Xifaxan

[jj1949]

I am still trying to eliminate this IBS-D and I have a couple of questions for anyone who can share their information. After continuing with many medical problems at the moment, today after all this time the GI I am seeing has finally put me on this medication. Can anyone tell me how they handled this med and if they experienced any side effects in combination with other medications they were/or are. I'm on probiotics and so far nothing in all these months has helped. The doctors have basically said that if this doesn't do the trick they don't know what else to try. Also Cindy I read in one of your post you were having trouble with some arthritic medication...what are you on? I do hope you are on some road to recovery, it's been a very long time for you in dealing with many problems. I'm on what I feel are to many medications but because of my DDD and DJD some I need to stay sane. I see a neurosurgeon this week and as it stands now I'm in store for surgery. It would be a nice thought to not have this cramping and diahrea every day. I can't eat anything without a problem and have lost another 8 lbs. this month. I am keeping a food diary and it's a proven that even being safe I have this problem. I would appreciate any input as I continue to watch this site daily. Thanks to all of you for your support and info...Jane

[nsewell]

Hi I am sorry your having such a problem after having the nasty cdiff. Ibs D is real common after having it. I was finally starting to do good for about 6-7 weeks then bam have had a hard week thanks to the IBS. It's a weird thing. Anyways I took Xifaxan for my cdiff. I was on vanco for about a year then switched doctors and he put me on Xifaxan for 20 days. It firmed things right up. I had no side effects and it got rid of the cdiff for me. Are you trying it for IBS?? Did you ever try Lotronex?? Good luck..

[jennie]

Jane -- I am sorry to hear you are having a difficult time with considerably more than c.diff to deal with. I have taken quite a lot of Xifaxan and I find it a very good med. But, it is luck of the draw whether one's own strain of c.diff responds to it, that is to say, is not resistant to it. Some of us have done well on it, others have not.

I do not have side-effects, feel well on it, although it can take time to kick in, for the pain to subside. Others have not tolerated it well, again, luck of the draw. But, if there are minor side-effects, it may be worth sticking with it, to see if you adjust to it.

We tend to know within a few days if it is working, or not.

I want to ask if you have been given enough Vanco, and if it works for you? (I have not seen earlier posts from you.) If you are to have surgery, and may have to take antibiotics, and will no doubt be laid low or immobilised for a while, I would suggest getting the c.diff well under control before, during and after. I would insist on the Neuro-surgeon and medical team knowing what you have, and knowing how to treat it, and in the event it gets any worse. I should think too that narcotics, given for post-op pain, is another tricky question, if c.diff is present. Dr McDonald's article, cited on site, explains how and why. It goes back to saying, it is important for your physicians to know what is going on, on the c.diff front, re-testing etc.

From reading the site, you would be aware that for many of us, it takes several, or mutiple rounds of meds to get rid of it. And the "hopeless" scenario that some doctors go through with us, that they do not know what to do next. It is not true, there are treatment options available, and ongong c.diff and recurrence are realities. A matter of finding a physician who will work with you until you are fine.

Some of us have food-related issues with c.diff; for others it makes no difference, although avoiding wheat and lactose may be beneficial.

On balance, Vanco is the best med we have, and for acute phases of the infection. But, Xifaxan can do good work, and some have had great recoveries from it. The "Xifaxan chaser" is a new approach, and the link is posted several times on site. Also, Xifaxan covers base on a few GI conditions, diverticulitis for one, other bacterial overgrowths too, maybe although these are still early days in use of this med, and studies are continuing. On the down side, research is showing that c.diff can become resistant to Xifaxan, after a few weeks of treatment.

Please take good care, and keep us posted.

[Christina]

Xifaxan is used for the treatment of C-diff and other parasitic type of infections and also SIBO. I'm wondering why they are giving it to you if you say you are having IBS - D. I might double check with the Dr. about this as it seems they are still treating you for C-diff. I was on Xifaxan for 6 days and relapsed while on it. My strain ended up being resistant therefore, it only made things worse. But it does help many. The "chaser" consists of 2 weeks Vanco followed by 2 weeks of Xifaxan and also seems to help many.
I also have IBS-D following my C-diff infection and I take Despiramine for it. Although it is an antidepressant at low doses (100mg or so)it is used for pain relief and also helps to firm things up. So far, it is working very well for me. I also use Bentyl when and if I need it.

[hilldk]

Jane,
I took vanco for months on and off then I was on vanco 250 mg 3X/day for 4 weeks straight and followed with 3X/day for 14 days of Xifaxan. After the Xifaxan, I started on Questran 1X/day. I've had a couple of days where I've had to go to the restroom three times in a day, but most days it's once and that sudden urge is completely gone. No cramping at all. I have had some strange noises come from what before c-diff I thought was my stomach, but now I think it may be the gases in my colon. I do take Flora-Q once a day and twice a day I take an additional probiotic I got from the health food store--for my piece of mind.

Good luck!
Kristi

[AlexL]

Xifaxan is a derivative of rifampin but almost none of it is absorbed from the GI tract into the body, which is why most people tolerate it quite easily. One small study used it as first line to treat c.diff and showed excellent results. There is the worry of ease of developing resistance, so some docs at Loyola University in Chicago took a group of patients who'd had at least 3 relapses and treated them with Vanco for two weeks (everyone improved, but had relapsed previously once the Vanco was stopped) and then gave everyone a Xifaxan chaser--and only one person relapsed, who, though her culture showed her c.diff had become resistant to the Xifaxan, was treated with it again and was cured.

Also, Xifaxan has been studied in patients with IBS and found to improve symptoms in some folks who have the more "diarrhea" type variety. The theory (as of yet unproven) is that some folks with IBS have small bowel bacterial overgrowth which Xifaxan treats, so it's not such a stretch to try it in folks who have IBS, whether primary or post-infectious. Overall, a good drug to try for c.diff. Good luck with it!