S.I.B.O. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

[TimothyRyan]

Just diagnosed with this small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, going on antibiotics. was wondering if any other celiacs have this condition as well? and any helpful info to take in addition to my doctors opinion...

TIM

[jtangema]

Hi,

I would very highly recommend taking a good probiotic. It will help the good bacteria in your gut grow. I take Florajen 3- it is supposed to be on of the good ones.

Jennifer

[kpm2319]

Just diagnosed with this small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, going on antibiotics. was wondering if any other celiacs have this condition as well? and any helpful info to take in addition to my doctors opinion...

TIM

Hey Tim, I was just diagnosed last month and my doctor prescribed xifaxan but it did not help. Then he prescribed a tetracycline antibiotic which has not helped either. Did the antibiotics work for you?

Kevin

[JodiC]

Try apple cider vinegar (with mother)up to 2 tbls a day with water and Shaklee's optiflora.

[TimothyRyan]

Well, One year and 3 months later after my Xifaxan antibiotic treatment did work and get rid of the SIBO. It seems my exact symptoms have returned. I started another cycle of Xifaxan, which by the way, is the most outrageously priced medicine in the world. ( i no longer have insurance.) Anyway, they wanted me to do a 1200mg a day cycle, but since i can not afford it, I am doing a 600mg a day cycle. which is what i think worked last time.

Also, this time, i shall take all your advice, and try to regularly take probiotics after i finish this cycle of antibiotics. Anyone have any other advice?

-Tim

[sfsassy]

There is a good forum out there for SIBO on the Yahoo boards. You may want to explore there as well as here for more advice on what people are doing.(sibonation ) I had SIBO before I was diagnosed with Celiac. I went on 2 rounds of antibiotics to treat it as well as a probiotic. The results were not very positive, but I did get better in time. I think my diet helped. Low carb/Sugar.

[ravenwoodglass]

Well, One year and 3 months later after my Xifaxan antibiotic treatment did work and get rid of the SIBO. It seems my exact symptoms have returned. I started another cycle of Xifaxan, which by the way, is the most outrageously priced medicine in the world. ( i no longer have insurance.) Anyway, they wanted me to do a 1200mg a day cycle, but since i can not afford it, I am doing a 600mg a day cycle. which is what i think worked last time.

Also, this time, i shall take all your advice, and try to regularly take probiotics after i finish this cycle of antibiotics. Anyone have any other advice?

-Tim

When I have to take antibiotics I start upping the probiotic intake the day I start the antibiotic. It seems to keep the nasty effects of the antibiotic from ever starting. You may want to ask your doctor is that is okay for you do.

[sfsassy]

I just thought of something that I heard from my dietician but never tried it. She was saying that before you start a round of antibiotics for SIBO you should prep your body as if you were doing a colonoscopy. Meaning, fast the day before and take a laxative to clear out your gut. (I would totally ask your Dr about that before you tried it. )

She also mentioned taking the probiotic after the antibiotics were finished.

[TimothyRyan]

I just thought of something that I heard from my dietician but never tried it. She was saying that before you start a round of antibiotics for SIBO you should prep your body as if you were doing a colonoscopy. Meaning, fast the day before and take a laxative to clear out your gut. (I would totally ask your Dr about that before you tried it. )

She also mentioned taking the probiotic after the antibiotics were finished.

Well, i already started the cycle yesterday. And I've had to goto the bathroom with D like 4 times today. So it's clearing something out. haha.

But yeah, i think I'm gonna go on some probiotics when this cycle is done. Xifaxan is way too expensive to let this come back with out looking out for it this time.

Hope it all works. Thanks for the advice.

[burdee]

How were you diagnosed with 'SIBO'? That term is like 'IBS', because many different kinds of critters can cause intestinal dysbiosis (imbalance of intestinal microflora) or SIBO. I've had 5 different bacterial infections, 2 parasites and candida, all diagnosed by stool tests. So I wondered whether your doc used a stool test to diagnosed your SIBO. If so, exactly which bacteria, parasite or candida was causing the 'overgrowth'? Did your test results include a sensitivity test, which indicates which drugs or botanical supplements can kill the 'bad bugs' in your gut? Not all bugs are sensitive to (can be killed by) the same drug or botanical supplement. Many labs will 'culture out' bacteria and yeasts to determine which treatments are most effective, by sensitivity tests. Parasites usually can't be cultured. So docs will use whatever treatments (usually drugs) have been proven most effective in erradicating a particular parasite.

SUE

[Nancy547]

I have just been recently diagnosed with SIBO/Celiac & have researched the approved diets but find conflicting advice surrounding butter, and like TIM, I cannot afford Xifaxan on my health insurance, but have found through my research that antibiotics such as "Cipro, Flagyl, Sulfa, Ceplex" to name a few are just as efficient and a lot less expensive. I welcome any advice on diets from those that have dealt with this a lot longer.

[cyclinglady]

2 hours ago, Nancy547 said:

I have just been recently diagnosed with SIBO/Celiac & have researched the approved diets but find conflicting advice surrounding butter, and like TIM, I cannot afford Xifaxan on my health insurance, but have found through my research that antibiotics such as "Cipro, Flagyl, Sulfa, Ceplex" to name a few are just as efficient and a lot less expensive. I welcome any advice on diets from those that have dealt with this a lot longer.

Cipro, a fluoroquinolone, has a black box warning from the FDA.  Make sure you weigh all the risks and benefits of this particular antibiotic.  

I hope you feel better soon!  

[ravenwoodglass]

6 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

Cipro, a fluoroquinolone, has a black box warning from the FDA.  Make sure you weigh all the risks and benefits of this particular antibiotic.  

I hope you feel better soon!  

I agree with C-lady about Cipro. I had a severe reaction to it. I only took one dose but it made me hallucinate and any food I ate for two weeks came back undigested.  Cipro is a powerful antibiotic that targets specific bacteria. Before anyone takes it the doctor should culture to make sure that the bacteria it is effective against is present. It is not a full spectrum antibiotic.

IMHO you should get on the diet strictly and try adding fermented foods to your diet like yogurt, saurkraut, etc. That will allow the good bacteria you need to florish. Antibiotics will kill off both good and bad bacteria and may slow your healing.