# Facts and fiction about Vivonex



## 21718 (Oct 30, 2006)

Hi all,I am on Day 14 of the Vivonex diet and feel the need to jump in here with some facts from my own experience and things my doctor has told me. Maybe I can calm some of your worries.
 I don't think Vivonex tastes bad! It dissolves completely in water, and 1/2 a flavor packet is enough to flavor a serving. The orange/pineapple tastes like baby aspirin with a slight tang, or like orange sorbet. The raspberry is a bit tart, and does taste raspberry-like. So don't fear Vivonex because of its taste.
 Regarding the thread where Moises was trying to invent his own elemental diet... My doctor said that in addition to starving the bacteria, the Vivonex diet also has some effect on the mucus lining of the intestines, or their functioning, or something like that which he said they don't fully understand yet. All they know is that Vivonex has a high success rate. Maybe making up your own would accomplish the same things-- maybe not-- I don't know.
 How I feel on Vivonex. Other than the first two days-- when I felt really weak, headachy, and starving-- the rest of the time I've felt mostly like myself. I've been able to continue exercising, just at lower intensity and shorter duration. (The reason is simply that I know I haven't fueled properly and know I won't be able to refuel adequately afterwards.) Most of the time I don't feel hungry. I drink Vivonex about every 3 hours. The hungriest time for me is at night.
 Side effects My main side effect is that I am tired a lot. I need to take a nap in the afternoon or else go to bed at 8:30! And some D, which the doctor says is because I'm not eating any solid food. But no headaches, pains, or anything else.
 Cons. Although I'm putting a positive spin on it, this is still one of the hardest things I've _ever_ done. An all-liquid diet has definitely cramped my style. I can't exercise like normal, can't go out for a meal with friends, can't enjoy the taste of food, and am tired. It's very emotionally draining. Not to mention pricey. And success is not assured.
 Pros. In two weeks I've lost 8 pounds.







Tomorrow I go for my follow-up breath test to see if the bacteria have been reduced, or hopefully eradicated. Keep your fingers crossed for me!


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## 17908 (Oct 18, 2006)

Wow! Thanks for all that info. I hope you post here for at least a few weeks after you start eating normal again. I'm curious to see what your symptoms are like.Did you do any antibiotics before this?Are you going to do Zelnorm or another motility drug after the Vivonex?


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## 21718 (Oct 30, 2006)

Hi npearce,Thanks for asking those questions, I forgot to talk about that stuff! But then, my last post was plenty long already.Quick background: I was diagnosed with IBS 13 months ago. Have been through all sorts of treatments since. My primary symptom nowadays is bloating, and occasional C.I've been on Cipro and Levaquin to no effect. A month or two ago my new g.e. (who refined my diagnosis to SIBO) tried me with Xifaxan. 2 weeks, 3x a day... If anything, it regressed me 6 months! My symptoms got worse.While on the Vivonex I'm also taking 1/2 a tablet of Zelnorm once a day. That's probably too low, and if the Vivonex is successful, the doctor plans to up the dose to a full tablet per day.Last year I was prescribed 2 Zelnorm/day. That gave me such severe headaches that I stopped taking it within a week. That's the short story! Till later...


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

Savateur,Welcome to the forum. That was a great post.I too have some questions. You say you are on Day 14. Were you taking Vivonex *Plus*?My understanding is that it comes 36 packs/case. A standard day's meals would come to 6 packs. Are you continuing beyond 14 days? If not, did you buy 3 cases and consume more than 6 packs/day?Do you notice any effect yet on your bloating symptoms?I find it quite reassuring to read that you can tolerate the taste.Thanks,moises


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## 21718 (Oct 30, 2006)

Yes, I'm taking Vivonex _Plus_.A case contains 6 small boxes of 6 packets each. The first week I bought a case, the second week I was able to buy just 5 more boxes. (Flavor packets are sold separately.) Lucky for me, I live about a mile from Cedars Sinai, and they have a pharmacy that actually stocks Vivonex. Otherwise I believe you have to order it online. Walgreens website only sells it by the case.The dosage of Vivonex apparently depends on your height and weight. My instructions were 5 a day.Effect on my bloating... after the first few days I thought my bloating was nearly gone. Or at least I didn't notice it. Starting in the middle of the second week, I began getting as bloated as ever before. It really depressed me because I thought the diet isn't even working.







My doctor was more upbeat, however, and said the new bloating could be the good bacteria repopulating. But there's no way to know without the breath test... which is why I'm going back for that later this morning...


> quote: I find it quite reassuring to read that you can tolerate the taste.


That's why I wanted to write in here. Glad I could help.


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

I didn't realize you were being treated at Cedars-Sinai. So, are you taking Vivonex because antibiotic therapy failed to help or did you decide to start with Vivonex before antibiotics?


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## 17908 (Oct 18, 2006)

> quote:Originally posted by Moises:I didn't realize you were being treated at Cedars-Sinai. So, are you taking Vivonex because antibiotic therapy failed to help or did you decide to start with Vivonex before antibiotics?


Savateur has a response about the antibiotics he/she tried a few posts up.I'm wondering if Savateur's doctor will help him/her with any particular dietary guidelines once he/she is done with the Vivonex.


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## 21718 (Oct 30, 2006)

Oh, I'm a "she"







I just got the _very_ good results from my breath test: The bacteria have been eradicated!So this evening I ate my first real food in 15 days... mmmm....However, treatment is not over and we have to monitor and see how I feel going forward. To answer your question, npearce, the only guidelines are:
Eat light for the first two days
_Don't_ resume probiotics
That last one really surprised me-- probiotics are good, right? But my doctor explained that we just went to a lot of effort to get rid of bacteria, let's not reintroduce any new ones yet. Even the good ones.


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

The info about probiotics is quite useful. I know Cynthia was very concerned about that. I continued probiotics during my Xifaxan course. Probably not a good idea.Sorry about the question about antibiotics which you had already answered previously.


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## 18449 (Sep 26, 2006)

Thanks for sharing your progress! It is much appreciated. I too am thinking about the Vivonex diet. I have not had a breath test yet because there are no breath testingmachines in my state yet. I am convinced that I have some type of bacteria overgrowth in my system. I have had IBS-D for about 7 years and have had all the tests. The only thimg that has help was a 5 day dosage of Cipro. Only lasted while I was on, the symptoms were back again.


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## 16371 (Mar 22, 2006)

Hi and thank you for posting. Like other's I'm considering this as well. Was it prescribed for you? Or did you just go for it? (Am I wrong in this - I've heard a prescription is not necessary, although I can't imagine going it alone.) Please let us know how it goes. I'm so curious.


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

Vivonex Plus can be bought online. Google it.


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## 21718 (Oct 30, 2006)

Vivonex does not require a prescription.That said, if you're using it as a treatment for IBS/SIBO, I would _only_ do it under the care of a doctor. Because I'm getting the sense that this is only one component of treatment. For example, as soon as I completed the Vivonex, my doctor upped my dosage of Zelnorm to try to get my motility back on track.Also, now 5(!) days post-Vivonex and confirmed bacteria-free, I still don't know if I'm "cured". Some things are better, but my stomach is _very_ bloated. Worse than before. Why? I definitely need a doctor helping me sort this all out.Good luck!


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

Savateur,How are you doing?What is your assessment of the value of the elemental diet?What is your doctor's thoughts on the facts that your breath test suggests the overgrowth was eradicated but your symptoms persist? What do they recommend as next steps?


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## Rick (never give up) (Oct 7, 2005)

Hi Savateur,Yesterday I finished my 14 days of Vivonex. Like you I got several bad days at the beggining.I'm not talking Zelnorm cause I took it once lst year for about 3 weeks and it gave me a lot of side effects.Did your doctor tell you when is the right time to start talking probiotics?Right now I feel a little bad, but my guess is that I was needing real food. I think my metabolism doesn't do very well on Vivonex.Thanks and good luck.


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## 17908 (Oct 18, 2006)

I found that a large majority of my symptoms were helped by 20 days of Xifaxan, but once I started taking Zelnorm I experienced an even bigger improvement. I'm just guessing that I'm pretty much normal now. I eat pretty much the diet Pimental recommends, though. So who knows how normal I'd be if I ate "normally".I think in some cases, like mine, the Zelnorm might be as important as Vivonex or antibiotics.Rick, you could also look into erythromycin, or whatever it's called.My personal feeling is that probiotics are WAY over-rated and a waste of money. I took them, and I ate home-made yoghurt for 2 years. My symptoms stayed the same and possibly worsened. Again, this is just my feelings. It's a case by case thing, I'm sure.


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## Nanobug (Nov 7, 2006)

> quote:I'm just guessing that I'm pretty much normal now.


Is your D totally gone, even taking Zelnorm?By the way, I just posted info of a clinical trial using Xifaxan for D in the IBS-D forum.


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## 17908 (Oct 18, 2006)

No more D at all, so far. My poop is a mixture of loose and formed. I'd say 50% loose, 50% formed. It just depends. It seems if I get more vegetables, the poop is better formed. I'm not used to eating very many vegetables, because they used to cause D.


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