SIBO

[Jherm21]

Help!! I don't know if anyone else on here head been diagnosed with sibo but I can't get it out of my head. I was told in August I had positive methane breath test normal low numbers for hydrogen. I was prescribed Xfaxin and denied three times through insurance. I'm so confused on my next move. One doctor said if you don't get the medicine just forget about the diagnosis and the other gi I saw said we could use a different antibiotic. Does anyone have any suggestions to beat this beast. I'm so confused. I have all types of horrible symptoms. So much fatigue especially by afternoon. Was told I need to treat my supposedly sibo problem before treating my acid reflux. 

[knitty kitty]

1 hour ago, Jherm21 said:

Help!! I don't know if anyone else on here head been diagnosed with sibo but I can't get it out of my head. I was told in August I had positive methane breath test normal low numbers for hydrogen. I was prescribed Xfaxin and denied three times through insurance. I'm so confused on my next move. One doctor said if you don't get the medicine just forget about the diagnosis and the other gi I saw said we could use a different antibiotic. Does anyone have any suggestions to beat this beast. I'm so confused. I have all types of horrible symptoms. So much fatigue especially by afternoon. Was told I need to treat my supposedly sibo problem before treating my acid reflux. 

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This is a National Institute of Health article that summarizes many of the studies done on SIBO, including diagnosis and treatment with different medications. Perhaps your insurance would cover a medication mentioned here.  

Also be aware SIBO causes malabsorption, so check into possible vitamin deficiencies.  A deficiency of vitamin B 12 and vitamin D can cause fatigue like you mentioned.  Other B vitamins like niacin help heal the intestines.  

Hope this helps

[Feeneyja]

My daughter was SIBO positive two years ago. Flagyl was first prescribed but she had a bad reaction to it so then the Xfaxin was approved. So you may want to try Flagyl first.  Also, we were not given any dietary advice or what to do to keep the SIBO gone, so she had a recurrence early this year. Insurance wouldn’t approve going back to the same pediatric GI doc, so we switched insurance. It took a couple of months so I used the info here to treat her:

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I can tell you that with a combination of herbal antibiotics, a diet low in fermentable carbs, and a supplement designed specifically with Methane SIBO in mind (Atrantil), plus a supplement to increase gut motility (Iberogast) we took care of it.  We have been increasing the fermentable carbs and adding probiotics with great success.  It’s the best she has looked and felt in years.  

When we finally made it back to the GI doc she commended our work.  She did state that for some folks SIBO is a bit chronic, so be sure to act with additional herbal antibiotics if it looks like it is returning.  To keep my daughter SIBO free, we have basically gone Paleo and made sure she takes a supplement to improve motility.  Grains and lots of processed sugars are clearly bad for her gut.  She also is dairy intolerant.

There are lots of ways to treat SIBO. Standard antibiotics, herbal antibiotics, diet only, elemental diet, probiotics only.  It depends a great deal on how bad it is and what you tolerate.

And yes, SIBO causes intestinal permeability.  So it can cause inflammation, gut damage, vitamin deficiencies, and additional food intolerances.  You don’t want to ignore it as one of your docs suggested.  Celiac researcher Dr. Fasano has suggested that it is a key player in the development of autoimmunity.  

Also know that when you treat it (no matter which treatment), you will experience what is called a die off reaction.  It is the result of the toxins from the dying microorganisms.  Google it...but within the first days you will temporarily feel worse.  But it typically only last a few days.  

Finally, SIBO is more of a symptom than a diagnosis.  There is a reason your body has allowed these microorganisms to overgrow.  Getting to that answer is tricky.  For folks with gluten intolerance, sibo is common.  The thought is that celiac and NCGS can affect the autonomic nervous system  which is what controls the peristaltic waves that push bacteria to the large intestines.   This allows overgrowth.

Check out the above link and talk with your doctor.  You can definitely do this.  Best of luck to you.

 

[Jherm21]

Thanks for the info! Will try the mentioned reccomindations 

[Holycow]

I was prescribed xifaxin for SIBO and it wasn't covered by insurance.  I got it by asking for samples from my MD.  Call your MD and explain you cannot afford it and ask for samples.  Normally, they have enough to give you the required course of antibiotics.