How long was your first antibiotic treatment? SIBO is often treated with a three-month course of antibiotic. I used doxycycline, and managed to get through a bit over two months before the bellyache side-effect caused me to declare success. If undertreatment (too short a course of medication) is the reason you’re having a recurrence then there’s no reason to fear a life-long affliction. A low FODMAPs diet should be perfectly okay forever, if that’s what you choose. Whether it will be the thing that prevents SIBO from recurring is a tougher question.

Good luck!

Scott,

My treatment was in Late August into September. I started having symptoms again late January of this year. It was last week that the symptoms got to be too much to handle. I have to wait for insurance to decide if they are covering the expensive medication. I hadn't tried a low FODMAP diet but am willing to start now.

Thanks.

The expensive medication must be Xifaxan (rifaximin). It’s really not the only antibiotic that can help, but it sure is the most expensive one. Even Xifaxan is sometimes stopped too soon. If the insurance company turns you down for Xifaxan you can ask your doctor about other choices.

my DH has SIBO from time to time.  His GI is sending him to Penn State where there is a doctor who specializes in SIBO.