# Rifaximin for IBS-D



## Dave1111 (May 21, 2009)

Why has there not been more hype about this medication? I have read a study which suggested fairly profound improvements. I suffer from Rosacea as well as IBS and so was considering trialing this medication (there are studies that have found that it is beneficial fro rosacea as well).Has anyone here use this med? How much does this medication cost in the States if you don’t have health insurance? (I currently live in Australia and it does not appear to be available here).


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## Siea (Jun 21, 2010)

Dave1111 said:


> Why has there not been more hype about this medication? I have read a study which suggested fairly profound improvements. I suffer from Rosacea as well as IBS and so was considering trialing this medication (there are studies that have found that it is beneficial fro rosacea as well).Has anyone here use this med? How much does this medication cost in the States if you don't have health insurance? (I currently live in Australia and it does not appear to be available here).


Never heard of it but it sounds interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RifaximinAs usual the stupid Swedish system is afraid of some side effects so it doesn't exist for me.So damn annoying they are so worried about every damn medication they forgot to think about those people that med med actually help and only focus on the losses...


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## dlbaral (Oct 19, 2010)

Dave1111 said:


> Why has there not been more hype about this medication? I have read a study which suggested fairly profound improvements. I suffer from Rosacea as well as IBS and so was considering trialing this medication (there are studies that have found that it is beneficial fro rosacea as well).Has anyone here use this med? How much does this medication cost in the States if you don't have health insurance? (I currently live in Australia and it does not appear to be available here).


My son(21) was on it. He had every test known to man. He was seen at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles by the group who did the study about the drug. It did not help him. It doesn't mean it won't help you. He has started a medical probiotic VSL#3 and calcium. It seems no one knows about this probiotic which is the highest grade. I just saw my gastro and he has been using it recently on his patients. My son saw him two years ago and the guy didn't know about VSL back then!!! Keep trying.


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## vickieibsd (Jun 12, 2009)

Dave1111 said:


> Why has there not been more hype about this medication? I have read a study which suggested fairly profound improvements. I suffer from Rosacea as well as IBS and so was considering trialing this medication (there are studies that have found that it is beneficial fro rosacea as well).Has anyone here use this med? How much does this medication cost in the States if you don't have health insurance? (I currently live in Australia and it does not appear to be available here).


I tried both Rifaxin and VSL#3, neither worked for me. I am not sure that probiotics have a profound effect on IBS as much as perhaps SIBO.


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

I have used rifaximin twice, although I was actually diagnosed with bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine (not exactly the same as IBS-D). The first time I used it (1200mg TID, for about 8 days) I noticed a PROFOUND improvement after about 36 hours. The results were amazing... I had been having varying degrees of diarrhea and incomplete evacuation for about 2-3 years and I had my first normal stool after less than 2 days on the rifaximin. Unfortunately, after about 6-8 weeks my symptoms slowly started to creep back, and after 4 months or so they were back and I went on a second round of rifaximin. I did not notice the same drastic improvement the 2nd time around (although my symptoms were also not as bad/chronic as the first time).If a person's IBS-D is caused by a bacterial overgrowth, then there is a good chance that improvement will be noted with a course of rifaximin, but the cause of the bacterial overgrowth (abnormal intestinal transit, etc) needs to be addressed to keep the bacterial level in the small intestine down. The antibiotic alone will not do this...IBS-D that is not caused by bacteria will probably not respond to antibiotics, and rifaximin is unique because it stays within the GI tract (is not absorbed systemically), so there is limited action on the entire body.I have health insurance, so I cannot answer your last question. My prescription for ten days cost me $40, with insurance. Unfortunately, I think it's rather expensive without insurance.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Some of the small studies (where they likely are picking people most likely to benefit) seem to have a better percentage of helping IBS with SIBO than we've really seen "in the wild" here on the board.A fair number of people here have tried it. Getting tested to make sure you really have an SIBO issue will help determine if it is more likely or less likely to help you (some people with SIBO need other antibiotics and it is not the one and only antibiotic that will work, plenty of other antibiotics were used for "classic" SIBO (the kind known before the IBS-SIBO link was proposed) long before this antibiotic was available.Some people with IBS-SIBO need other antibiotics, just depends on which bacteria are in the small intestine and no antibiotic kills all bacteria.Unfortunately SIBO tends to come back and over time your bacteria may become resistant to any given antibiotic (or you may just get the ones that antibiotic doesn't kill off taking over).So the lack of hype is more from a lot of people who may not have been the right people trying it and finding out it didn't work for them. We have had some success stories, but not as many as you would think based on a few smaller studies with people who were tested to be sure they were likely to benefit.http://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestinal_bacterial_overgrowth/page6.htm lists the other antibiotics used and the dosing needed.


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