# For how long should I take Rifaximin?



## 16879 (Dec 12, 2006)

I have taken Rifaximin in the past, first time was a 4-day, 3 pills a day treatment/dose/whatever, and the second time was similar. My pains, for the most part, went away, although occaisionally, they would come back, but in a less aggressive way than normal. The 4-day dose would usually last around 7 weeks or so, just long enough for me to forget specifically when I last took them (and thus for some bad pains to come back).Anyways, I recently had a major IBS attack and have begun taking Rifaximin again. I'm also on Ativan, an anxiety-relief drug, and soon, I'm supposed to start taking Celexa. I have been feeling nauseous lately, like I'm going to throw up, and I've also gotten a lot more hungry (I used to eat 3 meals a day, but now it's 4, maybe even going on 5). I have also been taking the Rifaximin 3 times a day for 5 days now and I'm not planning on stopping soon because I'm still unsure of the pain recurring. However, my doctor warned me not to take Celexa, a seratonin pill, whilst taking Rifaximin.My questions are: should I hold off on the Celexa for a bit longer and stick to the Ativan and Rifaximin in order to really make sure the Rifaximin is doing its job, even though the Ativan is making me nauseous and very tired (that is, assuming Ativan is even causing these problems)? Will taking the Rifaximin for an extended period of time decrease its strength against massive IBS pain? I'm still a little shaken up from my last attack and I don't want to have to experience something like that for awhile, if ever again at all (though I probably will).Also, has anyone ever been on Celexa? How does it fare with IBS? My doctor said it's pretty neutral compared with the other drugs like it, but, as I mentioned above, I still have some pretty major concerns at the moment about whether or not something will spark my IBS.Thanks for your time.


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## 17908 (Oct 18, 2006)

I took rifaximin for 20 days (1200 mg/day), and I experienced good results for about 3 to 4 months. However, after 5 months I am feeling quite a bit of my symptoms returning. I'm going back to my doctor tomorrow to see if I can take rifaximin for a much longer time, or to see what else he has in mind to help me.


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