I've had a pretty good handle on my IBS-D for 4 or 5 years. I've been following a heavy soluble fiber, low insoluble fiber, low meat, low fat diet. It's the diet outlined by Heather Von Vorous in "Eating for IBS" and it's worked pretty well for me. A lot of rice and bread. However, recently I was eating things that I thought were ok but they were making me sick, so I went to my GI to see what we could do. He suggested xifaxan - 550 mg 3 times a day for 14 days. During the 14 days I was constipated and gassy most of the time, but I thought I'd let it run its course.
Here's the problem: I finished the 14 day prescription 5 days ago and have been feeling terrible ever since. Alternating IBS-C and IBS-D, gassiness, and every time I eat anything I immediately get bloated and feel sick. I almost constantly feel pressure in my stomach and the sensation that I need to use the toilet. And while I had a pretty good handle on what I could and could not eat before xifaxan, now everything seems to make me sick. It's like all the hard work and pain i went through figuring out a stable diet has been thrown out the window because of 2 weeks of antibiotic. I'm extremely frustrated and worried.
I called my GI and he seemed surprised. He said I should take Florastor, but it has lactose in it and I'm lactose intolerant, so I'm taking Align (and crossing my fingers because it has milk protein).
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Has anyone felt worse after xifaxan? Will the effects of xifaxan wear off eventually? Will probiotics help? I feel like my IBS world and knowledge about my body and digestion has been flipped upside down.
Any help is extremely welcome. Thanks.
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Worse after Xifaxan - please help
