Rifaximin and Gas: What Users Say

• Thu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 3, 2020

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "I had terrible nausea all the time that was worse about 2 hrs after eating, my stomach would swell up with gas, I was belching but could not throw up, retaining water and terrible gas pain below my sternum. I have heart issues requiring water pills and blood pressure meds. I was stopping taking meds because of nausea and watery and gassy diarrhea, thought it was the end of me. Took all tests which were normal, probiotics made it worse. Finally convinced my Dr to try Xifaxan because read about SIBO on internet. The first 14-day course gave me 80% relief and felt much better, after 3.5 months symptoms came back so had another 14-day prescription. Felt good, now it’s been 3.5 months and symptoms are coming back. Is this possible? Can you stay on Xifaxan long term with 3-4 month intervals? My Dr is unavailable because of COVID virus. Any advice please... thanks"

• Anonymous
• February 9, 2010

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "I absolutely am amazed by Xifaxan. After suffering from IBS symptoms for years (you know, wake up with a flat stomach, go to bed looking 7 months pregnant, in addition to painful cramps, horrid gas, etc.), the Xifaxan eliminated my symptoms in a matter of days. My bad flatulence disappeared. Bloating gone. Lost a few pounds to boot. Unfortunately, after two rounds in Sept-Oct, my symptoms were back in December. If I could, I would take Xifaxan every day. Insurance is not cooperative. After 24 hours on this latest round, my bloating is well diminished and my low back pain is better (maybe because when IBS symptoms aren't bad, I can more easily contract my abdominals)."

• Suf...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2019

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "I took a two-week course of Xifaxan for IBS-D and suspected SIBO. I had side effects the first two days and then tolerated it well; however, it did nothing for my IBS symptoms. The real trouble started the day after I stopped taking Xifaxan. I now have severe abdominal pain, bloating, and gas and can hardly eat anything. This has also resulted in my doctor ordering blood tests and an abdominal CT because there is no information about the adverse effects of Xifaxan, and he feels the need to rule out other things. I’m happy for those people who have had success with this drug, but I’m not one of them. Completely miserable; much worse than before the drug!"

• vnl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 7, 2016

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "I used the 14-day dosage...for those 14 days, I suffered extreme gas & bloating with gas pains from my rectum into my shoulders. I was absolutely miserable but carried through, completing the prescription...for the next month or so, I continued to suffer with the extreme gas and pains, which gradually subsided. I suffered with occasional diarrhea, but rare and some constipation, until it all settled down. I have now been 2+ months with normally formed bowel movements. I do rarely have some urgency but the stools are formed, not liquid. This medication has been life-changing for me...I can now sit and enjoy a meal with friends and family without constantly having on my mind that I am, at any point, going to need to rush to the bathroom."

• vnl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 7, 2016

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "I used the 14-day dosage...for those 14 days, I suffered extreme gas & bloating with gas pains from my rectum into my shoulders. I was absolutely miserable but carried through, completing the prescription...for the next month or so, I continued to suffer with the extreme gas and pains, which gradually subsided. I suffered with occasional diarrhea, but rare and some constipation, until it all settled down. I have now been 2+ months with normally formed bowel movements. I do rarely have some urgency but the stools are formed, not liquid. This medication has been life-changing for me...I can now sit and enjoy a meal with friends and family without constantly having on my mind that I am, at any point, going to need to rush to the bathroom."

• Sic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 22, 2016

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "It started to work during the two weeks I was on it. I was still going to the bathroom, but it wasn't that awful urgent, you better go now or have an accident. Those two weeks were much better. However, once it was over, I have been worse than I was even before the medicine. Now I have severe stomach pain, foul-smelling gas and stool, I'm very bloated, and when I get the feeling I need the bathroom, I need to find one fast because it WILL come out no matter if I'm in the bathroom or not. I really had very high hopes that this would be just what I needed to help. I've had IBS-D all my life, but it was diagnosed years ago when I was 16."

• KKa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 2, 2018

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "I was prescribed this drug for SIBO! I was bloating and have gas issues to the extreme prior to Xifaxan. The gas is gone, but I now look 10 months pregnant (overdue). I seriously feel I am at week 42 in pregnancy with a 10 lb baby. Severe bloating and extreme water retention when on Xifaxan! Feel awful, although the gas has definitely decreased."

• She...
• January 31, 2016

For Irritable Bowel Syndrome "I was diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), predominately methane gas producing (constipation/bloat mostly). This means a lot of archaea (not a bacteria, so Xifaxin doesn't treat it, but I was still advised to take Xifaxin, 550, 3x/day, 14 days). My bloating and flatulence got progressively worse, tolerable but worse. I kept SIBO active by eating plenty of healthy carbs as advised. I'm on day 10 and feel no different. I expected to have more energy by now. Folks with diarrhea seem to have better/immediate results; makes sense since Xifaxin targets the bacteria that causes diarrhea. To try to kill off the archaea, I'm taking my own course of natural antibiotics now overlapping with Xifaxin (allicin, berberine, neem). I have leaky gut bad; SIBO has got to go."

• Spa...
• October 23, 2019

For Irritable Bowel Syndrome "GI doctor prescribed rifaximin for my IBS. He made it sound like this is a miracle drug with no side effects. I was supposed to take it 3x a day for two weeks. The side effects started the very first day on the medication. For some reason, it made my bloating much worse! The bloating was painful and caused back pain with difficulty sleeping. I normally have a lot of gas and all of a sudden stopped being able to pass any. Eating any food caused increased stomach pain. I also started getting headaches with fatigue. I was willing to put up with the headaches and fatigue, but the increased amount of bloating and stomach pain made it too difficult to stay on the medication. I only lasted 3 days on the medication and had to stop. I checked with the pharmacist, and she didn't understand why my doctor said Xifaxan was a completely safe medication because it can cause side effects. The GI doctor had no other suggestions to help me, so I'm back to living with constant IBS."

• Jud...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 29, 2020

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "Was prescribed Xifaxan for 2 weeks for bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. It did help but didn't fully get rid of symptoms. I had sickness after eating, gas, stomach pain, etc. Was an improvement, though. I do have insurance, and the pharmacy had to use one coupon at a time, 2 pills per prescription. It was a pain, but I paid 50 dollars total."

• Pau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 21, 2022

For Irritable Bowel Syndrome "Keeping in mind my GI told me the digestive system is not completely understood, and there is a lot of guesswork. Drugs seemed to work for me. Four years ago, I had extreme bloating and gas pains after eating meatloaf. Two weeks on Rifaximin, and I was back to normal. I was taking the 550. Actually, within three days, I was 80% better. Just had Spanish food a month ago, December 2021. My GF got sick but was fine in 48 hours. I have been sick for a month! My GI explained food poisoning can actually damage the nerves in your intestines and throw the entire system off for months after the infection has left the body. I'm taking 200 mg a day times three. Seven days in, I feel much better, not all the way yet, will take for another week. A low FODMAP diet helps."

• Its...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 30, 2022

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "Had been suffering from crazy bloating and belching/gas within 30-90 minutes after eating for months. Chest would get tight, bad enough that it gave me an anxiety attack or two. Heartburn from the gas riding up the esophagus. I've always loved eating but was starting to not want to eat meals because of the constant discomfort. Saw a new GI doctor who suspected SIBO and prescribed Xifaxan. The first couple of days were a bit rough in the bowels; there was definitely something going on. After that, side effects went down to minimal, and eating started getting easier again! Still finishing the prescription, but this is the most hopeful I've felt in a while. It really seems to work!"

• Joh...
• June 29, 2017

For Irritable Bowel Syndrome "I have had severe gas, bloating, and flatulence ever since I was treated for heartburn, turned out I had hiatus hernia and Barrett's esophagus. When I went back to the doctor, he was all about IBS. Gave me rifaximin for 14 days, didn't help me at all, made things worse. Went to another one after a few months, gave me more for 14 days, made things even worse. Now I have so much gas that I can barely get out of the house. Read online and tried rifaximin with metronidazole, and things are as bad as it can get. I simply suggest not to take this medicine, better to try the right diet and naturopathy instead of taking this and making things worse."

• Joh...
• June 29, 2017

For Irritable Bowel Syndrome "I have had severe gas, bloating, and flatulence ever since I was treated for heartburn, turned out I had hiatus hernia and Barrett's esophagus. When I went back to the doctor, he was all about IBS. Gave me rifaximin for 14 days, didn't help me at all, made things worse. Went to another one after a few months, gave me more for 14 days, made things even worse. Now I have so much gas that I can barely get out of the house. Read online and tried rifaximin with metronidazole, and things are as bad as it can get. I simply suggest not to take this medicine, better to try the right diet and naturopathy instead of taking this and making things worse."

• rot...
• January 8, 2023

For Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "I am actually taking this for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). First time I took it, didn't work because I had methane (bad gas). Then I took it with neomycin, and together it did wonders for me. Now, a year later, SIBO is back but it's hydrogen gas. This helped the first few days, then I had pasta and alcohol, and I've been suffering for 3 days. Need to stick with a low FODMAP diet on this. I'm not impressed at all. With neomycin, I could eat all foods with minimal reaction. Now I'm not sure it's working."

• Joe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2018

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "Started to take this 2 days ago. I have IBS-C for years but has been getting worse. Bloating, gas, foggy brain, no energy, especially in mornings, mild depression, insomnia from gas pains at night. So far, nothing. FODMAP diet helps along with exercise, probiotics, and occasional Metamucil. Won't rate till done with script."

• car...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 11, 2024

Rifaximin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea "I have IBS-D, this works, but only while using it. As soon as I complete 2 weeks of 3x daily pills, I revert back to IBS-D within 3 days. It also works for me at 1 each 550 mg pill a day. The final allowed dose my doctor agreed to try is 1 pill a day for longer relief, it worked. As soon as I stop, my bowels revert back to diarrhea and gas. Why can't it be prescribed as a daily pill? My doctor agrees I should take 1 pill daily. My insurance will only cover 3 two-week treatments a year. My doctor prescribed a 4th treatment, insurance denied."

• Roc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 12, 2020

For Irritable Bowel Syndrome "Didn't do anything for my irritable bowel syndrome. I still continue to have abdominal cramping and gas even after taking this rifaximin antibiotic for two weeks."