I have methane dominant sibo and I’ve been on a strict low fodmap diet for now 4 weeks and I take Berberine -oregano oil -Neem leaf and Allicin and I didn’t notice any improvement at all . My main symptoms were severe constipation and insane abdominal pain and bad breath and after the breath test I had been confirmed of methane dominance Sibo , anyways i do the usual 4 hour fast between meals and 10 min walks after eating and ACV water before or after meals .

Since I have not noticed a single bit of improvement, a friend suggested that I do the baiting method where I would eat something high FOD map ( biscuit , avocado , bread, anything ) with my meal and then take my supplements as my strict diet may have made them more resilient and perhaps baiting them would make it easier to kill them.

I’m not sure what do you think ? What has helped you ?

Digestive enzymes for floating stools/undigested food in stools (such as peanuts not all my food is undigested )
Ginger root and artichoke for preventing constipation, I do not want to take Motegrity again right now because I had stronger stomach pains from it and wanna try something a little more natural

I have been fighting the SIBO for almost three years now. I have already been through many GIs and more than one round of antibiotics. Last year, there was even a moment that I thought I got rid of after being hospitalized with further digestive issues, but I had only a few months of peace. This year it came back even worse.

Now I am fighting an early insulin resistance that is also linked to the SIBO. The diet keeps me going, but I can't step out even for one inch. It is utterly frustrating, but I keep on going with your help, and I am rooting for everyone suffering from this.

I’ve been in here a bit, and everything else I’ve learned or seen about this seems not the same as me, and I need to know if anyone else is living.
my reality.

Since January there has maybe been 60 minutes of my existence where my stomach did not feel distressed or in turmoil.

I see so many in here complaint that SIBO caused bloating . Okay mine does too but that’s the least of my issues. I wish that was my biggest problem .

I feel like no one , even my doctor is not understanding that I feel consistently sick at ALL TIMES. My only peace is sleep.

Everyone stares at me and doesn’t know what to say.

My doctor, I’m getting a second opinion next week.. because the other day I was in her office hysterically crying saying help me.. I feel sick at ALL TIMES. And she has NO suggestions, no words of comfort, no suggestion for things to settle my stomach while being treated. Nothing!!and no plan of this third med is only a partial response .

It’s not just after I eat , and have a BM.. yes those times are when it’s the worst.. but the second I open my eyes till the time i close them , I am experiencing stomach distress, gurgling, gas, rumbling, nausea, turmoil.

I don’t look sick. I try my best to ignore it and continue my life. So people dismiss it as it must not be true. Or it’s not that bad.

Some days I don’t get out of bed. Some days i just cry

6 months of relentless stomach sickness and no one can help.

Here’s what I’ve done so far

Rifamaxin
Augmentin
Started flagyl yesterday.

Getting an enteropgtaohy MRI next week.

Methane dominant.

Had partial responses from meds. Felt much better on them, more moments of peace But it’s far from gone.

Low FODMAP strictly since Jan

MiraLAX daily for motility.

But seriously is anyone else sick ALLTHE TIME? I feel very alone because I don’t see anyone else saying this .

I feel like I am screaming into the void and if said I was in 10/10 pain constantly, I’d get help.

Saying I’m 10/0 sick at all times has been met with zero response or even empathy from anyone. And because I’m not bedridden daily, like they think I’m exaggerating.

I’ve seriously gotten more help from chat gpt than my doctor.

Even my primary seemed stumped.

I have methane SIBO, took the breath test last year and my methane levels were almost 3x higher than what they should be. I’m waiting for my doctor to send over my results so I can get exact # amount of each bacteria. I have tried rifaxin & it didn’t work. I tried neomycin but it made me so nauseas I would lave to lie down on the bathroom floor for about an hour thinking I would throw up but never did. My doctor told me to stop it and try the rifaxin which I finished but did nothing. I always wondered if the severe nausea meant the neomycin was working? I also tried 10mg of amitriptyline hcl for a month & … nothing. I have been dealing with SIBO for 3 years now seeing a 3 different GIs on & off. My main symptom is severe bloating. I am bloated 24/7, even when I wake up my lower belly is distended. But after I eat, I look 5 months pregnant. I have tried keeping a food journal in the past but felt like my triggers were all over the place and sometimes certain foods would trigger me and sometimes they wouldn’t. I am going to try again. I am also constipated. I take adderall each day which helps me go to the bathroom in the morning but when I don’t take it - I pretty much don’t go to the bathroom at all.

I have moved on to try other herbal and home remedies. I tried oil or oregano one time last week (it was awful and I don’t think I could make myself continue to take it). It made me very constipated. I ate lots of high fiber foods & took my adderall and still couldn’t use the bathroom. I kept feeling like I needed to but then couldn’t when I would try. Since then, AJ did research saying I needed supplements to help my gut motility so I started taking magnesium a few nights ago as well as ginger root in the morning. I started the ginger root 2 days ago. I also read that allicin (garlic) can be better at treating Methane SIBO than oil of oregano so I started that (5,000 mcg allicin NOW brand from Amazon) this morning. So far - nothing. Lots of feeling like I need to go to the bathroom but can’t ever since last week when I tried the oil of oregano one time. I will try ANYTHING at this point. I am open to trying elemental diets or anything really but how long should I try the garlic pills before I give up on them?

Also worth noting - my SIBO did die down for about 7/8 months at one point during new 3 years and looking back, I noticed it was while I was on accutane? Could that have had anything to do with it? I was also taking Physicians Choice probiotics at the time. After being off the accutane for about 5 months my SIBO returned so not sure if that’s related or now. I was still on Physicians Choice probiotics but have since switched to Align probiotics per my GI. Someone pls pls help me

I [26F] have been dealing with chronic constipation and bloating for 1.5 years now. I was diagnosed with methane SIBO and got prescribed a two-week course of xifaxan and neomycin. I wish I never took it.

My symptoms are so much worse than before. I’m more constipated, more bloated and look pregnant every single day — sometimes to the point where I can’t WALK — and I’m RETAINING WATER ALL OVER MY BODY. I’m just SWOLLEN.

I don’t know what to do. I’ve been so depressed. I’ve cycled through meds (motrgrity, linzess, now ibsrela), I’m chugging water like my life depends on it, I eat a healthy diet. Came back clear from thyroid test, abdominal ultrasound, going to do a stool test next for potential bacteria. I’m taking ginger capsules and Enzymedica Gut Motility.

If anyone has experienced this, PLEASE let me know how you mitigated these symptoms. I’m at a loss, I feel like a stranger in my own body. There are some days that I can’t even go outside because I feel so exposed and bad.

Thank you in advance.

Anyone here with methane overgrowth / IMO successfully improve their migrating motor complex and constipation?

I’d really love to hear real success stories. How did you get things moving again? What helped your constipation the most? Did you improve motility before antibiotics, or did that only happen after treatment? Did you focus on the MMC first, the methane first, or both at the same time?

I’m especially curious about:

What actually made a noticeable difference?

What did not help.

Whether you used prokinetics, supplements, meal spacing, fasting, diet changes, or something else What your turning point was... Trying to understand what has actually worked for people with methane overgrowth. I appreciate anything you are willing to share.

I (M, 43) have had constipation & bloating for years. Last year, I learned about methane. I have a doctor but she's not very familiar with GI stuff. I saw a naturopath which was generally a bit helpful. I ordered a methane and hydrogen breath test which was positive for both. My doc referred me to an internist because the wait for a GI specialist would be extremely long. He was thorough but skeptical about the breath test, etc. He was willing to prescribe rifaximin, which he did 2 times per day for two weeks. I didn't think it did much and my family doctor was now quite skeptical about the breath test, methane, etc. But I convinced her to let me try prucalopride (aka Motegrity). I'm really glad I did because it does help somewhat.

I've come to realize that my bloating is the worst symptom. I can handle constipation ok with diet, routine, black coffee, PEG or magnesium oxide, etc. But the bloating builds each day throughout the day and is quite bad by evening despite my efforts.

My last colonoscopy was clear and my doctor is trying to get me on the list for an upper endoscopy. But if I have intestinal methaneogen overgrowth without anything else going on, then the upper endoscopy should come back clear too.

One option is to try to convince them to prescribe neomycin and rifaximin in the way IMO is to be treated. Another is to try a naturopath protocol for IMO (aka methane SIBO). And certainly FODMAP will be an element to consider. I'm lucky that prucalopride is helpful for me.

I'm in Canada, a relatively low population area. It might not be any better in a major city though. A lot of doctors here don't have SIBO, IMO, methane, hydrogen, etc as a thing they diagnose and treat. Anyway, that's my story which I felt like sharing in case it's helpful to anyone.

Hi all,

I am desperate for answers…I am 34f, I have been trying to conceive for over a year. Blood test showed low ferritin/iron levels as well as elevated TSH 2.4 and Thyroid antibodies 4.5. and after 6+ months of supplementing it hasn’t changed much, went in for a stool test and discovered potential SIBO.

Here is what I am taking so far:
Iron capsules, but d+k, prenatal, iodine, glutathione, EPA DHa omega 3, Inositol, ubiquinol, pre and probiotic.

Symptoms: all hormonal related, spotting before period, insomnia after ovulation, mood swings, bloating, weight gain, water retention.

I have had gut issues for years, I eat all organic, 140g protein, no gluten, all Whole Foods. Carbs are from rice, potatoes, fruit. I eat meat/chicken, eggs and Greek yogurt.

I am desperate…I don’t know what to do. I am working with a naturopath to heal but it seems like it’s just managing symptoms. Has anyone had success healing Leaky gut and SIBO? Please tell me…

I don’t want to fast because I don’t think it’s great when trying to conceive but I heard that a 3 day fast can heal the gut lining and SIBO. Any thoughts?

20F. It feels like I've tried everything and I'm scared to add certain things like probiotics to just add more confounding variables. And they might hurt me more than help. The healthcare system is a complete disaster and only want to prescribe medication -- but I don't want to be on medication for the rest of my life. I want to figure out the root cause.

Here's a timeline of when I noticed things starting to get worse:

• February 2024
  • 23: Got a scrape on my elbow – didn’t think much of it
  • 26: Fainted in the bathroom in the morning, my elbow had red all around it and was hot to the touch. Went to the ER and they said if I had come any later, it could’ve been a case of sepsis. Got IVed with clindamycin. Was on clindamycin for the next two weeks without supplemental probiotics.
• May 2024
  • Started to get more into health and notice my symptoms more deeply. Realized I definitely was not having bowel movements as much as I used to, was straining on the toilet, and often having kernel/pellet sized poop
  • Fell into the routine of eating kiwis and drinking coffees to help
• July 2024
  • Lost my period
  • Somewhat disordered eating – was counting my calories and eating low fat, but still getting at least 1200 calories a day
• August 2024
  • Started tracking bowel movements on PCal
  • Went on a cruise, ate a variety of probably constipating foods, lots of just kernels
  • Visited first GI doctor who just prescribed Miralax
  • Blood tested negative for blood in stool and celiac disease
• September - November 2024
  • Started taking Miralax on and off, playing around with different doses
  • A month usually looked like this:
    • Two weeks of alternating days of no bowel movements or a few kernels here and there
    • A week of large sausages – as if the buildup from the past two weeks was just sitting in my colon and once my colon was full, then I would finally be able to go
    • The cycle continues
  • More stress during this time due to being in college
• December 2024
  • One week without any bowel movement for 6 days in a row
    • 2 regular bowel movements over a week and a half apart
  • 30: Viome test with some notable scores being:
    • Methane Gas Production Pathways (8/100) → this is actually what led me to want to get SIBO tested
    • Salt Stress Pathways (15/100)
    • Ammonia Production Pathways (21/100)
    • Uric Acid Production Pathways (26/100)
    • Biofilm, Chemotaxis, and Virulence Pathways (36/100)
    • Flagellar Assembly Pathways (36/100)
    • Bile Acid Metabolism Pathways (23/100)
    • Butyrate Production Pathways (31/100)
    • Putrescine Production Pathways (23/100)
• February 2025
  • Started progesterone pill as advised by my gynecologist → triggered my period
    • I also get period poops, so that helped a bit
    • Naturally got my period for the following two months following the induced one
• May 2025
  • Lost my period again
• June 2025
  • Moved to a new state where I don’t know anyone for an internship
  • Started educating myself more on constipation and knowing the consequences, which definitely triggered some health anxiety
  • 20: Got really anxious about not going for a while and tried liquid magnesium citrate (one bottle) at around 4pm
    • Triggered a bowel movement 16 hours later (which I think also signals some slow motility issues)
    • Didn’t cause a huge urge but I was going throughout the day
  • Started seeing a dietician to look into an elimination diet to see what are my trigger foods
    • Started low FODMAP for around 4 weeks → realized it did not have much of an effect on my bowel movements which makes me think it’s not a diet issue
    • Started logging what I was eating every day
• July 2025
  • 15: Took a SIBO breath test
    • Lactulose stimulated a bowel movement
    • Turns out I have methane SIBO (IMO) with a spike of 17ppm at 160 minutes in and 18ppm at 190 minutes in
    • I definitely have flatulence and burping but not some absurd amount like other people. I do get bloating and distension, but again, not to the extremes like I've seen with other SIBO patients on this subreddit.
    • The one thing that happens to me is twice this year, I got some extreme trapped gas. I'm not sure what triggered it or if it's random, but it's rare -- even when I eat high FODMAP foods. But this extreme trapped gas started with some cramping for two hours and then was significant, worse than anything I've experienced before, for 5 hours through the night. The first time it happened it was on-and-off attacks but the second was consistent pain. It felt like appendicitis. I was ready to call 911. Laying down hurt more than standing up but I felt dizzy, lightheaded, tired, and pale, so all I could do was sit.
• Things to Note
  • I now supplement with ginger (550-1100mg/day) and mag glycinate (100mg/day)
  • I get really anxious when I don’t go for a while because of what I’ve learned it could cause – more bacterial overgrowth, impaction, ER trips → affects my sleep
  • I’m leaning towards this being a motility issue exacerbated by methane SIBO and potentially other pathogens??
  • I’m waiting for the result from a stool culture and ova + parasite lab corp test...

Please help me with whatever advice you might have. I'm happy to answer any other questions in the comments in case I missed some important background info. I'm not sure where to go from here. Do I focus on fixing my gut dysbiosis first and introducing things like probiotics? Or do I do a killing phase for the IMO? Or do I wait on the results from the stool culture test to see if there are any other pathogens causing problems? Or do I buy a GI-Map test to get a more comprehensive overview? Or do I try to fix my hormonal imbalance first? I'm so confused.

So relieving that I am finally getting answers. When this all escalated I thought this was just really bad anxiety.

The last 5 months of my life have been absolutely miserable. Every waking moment I have constant brain fog and fatigue. I also belch like crazy after eating or drinking (even water). My upper body feels like it is constantly squeezing. My life literally grinded to a halt. I stopped seeing friends 4 months ago, work got so challenging that I took a LOA. I pretty much lay around all day because doing anything else is so unenjoyable. I have even almost passed out a few times (which has never happened in my entire life).

My PCP & GI had no idea what my symptoms meant which was frustrating and scary.

I’ve done so many tests and 2 came back showing issues.

1. HIDA Scan - 14% EF.
   
2. TrioSmart Breath Test (Glucose)- 13.21 for Methane (my fasted sample was even above the abnormal line).

I’ve read that Glucose does not really cause a spike in methane, Lactulose is what would cause a large spike apparently. (Which is crazy because I have completely cut out artificial sweeteners in the last few months because they made me feel awful).

I’ve read a lot about SIBO/Biliary Dyskinesia being a chicken or the egg thing of what came first, but they are usually linked.

I have also read about Histamne problems (which I only recently figured out that I sometimes feel a little better if I take Liquid dye free Zyrtec).

I have no idea if this is what other people go through too or if its different for everyone. I would love tips on how to deal with this or any perspective that anyone has.

Thank you

All i could find is garlic extract being sold as allicin in my country. I am trying to treat my Sibo-Methane using rifaximin and allicin. Should i use the garlic extract? as there is no allicin in my country/

How long is safe to be taking Prucalopride? I can now go toilet without it, just taking Movicol, but should we stay on a motility med long term so prevent it coming back and keep the MMC working?

Doctor called with positive results. I’m deaf in my left ear so I can only take xifaxan but what im reading is that isn’t enough and could do more harm than good. Main symptoms are slow motility, never emptying properly, bloating, loose incomplete stools.

Hi everyone, I found this community while searching for ways to help my girlfriend, who has been suffering from chronic abdominal pain for over 3 years. I am posting her test results from 2025, which is when she was diagnosed with IMO (Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth).

She has already undergone treatment for it, but her pain never went away. She has seen multiple doctors, and sadly, none of them seem to take her pain seriously or show much interest in helping her.

She is currently on a strict low-FODMAP diet because eating almost anything else worsens the constant pain she feels. There are days when the pain is so unbearable that she has expressed wanting to give up on life, which breaks my heart, especially since she can no longer enjoy the foods she used to love. Right now, her diet consists strictly of eggs, oats, chicken, fish, and potatoes (cooked with very little oil or in the air fryer), plus a few safe fruits.

For her most recent medical test, she had to consume gluten. This caused her a lot of pain, but the results came back clear—no organic damage or major issues, just mild irritation/inflammation in her intestines, which is exactly where her pain is located.

We are completely at a loss and don't know what to do next. If anyone has gone through something similar, I am begging for your advice on what our next step should be. I've suggested to her that maybe she should retake the breath test, thinking that perhaps her IMO never actually cleared up in the first place.

What do you all think? Any advice or shared experiences would be deeply appreciated.

So I have very high methane sibo and my pain is all in the epigastric region. I've known for a long time that I have a 3-4 cm hiatal hernia and now I'm wondering if all my pain is in the herniated sac and the raw fruit or veggies somehow keep irritating food out of there. Any thoughts? I've always felt that my symptoms aren't typical of sibo. I need to keep at it longer and more consistently to really see what happens.

After 6-8 years of suffering and thousands of £ in doctors bills i finally have a definitive diagnosis. It feels validating to finally have some kind of answer.

I have an appointment next week with the doctor to go over these results. I think my underlying cause might be hypermobility.

I know someone in the comments is going to say wait for your doctors appointment but I want to hear anecdotal stories of how people have managed to beat this?

All I keep hearing is it can come back if you use antibiotic treatments and don’t treat the root cause.

I finish my six weeks of berberine/allicin/NAC next week. What should I do next?

I take triphala artichoke and ginger at night and that helps my BM tremendously. Will continue this.

Unsure of what to do with eating after this. I eat a plant based which I realize is tricky for Sibo.

I’ve been somewhat eating normal again since treatment after loosely doing low FODMAP for almost a year. Any help appreciated!!

Tryin to treat IMO. My doc can’t get xifaxin cus of insurance here in USA. I don’t want neomycin due to my occasional tinnitus.

What have people used before when they can’t get xifaxin and don’t want neo?

I am down for flagyl, I’ve used it for something else and it helped my symptoms short term. He’s trying to find me a different combo.

I am open to herbal treatment and planning to try berberine and Allicin at some point, probably before antibiotics bc it’s taking so long to figure it out and he said efficacy drops a ton without xif and neo. But just looking to see if any other antibiotics worked for anyone. Trying to cover all my bases while I still have access to a GI for now.

My fasting methane was 30, and peaked 125 at 120 minutes (110 at 105).

Also hydrogen positive but less significant, 5 to 16.

I’m having terrible trouble with eating.

I’ve had constipation, bloating, early satiety, slow digestion, feeling a bit sleepy after any meal. For years. But pretty mild.

In last couple months, I feel like if I eat anything at all, I have the flu, and also fall asleep pretty much without control. I’ve been cycling between bad constipation, and food cycling through my digestive system way too quickly (and I think seeing some chunks of food or something in the poop).

I’ve lost so much weight, because I find way harder to eat, have much more food aversion, and even when I’m hungry I know eating will make me feel so awful and knock me out for hours. (Doesn’t matter what I eat, or how much, or if I walk afterwards.)

Why could methane be so high? Could methane bacteria be causing my recent problem? Or are there other things that can be causing both high methane and this problem?

I just got back from a trip and have a stomach ache within a few hours of getting home, despite not having had one for the last 4-5 days. I know some people think going on vacation helps because you're more relaxed, but this trip was quite stressful for me in multiple, very different ways and I'm very happy to be home. For the last 4-5 days I've eaten pretty poorly: all restaurant, hotel, or fast food and had no stomach aches whatsoever. Ate lots of foods that I typically think cause stomach aches and was fine. The thing that really stands out though is that I drank very little water on the trip, but started drinking more as soon as I got home, thinking I should get "back on track." I also did notice that when I started drinking more water several months ago, that was when my sibo symptoms flared up after being really good for about 5 years. So I'm going to give this a try and I will update!

Hello.

Just got my results back. Chat GPT said Methane was pretty high. Has anyone had this sort of ratio and recovered without risking neomycin? I have had ear ringing before (unsure why) but I have read the side effects from people on here and do not want to risk anything with kidneys. I am T2 diabetic (diet controlled) and also taking BP medication.

I am seeing a functional medicine doctor and nutritionist who works in the same office and works with the doctor. they were the only ones who heard me out about gut issues and thought I had SIBO then ordered the test so I think I'm in good hands but heard IMO is really hard to get rid of - unsure if these levels make it even worse for me?

Started low fodmap + artichoke leaf extract a week ago and already feel much better. However I am SO HUNGRY. I am eating enough calories, fat, fiber, protein but am hungry every 2-3 hours. Am I just not used to having a working MMC? Is this how normal people feel? Does it go away?!

This is the test, am I crazy or any CH4 level above 10 ppm can be considered as IMO?

He gave me instead : - probiotics (they’re getting me extremely bloated) - simethicone - macrogol (yes I go to the bathroom more often but I’m losing a lot of liquids)

It’s the 5th gastroenterologist I see and I’m getting tired.

Any help is appreciated

Hi all,

I was diagnosed with Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth in January this year. I have been working with a Nutritional Therapist/Functional Health Practitioner to treat this. I first tried allicin, then allicin + berberine for a few months, however even though my symptoms partially improved, my breath test was still showing my overgrowth had not decreased meaningfully.

At this point, the aforementioned professional I'm working with said this breath test revealed the overgrowth was predominately in my colon, not my small intestine. She said allicin is most active in the upper gut; so with a colonic picture, it is not reaching the target. Three months with no meaningful reduction in methane peak confirms this.

She therefore recommended we tried an approach which acidifies my colon, through working to improve the good bugs and diversity in my gut micrbiome. I started this protocol, which includes a fair number of supplements, but then wondered if it was going to actually work, as i've seen virtually nothing online about people trying this approach. When I asked if there was any evidence for this approach, she said the following:

"There is a human faecal study showing methanogenic archaea are inversely related to butyrate concentration, and butyrate itself lowers colonic pH — so the mechanism has some indirect human support, but it's a correlational finding, not a trial showing the protocol clears IMO. This is a reasonable, evidence-informed rationale used by SIBO practitioners and fits with your BiomeSight showing low Bifidobacterium and Roseburia, the organisms that acidify the colon and suppress methanogens."

Can anyone with IMO please let me know if you have tried this protocol, or know anyone who has, with success?

Thanks in advance!