Generic Name: Rifaximin
Brand Name: Xifaxan
I've tried (what feels like) every medication in the book for my IBS-D. I was very weary that this would work for me. It was a very expensive experiment for my IBS issues but surprisingly it worked! The first two weeks (while taking the medication) i didn't know much of a difference but I stuck it out because of the price and had nothing to lose. Going into week 3, after I had finished all my pills, I wasn't very hopeful but by the end of week 3 I noticed a HUGE difference. I was finally able to leave the house and carry on like I haven't been able to in over a decade! It has been 5 months of bliss! Unfortunately, I'm 6 months in and my stomach issues have returned. I'm again scared to leave the house due to my IBS-D. I have an appointment soon to ask for more Xifaxan. I really gave me my life back for a short while.
From the first pill, I became tired, confused, nauseated, still had pain in my right side. I went to the pharmacy to pick up the drug. I don’t know how many my Gastro ordered but it was $732.00! The Coupon he gave me was useless because I’m on a Medicare Advantage plan. He gave samples for a 7 day trial. So at least I didn’t pay for it. Iwas on the couch for a week! No one warned me that I could have such a negative experience!
I feel a lot worse on this medication.I just got diagnosed with SIBO but it is giving me awful diarrhea and my nausea is so severe with this stuff..it might be getting rid of the bacteria but it just doesn’t seem to be doing the job…
I am a caregiver for my mother with end stage liver disease due to opioid abuse. We are in early days with this drug but I am hopeful. Lactulose has had her a prisoner in the house. My sister (her prior caretaker) was not able to get this for her due to cost. I am writing because I found a way to get it. Mom is on Medicare and has state co-insurance. I called her insurance company and inquired about coverage bc Walgreens let me know this was not covered. Turns out I needed to call an approved specialty pharmacy. Once I did that and transferred the prescription to them, we got it with $0 copay. Will write in again in a few weeks on her progress.
This drug gave long term extreme urgency to go without much warning which I didn’t have before taking it. Also increased # times to go per day. After getting these symptoms I researched the studies of this drug. This is a broad spectrum antibiotic that kills good and bad microbes indiscriminately in the gut. Clinical studies show minimal short term benefits for IBD. Practically zero actually fir really mild symptoms and tiny improvement. The tendency for this drug is to decrease diversity of your microbiome which in general is less good Almost all the numerous studies and reviews post FDA approval are written by people funded by Salix. A few studies by non funded clinicians found no benefit. Studies are short term for the most part. This drug did much more damage to my gut than what I had to begin with. I say be very careful. The benefits are minimal but even if risk for permanently altering your gut in a bad way may be low it is not worth the risk in my opinion fir the tiny short term benefit. Read the studies yourself before taking.
I have IBSD and have great difficulty going out without taking Imodium first. I am 1/2 way into taking Xifaxan for 10 days. I believe I have less bloating and cramping but am still having problems eating certain foods. I have a week to go and am hoping it will be the miracle drug I’ve been reading about!
My husband just started on this medication. We got it through a Canadian pharmacy for a lot less than with "insurance" or any discount cards.
I have been on Xifanan for 6 years and now unemployed and on COBRA. Has anyone found a way to get this medicine cheaper than $2,000.00? My insurance has a high deductible and Patient Assistance Program doesn't help. The deductible doesn't mean anything with a Tier 5 drug.
I suffered from bloating for more than 20 years off and on and also heartburn, constipation, bad breath, nasty farts, you name it. XIFAXAN with fiber and probiotic cured, as a result, my appetite increased. All symptoms disappeared
I have sibo/constipation. My GI thought I should try Linzess, after 5 days of it, I've had 1 1/2 months of constant round the clock diarrhea. Got a prescription of Xifaxan, no change. i eaten i box of Imodium and one of Pepto Bismol right along with this drug with no results. $660 down the toilet, literally.
After slowly getting worse for years, my IBS cleared after a few days of the 14 day treatment. My doctor recommended a Canadian pharmacy to get around price gouging in the U.S.
This drug saved my life as I developed high ammonia levels from Depakote ER which can induce hepatic encephalopathy. Insurance pays 100% for this $2,000.00 for 90 pills.
Taking this medication for IBs and hepatic encephalopathy due to taking Depakote for bi-polar depression been off the depakote this medication has saved my life. insurance pays 100 percent of this $2,000 for a 30 day supply
I've had worsening IBS-D for several years. My doctor prescribed Xifaxin this spring and it seemed to help for a bit but my symptoms returned. I was told it may take several rounds to be effective. My second round was prescribed after I went on Medicare and my "coverage" would cost me almost $800. Nope. Instead, my doctors office collected samples from their drug rep - I needed 42 pills at 3 per day for 14 days. I finished the pills several weeks ago and have remained symptom-free ever since! I am absolutely thrilled by how effective this medication has been for me and hope it lasts quite a while.
A real miracle. 40 years of diarrhea every day and a little over halfway through the first treatment it was gone. First time in 40 years I feel normal, able to do things spontaneously. I have taken four rounds over about a 2.5 year period. For me it seems to last between 6-9 months before another treatment is needed. The cost of the drug is extreme.
I was prescribed xifaxin for sibo. My doctor advised me to order the generic from Canada as my insurance would not cover it. It is much cheaper. So far, this has worked well but I have had side effects of fatigue.
Salix Pharmaceuticals has successfully resisted the sale of a generic form of rifaxamin by adding a condition for which it can be treated. It's approximate monthly cost is $2500 which leaves me with a copayment of almost $500.00, which for now is covered through a copay waiver through Salix, but I will become ineligible for that once I am on Medicare in 3 months. Once I am unable to pay for this medication, I will experience diminished brain function within a week.
Miracle drug for SIBO relief. Feel like a different person.
Got my colitis much worse. More bleeding, diarrhea, headache, tiredness. I feel 100% worst after taking it for a week. Stop the medication, doctors order.
Amazing! Something that works, simply amazing! My overall health issues include: migraines with aura, probable ME/CFS (there's no test for it, yet!!), Celiac disease, and lifelong IBS that varies from C to D. I've been on the low FODMAP diet, and learned that the use of the word 'diverticulitis' as it's used today also fits my condition. I have no polyps, but my intestinal motility is odd to say the least, probably functional issue with motility, but they failed to show anything with multiple tests. Other drugs that help: Dicyclomine helps if I take it at night. It calms the spasticity and then when it wears off in the morning, I can normally have a BM without a problem. However, I was obviously having an overgrowth issue because whenever I have such a thing, I start to ache, I get a migraine upon waking up, and I get general brain fog. Also my circadian cycle reversed, so it was hard for dicyclomine to actually help me anymore. So, within two days of taking this drug (xifaxan), I could sleep without waking up in agony, my circadian cycle is normalizing already, and the only negative side effect so far is a bit of extra tiredness. But of course that's normal because I wasn't able to sleep before. Not really resting. So now I can rest and am confident it will help more. I'm so grateful that something works!
