SIBO Success and What Worked for Me
The first thing about SIBO is that you need to start with eradicating the bacterial overgrowth first and foremost. If this is not done, then everything else will be a waste. Rifaximin with neomycin for two weeks is the standard protocol for methane SIBO.
I also have great success with berberine complex and allicin antimicrobial supplements. I took them for a minimum of 4 weeks, 2-3x daily on an empty stomach. It’s a slower process, but it hasn’t failed me. I also use NAC supplement on an empty stomach when I first wake up and before bed. This will help get rid of biofilms and make it easier to get rid of the bacteria.
After getting rid of SIBO you can then focus on the healing process. Most people will relapse and must go through the protocol numerous times. I treated myself for SIBO about 10 times over several years. Each time got a little better. Also, keep in mind that a lot of people that have SIBO, have an underlying condition that is allowing them to get bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. The root cause ultimately needs to be found and this is the hardest and most frustrating part, but you don’t have to suffer while you search for it.
What I believe is happening to your body is chronic inflammation in the digestive tract. This eventually destroys your guts cell walls and good bacteria. Food is the culprit and you need to find a diet with easy to digest foods that don’t set off symptoms. For me I ate scrambled eggs, grilled chicken, green beans, avocados, ground turkey patties. Eat whole food and nothing that is processed or GMO. Drink water only, no caffeine. It’s a tough diet, but it kept me functional even with SIBO. Avoid as much carbs/sugars and allergen/inflammation triggers like gluten/diary/soy/nuts as well.
If have brain fog and joint pain like me - What I found is that this is a sign of inflammation ( I use my tongue and an indicator of my gut health. When my tongue is heavily coated with white or yellow, that is bacterial/yeast overgrowth. When my tongue has teeth indentions on the sides, my tongue is swollen and my digestive tract is inflamed) You most likely have leaky gut from SIBO and chronic inflammation. Lipopolysaccharides are toxins from bacteria that are escaping out of your digestive tract and into your entire body. My brain fog is caused by inflammation getting up into my brain. It would also make me incredibly irritable for no reason. The inflammation will mess with your brain chemicals overtime, and you will start to lose the personality that you once had. (Some people dont get leaky gut and dont have the mental side effects as bad as others)
You basically want to attack and eradicate the SIBO. Then focus on ridding your body of toxins and inflammation. Then work on healing your nervous system.
Some tips I have found to work for me:
· SSRI’s work incredibly well for me for keeping my brain fog and irritability at a minimal. I had pretty good success with Lexapro, but Prozac basically eliminated almost all of my mental side effects. SSRI’s vary GREATLY from person to person. This may or may not work for you. It was trial and error for me.
· I was always constipated. I found having a bowel movement daily (ridding toxins) kept side effects in check and I wasn’t as inflamed. I had to go to my doctor to get meds for this. I tried Linzess, but found Trulance to be a better fit for me. Everyone is going to be different.
· Drink TONS of water. You want to continually get rid of toxins in your body. SIBO would dehydrate me.
· Chew your food really well. Your digestion is already working overdrive.
· Get at least 8 hours of sleep. Your body is in overdrive and this is the time when the body repairs itself. Inflammation can interfere with sleep.
Supplements I took that seem to help
o THC/CBD at night helps with brain and body inflammation
o Fish oil at night for inflammation
o Magnesium Glycinate at night for brain inflammation (Mag. Glyc. crosses the blood brain barrier and provides support directly to the brain)
o Epsom salt baths – toxin detoxification
o Antihistamines like Zyrtec once daily
o ALA – helps cells turn glucose into energy. Also helps with oxidative stress and nerve health
o DAO Enzyme – helps break down histamine from food (High histamine in the body can cause body wide inflammation and brain fog. Excessive histamine effects gut lining, skin, nervous system, and respiratory tract.
o Molybdenum – helps break down sulfites into sulfates. If your body isn’t breaking down sulfites correctly, then excess sulfites become toxic to the body. It also helps clear SIBO gas byproducts. If you have sulfur smelling stool, you probably need this.
o Zinc-Carnosine – directly heals and rebuilds the mucosal lining of your stomach and small intestine. This helps heal leaky gut.
o Tributyrin – Synergy with Zinc-Carnosine. Tributyrin helps heal the lower small intestine and colon. Also lowers mass cell activation.
o Ginger Root at night right before sleep – helps the Migrating Motor Complex send out cleaning waves through the small intestine. This helps prevent bad bacteria from overgrowing in the small intestine
I am mostly healed and don’t get SIBO anymore. I still have inflammation sometimes, but I am active in controlling it. I can eat whatever I want now except for gluten and oats. I continue to eat very healthy, because through this journey, I learned just how poisoned our food system is. Our bodies aren’t meant to be eating all these processed foods with chemicals I have never heard of in my life.
My prediction on what happened to me:
· Took antibiotics and my body went crazy with the most bizarre and numerous side effects
· Developed SIBO that turned into leaky gut and then my whole body was affected daily. This turned my life into a living nightmare.
· Slowly eradicated the SIBO multiple times and healed my gut to a point where I have a balanced amount of good gut bacteria with leaky gut gone and a much stronger nervous system.
The root cause for me
· I think its at the metabolic level with detoxification pathway dysfunction
· I no longer have SIBO or gut problems but the rest of my problems are inflammation, mental side effects, joint aches/inflammation, lethargy
· I can keep all the side effects in check just from a healthy diet alone though. I can eat a lot of junk food but I do have a limit. I can go a few days and be fine, but if I go too many days in a row without giving my body a break, side effects will start to arise. Its like having a bucket, except I don’t exactly know when its going to overflow and cause me side effects. If I keep a decent diet and don’t let it overflow, Im basically functioning back to normal.
· My guess is that the lack of detoxification is allowing toxins to build up throughout my body and start causing me inflammation and nerve issues that affect my Enteric nervous system, which then starts to effect and slow down my digestive system, allowing things like SIBO and leaky gut to arise. It seems to be an endless loop if not managed correctly