New drug for IBS

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Andi
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New drug for IBS

Post by Andi »

Hi. I just saw on the news that there is a new drug doctors are using for IBS called Rifaximin. It has been found to be highly effective in treating "travellers diarrhea". It is an antibiotic but since it is absorbed in the gut it has very little if any side effects and does not cause antibiotic resistance. I was just reading about it online after I saw the news story. Does anyone know if this could work for MC, or has anyone tried it or heard about it?
Thanks for the birthday wishes yesterday, i just saw the posts a few minutes ago!
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Andi
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Post by Andi »

Ignore my last post, it was stupid of me to post about the drug. It works on travellers diarrhea and IBS because they are caused by bacteria. MC diarhhea is not caused by bacteria so i am guessing it would not work. I got too excited when I saw it on the news and did not fully think it out. I was trying to be too hopeful that there was a miracle drug that could really help with no side effects.
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tex
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Post by tex »

Andi,

Actually, it's not impossible that it could work, because many of us have found by personal experience that the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin will stop the D associated with MC every time. In fact, the entire family of fluoroquinolones tend to work for MC. Unfortunately, though, the D begins again, a few days after the treatment is stopped, and they can't be used for long-term treatment, because of the risk of tendinitis, and torn ligaments.

Rifaximin does sound promising for MC, but unfortunately, several members have tried it, without any significant benefit. In fact, Wayne, (wkm62), has tried it twice, without success.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Andi
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Post by Andi »

Thanks for the reply Tex, it may be worth checking out.
I just read your post about your emergency room visit last week and I hope you are feeling better. I will agree with everyone that you are very much needed on this forum. I am sorry you have had so many bad things happen lately.
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tex
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Post by tex »

I appreciate the support. Actually, I never had any pain, just numbness, so it wasn't so bad, except for the anxiety of not knowing where it might lead. I'm having to take a lot of drugs now, since they classified me as a high stroke risk, and some of those aren't much fun, but other than that, I feel fine.

Thanks for the kind words,
Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Post by Pat »

Actually, I think one of the members did have significant help with it. Was it Mike? He had the picture of the little boy "If Mikey likes it". Remember?

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tex
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Post by tex »

Pat,

Yes, I forgot about Mike, (mle_ii). He tried rifaximin at least twice, and posted about it, (both times), in this long, running thread:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... =rifaximin

I guess it's best for everyone to make their own assessment of whether or not rifaximin actually resolved his issues, because when I read that thread, I can't decide if taking the drug was actually beneficial for his long-term treatment, or not. Like most people, he says that it seems to have helped, (right after taking the treatment), but in the long-run, he seems to have the same old recurring issues. :shrug:

He preceded the rifaximin with neomycin, also. I sometimes wonder if the key to successful antibiotic treatments such as this might lie in a judicious choice of the right probiotics, to use in a followup probiotic regimen. The problem is, there doesn't seem to be any such thing as a probiotic treatment that works for everyone. It seems to be a very individualized issue.

Thanks for remembering this, and mentioning it.

Tex
:cowboy:

It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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