# Rifaximin Antibiotic



## Sunny2010 (Dec 13, 2010)

Has many people heard of Rifaximin? I live in the Uk and was reading an article in the newspaper that Rifaximin could improve your IBS according to Clinical Trials. It also states that the Antibiotic not only reduces the symptoms while taken but the effects lasted for ten weeks afterwards. Research recently discovered that bacteria fermenting in the gut might be to blame for bloating. I live in the UK and spoke to my Dr about it and he hadn't heard of it before? I don't think its licenced here but i can buy it over the internet. I'm confused as it states on the internet to take as prescribed by my dr but Im not getting it on prescription. Anyway my question is, is this safe to use and has anyone brought things like this over the internet? I'm very wary at taking anything, expecially over the Internet but what I read on the Internet about Rifaximin seems very promising and should this be prescription only? This is called a different name in the UKYour views very much appreciated


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## Sunny2010 (Dec 13, 2010)

Has anyone heard of this? also known as Xifaxan. Not sure if I should take it without prescription and is it safe to take?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I would worry any that you can get through the black market (no matter how legit the website looks) without any prescription may be counterfeit or expired. You can't always trust people selling things illegally to be careful with quality control and they usually aren't submitting anything to regulatory agencies responsible for making sure drugs are what they say they are.There are quite a few threads on this antibiotic since Pimentel started using in in the early 2000's. You might try doing a search of the site to find some of them. It is not the one and only antibiotic for SIBO. If it not approved in your country some of the other ones used for SIBO for decades before the drug invented that you can get from a legal dispensary may be a much better bet.While the real antibiotic is fairly safe from what it seems like from the people using it, you can't be sure what you get if you buy it from a no prescription needed pharmacy. There are some risks of any antibiotic (such as allergic reactions or over growth of C. diff after the antibiotics are finished) but it doesn't seem to be any riskier than any other antibiotic.Generally people who have be able to get a diagnostic test for SIBO seem to have a better chance of it working than people who just hope their symptoms might be SIBO. It is hard to tell if someone has SIBO by symptoms alone as they overlap with a lot of other thins.http://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestinal_bacterial_overgrowth/page6.htm has a list of antibiotics used for SIBO if you can't get a safe supply.


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## Sunny2010 (Dec 13, 2010)

Kathleen M. said:


> I would worry any that you can get through the black market (no matter how legit the website looks) without any prescription may be counterfeit or expired. You can't always trust people selling things illegally to be careful with quality control and they usually aren't submitting anything to regulatory agencies responsible for making sure drugs are what they say they are.There are quite a few threads on this antibiotic since Pimentel started using in in the early 2000's. You might try doing a search of the site to find some of them. It is not the one and only antibiotic for SIBO. If it not approved in your country some of the other ones used for SIBO for decades before the drug invented that you can get from a legal dispensary may be a much better bet.While the real antibiotic is fairly safe from what it seems like from the people using it, you can't be sure what you get if you buy it from a no prescription needed pharmacy. There are some risks of any antibiotic (such as allergic reactions or over growth of C. diff after the antibiotics are finished) but it doesn't seem to be any riskier than any other antibiotic.Generally people who have be able to get a diagnostic test for SIBO seem to have a better chance of it working than people who just hope their symptoms might be SIBO. It is hard to tell if someone has SIBO by symptoms alone as they overlap with a lot of other thins.http://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestinal_bacterial_overgrowth/page6.htm has a list of antibiotics used for SIBO if you can't get a safe supply.


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## Sunny2010 (Dec 13, 2010)

Thanks for your help. Do you know of any antibiotics which are good apart from Rifaxamin. I looked up Cipro which is prescribed here in the UK but has severe side effects. Or do you know of a safe place on the Internet where I can buy Rifaxamin? Rifaxamin is the only antibiotic with few side effects and has good reviews


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I don't know of any safe place to buy it black market, I dunno if there is a way to import drugs not approved in the UK, I know in the USA there are some exceptions made to import drugs from legitimate pharmacies. But that usually means you have to have a doctor willing to write the prescription. Once a pharmacy is willing to sell prescription drugs illegally (no prescription, or even if they have a doctor who just signs off on everything) it is really hard to trust they are doing a good job of making sure they only are getting legitimate drugs from legitimate sources rather than counterfeit drugs or drugs made in countries without good quality control.A lot of on-line pharmacies will pretend to be from Canada or other countries people trust when they really are located somewhere else.Here is a website that may help, but I'm not going to risk my identity being stolen or other things to check them out for you. I don't use prescription not needed pharmacies because I feel it is way too risky, there are a couple of pharmacies some people in the USA use for getting Zelnorm (no longer available in the USA) but there have been issues with credit cards stolen and that sort of thing, but if you look for those threads that may be about the only lead I can give you.http://www.pharmacychecker.com/aboutop.asp


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## Sunny2010 (Dec 13, 2010)

Ok thanks. Your rite, I think I'll go back to my Dr and get him to prescribe me something that has been approved in the UK. I'm not even sure its SIBO (I assume that stands for Bacterial Overgrowth. I suppose I'm hoping it is so I have some kind of diagnosis "if that makes sense"


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

I find Cipro to be about as useful as taking sweets/candy,so side effects dont effect everybody.I found a high dose of Doxycycline caused a constipation effect.


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## Susan Campion (Jan 10, 2011)

In the UK Rifaximin is available from Hard To Find Medicines. They supply a specially imported product on behalf of the NHS (licensed by MHRA). As a specialist NHS supplier they only supply against NHS prescription, so if you can get your GP to prescribe it, then at least you can get good approved stock.We have used Hardtofindmedicines before to get Prednisolone suppositories, and they have an excellent service. We were told about them by the hospital consultant, as our local chemist couldn't get them at all.


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## dip34 (Jan 22, 2009)

I got a 7 day prescription of rifaximin from my doctor. It is a very expensive antibiotic that doesn't have generic available. It seemed to work but not as long for me as some people have posted. Would have loved to keep taking it but being unemployed and no insurance made the cost too much.


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## IBSDMom (Jan 28, 2011)

Sunny2010 said:


> Has anyone heard of this? also known as Xifaxan. Not sure if I should take it without prescription and is it safe to take?


A GI doc in the US by the name of Mark Pimental has a book called A New IBS Solution. He was involved in the study you mentioned. Basically his theory and research say that some percentage of IBS is caused by bacteria in the small intestine. The small intestine is the first tube after the stomach and in healthy people it doesn't have much bacteria. But somehow (he has a theory on why), the bacteria that live in the large intestine get into the small intestine and mess things up. Buy the book. It's cheap and explains his ideas, his research and his protocol to address IBS.My son has started on Xifaxan last night. He had the breath test two weeks ago, his gastroenterologist prescribed Xifaxan, out insurance company said they wouldn't cover it and he gave us enough samples to get through the 10-day period. The specific thing about Rifaximin and why it works and not some other antibiotic is that is doesn't get absorbed by your digestive system, so it passes through the stomach and into your small intestine to beat up on the bacteria. It is terrifically expensive - would have cost us $451 US for the 10 days. Good luck to you.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

I was told by my IBS specialist that he would write me a private prescription to try Rifaximin but it would mean paying for them,which i cant afford to do.


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