# SIBO Breath Test



## Twin Mom

Hello All,

I just took the lactulose SIBO breath test this morning. A few hours later I had some of my typical IBS symptoms (gas, gurgly stomach). Since I've basically had nothing to eat in almost 24 hours in preparation for the test, could it be due to the lactulose? Could that be a good sign that my test might come back positive?

For those of you who have tested positive, how successful has the treatment been for you? For those that have tested negative, what else have you tried? I've had all the "regular" tests show of a colonoscopy, and have also had comprehensive stool test which had some slightly abnormal results (gut flora imbalance).

Thanks!


----------



## annie7

Hi

i tested positive for SIBO in march. my insurance refused to pay for rifaximin so my gastro doc put me on augmentin. i did feel better after i completed the 10 day course of it.

i think my SIBO may be creeping back now which is going to be a more or less constant situation for me since i no longer have an ileocecal valve due to a previous surgery.

good luck to you with all this. take care.


----------



## AIRPLANE

Did you have the test done at a Drs office or was it a home test that you ordered on your own? I had a breath test a few years ago at a clinic where they had a machine on-site and was told that it was negative but the Dr wasn't really into SIBO and didn't discuss the results with me. I later found out that they used D-Xylose, not Lactulose which is supposed to be the best test substance. Many Drs also use glucose which is not the best because it tends to get absorbed too quickly so it can miss a large portion of the small intestine.

I was considering ordering a home breath test until I found out that it could only be done using glucose. For some reason, Lactulose is considered a prescription substance and can only be used if ordered by a Dr.

I hope you get some useful information from the test. I am hoping that we will be hearing some patient success stories due to the new IBS blood test that was recently announced, even though they are still working on it for some types of IBS. The current one is supposed to be good for IBS-D. But I have read that, regardless of the results, neither of these types of tests are 100% accurate and that if you have the symptoms of SIBO, that Drs should still be willing to try a course of treatment for it. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen.


----------



## Twin Mom

It was an at-home test by my physician gave me the kid to take home. I had thought it was lactulose, but now that I look at the website for the lab, it looks like it was not since, as you sy, it is considered prescription.

Hoping to get my results next week when I go in for an appointment with my doctor. I may ask about the blood test, too. It is from the same lab that sells the SIBO test, so my physician would probably be willing to order it. He is really open minded - probably since he is a functiona medicine physician rather than more traditional. He actually offered to just put me on antibiotics assuming that I had SIBO, but I said I would prefer to take the test first and know for sure (I'm a scientist).


----------



## Moises

Lactulose can cause all kinds of digestive upset just like other "prebiotics" can. If one operates within the Pimentel-SIBO paradigm, lactulose is a "high-residue" food.

We human beings cannot digest lactulose so it provides an energy source to the bacteria that occupy our intestines. Some people find it beneficial to take lactulose because it can increase the proportion of bacteria that produce butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids. Similarly, some people find it beneficial to take resistant starch, inulin, pectin, various oligosaccharides, and the like

But for many people--and I am one of them--taking these indigestible substances exacerbates their symptoms. I did once get a large bottle of lactulose, so I could take some daily. It made my symptoms worse. I have tested positive for SIBO with the at-home breath test. I was high for both methane and hydrogen.

I treated myself for SIBO long before receiving the positive diagnosis. I did Rifaximin, which did not help and two regimens of the Elemental Diet, which also did not help. So, I know that you are hoping to test positive for SIBO but I would caution you to watch what you wish for, you just might get it.


----------



## annie7

yes, Moises is right. i know you are hoping to test positive for SIBO so that hopefully you can get it cured so you will feel better but unfortunately SBO has a tendency to recur unless the underlying cause is identified and eradicated.

i tested positive for SIBO in march. i did a course of augmentin since my insurance refused to pay for rifaximin and i cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket for this very expensive drug. augmentin did take care of my SIBO for a while but, like i mentioned earlier, now it's creeping back. i'll always have a problem with SIBO because i no longer have an ileocecal valve and a lack of or a malfunction of this valve will usually make SIBO recur.

if you do test positive for SIBO, i do hope that you will be successful in getting rid of it completely and permanently. good luck. wishing you all the best...


----------



## Twin Mom

Thanks for all of your responses. I just got my results back and they are negative, so I can add that to the list of tests that have come back negative. Not sure what to try next.


----------



## AIRPLANE

It sounds like the FDA approved two meds for IBS D today. One is the Xifaxan, which of course we already know about. So at least now it should be covered by insurance which is good since it is so expensive, and even if someone hasn't tested positive for SIBO, it is still a treatment option.

The other med is called Viberzi, also known as eluxadoline. It sounds like it might help with pain but I don't know a lot about it yet. I think that I just read that it might be classified as a 'controlled substance' like pain meds which can make Drs reluctant to prescribe them as I think that they are encouraged to not offer them. Which is too bad because if used responsibly, pain meds can be very helpful for some people and do not have to necessarily lead to narcotic bowel syndrome.

I have had good help with the pain med Tramadol for pain and diarrhea. It can slow things down and help with pain and spasms but has never caused the constipation like Imodium does. I usually took one or two 50mg tablets a day- more than that never made any difference and of course less is better because too many likely would cause constipation.

I have been using herbal antibiotics for about the past 6 months. I have had some changes due to it and haven't needed to use the Tramadol as much. I now only take it occasionally as needed. But it is nice knowing that I have it if things get bad. It is just a nuisance having to go back to the Dr for refills because last year they became more strict with pain meds, including Tramadol which is not even a narcotic. So you have to go back more often to get refills than before, although I think the exact rules vary from state to state.


----------



## annie7

Airplane--thanks so much for this terrific news about Xifaxan!!!! so glad to hear it. now maybe my tight-fisted HMO will pay for it. such good news.

and thanks for the information Viberzi. i do hope they don't decide to classify it as a controlled substance. yes, i agree with you about all the extra restrictions that have now been placed on pain meds. i've read so many posts on Inspire from people who are now suffering even more because it's so hard if not impossible for them to get the meds they need--and had been getting before--in order to obtain adequate pain relief. and they've reclassified lunesta now (one of my insomnia meds) even though it is not a benzo (and also not addicting) so that, like you with tramadol, i now have to go to the doc's every time i need a refill and then have to hand carry the script to my pharmacy to get it filled.


----------



## jza

The lactulose really exacerbated my symptoms the day I had my breath test, but I unsurprisingly tested extremely high for methane.

I took Xifaxan, but it only helped while I was actively taking it. My symptoms came back within 2 days of stopping.


----------

