Rifaximin
About Rifaximin
The medicine Rifaximin is a gut-specific antibiotic designed to treat traveller's diarrhoea and irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (IBS-D) in adults. It is also prescribed to reduce the risk of brain function decline, known as hepatic encephalopathy, in people living with liver failure. By targeting harmful bacteria directly in the digestive tract, it helps restore comfort and digestive balance.
To achieve the best results, you must take Rifaximin consistently at evenly spaced intervals for the entire duration prescribed by your doctor. You can take this tablet with or without food, making it easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Pairing this treatment with a high-fibre diet, adequate hydration, and stress-management techniques can significantly improve your overall digestive recovery.
While this medicine is generally well-tolerated, some people may experience mild side effects such as nausea, headaches, or dizziness. However, if you develop severe, watery diarrhoea, persistent stomach pain, or a high fever, you should contact your doctor right away. These symptoms can be signs of a more serious gut infection that requires immediate medical attention.
Talk to your doctor before starting this medicine if you have severe liver damage or if your diarrhoea is accompanied by blood or a high fever. Do not take this if you have a known allergy to this medication or other similar antibiotics. Your healthcare provider will help determine if this treatment is safe for your specific health profile.
It is important to discuss all other medications you are taking with your healthcare provider, as some drugs can alter how much of this medicine is absorbed into your body. Additionally, consult your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, breastfeeding, or are an elderly individual to ensure the safest treatment approach.
Uses of Rifaximin
• Diarrhea in Travelers: Rifaximin is frequently used to treat patients' diarrhea brought on by non-invasive strains of Escherichia coli when they are visiting places with contaminated food or water.
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): By treating intestinal bacterial overgrowth, Rifaximin can help reduce IBS symptoms, especially those with diarrhoea as the predominant symptom.
• Simple Infections: Rifaximin works well for treating simple gastrointestinal infections that might not be improving with other antibiotics.
• Complications Associated with Liver Disease: By reducing the amount of ammonia-producing bacteria in the gut, this medication helps treat hepatic encephalopathy. This condition can develop in people with liver disease.
Medicinal Benefits
Rifaximin provides targeted support for intestinal conditions by acting directly within the digestive tract while minimising effects on the rest of the body. By helping control harmful bacteria and supporting digestive and liver-related health, this medicine offers several key benefits:
- Acts Locally with Minimal Systemic Absorption: Rifaximin works primarily within the digestive tract, with very little of the medicine entering the bloodstream. This targeted action helps treat the affected area while reducing the likelihood of body-wide side effects associated with some other antibiotics.
- Helps Relieve Digestive Discomfort: By reducing harmful bacterial activity in the intestines, this medicine can help ease symptoms such as stomach cramps, bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort. Relief from these symptoms can improve daily comfort and support a return to normal activities.
- Supports Mental Clarity in Liver-Related Conditions: For people with certain advanced liver conditions, Rifaximin helps reduce the build-up of toxins that can affect brain function. This may help improve mental alertness, concentration, and day-to-day functioning while reducing episodes of confusion and forgetfulness.
Directions for Use
- Take the tablet by mouth, with or without food.
- Swallow the tablet whole with a full glass of water. Do not crush, chew, or break it.
- Take this medicine at evenly spaced intervals to maintain a consistent level in your gut.
- Complete the entire course prescribed by your doctor, even if your symptoms clear up after a few days. Stopping too early may allow the infection or symptoms to return.
- Always follow your doctor's exact instructions regarding how often and how long to take this medication.
Storage
Side Effects of Rifaximin
Common Side Effects (Usually mild):
- Nausea or upset stomach
- Dizziness or tiredness
- Headache
- Mild bloating or gas
Serious Side Effects (Call a doctor right away):
- Severe, watery diarrhea (with or without stomach cramps and fever)
- Signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, severe dizziness, or trouble breathing
- Blood or mucus in your stool
- New or worsening joint pain
Medicines Containing this Salt
View All
Drug Warnings
- Check the tablet blister pack or bottle before use; do not take the medication if the packaging is damaged or if the tablets look discoloured.
- Finish the full course of therapy even if you feel completely better within 24 to 48 hours.
- Watch out for signs of severe gut infection, which can occur up to several months after stopping antibiotic treatment; contact your doctor immediately if you develop severe watery diarrhoea or abdominal pain.
- Do not share this medicine with anyone else, even if they have similar symptoms, as it is specific to your diagnosed condition.
- If your symptoms do not improve or if they worsen after completing the prescribed duration, consult your healthcare provider.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions
P-gp Inhibitors (such as cyclosporine): May increase the absorption of Rifaximin into your bloodstream, potentially increasing the risk of side effects.
Oral Blood Thinners (such as warfarin): May alter your blood-clotting times. Your doctor may need to monitor your blood tests more closely.
Drug-Disease Interactions
- Severe Liver Damage: If you have severe liver failure, more of this drug may enter your bloodstream, requiring closer monitoring by your doctor.
- Invasive Bacterial Infections (such as Salmonella or Shigella infections): This medicine is not effective for infections that cause high fevers or bloody stools. Using it for these conditions may delay proper treatment.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
consult your doctorPlease consult your doctor as it is not known whether alcohol affects the working of Rifaximin. However, you are advised to limit or avoid alcohol consumption to prevent unpleasant side-effects.
Pregnancy
unsafeIt is not recommended to take Rifaximin while you are pregnant. Please consult your doctor if you have any concerns regarding this, your doctor will decide whether Rifaximin can be given to pregnant women or not.
Breast Feeding
consult your doctorPlease consult your doctor if you have any concerns regarding this, your doctor will decide whether Rifaximin can be given to breastfeeding mothers or not.
Driving
safe if prescribedRifaximin does not affect your ability to drive. However, do not drive or operate heavy machinery if you feel dizzy.
Liver
consult your doctorPlease consult your doctor if you have any concerns regarding this or if you have liver disease before taking Rifaximin.
Kidney
consult your doctorPlease consult your doctor if you have any concerns regarding this or if you have kidney disease before taking Rifaximin.
Children
unsafeRifaximin is not recommended for children as the efficacy and safety have not been established.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids such as water, clear broths, or electrolyte solutions to replace fluids lost from diarrhoea.
- Follow a Low-FODMAP Diet: If you are taking this for IBS-D, limiting foods high in fermentable carbohydrates (like beans, onions, garlic, and certain dairy products) can help reduce bloating and gas.
- Avoid Gut Irritants: Steer clear of caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, and high-fat meals, which can worsen diarrhoea and stomach upset.
- Manage Protein Intake: If you are taking this for liver-related brain issues, work with a dietitian to ensure you are consuming the right amount of high-quality protein without overloading your liver.
- Practice Good Hygiene: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before meals to prevent reinfection with gut bacteria.
Special Advise
- Prolonged intake of Rifaximin may cause diarrhoea caused by an overgrowth of bacteria known as C. difficile. This can cause mild to severe diarrhoea to life-threatening colitis (colon inflammation).
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Traveller’s diarrhoea: It is an intestinal infection in which there is the passage of unformed stools due to eating or drinking contaminated food or water while travelling. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, bloating, fever, gas, loss of appetite, and the urgent need to poop.
Hepatic/liver encephalopathy: It is a decrease in brain function due to liver disease. The liver cannot remove toxins from the body adequately, which results in a buildup of toxins in the blood, thereby leads to brain damage. Symptoms include confusion, forgetfulness, difficulty thinking, low concentration, personality changes, and problems with small hand movements.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): It is a condition which affects the large intestine. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramps, gas, constipation, and diarrhoea.
FAQs
Rifaximin is used to treat infectious traveller's diarrhoea caused by E.coli bacteria, hepatic encephalopathy (decreased brain function due to liver disease) and irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (IBS-D).
Rifaximin is bactericidal in nature and works by killing the harmful bacteria that cause infections in the gut or intestine like E coli bacteria. Thereby, helps in treating/preventing the spread of infections and diarrhoea with abdominal pain.
No. Do not stop taking Rifaximin before completing the full prescribed course, even if your symptoms improve or your diarrhoea stops. Stopping treatment early may allow the infection or symptoms to return and may contribute to antibiotic resistance. Consult your doctor before stopping treatment.
Do not take Rifaximin on your own as self-medication may lead to antibiotic-resistance in which antibiotics fail to act against specific bacterial infections. Take Rifaximin only if prescribed by a doctor.
Rifaximin may affect blood tests and liver function tests with increased liver enzymes. Inform the person or doctor before performing the tests that you are taking Rifaximin.
For treating traveller's diarrhoea, Rifaximin is generally prescribed for 3 days. For irritable bowel syndrome, Rifaximin is prescribed for 14 days. However, it is better to take Rifaximin only as prescribed by your doctor.
No, Rifaximin may affect the activity and working of warfarin when taken together. So tell your doctor before using Rifaximin that you are taking a blood thinner (warfarin). Your doctor might adjust the dose of warfarin to maintain the proper blood-thinning effect and prevent drug interaction.
No. Rifaximin is effective only against certain bacterial causes of diarrhoea, including traveller's diarrhoea caused by non-invasive E. coli. It is not effective for viral diarrhoea or diarrhoea associated with fever, bloody stools, or invasive bacterial infections. Consult your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Take Rifaximin exactly as prescribed by the doctor. Take it at the same time daily as it will help you to remember taking the medication.
Rifaximin contains Rifaximin used to treat infectious traveller’s diarrhoea, hepatic encephalopathy (decrease in brain function due to liver disease) and irritable bowel syndrome.
Side effects of Rifaximin include headache, peripheral oedema (leg swelling), nausea, dizziness, fatigue, ascites (excess fluid build-up in the abdomen), increased liver enzymes (ALT), and nausea. Talk to your doctor if you experience these side effects persistently.
Rifaximin is an antimycobacterial which works by killing the bacteria that cause infection.
Rifaximin can be taken with or without food.
Rifaximin decreases the symptoms in case of liver disease by killing harmful bacteria in the gut. Thereby it helps lower the possibility of toxins.
Weight gain is not a known side effect of Rifaximin. If you notice rapid weight gain or swelling of your hands, legs, or abdomen, particularly if you have liver disease, contact your doctor as this may be related to your underlying condition rather than the medication.
Yes, this medicine is commonly prescribed to patients with liver disease to prevent brain complications. However, because liver function affects how your body processes medicines, your doctor must monitor your health closely during treatment. Talk to your doctor about your liver health before starting.
Since this antibiotic acts locally in your digestive tract and is barely absorbed into the rest of your body, it is much less likely to cause a yeast infection compared to standard antibiotics. However, if you develop unusual vaginal itching or discharge, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
While this medicine has low absorption, some drugs can interact with it and change its levels in your body. Always provide your doctor with a complete list of all prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, and herbal supplements you are taking. Talk to your doctor before starting any new medications.
It is highly recommended to avoid alcohol while taking this medicine. Alcohol can irritate your stomach, worsen diarrhoea, and put extra stress on your liver, which can be dangerous if you have a pre-existing liver condition. Talk to your doctor for more safety advice.
This medicine should only be used during pregnancy if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the developing baby. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor to explore the safest options for you.
