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Read moreDrinking alcohol with Xifaxan should be considered carefully. If you are taking Xifaxan it means you have an infection that needs treating because your immune system is weak. Since drinking alcohol can lower your body’s immune system you risk prolonging the time it takes for your body to repair. Read on to find out how Xifaxan works and why it may be beneficial to not drink whilst taking the drug.
Xifaxan belongs to a class of drugs called antibiotics that targets bacterial infection in the intestines by disrupting its growth. It is manufactured by Salix Pharmaceuticals and contains the active ingredient rifaximin (derived from rifamycin). Xifaxan is a prescription medicine that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA ) to treat the symptoms of traveler’s diarrhea, hepatic encephalopathy, and irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D).
Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose. Take your next dose as usual. If you are not sure what to do after missing a dose, contact your healthcare provider.
The most common side effects of rifaximin include:
Always consult a healthcare professional for medical advice if more serious side effects occur such as severe stomach pain along with watery or bloody diarrhea, or an allergic reaction to the drug causing hives on the skin.
Get your Xifaxan medication for only $49 per month
Get StartedYes but pharmacists and healthcare professionals advise against it. A retrospective study by The American College of Gastroenterology showed an association between moderate alcohol consumption and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Just one drink per day for women and two for men is linked to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth leading to gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea. This highlights that consuming even the slightest amount of alcohol could have an impact on your gut health.
Therefore drinking alcohol will impact negativity on the conditions Xifaxan is used to treat, particularly IBS-D and traveler’s diarrhea. Patients with cirrhosis i.e. liver disease are predisposed to intestinal bacterial overgrowth meaning patients with hepatic encephalopathy need to think carefully before drinking alcohol.
It’s easy to get Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) confused with many other gastrointestinal disorders, including co...
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