If you are looking for an effective medication to treat diarrhea, you might consider looking into rifaximin. Rifaximin comes from rifamycin, which is a substance created by a bacterium known as “streptomyces mediterranei”. Here is everything that you need to know about this certain drug.
How Does Rifaximin Treat Diarrhea?
Rifaximin works to treat diarrhea caused by Escherichia coli, or E. coli. The medication prevents the growth of E. coli by keeping it from producing proteins that allow it to thrive uninterrupted in the body. Rifaximin helps relieve symptoms caused by E. coli as well as treat hepatic encephalopathy, a condition of liver disease that negatively impacts the brain. Hepatic encephalopathy causes changes in personality, thinking, and behavior from the development of toxins in the mind.
Diarrhea is one of the symptoms related to IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome. Other symptoms of IBS include constipation, bloating, pain in the abdomen, and mucous in stools.
There is one brand name of Rifaximin known as Xifaxan and you can buy Rifaximin 550 mg for a fraction of the cost of Xifaxan with a prescription.
How Is Rifaximin Taken?
Rifaximin is taken in a consumable pill form. The one that the patient needs depends on the condition that he or she suffers from. The 200 mg dosage is ideal for patients that just suffer from diarrhea, and this is to be taken three times a day for three days. If you have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, you will likely need to take Rifaximin for at least 14 days. The 550 mg dosage is for hepatic encephalopathy and must be taken twice a day until the condition is gone.
Though Rifaximin can be consumed either with or without food, take it exactly as directed by your doctor.
What Are Rifaximin’s Side Effects?
By taking Rifaximin, one may experience nausea, constipation, vomiting, fatigue, headache, fever, and flatulence. However, many of these side effects are also symptoms of diarrhea, which Rifaximin is known for treating. Rifaximin can also cause allergic reactions, redness, and itching. Contact your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms severely or they do not go away a while after your medication.
Rifaximin is classified as an antibiotic, meaning that it can also neutralize good bacteria in the body. Rifaximin is known to affect normal bacteria in the colon and stimulate a type of bacteria called “clostridium difficile”. These bacteria are responsible for causing “pseudomembranous colitis”, also known as inflammation of the colon.
Though the drug can be prescribed for other uses, Rifaximin should not be used as a remedy for the flu, a cold, or another viral infection. Taking an antibiotic such as Rifaximin when it is not necessary will make it more likely to get an infection later that ignores antibiotics. Ask your doctor if you are experiencing a certain condition that you think Rifaximin can treat.
What Drugs Interfere with The Effects of Rifaximin?
Rifaximin does not interact with many drugs, as it is not absorbed into the bloodstream all that well. Neither does Rifaximin interfere with liver enzymes used to break down most prescription drugs.
Summary
Rifaximin is a prescription medication known for treating diarrhea and hepatic encephalopathy. It is also known to be minimally absorbent in the bloodstream, as it is considered a strong antibiotic. This drug works to prevent E. coli from growing in the liver, which causes pain in the abdomen and the sudden urge to defecate. Rifaximin is the generic version of Xifaxan.