# question about SIBO



## wesl (Feb 19, 2009)

im new here and to make a long store short have been suffering from terribel digestive problems for about a year i have all the SIBO symptoms. I was diagnosed with SIBO about 6 months ago and since then have been on antibiotics 3 times with out seeing any inprovement after each antibiotic treatment i was retested for SIBO and again tested positive my questions are is it possibel to have 3 false positives and also is SIBO this hard to treat. the first time i was on 800mg of xifaxan for 10 days then 800mg of some thing else for 14 days and last 1200mg of xifaxan for 10 days. thanks Wes


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Depends on who does the breath test, but it is possible to have false positives. In some studies comparing breath tests to going in and taking a sample to culturing it some versions of the breath test do seem prone to a lot of false positives. There can also be false negatives for people that produce methane rather than H2 from the bacteria in the small intestine.It can also be that whatever bacteria you have in the small intestine is not killed by that antibiotic. There are other antibiotics that can be used for SIBO. Is there no opportunity to try another antibiotic? or is that the one and only one your doctor will try for that condition.http://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestina...rowth/page6.htm has some other antibiotics and dose information on what has been used for SIBO. SIBO has been around a lot longer than xifaxan and so they did treat it with other things before that particular drug came along.The symptoms of SIBO are not unique to SIBO and the clinic I go to does a lot of testing and says they get a fair number of people they would bet have SIBO from the symptoms do not have it.


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## wesl (Feb 19, 2009)

thanks for the fast reply the 3 tests i have had where all 90min hydrogen breath tests done with lactulose by my gastroenterologist. as for the SIBO symptoms i have been to about 10 different specialists and 3 gastroenterologists so i am some what certain i dont have something else but it is possible. I am interested what other conditions would be associated with SIBO symptoms. thanks Wes


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## wesl (Feb 19, 2009)

another thing i have to mention is the way the breath test is performed i am instructed to take the 8oz of lactulose 2 hours before the test and thare is no base i then blow into a small box with a cardboard tube on it for 30 secinds in 15 min intervals for 90min does this sound right? thanks Wes


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I don't think you can distinguish SIBO from IBS based solely on symptoms.You can have all the bloating and pain and diarrhea and constipation and all the other things attributed to SIBO and "just" have IBS. IBS is a real thing and it can actually be treated. The percentage of IBSers with SIBO is debated but it is clear they are not the exact same thing even if they share almost all the exact same symptoms.One of the few things SIBO can cause if very severe I think is some weight loss, but a lot of IBSers don't eat because they don't feel like it so without a nutritional analysis it is hard to know if minor weight loss is from anything other than eating patterns.


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## wesl (Feb 19, 2009)

im just wondering about the 3 positive breath tests and if thay where performed right.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Some types of breath testing do seem prone to false positives, but usually if you are still positive AFTER antibiotics they try a different antibiotic, not just more of the same. How many false positives compared to real results I dunno if you can tell just from one person. I don't know if getting a sample taken for culture to verify the tests is likely where you are. I know the lab where I am does a glucose test rather than a lactolose test because they feel it gives fewer false positives.A false positive is when it looks like you have X but you really do not have X. How likely it is that lab almost always does the test in a way that makes a lot of false positives I can't say.I'd talk to the doc about trying a different antibiotic and then testing after that to see if that clears if up before deciding your lab or you just has screwy test results.


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## wesl (Feb 19, 2009)

ok thanks for the reply


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## wesl (Feb 19, 2009)

i talked to my doctor today and asked him about the way his office performs the breath test he told me its just a slightly different test and that he would be happy to do the other breath test. as far as treatment he wants to put me on 1200mg of rifaximin for 3 weeks


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