[kat65]

Hi all,New to this board and hoping to find advice. I've been experiencing SIBO and have extreme constipation. The Dr. has prescribed lactulose but now that the SIBO is flaring again it's giving me amazing amounts of gas and if I don't have a movement then the gas just builds and builds and builds. I'm doing everything in my power to get rid of the SIBO - low carb diet, probiotics, yogurt, enzymes but it's the lactulose that's causing me the problems. I've been constipated due to other issues (diet, exercise and water don't work) so I need a long-term solution that I can use that will work regularly and won't bring back the SIBO.Have tried Senokot with little success... Any advice would be amazing!

 

[Kathleen M.]

Lactulose is fermentable, can you try miralax that is not fermentable but is another osmotic laxative?

 

[UrbanUrbane]

I don't have a suggestion for an alternative but I wonder how much lactulose you are taking? I found this study and began to do some research on lactulose. Lately it is being touted as a very effective prebiotic on many blogs and websites. The way that it is utilized by certain bacterial strains; it creates an especially acidic environment that ultimately reduces the overall bacterial population (as most colonic bacteria - now in our small intestines too - can't survive in the acidic environment.) Personally I had never had much luck with ANY prebiotic (FOS, inulin, etc.) but I started taking the lactulose in the dosage mentioned in the study (10 ml twice a day) and only had a few days of discomfort - then my stomach settled right down and I was able to take it no problem. This is very new for me - I drank kombucha for a month and never "got used to it" same with kefir; which actually brought on all kinds of new health problems for me. I can't even take D-Ribose, which my doctor asked me to take for my fatigue, because the stomach upset and bloating due to the fermentation. The lactulose hasn't cured me but I believe it is helping my symptoms. I do not want to speak for anyone else, but there is an individual in my SIBO support group who has managed to controll his diarrhea lately with the same dose of lactulose. This is counterintuitive to the purpose for which we usually use lactulose, however, there is evidence that the colon adapts to the lactulose. I don't know if this helps or not but just in case you wanted to give the lactulose another try; I wanted to share this info. I do not have constipation; my bowels are fairly normal and tend towards D rather than C; my main problems are bloating. So you may wish to ignore me!

 

[faze action]

Have you ever been prescribed antibiotics to get rid of the SIBO?

 

[baz22p]

Unfortunatly, we all react differently to different things - that is why there is not a 'one fix for all' with IBS. I can only offer my personal view, which is: I seem to put more than enough medication in my body, so I'll explore the more natural way of dealing with it........steady/moderate exercise, and plenty of fruits/foods which have the laxative effect (prunes - if you can stand them). The other thing that I find of concern is that, when 'nature' finally takes it's course, it may go into overdrive, thus meaning you'll want to stay close to a bathroom!Baz