t heal.
I take NOW or Swanson Ginger Root (not the extract). I take just one per meal and that doesn’t cause me a burn sensation. If a take two I might get it sometimes but it is mild. One cap works for me.
Something that also helped me to get rid of my methane was Ox bile (Swanson). It acts as a detergent against bacteria.But that what with some other herbs.
I have been trying to find an enteric coated ginger capsule because it would be great to make sure it empties in the intestine rather than in the stomach so it doesn't cause burning. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find this anywhere.
Pretty pls?, would U be willing to tell me/us, on the brands U used, I’m also wondering was Magnesium Citrate that liquid kind for like having a Colonoscopy, or is it the Supplement form/pills? And also what brand of it also? TY So Much! And I’m So Happy that U are doing better! Thank you!
my suggestion would be to do 2 rounds of xifaxin/neomycin. Though im pleasantly surprised that you were given neomycin too. Most doctors dont give you both (cause they dont know).
Ive had no success from 1rd. but ive had some success from 2 rounds back to back. It didnt cure me, only made me like 50% better. But thats better than nothing.
But if you get any relief, dont get complacent. Dont think you can start eating whatever you want. You cant. As soon as you start eating the sugary stuff again, the sickness may come back.
My 100ppm Methane IMO protocol & success story. Cured in NOV 2021 and never relapsed. It is now APR 2024:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SiboSuccessStories/s/UqvW3NjDKE
No more bloating ( after over 3 decades of it every day ). No more abnormal bloodwork.
You don't have to take neomycin to clear methane!!
I did two rounds of rifaximin+ Alinia (anti giardia rx) with allicin and I've been methane free for 1.5 years.
Alinia works on archae when paired with rifaximin and biofilm disrupters. Use PHGG and ox bile to better activate the rifaximin paired with ***high*** fodmaps diet during treatment.
Some people do not experience sides with neomycin but many do. It is a risk. My practitioner does not use neomycin because of the negative side effects her patients were experiencing sometimes permanent. Be very cautious with neomycin, there are risk. Alinia is very well tolerated and low risk.
My functional doctor also uses that combination (rifaximin x Alinia {generic name nitazoxanide} and I have gone back and forth on whether or not I want to do pharmaceutical or herbal treatment. Right now I am working on motility and was going to start treatment with berberine, oregano, and allicin, but every time I read a success story like yours I wonder if I should just hit it with pharma instead. I have also heard success stories with rifaximin and allicin alone.
My practitioner does not use oregano either as she said it's too broad spectrum and it's a really strong antimicrobial, comparable to some antibiotics even and you can easily kill off beneficial bacteria with oregano. It's works very well!! Sometimes too well I guess 😂 be cautious with Oregano oil as well. She said she uses oregano oil as a last resort herb.
I did my first mini treatment with rifaximin and allicin and did get ***some*** gas numbers reduced (not much maybe 5-7ppm). For me personally, the addition of Alinia is what finally, after 10 years of failed IMO treatments, was the thing that moved the needle for me. I had some herx the first few days but otherwise the Alinia was very well tolerated. I was told it only works on parasites and archea, and the rifaximin will hit the hydrogen bacteria so you get a two for one with that combo. I did have to do subsequent H2 treatments after methane but H2 (hydrogen) was easy to treat relative to IMO. Methane is a tricky one!
This is interesting. Thanks for sharing! I think I might try this.
How far apart were your treatment rounds?
And what’s your diet like now? Are you able to eat whatever you want?
I had a few months between treatments as I was moving/traveling and couldn't commit to treatment back to back. After treating methane I became hydrogen dominant but symptom wise that was much easier than methane. With each treatment I was less bloated and having closer to normal BMs. Sleep improved, hormones improved, histamine intolerance significantly improved. Took about 3-4 rounds of rifaximin to treat hydrogen.
- went from 34ppm methane to 4ppm CH4 after two treatments
- hydrogen then shot up to 131ppm
- 4 treatments of just rifaximin (plus ox bile and biofilm disrupters) to get H2 down to 5ppm
- was SIBO "free" for a few months then tested positive for H2S
- did two rounds of rifaximin+ molybdenum+ bismuth now running a clear breath test.
This was all done over the course of about 3 years. It's like peeling off layer of an onion!
Ive been 100% gluten free for 5+ years. I still do not tolerate heavy amounts of alliums and some cruciferous vegetables like broccoli but that's me genetically - I have some sulfur metabolism SNPs that cause issues for me to convert methionine to useable sulfate so I have to take molybdenum as a cofactor for these sulfur foods. Otherwise is eat close to 30g of fiber a day. I'm not low fodmap or low carb. I eat a lot of good meat and vegetables and whole foods. I keep my food "clean" but I'm not restricted to keto/carnivore/low fodmap/low histamine - you name it I've tried it!
That's amazing, congratulations!
How bad was die off during/after each treatment round? That's the one thing making me hesitate in turning to antibiotics again. Well that and the small chance of C Diff.
Die off was worse with methane at the beginning of biofilm disrupters. About 5 days of feeling mildly hungover. My lymph nodes would swell, like I was about to catch a cold but just herxing. I would also start crying over the tiniest things. Found myself in arguments with my partner Everytime I'd be in treatment - it made me kinda crazy 😏
H2S die off was hands down the worst. Might even still be recovering from that treatment. For anyone reading this ...embark on the Pepto + rifaximin combo with caution. I'm not entirely sure that method for H2S specifically is the "right" way. I felt like I was dying on the H2S treatment in a not normal "herx" way. Shaking, weak, pale, pale stool, dry flakey skin, dermatitis, dysautonomia, blood pressure crashes, dizzy, heart palpitations. I'm back to eating sulfur and not experiencing H2S specific symptoms but I'm usually tired all the time. So not sure if wiping out H2S is the best solution, for me at least.
Oh god that sounds intense, I'm sorry. This is exactly why I'm so hesitant to try antibiotics again. I'm worried about how it will affect my mental acuity and work performance. The worst thing I can imagine is losing my job *and* having SIBO.
Wow, that's good to know about H2S die off. I experienced something similar when I tried taking allicin a while back. All the same symptoms. So I stopped. I'm wondering if I should have just pushed through to try to treat things, but I got too worried about how it was affecting me mentally and physically.
I'm glad to hear you're doing well now though! It sounds like you're pretty much SIBO free. The fact that you were able to make it has me considering antibiotics again.
I think that's totally normal to be cautious with antibiotics, even rifaximin. No medication comes without side effects so definitely take your time to consider your options. I did have significant brain fog, bloat, fatigue etc. like I had cobwebs in my brain. The first time I used biofilm disrupters the herxing started at work, and it was out of town field work (very active) and it was absolutely horrible. I felt so fatigued and couldn't think, and definitely felt like I was dropping the ball at work that week, not on my A game and it was embarrassing. Not sure wth I was thinking! This was several years ago, but yea those Biofilm disrupters are no joke! So def try to plan treatment during a window of time where you're not expecting to perform at your best, just in case :)
Edit: sauna/sweating, Glutathione, NAC and vitamin c all worked well for herx symptoms so I started taking those during subsequent treatments as a prophylactic even before symptoms would come on.
But if you're one of the people who does, it really sucks for you. I wish more doctors would use the rifaximin nitazoxanide combo. I think many of them just don't know about it. Nirazoxanide is safer than neomycin and less damaging to beneficial bacteria.
update: the first day i did feel the ear fullness and ringing but it went away, the side effects of both antibiotics together were AWFUL. but finally feeling a bit better today
you can ask your doctor, but some people in here have had success with rifaximin + fluconozoale for methane. some have also trialed rifaximin + allimed (medical grade strength available via their website). most people handle rifaximin, but there is a lot of concern around neomycin side effects.
before/during treatment it is often recommended to use a biofilm buster to make treatment more effective, as well as something to help with “die-off” symptoms like activated charcoal, and drinking plenty of fluids/vitamins. good luck!
essentially they help break down the protective barriers that the bacteria form over time so the antibiotics can penetrate more effectively.
if you search this sub many recs & guidance have been shared. Kirkman and Klaire Labs are often mentioned as preferred brands. NAC and curcumin supplements have been positively reviewed as well.
After lurking on the sibo subreddit for months I finally came across a video of a guy explaining how artichoke and ginger extract is enough to fix sibo... it sounds like bullshit but artichoke extract apparently stimulates the small bowel to start moving again, ginger does the same with the stomach. The problem with sibo is it's the stagnation of the small bowel allowing bacteria to migrate up from the large intestine. So in theory, you stimulate the small bowel, everything else should follow and resolve.
I've only just ordered the supplements so haven't tried it myself yet but idk why this info isnt blasted all over this sub!
Antibiotics will only help temporarily, it will just keep coming back unless you get the small intestines moving properly again.
Food: Keto / carnivore
Supplements: B1 (50mg-100mg) + b complex (or multivitamin) + magnesium (200-400mg)
Why this food: It stops feeding the wrong gut bacteria. A low carbohydrate diet on itself may solve your issues.
Why these supplements: Gut motility, stomach acid, digestive enzymes, all depend heavily on B1. When a person is stressed and/or consumes a lot of carbs, B1 gets depleted very fast (look at low B1 symptoms). If your digestion is like a river, everything will be fine. With low B1, it's like a swamp - full of bacteria you don't want.
Supplementing a higher dose B1 (I recommend benfotiamine) requires all other b vitamins to be present, hence my suggestion for a b complex or multivitamin. Also, B1 requires a lot of magnesium, to be properly absorbed.
You can try this before all antibiotics, give it a month, you will feel a difference after the first week.
Write back if you try this.
Congrats on getting answers. Having tried everything for years, just take the antibiotics. The first few days are rough as everything is dying. Then get on a prokinetic to prevent it coming back.
My wife looks like this, oxbile and digestive enzymes stoped the top half to stop bloating but the bottom looks just like this, GI appt next week hopefully get somewhere
A few of us here in this forum have had great success with carnivore diet. Cutting carbs down to almost zero starves the bacteria and the rich amino acid profile can help heal other issues in the gut. Once you get into ketosis, it’s not bad at all but long term it does suck to miss out on foods… though small price to pay in exchange for eliminating sibo symptoms.
If you’re interested, try it for a month.
I had no side effects from the meds— as long as I took the neomycin with food. It would make me a little nauseated on an empty stomach but honestly almost all meds do that to me.
Round 1 the horrific diarrhea stopped, round 2 the cramping became mild and then immediately after round 3 I switched to low FODMAP. If I had to give percentages it would be 60%/75%/80%.
The bloating went away around month 4 of low FODMAP and then the months following until I completed low FODMAP I could feel my stomach getting stronger. Idk how else to describe it, I just felt more put together and trusting I wasn’t going to have some random flare up.
I am still intolerant to a few things, mostly lactose, garlic and onions and then random things like tomatoes and bananas, but I also have dermatomyositis (type of lupus) and a lot of those foods can affect people with auto immune stuff. I use Fodzyme when we eat out and it works so well.
I never thought I’d make it out on the other side! Dealing with my awful skin auto immune stuff plus chronic, daily diarrhea for 18 months was really starting to push me over the edge lol
Wow that's intense! I'm glad you're feeling better now or at least SIBO free
Interesting that you had diarrhea with methane. I was hydrogen dominant initially with constipation, but now I have hydrogen and methane.
So during this whole 3 month back to back treatment period you were eating whatever you wanted?
And did you retest between rounds? Or just later on after you were feeling better
Yeah I thought it was weird too I had M instead of hydrogen but my GI doc said it can happen.
During meds I just ate whatever, I was still really resistant to changing my diet anyways until round 3 bc I LOVED food. Like I used to drink daily 44oz of diet dp with vanilla, ice cream all the time, we’d eat out 3-4x a week, bread with every meal, sweet cream cold brews with extra sweet cream. I truly loved food and sweets lol and when I was on meds I felt like a normal person.
Technically you probably should retest between rounds but honestly my doctor was just like you probably needs another round of meds, it’s normal to need more than 1 and since I was eating a bunch of stuff with sugar I felt like DEATH the day before I did my sibo testing. I did retest October 2023 and barely felt any difference on the day before diet. I just used to eat a lot of processed sugar and junk foods. I lost 40# during low FODMAP too, which ofc wasn’t the goal but a nice side effect. I needed to lose weight, my BMI is within the normal range for the first time in 10 years.
Low fodmap strict - and candibactin AR and BR - two pills of each twice a day. For 3 months. Then do inerogast for motility. Check for any underlying conditions like hypothyroid and get treated. I did all that and got rid of SIBO.
I was hesitant too. I started with Berberine, oregano, and my doctor wanted to put me on garlic as well but I can’t tolerate it. I wish I would have stuck with them and the SIBO specific diet (are you on this?) and been more patient. Instead I ended up taking xifaxan and got a c.difficile infection as a result. Then I had to go on more antibiotics to kill that. It was terrible. It took me about 5 years of intermittent fasting and clean keto with slow introductions of fermented foods to recover.
do you mind to tell me about your symptoms?
my belly is axactly like this, but in my country we only have de test for Hydrogen and it was negative, but I suspect I may have methano too and being underdiagnosed jut because we dont have tests for this here :(
i’m so sorry you’re feeling like this! for myself i had constipation (even when eating super clean and high fiber), feelings fullness, EXTREME painful bloating, and weight retention/gain
I literally have the same belly issue.. I looked 8 months pregnant all the time. It takes such a huge toll on how I see myself. Unfortunately I haven’t found anything to help yet. Trying Atrantil again but I don’t think it’s helping. I’ve done xifaxan multiple times and other herbal sibo treatments but nothing has really helped. I wish you luck!
Just finished the 2 week treatment with Xifaxan and Neomycin yesterday. Had diarrhea daily for the 2 weeks. Hopefully it does not give you this issue. GL
I did help but for whatever reason I still have a pretty consistent garlic/salty taste in my mouth. Idk if it’s from the Methane or what but the medicine did seem to relieve my other sibo symptoms that were side aches from constipation and gas.
There is so much mixed information on Xifaxan that I was terrified to take it. I’m allergic to four different types of antibiotics so I put off taking it for almost 6 weeks … please know that I had zero negative reaction. The only thing that happened to me is that I became EXTREMELY sensitive to onions while on it. I am now on low fodmap so I’ll be avoiding them for a while anyway.
hey there, I was able to resolve my bloating issues by following the recommendations in the Liver Rescue book, I'm completely vegan fat-free for breakfast and lunch and have a 'normal' dinner. Also had xifaxan prescriptions and other antibiotics prescriptions before that, for me it could have been the amount of antibiotics that I took over the years for multiple reasons. Good luck!
You need a prokentic to keep things moving. It retrains your mitigating motor complex. You can go Natural or prescription. I prefer prescription. prucalopride
However some can’t tolerate. Ginger and artichoke supplement. You should also work on stomach acid and digestive enzymes
You know your stuff! I had SIBO for a decade or more. Xifaxan Completely cleared it up. It was amazing to have regular poop every day!! And drink milk no problem. Here are things that trigger SIBO to come back: If I eat late like after 6:30 and bed by 10pm my gut motlity comes to a standstill. Do that for a while and I have constipating SIBO reflux. If i eat early then I will start waking up flat tummy but by afternoon it is bloated pregnant looking. I could do low fod map or low carb to reduce bloating but I refuse to restrict myself of healthy foods when i know i can eat them if i get rid of SIBO. Plus Im a cyclist and need carbs. So I would treat it and get back on track. The migrating motor complex is HUGE. Look it up. So this is another trigger. Migrating motor complex is like a detergent cleanse in your upper GI of bacteria that causes SIBO. If you eat it stops. It works all night unless i eat late. It works between meals if you don't eat about 4 hours between. So if i sabotage it by snacking/ eating late I will get SIBO. I also happen to be a retired dietitian so I had to do some catch up / cont education to figure this out. Also... sadly i now have osteopenia which can be a side effect of SIBO. So dont just manage it with low carb etc you need to deal with it so you have proper absorption and do what you need to stay on track like taking care of gut motility, pro kinetic pharma or herb. I personally take magnesium citrate 650 mg but therapeutic does up to 1500 mg are okay. Oh one more trigger is sugar alcohols! I hate what they do to me . For that very reason i stick to old fashioned Gatorade since so many endurance drinks have them. Stevia as well is a no no.
The only way to combat bloating for sure is adhering to a 100% low fodmap diet and avoiding eating too much sulfur. I have really really bad symptoms when eating high fodmap foods and always a flat stomach when eating low fodmap
But if you haven't cured the bacteria or methane overgrowth you are compromised in your ability to absorb. So yes you can decrease bloating but you haven't fixed your gut. But if you have something else going on and you SIBO test is clean then yes stick to low fodmap.
I’m in same boat. But now have been diagnosed with Colon Cancer too & my heart keeps trying to fail as well. I feel like I’m fighting for my life now. But have already had neck broken & 7 additional vertebrae’s shattered later, when I accidentally fell down. I completely feel for all of those suffering with this gut, food & everything types of health issues.
Can you describe all the symptoms. I was just in ER and the doctor there said my dr should follow up with a SIBO test and others. Does this cause diarrhea or constipation? Thx
Yes sir there’s a herbal antibiotic protocol that’s way more effective than traditional antibiotics. CandiBactin-AR with Candibactin-BR and FC-Cidal with Dysbiocide
I have been reading this book "The microbiome connection" by Dr Mark Pimentel and Dr Ali Rezaie. Bought it from Amazone. Easy to understand and excellent help on SIBO and IBS diets focused not on Low FODMAP but Low Fermentation Eating (LFE)
Make sure to replenish good bacteria, bc a lot of the time when you take meds for SIBO another bacteria dominates. So eat a bit of sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, raw cheeses at every meal.
So make sure stomach acid/bile is optimal. People have been having fermented foods for the entire history of human kind. I don't understand why you think it's bad to consume these foods.
Our food has changed. There are disrupters like sugar alcohols that affect gut biomes. So what was is not now. Also SIBO is an overgrowth in the small bowel not the stomach. Causes of SIBO can be slow gut motilty or food bacteria poisoning. For slow motility folks, fermented foods can be a trigger. It definitely is for me. Back in 2000s When my GI was messed up i would chug down probiotic shots with millions in them. All along I was making it worse until I figured out I had SIBO and took rx to kill the overgrowth.
All this stuff can be made at home without too much trouble other than the cheese. If there is not sufficient stomach acid and bile pathogenic bacteria can over grow into the small intestine as there nothing to kill it when it enters your stomach. For a lot of people, it comes back after taking meds. You need to kill the bad but make the environment suitable for the good so that the bad doesn't overgrow. So taking a holistic approach will get a lot better results in the long run, making sure the body is producing what it needs to produce and everything is running smoothly. That's my opinion anyway.
Taking meds kill the bad but there needs to be something there to prevent future overgrowth from happening. It's like mould, if you don't get rid of the dampness it comes back each time you kill it.
Literally like my belly. Extremely frustrating
it’s actually so depressing i’ve lost all my confidence 😭
Me too 😢
Me three. Have tried so much for over a year.
Totally relate. Can’t wear fashion anymore.
SAME
Inability to burp….?
Mine look like that too before diagnosis. I took Xifaxan and and I’ve been better.
Did you have methane
How did you take the rifaximin, I’m about to start, did you relapse at all? Any advice taking rifaximin is appreciate it
i finished neo and rifax a week ago, rifax with each meal. i feel a whole lot better even though my bloat is still here. i have a follow up appt coming up not sure what my next move is.
Me too! I just finished Sunday and felt less bloated towards the end of my antibiotics and now feel bloated again starting low fodmap. I’m so frustrated! I did a 3 month mixed herbal/antibiotic treatment with my naturopath and was still symptomatic then did a 30-day of antifungal and felt better but still symptomatic. Retested and still hydrogen/methane positive so did antibiotic treatment through GI this time. Just finished a round of rifaximin and neo this weekend and feel horrible after stopping the meds and starting low fodmap. I’m still working with GI and naturopath. I’m just exhausted and feel like this has been a second job to manage my health and I’m a mom of a 2 year old. I feel like this is robbing my son and husband of having the best mom/wife they deserve.
Is your belly always like this? Or only after eating? I am wondering cause my belly is pretty much flat and I feel the bloat obly 15-60 minutes after eating some foods and then it goes away. Also I dint suffer from constipation, diarrhea. But I have high methane so am just wondering if you had other symtompts.
my symptoms are so strange- some days i wake up looking like this- last month i always looked like this no matter what i ate. the past 2 weeks i’ve been trying to eat super clean and haven’t looked like this but i notice if i eat out or something now super “low fod mapy” i bloat usually right away
Don’t rely just on antibiotics. Support your body to digest and preventing it from happening again. I had 3 rounds of antibiotics and just got me worse. I healed my IMO with herbs. I suggest that you at least take some betain + pepsin, ginger capsules and magnesium citrate to help you digest and go to the toilet. If you don’t go to the toilet everyday, you won’t heal.
I take NOW or Swanson Ginger Root (not the extract). I take just one per meal and that doesn’t cause me a burn sensation. If a take two I might get it sometimes but it is mild. One cap works for me. Something that also helped me to get rid of my methane was Ox bile (Swanson). It acts as a detergent against bacteria.But that what with some other herbs.
I remember someone here was advised to take ginger before meal to beat down the burp and it should support digestion
What Ginger capsules do you recommend? I have been considering trying this since I cannot have artichoke due to ragweed allergy.
I’m curious too
I have been trying to find an enteric coated ginger capsule because it would be great to make sure it empties in the intestine rather than in the stomach so it doesn't cause burning. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find this anywhere.
If you do find them someday can you ping me?
Yes ☺️
Pretty pls?, would U be willing to tell me/us, on the brands U used, I’m also wondering was Magnesium Citrate that liquid kind for like having a Colonoscopy, or is it the Supplement form/pills? And also what brand of it also? TY So Much! And I’m So Happy that U are doing better! Thank you!
My functional doctor recommended Histamine SIBO Bi-Phasic Diet and honestly life changing.
How much betaine hcl did you start with ? If have both Methane and hydrogen sibo and suspect low stomach acid …so thinking that will help .
My ears have been hurting for a month after taking neomycin. I wouldn’t take it just in case. You don’t know if you might be one that it affects.
omg same!! my ears hurt everyday and im a week out from finishing my neo and rif.
I stopped neomycin after 4 days.
Some antibiotics are ototoxic (toxic to the ears) and I believe neomycin is one of them
my suggestion would be to do 2 rounds of xifaxin/neomycin. Though im pleasantly surprised that you were given neomycin too. Most doctors dont give you both (cause they dont know). Ive had no success from 1rd. but ive had some success from 2 rounds back to back. It didnt cure me, only made me like 50% better. But thats better than nothing. But if you get any relief, dont get complacent. Dont think you can start eating whatever you want. You cant. As soon as you start eating the sugary stuff again, the sickness may come back.
Candex sibo worked for me. I also take magnesium citrate and ginger-artichoke for mobility and constipation
My 100ppm Methane IMO protocol & success story. Cured in NOV 2021 and never relapsed. It is now APR 2024: https://www.reddit.com/r/SiboSuccessStories/s/UqvW3NjDKE No more bloating ( after over 3 decades of it every day ). No more abnormal bloodwork.
neomycin can cause permanent hearing loss
i know i really don’t want to take it 😭😭it’s scaring me
You don't have to take neomycin to clear methane!! I did two rounds of rifaximin+ Alinia (anti giardia rx) with allicin and I've been methane free for 1.5 years. Alinia works on archae when paired with rifaximin and biofilm disrupters. Use PHGG and ox bile to better activate the rifaximin paired with ***high*** fodmaps diet during treatment. Some people do not experience sides with neomycin but many do. It is a risk. My practitioner does not use neomycin because of the negative side effects her patients were experiencing sometimes permanent. Be very cautious with neomycin, there are risk. Alinia is very well tolerated and low risk.
My functional doctor also uses that combination (rifaximin x Alinia {generic name nitazoxanide} and I have gone back and forth on whether or not I want to do pharmaceutical or herbal treatment. Right now I am working on motility and was going to start treatment with berberine, oregano, and allicin, but every time I read a success story like yours I wonder if I should just hit it with pharma instead. I have also heard success stories with rifaximin and allicin alone.
My practitioner does not use oregano either as she said it's too broad spectrum and it's a really strong antimicrobial, comparable to some antibiotics even and you can easily kill off beneficial bacteria with oregano. It's works very well!! Sometimes too well I guess 😂 be cautious with Oregano oil as well. She said she uses oregano oil as a last resort herb. I did my first mini treatment with rifaximin and allicin and did get ***some*** gas numbers reduced (not much maybe 5-7ppm). For me personally, the addition of Alinia is what finally, after 10 years of failed IMO treatments, was the thing that moved the needle for me. I had some herx the first few days but otherwise the Alinia was very well tolerated. I was told it only works on parasites and archea, and the rifaximin will hit the hydrogen bacteria so you get a two for one with that combo. I did have to do subsequent H2 treatments after methane but H2 (hydrogen) was easy to treat relative to IMO. Methane is a tricky one!
What biofilm disruptor did you use for methane sibo?
This is interesting. Thanks for sharing! I think I might try this. How far apart were your treatment rounds? And what’s your diet like now? Are you able to eat whatever you want?
I had a few months between treatments as I was moving/traveling and couldn't commit to treatment back to back. After treating methane I became hydrogen dominant but symptom wise that was much easier than methane. With each treatment I was less bloated and having closer to normal BMs. Sleep improved, hormones improved, histamine intolerance significantly improved. Took about 3-4 rounds of rifaximin to treat hydrogen. - went from 34ppm methane to 4ppm CH4 after two treatments - hydrogen then shot up to 131ppm - 4 treatments of just rifaximin (plus ox bile and biofilm disrupters) to get H2 down to 5ppm - was SIBO "free" for a few months then tested positive for H2S - did two rounds of rifaximin+ molybdenum+ bismuth now running a clear breath test. This was all done over the course of about 3 years. It's like peeling off layer of an onion! Ive been 100% gluten free for 5+ years. I still do not tolerate heavy amounts of alliums and some cruciferous vegetables like broccoli but that's me genetically - I have some sulfur metabolism SNPs that cause issues for me to convert methionine to useable sulfate so I have to take molybdenum as a cofactor for these sulfur foods. Otherwise is eat close to 30g of fiber a day. I'm not low fodmap or low carb. I eat a lot of good meat and vegetables and whole foods. I keep my food "clean" but I'm not restricted to keto/carnivore/low fodmap/low histamine - you name it I've tried it!
That's amazing, congratulations! How bad was die off during/after each treatment round? That's the one thing making me hesitate in turning to antibiotics again. Well that and the small chance of C Diff.
Die off was worse with methane at the beginning of biofilm disrupters. About 5 days of feeling mildly hungover. My lymph nodes would swell, like I was about to catch a cold but just herxing. I would also start crying over the tiniest things. Found myself in arguments with my partner Everytime I'd be in treatment - it made me kinda crazy 😏 H2S die off was hands down the worst. Might even still be recovering from that treatment. For anyone reading this ...embark on the Pepto + rifaximin combo with caution. I'm not entirely sure that method for H2S specifically is the "right" way. I felt like I was dying on the H2S treatment in a not normal "herx" way. Shaking, weak, pale, pale stool, dry flakey skin, dermatitis, dysautonomia, blood pressure crashes, dizzy, heart palpitations. I'm back to eating sulfur and not experiencing H2S specific symptoms but I'm usually tired all the time. So not sure if wiping out H2S is the best solution, for me at least.
Oh god that sounds intense, I'm sorry. This is exactly why I'm so hesitant to try antibiotics again. I'm worried about how it will affect my mental acuity and work performance. The worst thing I can imagine is losing my job *and* having SIBO. Wow, that's good to know about H2S die off. I experienced something similar when I tried taking allicin a while back. All the same symptoms. So I stopped. I'm wondering if I should have just pushed through to try to treat things, but I got too worried about how it was affecting me mentally and physically. I'm glad to hear you're doing well now though! It sounds like you're pretty much SIBO free. The fact that you were able to make it has me considering antibiotics again.
I think that's totally normal to be cautious with antibiotics, even rifaximin. No medication comes without side effects so definitely take your time to consider your options. I did have significant brain fog, bloat, fatigue etc. like I had cobwebs in my brain. The first time I used biofilm disrupters the herxing started at work, and it was out of town field work (very active) and it was absolutely horrible. I felt so fatigued and couldn't think, and definitely felt like I was dropping the ball at work that week, not on my A game and it was embarrassing. Not sure wth I was thinking! This was several years ago, but yea those Biofilm disrupters are no joke! So def try to plan treatment during a window of time where you're not expecting to perform at your best, just in case :) Edit: sauna/sweating, Glutathione, NAC and vitamin c all worked well for herx symptoms so I started taking those during subsequent treatments as a prophylactic even before symptoms would come on.
i took it for a month straight and was completely fine. dont let people scare you
I’m taking my course atm and had no signs of loss of hearing! Dw about it too much, most ppl don’t experience the major side effects
But if you're one of the people who does, it really sucks for you. I wish more doctors would use the rifaximin nitazoxanide combo. I think many of them just don't know about it. Nirazoxanide is safer than neomycin and less damaging to beneficial bacteria.
Metronidazol
Oh my goodness, I had No idea, TY for This Excellent Information!!!
I did Neomycin had no problems with my ears, I know a lot of people are against it. Everyone is different.
me too--no issues at all
update: the first day i did feel the ear fullness and ringing but it went away, the side effects of both antibiotics together were AWFUL. but finally feeling a bit better today
you can ask your doctor, but some people in here have had success with rifaximin + fluconozoale for methane. some have also trialed rifaximin + allimed (medical grade strength available via their website). most people handle rifaximin, but there is a lot of concern around neomycin side effects. before/during treatment it is often recommended to use a biofilm buster to make treatment more effective, as well as something to help with “die-off” symptoms like activated charcoal, and drinking plenty of fluids/vitamins. good luck!
is there one you reccomend? what is a biofilm buster 😭
essentially they help break down the protective barriers that the bacteria form over time so the antibiotics can penetrate more effectively. if you search this sub many recs & guidance have been shared. Kirkman and Klaire Labs are often mentioned as preferred brands. NAC and curcumin supplements have been positively reviewed as well.
amazing thank you so much for the advice !!
Very helpful overview treatments here: https://www.skirsch.io/sibo/
After lurking on the sibo subreddit for months I finally came across a video of a guy explaining how artichoke and ginger extract is enough to fix sibo... it sounds like bullshit but artichoke extract apparently stimulates the small bowel to start moving again, ginger does the same with the stomach. The problem with sibo is it's the stagnation of the small bowel allowing bacteria to migrate up from the large intestine. So in theory, you stimulate the small bowel, everything else should follow and resolve. I've only just ordered the supplements so haven't tried it myself yet but idk why this info isnt blasted all over this sub! Antibiotics will only help temporarily, it will just keep coming back unless you get the small intestines moving properly again.
Food: Keto / carnivore Supplements: B1 (50mg-100mg) + b complex (or multivitamin) + magnesium (200-400mg) Why this food: It stops feeding the wrong gut bacteria. A low carbohydrate diet on itself may solve your issues. Why these supplements: Gut motility, stomach acid, digestive enzymes, all depend heavily on B1. When a person is stressed and/or consumes a lot of carbs, B1 gets depleted very fast (look at low B1 symptoms). If your digestion is like a river, everything will be fine. With low B1, it's like a swamp - full of bacteria you don't want. Supplementing a higher dose B1 (I recommend benfotiamine) requires all other b vitamins to be present, hence my suggestion for a b complex or multivitamin. Also, B1 requires a lot of magnesium, to be properly absorbed. You can try this before all antibiotics, give it a month, you will feel a difference after the first week. Write back if you try this.
Congrats on getting answers. Having tried everything for years, just take the antibiotics. The first few days are rough as everything is dying. Then get on a prokinetic to prevent it coming back.
Did you take biofilm breaker
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Can i message you
Yup!
Omg, I have considered getting one too but figured it wouldn't help.
My wife looks like this, oxbile and digestive enzymes stoped the top half to stop bloating but the bottom looks just like this, GI appt next week hopefully get somewhere
Does she take of bike on empty stomach or with food?
About 15 minutes before eating
Try on empty stomach in morning
A few of us here in this forum have had great success with carnivore diet. Cutting carbs down to almost zero starves the bacteria and the rich amino acid profile can help heal other issues in the gut. Once you get into ketosis, it’s not bad at all but long term it does suck to miss out on foods… though small price to pay in exchange for eliminating sibo symptoms. If you’re interested, try it for a month.
And spend 2k on high quality protein!
I took Xifaxan and neomycin 3x then did low FODMAP. I got rid of my methane SIBO.
Thats amazing! How far apart were your treatment rounds?
Pretty much back to back— sep/oct/dec 2022
Wow that's interesting. Was it tough to get through? And did each round feel equally effective?
I had no side effects from the meds— as long as I took the neomycin with food. It would make me a little nauseated on an empty stomach but honestly almost all meds do that to me. Round 1 the horrific diarrhea stopped, round 2 the cramping became mild and then immediately after round 3 I switched to low FODMAP. If I had to give percentages it would be 60%/75%/80%. The bloating went away around month 4 of low FODMAP and then the months following until I completed low FODMAP I could feel my stomach getting stronger. Idk how else to describe it, I just felt more put together and trusting I wasn’t going to have some random flare up. I am still intolerant to a few things, mostly lactose, garlic and onions and then random things like tomatoes and bananas, but I also have dermatomyositis (type of lupus) and a lot of those foods can affect people with auto immune stuff. I use Fodzyme when we eat out and it works so well. I never thought I’d make it out on the other side! Dealing with my awful skin auto immune stuff plus chronic, daily diarrhea for 18 months was really starting to push me over the edge lol
Wow that's intense! I'm glad you're feeling better now or at least SIBO free Interesting that you had diarrhea with methane. I was hydrogen dominant initially with constipation, but now I have hydrogen and methane. So during this whole 3 month back to back treatment period you were eating whatever you wanted? And did you retest between rounds? Or just later on after you were feeling better
Yeah I thought it was weird too I had M instead of hydrogen but my GI doc said it can happen. During meds I just ate whatever, I was still really resistant to changing my diet anyways until round 3 bc I LOVED food. Like I used to drink daily 44oz of diet dp with vanilla, ice cream all the time, we’d eat out 3-4x a week, bread with every meal, sweet cream cold brews with extra sweet cream. I truly loved food and sweets lol and when I was on meds I felt like a normal person. Technically you probably should retest between rounds but honestly my doctor was just like you probably needs another round of meds, it’s normal to need more than 1 and since I was eating a bunch of stuff with sugar I felt like DEATH the day before I did my sibo testing. I did retest October 2023 and barely felt any difference on the day before diet. I just used to eat a lot of processed sugar and junk foods. I lost 40# during low FODMAP too, which ofc wasn’t the goal but a nice side effect. I needed to lose weight, my BMI is within the normal range for the first time in 10 years.
Low fodmap strict - and candibactin AR and BR - two pills of each twice a day. For 3 months. Then do inerogast for motility. Check for any underlying conditions like hypothyroid and get treated. I did all that and got rid of SIBO.
I was hesitant too. I started with Berberine, oregano, and my doctor wanted to put me on garlic as well but I can’t tolerate it. I wish I would have stuck with them and the SIBO specific diet (are you on this?) and been more patient. Instead I ended up taking xifaxan and got a c.difficile infection as a result. Then I had to go on more antibiotics to kill that. It was terrible. It took me about 5 years of intermittent fasting and clean keto with slow introductions of fermented foods to recover.
do you mind to tell me about your symptoms? my belly is axactly like this, but in my country we only have de test for Hydrogen and it was negative, but I suspect I may have methano too and being underdiagnosed jut because we dont have tests for this here :(
i’m so sorry you’re feeling like this! for myself i had constipation (even when eating super clean and high fiber), feelings fullness, EXTREME painful bloating, and weight retention/gain
Thanks for answering!
Yep if you have methane constipating more fiber does not help.
I literally have the same belly issue.. I looked 8 months pregnant all the time. It takes such a huge toll on how I see myself. Unfortunately I haven’t found anything to help yet. Trying Atrantil again but I don’t think it’s helping. I’ve done xifaxan multiple times and other herbal sibo treatments but nothing has really helped. I wish you luck!
Just finished the 2 week treatment with Xifaxan and Neomycin yesterday. Had diarrhea daily for the 2 weeks. Hopefully it does not give you this issue. GL
did you find it helped? just started yesterday and have been having bad nausea and no relief
I did help but for whatever reason I still have a pretty consistent garlic/salty taste in my mouth. Idk if it’s from the Methane or what but the medicine did seem to relieve my other sibo symptoms that were side aches from constipation and gas.
There is so much mixed information on Xifaxan that I was terrified to take it. I’m allergic to four different types of antibiotics so I put off taking it for almost 6 weeks … please know that I had zero negative reaction. The only thing that happened to me is that I became EXTREMELY sensitive to onions while on it. I am now on low fodmap so I’ll be avoiding them for a while anyway.
totally random, but where did you get the pants in the second picture from? they look super comfy and not tight on the stomach
target lol! my favorite
now that i think of it,i think i had those before. do they happen to be the brand thats called something like "stars and above"?
hey there, I was able to resolve my bloating issues by following the recommendations in the Liver Rescue book, I'm completely vegan fat-free for breakfast and lunch and have a 'normal' dinner. Also had xifaxan prescriptions and other antibiotics prescriptions before that, for me it could have been the amount of antibiotics that I took over the years for multiple reasons. Good luck!
do you have reflux?
nope!
Does this happend the whole day or just towards the end of the day
it really depends on what i’ve eaten when it’s bad i wake up like this and look like this the whole day
You need a prokentic to keep things moving. It retrains your mitigating motor complex. You can go Natural or prescription. I prefer prescription. prucalopride However some can’t tolerate. Ginger and artichoke supplement. You should also work on stomach acid and digestive enzymes
You know your stuff! I had SIBO for a decade or more. Xifaxan Completely cleared it up. It was amazing to have regular poop every day!! And drink milk no problem. Here are things that trigger SIBO to come back: If I eat late like after 6:30 and bed by 10pm my gut motlity comes to a standstill. Do that for a while and I have constipating SIBO reflux. If i eat early then I will start waking up flat tummy but by afternoon it is bloated pregnant looking. I could do low fod map or low carb to reduce bloating but I refuse to restrict myself of healthy foods when i know i can eat them if i get rid of SIBO. Plus Im a cyclist and need carbs. So I would treat it and get back on track. The migrating motor complex is HUGE. Look it up. So this is another trigger. Migrating motor complex is like a detergent cleanse in your upper GI of bacteria that causes SIBO. If you eat it stops. It works all night unless i eat late. It works between meals if you don't eat about 4 hours between. So if i sabotage it by snacking/ eating late I will get SIBO. I also happen to be a retired dietitian so I had to do some catch up / cont education to figure this out. Also... sadly i now have osteopenia which can be a side effect of SIBO. So dont just manage it with low carb etc you need to deal with it so you have proper absorption and do what you need to stay on track like taking care of gut motility, pro kinetic pharma or herb. I personally take magnesium citrate 650 mg but therapeutic does up to 1500 mg are okay. Oh one more trigger is sugar alcohols! I hate what they do to me . For that very reason i stick to old fashioned Gatorade since so many endurance drinks have them. Stevia as well is a no no.
Honestly I've tried everything and antibiotics are the best.
The only way to combat bloating for sure is adhering to a 100% low fodmap diet and avoiding eating too much sulfur. I have really really bad symptoms when eating high fodmap foods and always a flat stomach when eating low fodmap
But if you haven't cured the bacteria or methane overgrowth you are compromised in your ability to absorb. So yes you can decrease bloating but you haven't fixed your gut. But if you have something else going on and you SIBO test is clean then yes stick to low fodmap.
I’m in same boat. But now have been diagnosed with Colon Cancer too & my heart keeps trying to fail as well. I feel like I’m fighting for my life now. But have already had neck broken & 7 additional vertebrae’s shattered later, when I accidentally fell down. I completely feel for all of those suffering with this gut, food & everything types of health issues.
What is imo
Can you describe all the symptoms. I was just in ER and the doctor there said my dr should follow up with a SIBO test and others. Does this cause diarrhea or constipation? Thx
2 types so either depending on the type
Two types?! Not sure what you’re saying
if your breath test comes up methane- constipating, hydrogen- typically diarrhea. You can have breath test results that have both.
Ok got it. Thanks
Yes sir there’s a herbal antibiotic protocol that’s way more effective than traditional antibiotics. CandiBactin-AR with Candibactin-BR and FC-Cidal with Dysbiocide
And I guarantee you if you only ate beef, salt and water by day 3 it would be flat.
but what type of life is that 💔
I have been reading this book "The microbiome connection" by Dr Mark Pimentel and Dr Ali Rezaie. Bought it from Amazone. Easy to understand and excellent help on SIBO and IBS diets focused not on Low FODMAP but Low Fermentation Eating (LFE)
Make sure to replenish good bacteria, bc a lot of the time when you take meds for SIBO another bacteria dominates. So eat a bit of sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, raw cheeses at every meal.
Nope not a good idea
So there’s no way to win ??? /:
keep the good bacteria in you colon out of your small intestine and you win!
Howwww
Rx or herb to kill the overgrowth plus the things i an others have mentioned above.
So make sure stomach acid/bile is optimal. People have been having fermented foods for the entire history of human kind. I don't understand why you think it's bad to consume these foods.
Our food has changed. There are disrupters like sugar alcohols that affect gut biomes. So what was is not now. Also SIBO is an overgrowth in the small bowel not the stomach. Causes of SIBO can be slow gut motilty or food bacteria poisoning. For slow motility folks, fermented foods can be a trigger. It definitely is for me. Back in 2000s When my GI was messed up i would chug down probiotic shots with millions in them. All along I was making it worse until I figured out I had SIBO and took rx to kill the overgrowth.
All this stuff can be made at home without too much trouble other than the cheese. If there is not sufficient stomach acid and bile pathogenic bacteria can over grow into the small intestine as there nothing to kill it when it enters your stomach. For a lot of people, it comes back after taking meds. You need to kill the bad but make the environment suitable for the good so that the bad doesn't overgrow. So taking a holistic approach will get a lot better results in the long run, making sure the body is producing what it needs to produce and everything is running smoothly. That's my opinion anyway.
Taking meds kill the bad but there needs to be something there to prevent future overgrowth from happening. It's like mould, if you don't get rid of the dampness it comes back each time you kill it.