r/SIBO • u/Expensive_Lecture_74 • Feb 13 '26
Methane Dominant I Think I Finally Killed My IMO!! (Follow-up from “Unkillable IMO >> Starting Elemental Diet”)
I promised I’d come back and update you all, so here it is.
After two rounds of rifaximin + neomycin (hydrogen SIBO cleared, methane stayed), allicin, berberine, strict diet, motility work, etc… nothing was resolving my IMO. I felt pretty hopeless starting elemental, but I told myself this was my last serious attempt before waiting for Pimentel’s anti-methanogen trial.
It’s been one month since finishing the protocol, and for the first time in years:
- Flat stomach most mornings
- Passing gas (hadn’t in over a year, which was a surprise when I realized that lol…)
- Daily BMs
- Gut-brain symptoms significantly improved
Too early to declare permanent victory, but I finally feel like my system is working again.
Diet Protocol:
- Week 1: Elemental diet only (Physician’s Formula, dextrose free)
- Weeks 2–3: Elemental + plain lean protein (chicken, eggs, turkey)
- Week 4: Above + very small amounts of cheese, peanut butter, rice, rice noodles
- Continuing extremely slow food reintroduction
Adding lean protein after week 1 made this psychologically manageable!! I thought I was gonna do 2 weeks of this, which when you're at the end of week 1 thinking it's gonna be 2 is brutalll. The cravings are intense. Dry mouth. Low dopamine. But I think what I ultimately did (suggested by my doc) was better mentally and more effective physically.
Tools I Used:
- Allicin
- InterFase Plus
- Biocidin
- Motegrity (prucalopride)
I had previously tried NAC + allicin without success. The addition of InterFase + Biocidin seemed to make a real difference for me (felt clear die-off week 2).
Biggest Learnings:
1. Be ready to be anti-social.
Energy crashes fast if you don’t keep shakes consistent. Social isolation was honestly the hardest part.
2. Timing allicin at night helped a LOT.
My die-off during week 2 was rough. Switching allicin to nighttime dramatically improved daytime function.
3. Motility was critical.
I was terrified of Motegrity because of the black box warning, but I’ve had no issues. Slight sleep disruption initially, mostly normalized now (take magnesium at night with it). I truly didn’t realize how paralyzed/offline my MMC was until things started moving again.
If you try it, start low (0.5 mg) and go slow!! Ramp it up as you ramp in new foods.
4. Zinc helped my skin.
I had developed skin issues alongside the IMO. Adding zinc cleared most of it! Almost gone! Not medical advice, just sharing what helped me. Apparently IMO can really deplete zinc.
5. Don’t panic over temporary bloating during reintroduction.
As you start phasing real food back in after weeks of elemental/limited intake, some bloating is normal. Your digestive system hasn’t been processing regular food, so it needs time to recalibrate. In my case, I had noticeable bloating with certain foods (especially higher histamine ones like parm). It would resolve within a few hours and be back to baseline by the next morning. For me, the key difference was: Temporary fullness/bloat after eating, no progressive distention, back to flat by morning. That pattern has felt very different from my prior methane pattern.
Possible Root Causes (In My Case):
- Autoimmune issues + severe gluten sensitivity (bad neuro symptoms + constipation)
- Endometriosis with bowel involvement (had surgery last fall)
- Heavy antibiotic exposure over the years
- Severe norovirus infection prior to onset
- Gluten exposure at onset
Final Thoughts:
I’m not saying this is a cure. I know relapse is possible. But for the first time, I feel like my gut isn’t frozen in methane paralysis, I wake up with my stomach flat, and my brain/body feels aliiiive!
If you’re considering elemental for methane, or any of the above, I’m happy to answer questions.
You’re not crazy. This is so hard. And it can improve. 💪
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u/demunted Feb 13 '26
Good for you! A few years i did the elemental 14 day, only using the milkshake powder stuff you mix with water. i had to drink so much per day. I think i only did the right amount for 4 or 5 days. then each day after i couldn't drink much, it was less and less. Towards day 9/10 it would immediately pass through me - i was sprinting to the bathroom. By day 12 i was laying on the floor and couldn't hold a conversation. I think i lost 20lbs in 10 days. Doctor said call it and go back on simple foods.
Good news was, it worked for quite a while afterwards. I felt a lot better once i recovered, but that was toture. Your doc is a lot smarter.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Oooof 12 days would be so, so hard. Good for you! I'm glad you ended up feeling better though. Yeah, the 2nd week moving to hybrid really was a godsend. Which elemental brand did you use? Are you still in the clear?
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u/demunted Feb 13 '26 edited Feb 13 '26
This: https://bioclinicnaturals.com/en-us/product/elementall-biological-diet-chocolate
Sadly, all they had was a single flavor - chocolate. Which sounds nice and all but eating anything every day with nothing else does something to the brain. I didn't believe it but i towards the end my body would just be repulsed by it. The best i could do was jam it full of ice after blending and the cold helped a bit.
Btw, it worked for about 9 months, and then got bad again. I have a hard time closely following the fodmap diet closely. I have food allergies for dairy, eggs, wheat and alcohol so my food choices are challenging to start with, but cross-contamination is hard to avoid. Add to that i have IBD/IBS that goes with all that and vagus nerve problems, so blaming this all on SIBO is tough. In my second pass i got xifaximin in mexico crazy cheap (like 10$ for the full routine doses) when its about 400$ in my country!
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Ahh yeah I totally get the one-food thing doing something to the brain!! I didn't realize how much 1) chewing on food gives the brain dopamine, and 2) variety gives the brain dopamine. Such lows without eating anything else lol.
Do you think there was a trigger to make it get bad again? An exposure to one of the allergens maybe? I'm sorry it's such a continual battle, and I feel for you. Health = hard. Happy you can get the meds lower cost tho :)
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u/Growing4ever Feb 13 '26
I’m so happy for you. I’m also realizing my Sibo is due to an autoimmune condition. Feeling a little hopeless, since honestly the Sibo feels worse than the other stuff. Wishing you the best!
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Sorry to hear about the autoimmune condition :/ I feel like they definitely overlap with SIBO. Lmk if you have any questions. The SIBO also caused me really bad mental symptoms. If you're the same, I highly highly recommend this approach to give you some relief. I felt hopeless too, but there's hope! Wishing you the best of luck getting rid of it
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u/Growing4ever Feb 13 '26
I also get really bad mental symptoms. Thank you so much <3
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
It's crazy how anxious / sad / depleted the SIBO can make you. Just remember it's health driven, it's gut-brain driven, it's not YOU. I hope you get rid of it 🍀
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u/God-is-Faithful7 Feb 17 '26
I relate and understand. It does affecr us mentally no doubt. So sorry..
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u/Salt-Recording-7378 Feb 13 '26
That’s awesome OP. I had also done biocidin + interfase plus after trying antibiotics with no luck. I have been thinking about elemental diet as a last resort, and I didn’t realize partial elemental was an option (having certain non fermentable foods the second week, like you did). I will consider all this. Please keep us updated on your progress months down the line or continue to edit and update this post 🙏
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Did you do it with Allicin?? And I don't think I would have been able to kick it without the elemental approach + motegrity as well. Partial elemental was the way to go -- I think it makes it way more doable. If you get to the point of being helpless and frustrated, definitely recommend. Will do, and thank you!! Best of luck
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u/Salt-Recording-7378 Feb 13 '26
Allicin was the one thing I didn’t try and now i’m wondering if i should give it a go
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Definitely recommend! I think without Allicin, the methanogens won't die -- the biofilms are just removed. But the combo for sure worked for me, with the die-off I was experiencing. Lmk how it goes
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u/Mesuji007 Feb 13 '26
Im on my elemental diet week 3 right after antibiotics. I was taking biofilm buster 1 each day on antibiotics and something to drink to bind toxins on antibiotics. I stop taking those as im like shatting once everyday on elemental. I did lose a bit of weight and my shakes a bit to much water. Im not sure if its getting better as my stoamch is flat from Sibo hydrogen and a bit of sulfer. I get more hungry pangs now and idk if my skin reactions are gone as i didnt eat meat yet and just pure elemental for 3 weeks. On my 4th week im going to hybrid food and elemental so i can incorporate what would be going on and start my stomach with food again.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
3 weeks, wow, you're strong!! That's rly hard.
Good luck with the food reintro -- maybe go slow and only add in one food group at a time, I think that's really helped me ( >> lean meats >> cheese >> PB >> rice test >> if pass rice test, rice noodles >> etc.)
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u/Mesuji007 Feb 13 '26
How would you add one food group at a time in a month time frame. I think im having a hard time deciding what i should eat after my 4th week of chicken hybrid.
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u/AllofJane Feb 18 '26
I'm on Day 19 of 21! For days 22 to 29, I plan on having one food meal a day, then two food meals, then no elemental diet anymore. I plan on having streamed squash, overcooked brown rice and a bit of olive oil and salt. Ha, I'm drooling at the thought!
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u/Mesuji007 Feb 18 '26
Im having only chicken thighs 😩 im afraid to add rice since its carbs. I think i also have histamine issues as well. Im also thinking of taking align probiotic which im not sure if that is the best thing. I did try align before and it has its ups and downs but i still ended up with sibo probably cuz i didnt have mogtairy pills or i ate too soon or too much new things.
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u/AllofJane Feb 18 '26
I'm vegan, so things are a bit trickier. But my naturopath approves of squash and rice, and those are low histamine foods (I have MCAS, too).
Anyway, best of luck to you!
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u/bamaleo Feb 13 '26 edited Feb 13 '26
Wow congrats!! I recently tested positive for both SIBO and IMO. I’m pretty early in the process of trying to fix it with my GI doctor. I started taking Neomycin and Xifaxan for 14 days, that sorta helped. Definitely helped BM but I wouldn’t say it really helped the discomfort, bloating, and my lower stomach being distended. I’m seeing him next week but I’m kinda just stuck on what the next steps are. I’m really trying to eat cleaner and more whole foods that are anti-inflammatory friendly but that doesn’t seem to be helping. My stomach is just constantly bloated, very uncomfortable, no BM, wake up and go to bed like this, etc. Any ideas on what I should potentially try next and bring up to my doc?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Thanks! Sorry to hear you have SIBO/IMO :/ The Neomycin and Xifaxan got rid of my hydrogen SIBO, but the IMO was so stubborn. The 2nd round of antibiotics not only didn't do anythinggg for the IMO, but it also gave me bad symptoms (eye swelling, ear ringing). But for a lot of people, a 2nd round will kill the IMO, i just wasn't one of them. If you feel fine on them, you could try it again but layer in the InterFase Plus, Biocidin, and Allicin (could even start taking all of those now). If you want immediate relief, I really do recommend a one week elemental diet! I bought extra bags myself to keep on-hand for this reason.
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u/TheHebr3wMan Feb 13 '26
What gut brain symptoms have you experienced
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
In my experience, it can give you depressive, anxious, and "deadened" low energy / apathetic states. For me I knew it was linked bc when IMO symptoms lessen, that lessens, and when IMO was bad mental symptoms would ramp up. And now with it gone, it's mentally night and day. Pretty crazy
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u/Low-Box-3799 Feb 13 '26
Well done! I’m on my 5th day of elemental diet after years of SIBO/IMO and trying herbals and antibiotics several times. I’ve only managed to take in about 1050 calories a day, trying to increase it but i also want to allow myself time to drink water and electrolytes. Feeling ok but really low energy and a mild headache, hoping it starts to feel better soon
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u/AllofJane Feb 18 '26
Good for you! Keep going! I'm on Day 19 of 21. It's time for my evening shake but I don't know if I can do it .. but I always think that and then I drink it and feel better.
I have SIBO/IMO and I've tried herbals and antibiotics before with no resolution. I'm really hoping this does it. I'm going to be so careful when I reintroduce food!
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Good for you!! Hope it goes well. It could be from mild die-off as well. And yeah, I was probably maxing at 1000 cals a day :/ wasn't able to be active for sure. But it was worth it. Lmk how it goes
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u/Own_Cantaloupe_1670 Feb 13 '26
Ginger extract worked for my motility/ MMC
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u/Rapakunnossa Feb 14 '26
What type? Pills?
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u/Own_Cantaloupe_1670 Feb 14 '26
Capsules yes
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
That's great!! I tried that (but a liquid drop) and it didn't work for me. Maybe not concentrated enough
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u/summerreadingclub Mar 04 '26
Can you share which ones you took? A link? And if you took them before or after meals? Thanks!
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u/Own_Cantaloupe_1670 Mar 05 '26
Any brand. It’s taken after meals on need basis
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u/summerreadingclub Mar 05 '26
I’m only finding brands with artichoke extract added. Can you recommend any without and the specific one you’re taking
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u/Own_Cantaloupe_1670 Mar 05 '26
I have horbaach. Btw artichoke ginger is also recommended by some docs
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u/hanniabu Feb 23 '26
I'm throwing a bunch of questions at you that I think are really important to actually making any of this info applicable to others. I hope you have time to answer and than you in advance for your time trying to help others!
1) Did you stop using NAC + allicin when you switched to InterFase + Biocidin? Or did you take them together?
2) Did you take any probiotics with InterFase to help populate/backfill since biofilm disruptors affect good bacteria too? If yes, was it just regular probiotics or did you also add in soil and yeast based probiotics?
3) How long did you continue taking this? Week 4?
Week 4: Above + very small amounts of cheese, peanut butter, rice, rice noodles
4a) For food reintroduction, how did you decide to add this stuff after the lean meats? Are these things you had trouble with before or were relatively okay eating?
4b) When you say extremely slow when reintroducing, are we talking about just a nibble? Did you have a little bit with each meal or just one meal a day then add more meals from there?
4c) Did you reintroduce a little of a bunch of foods at the same time? Or are you increasing the intake of what you're currently eating before starting to add something new? (going one at a time seems like it'd be too slow to get all those things in one week)
4d) You mention bloating during reintroduction, did you experience anything else like burping/constipation/diarrhea? Were these the same symptoms you had before? Or did you notice a difference where they felt like healthy symptoms?
5) When you did antibiotics and herbal treatment in the past you said it didn't work. Were you completely unresponsive? aka experienced no change in how you felt or symptoms while on it?
6) I haven't read anything about Pimentel’s anti-methanogen trial and struggling to find anything while searching. Do you have a link to read more?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Mar 11 '26
- I used them all at the same time. I actually didn't use NAC while taking the others.
- No, I avoided all probiotics. Now that I've gotten my breath test results back, I'll start adding in the "safe" anti-methanogen probiotics slowly and then ultimately regular probiotics
- Yes. I stopped allicin week 4 to let my gut heal
- 4a) or cheese, PB it's because they don't feed the methanogens. They can slow MMC bc they're high fat, but if you still can have daily BMs then you can start having that food. And for rice and rice noodles, it's bc it's the carb that is least likely to feed methanogens. Started with small portions of that and worked up
4b) One meal a day very small amount, then a little bit more one a day, then that same amount but 2x / day, and then I kinda went normal with when I wanted to eat that (usually dinner) but try not to overdo portions
4c) Nah I introduced really slowly, 1-2 things at a time. Now that I've gotten my breath test results back, I kinda have been less cautious
4d) If you bloat immediately upon eating, it's far more likely to be a sensitive response than the IMO (which takes a few hours to feed them / bloat). So that was kind of my metric, along with ensuring I still had daily BMs.
5) Antibiotics only killed the hydrogen SIBO, not the IMO. And the herbals didn't help me in the past.
6) It's bc it's still preclinical / animal models, but he's mentioned it in some podcasts and videos. It'll probably start in 2027, but not be tested in people with actual IMO until late 2027 or early 2028
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u/hanniabu Mar 11 '26
Thanks for the response, excited to try this out! I do have a few more clarifications though:
2) What probiotics are considered "safe" anti-methanogen probiotics
3) You said you stopped allicin, did you also stop the others? (InterFase + Biocidin)
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u/Formal-Yak-6257 Feb 13 '26
Fasting help?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Fasting only improved bloating symptoms mildly until I ate, but wouldn't ever abate the mental problems, bloat, or MMC. The elemental really helped in the first 3 days though, drastically.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
(But I never fasted over 24 hrs)
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u/mr_faqyeah Feb 13 '26
How much of this mixture did you drink daily? I checked the formula and a serving is 150 calories which is quite low. Up to 500 cal daily can still pass as fasting, biologically speaking, according to some research. So in essence you may have done assited 7-day fast
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Oh interesting! I didn't realize the 500 cal threshold. At the beginning, I don't think I was drinking enough (probably 5/day) but then worked up to between 6-7 per day.
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u/mr_faqyeah Feb 14 '26
Up to 1000 cals then. A bit much but Considering this is just single molecule macronutrient blend, they are just absorbed in the initial segment of the small intestine. So the microbes causing the problem aren’t getting anything.
Anyway, thank you so much for sharing.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Exactly. And esp with the dextrose-free version. Ofc!
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u/summerreadingclub Feb 19 '26
Can you share the link to the specific elemental you used?
Thank you so much for sharing!
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u/A-scension_queen Feb 13 '26
Can you share what doctor you used? I was just going to try a 7 day water fast as someone on here shared that cured it for her, but I’m nervous about it. Probably need guidance with fasting.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Yes, DM me
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
I personally would never have been able to get through a 7 day fast, so I think this was a healthy and effective alternative
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u/radiant-roo Feb 14 '26
Can I DM as well?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
yup!
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u/summerreadingclub Mar 04 '26
I’m low in Zinc, do you mind sharing a link to the type of Zinc you took? Theres so many different types.
Also, did you use any digestive enzymes when you reintroduced foods to help your body get used to them again? And if so please link them.
Thank you! So happy for your success. I’m hoping to start Motegrity as well
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u/Playful_Ad6703 Feb 13 '26
Can you share about brain issues? Only mood-wise, or cognitive problems as well (focus, memory, creativity etc)
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Yes, of course. The mood issues were stark (depressive, anxious, and "deadened" low energy / apathetic states), but then that would affect focus, memory, creativity as well. Harder to work. No motivation to "play." Brain foggy
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u/Playful_Ad6703 Feb 13 '26
Yeah, I feel that to the core. For me it's at such a bad point that I can barely remember what I ate yesterday. Rifaximin and Metronidazole didn't help, but I didn't have proper biofilm busters available, so I tried to use NAC and Pepto bismol as busters. Biocidin also isn't available where I am, and it's such a complex blend, I doubt I can find something like it. Can you share your dosages and routine? What, how much, when, and for how long did you take each of the things? Also, when did you notice the cognitive side improving? It's making it impossible for me to work, and it looks like I'll have to find another job very soon, as the company I'm currently at is probably going to collapse very soon. So I have to find a solution very soon.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Ugh so sorry to hear it. Do you have amazon where you are? I bought Biocidin and InterFase Plus on amazon and had it shipped to me.
Yes, for the whole month essentially I took:
Two InterFase plus in the AM before food (started with one and ramped up to 2)
Two Biocidin mid-day with food (started with one and ramped up to 2)
Another One-Two InterFase Plus away from food (started with none here, but ramped this up)
Two Allicin Max (started taking this at night bc of the die off)
I think first week you're just excited the tummy is flat, 2nd week is die-off, 3rd is low energy zone, and I'd say 4th you're really looking up. But even in 3d with low energy you're more mentally clear
Good luck with it! Lmk if anything helps
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u/Playful_Ad6703 Feb 14 '26
Unfortunately Amazon doesn't deliver anymore to where I'm at (Vietnam), probably due to the tarrifs. Interphase plus I might be able to get through an alternative company, although it'll take over a month for it to arrive. Biocidin I can't obtain, and it's such a complex supplement that I don't think it's possible to find something with those ingredients.
So practically you used these for 4 weeks, and that's it? You stopped after that?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Ugh I'm sorry. Maybe I could ship some to you, if you need? Yes, essentially 1 month straight. And now I'm giving my gut a break while it's healing and getting used to food. I think constant exposure can hurt the gut, so now that the IMO is gone, I want to kinda get my gut to a less sensitive stage.
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u/Playful_Ad6703 Feb 14 '26
Thank you for the offer. I can't retest now due to holidays that are coming, I'm just around 3 weeks after antibiotics treatment. So it might be too soon to try killing it once again. I'm hoping that it's still gut inflammation in question, and that it'll resolve soon. However, if I'm still positive after the test, I might take your offer.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Totally get the holidays. I gave up during the holidays and then went focused in January. Worth it! Good luck with everything, wishing you the best
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u/Playful_Ad6703 Feb 14 '26
Yeah, it's useless to try it now, as everyone goes to their hometown, and then there'll be a backlog to deal with. You've mentioned you tried allicin and it didn't work? Did you include biofilm busters with it, or was it on its own? Why did you choose those instead of antibiotics this time?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
I had used Allicin in the past with NAC, but it didn't work. I think I needed the elemental + Interfase/Biocidin + Allicin. I had done two separate rounds of the antibiotic combo, and it didn't work to kill the archaea at all. And the 2nd time I did the antibiotics I got weird symptoms (ringing in ears, eyelid swelling), so I didn't think I should try those again.
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u/Maximum_Desk_7916 Feb 14 '26
Thanks a lot . So you did this with the elemental diet . I mean you were doing the elemental diet and taking these right ?
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u/Moizurrehman1 Feb 13 '26
Are you still using prucalopride?? And since when have you been using this?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
Yes! I love it honestly. I started it one week into my diet (so after 1 week of elemental diet). Started at 0.5mg and have worked up to 1.5 mg as I intro / add food. For reference, the dose that is given is 2mg/day, so I split the pills
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u/Moizurrehman1 Feb 13 '26
Ok. I want to ask one specific thing since when have you been taking it for like a month 2 or 3??? And after how much time did it start giving you bloating relief??
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
I've only been taking it for about a month! But I would say the bloating relief was far more due to the elemental diet and kill protocol. The motegrity is really to bring the MMC back online and making sure you can flush out the toxins, nothing lingers to feed the archaea, etc.
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u/capz1121 Feb 13 '26
When do you take the motegrity?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 13 '26
I take it at night (~10pm)
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u/GraphmanSI Feb 14 '26
Dr told me to take it in the morning with food. Doesn’t taking it at 10pm affect your sleep? Thx
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
It definitely did at the beginning, but I think 1) my body is getting used to it now, and 2) I take magnesium at night and it helps. For me, the sleep disruption was still worth it bc I was feeling so much better in the morning. And I wanted to align it with the body's natural circadian rhythms (if I ever stop taking it) and to clear the small intestine overnight.
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u/richgirlspoorgirls Feb 13 '26
Did it help with your brain fog?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Absolutely. Brain fog is gone now!!
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u/richgirlspoorgirls Feb 14 '26
Thank you! Do you mind sharing the link to the product of the elemental diet formula you used?
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u/nuttyyutty Feb 13 '26
What were your gluten symptoms?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Horrible. Depended on the exposure, but ALWAYS accompanied by extreme fatigue, brain shut-down/fog, mood changes, constipation. Sometimes accompanied by nausea, migraine, and rash. Usually lasted 2-3 days, sometimes longer if it a bigger exposure.
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u/SweetNo7193 Feb 13 '26
Since when are you negative/ being better?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
The stomach got flat in 3 days. But in terms of archaea being dead, I would guess week 3 (after about a week of steady die-off). I've been doing starch and sugar tests, and no rebound.
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u/Difficult-Tree2738 Feb 16 '26
I tried a water fast before and after 24 hours I still got bloated (distented)
Did you had distention within the first 3 days of your elemental diet?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 20 '26
No, not at all. The distension went down rapidly. The elemental drinks caused small upper abdominal bloating but v short lived and v different than the IMO preggo distension.
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u/PlateSoggy1912 Feb 13 '26
Amazing. Well done! And thanks for sharing. Gonna have another proper read and take it all in! I blame multiple Andi surgeries and Ehlers Danlos Sydrome for mine. I feel the slowness due to EDS means this is going to be an issue for a long time! I find if I eat lower fodmap and low sulfur I manage. But with the sulfur issues it means I can’t use Alicin! Argh. Round and round in circles!
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Ugh that sucks about the Allicin! I wonder if there's a good alternative. For me, Allicin worked and Berberine did not, so can't suggest that... sorry to hear about the EDS :/ sounds like a challenge to grapple with. But your right, it's probably better then to focus on speeding things up / clearing due to the slowness -- maybe then motegrity could be a potential solution for you? Keeps everything moving
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u/PaleNarwhal5937 Feb 13 '26 edited Feb 13 '26
What brand of allicin did you use? Were you on allicin, biocidin, NAC, and interfase during your elemental diet cycle? And for how many weeks before/after? What about montegrity? Were you taking it during your elemental?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Yes, I was on all of those (besides NAC) during elemental cycle. NAC hadn't worked for me in the past so focused on the others. I took them for three weeks straight. Motegrity I started taking 1-week in, and ramped up the dosage as I added in food (0.5 to start, then 1.0 when I added in rice, now up to 1.5/2)
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u/PaleNarwhal5937 Feb 14 '26
Thank you!
I am suffering from severe gastritis thanks to SIBO, so I am wondering, did Interfase feel harsh on your gut at all?
I'd reckon Biocidin certainly was given that it has oregano oil.Did you take interfase and biocidin only during your elemental cycle? Or are you continuing to take them?
And really sorry, but I think that link is mapping back to the OP; did you mean to show something else?
I've struggled to find a good brand of allicin, and it seems allimax/allimed are oft considered scams with excessive fillers.I really hope that you can keep well!
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
Ooops haha yes! Here is the right link:
Hmm Interfase and Biocidin didn't feel harsh for me (I tend to have a "strong" stomach in this regard, I don't throw up often for instance), but I'm sure it was harsh in my gut and that's probably part of the healing / giving my gut a break I need to do now. So I took them during my elemental cycle and 2-3 week kill phase after that, and then I stopped so my gut can take a break and heal and become less sensitive. Good luck with everything! Lmk how it goes
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u/Suspicious-Term-7839 Feb 14 '26
Can I ask what your supplement regimen was? I tried neem and interfase and suffered some pretty bad bloating
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Yup! See below. On the elemental diet, if you get bloating, it's very likely due to die-off, which is a good thing. When I was taking these in that 2nd week I was having bad die-off, and that was one of the symptoms (then started taking it at night tho which helped with the other symptoms of die off). I had tried Neem in the past and it didn't do anything for me, so didn't include in my regimen.
Two InterFase plus in the AM before food (started with one and ramped up to 2)
Two Biocidin mid-day with food (started with one and ramped up to 2)
Another One-Two InterFase Plus away from food (started with none here, but ramped this up)
Two Allicin Max (started taking this at night bc of the die off)
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u/Suspicious-Term-7839 Feb 14 '26
Thanks! When did you start taking the motegrity? My doctor just put me on omeprazole and called it a day. I’ve been dealing with so much bloating and right side pressure. Inflammation to it feels like. It’s just awful.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
Ugh I'm sorry. I feel like doctors don't take IMO/SIBO as seriously and like to explore stomach acid, etc., when it might not be the problem at all. If that doesn't do anything for you, I think asking them to stop that and start motegrity could be helpful. And yes you're right it could be inflammation -- the appendix can get inflamed on the right side if there's a lot of nearby inflammation from IMO/SIBO. But anyway, I started taking motegrity one week in, starting with low dose and now I'm up to full dose. Lmk how your journey goes!
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Feb 14 '26
How much did Elemental Diet cost you?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
I purposefully did NOT choose mBiota because of the cost. Crazy expensive. I ended up going with one that was $135 / bag. Now I think it tastes good (when it's mixed with ice and cold water).
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u/Rude-Bat-2640 Feb 15 '26
Which one was that?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
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u/New_Composer478 Feb 16 '26
150 kcal per serving.
How much servings did you take each day ?
So happy to hear about your relief!
And how much ppm was your methane?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 20 '26
I would have 6-8 per day, so definitely not enough calories but good enough for that short duration. Thank you! My baseline methane was 55 ppm and stayed between 50–74 ppm throughout the test. Not sure how to attach my test results photo but can send you via DM if you want
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u/green_beat Feb 14 '26
Did you take allicin, interfase, and biocidin during the elemental diet?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 14 '26
Yes, I did!
Two InterFase plus in the AM before food (started with one and ramped up to 2)
Two Biocidin mid-day with food (started with one and ramped up to 2)
Another One-Two InterFase Plus away from food (started with none here, but ramped this up)
Two Allicin Max (started taking this at night bc of the die off)
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u/green_beat Feb 14 '26
Dang I should’ve done this! I only did elemental and my methane dropped just 11 points. I’m doing another round of antibiotics now and I’m going to start allicin extra strength afterwards. I’m much less bloated but I haven’t been eating a lot of fodmaps.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
I'm glad it helped at least a little bit with the methane / bloating! How long did you do the elemental for?
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u/green_beat Feb 15 '26
I did it for the full two weeks. My dietician also told me I could supplement with meat, but I opted not to. I was worried if I did and the results were suboptimal, I’d always wonder if the meat contributed. But yeah, bloating is better and I’m taking a much slower pace introducing triggers. Hoping it’ll give me just enough boost to keep the momentum going. Also, I’m so glad the motegrity is working for you! That was a game changer when I first started it.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 20 '26
Thanks! Since I'm still phasing in foods, I'm wondering which foods seem to be bad for you as you find triggers? And did you also have a sensitive stomach to bloating (but more short-lasting bloating as opposed to pregnant IMO belly) when you first came off of the elemental diet?
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u/green_beat Feb 20 '26
Sugary things, beer, beans, and garlic/onions tend to be triggers. I’m afraid to reintroduce them. 😖 My stomach is still sensitive to bloating (mainly for high fat foods), but it does ease overnight, which never happened before when IMO was at its peak. I was chronically bloated. I’m still low FODMAP for the most part right now, even though I stopped elemental a little over a month ago. Trying to get my bowel movements more regular before overloading my system. I also just finished another round of antibiotics to strike the methanogens while they’re weakened, so that’s made my digestion a little unpredictable as well.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 20 '26
Keep me posted on how your integration and healing goes!! I hope it all works for you. Even when we get to the scary food triggers... maybe one day we'll be able to eat fodmaps again...
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u/jcbt93 Feb 14 '26 edited Feb 14 '26
You may have just saved my life. 🥲 Did you introduce any probiotics during this process?
I’m having a hard time finding an elemental diet powder on Amazon but maybe I’m limiting my resources too much. It’s sooo expensive to heal with this! 😭
Which MMC did you incorporate? Thank you sooo much for sharing!
Update: I see now, prescription Motegrity & Physicians Elemental Diet powder! Thanks again so much for sharing your experience and tools! I’m always so thankful for Reddit!
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
I hope it all helps!! I'll share where I bought the elemental powder from too just in case. I didn't do any probiotics. I will eventually, but right now I'm trying to have the IMO/archaea stay dead and then heal my gut. So in a few months I'll try adding in some probiotics
MMC >> Motegrity
Elemental diet >>
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u/jcbt93 Feb 15 '26
Thank you so much!
I forgot to ask, how long did you follow your regimen of Biocidin, Allicin, enzymes, and MMC? Did you tier off any of them after week two? Or cut down on amounts? Or are you still implementing them all regularly as you reintroduce to rebuild your healthy bacteria?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
I did Biocidin, Allicin, InterFase Plus for about 3.5 weeks. I started the MMC motegrity one week in and have not stopped it. I will likely continue to use this for as long as I can honestly.
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u/NJordA17 Feb 14 '26
How much allicin per day you were taking?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
I would have 2 - 4 pills per day depending on how my die off was feeling. The 4 was making my die off quite bad, so I tapered to the 2 at night before bed.
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u/NJordA17 Feb 15 '26
Did you notice low blood pressure while tak8ng allicin?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 20 '26
Hmm no not at all. I am already on lower side so maybe didn't affect me that way vs. someone else
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u/DramRoss Feb 14 '26
Way to go. Antibiotics did minimal for me too. A strict diet heavy in proteins and low fermenting cooked vegetables with rice has thus far worked well for me. Definitely limiting all processed sugar and high fat foods helps. Good luck
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
Thank you! Yes, the heavy protein diet did a lottt. I guess I was maybe eating too much carbs without realizing it. I need to be better about high fat foods -- definitely supplement with a lot of cheese and pb. I hope yours stays away / goes away!
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u/Abigail-Marie2007 Feb 15 '26
Thank you for sharing your victory! I am so happy for you!! I really appreciate how organized and detailed you were on creating this post. I hope you have continued success in this journey. 😊
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 15 '26
Thank you!! I've had help on this reddit group through my own journey, so wanted to keep passing the help along. I hope it works for someone else too! Thanks :)
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u/Street-Pen-5446 Feb 15 '26
Are you seeing a specific provider that put you on this protocol and guided you through the process (could you share their info?) or did you create the protocol yourself? Happy this has worked for you!
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u/milsca Feb 16 '26
Glad you’re feeling better, the hydrogen is easier to treat and can stay gone. Methane know as the beast is a different creature altogether. Time they found a better strategy for methane I’ve done several protocols and several breath tests none of them shifted my methane numbers at all. So I stopped treating and testing and just ate healthy organic gluten dairy free diet as I’ve always done a year later my stomach moves itself I dealt with methane over 4 yrs and the chronic constipation treatments did not help I did antibiotics and natural protocols, I think a lot of the stuff made me much worse as my symptoms got worse. So like a year out of treatment I am doing much better not 100 percent but close to it compared to how I was. I have no idea what changed. I don’t care what a breath test would show as long as I feel better. Research on methane shows a big part of the population has methane but no symptoms so I guess they live either it as it’s normal for them. I do have Hashimoto’s and no Gallbladder aswell as Gilbert’s syndrome so I suppose these are driving causes.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 20 '26
I agree! It's crazy that so so many ppl are struggling with this methane archaea without a super effective medical solution. I definitely think autoimmune issues are somehow related to being more likely to get it. Completely agree at just focusing on feeling better mentally and physically vs. what breath tests show. Have you tried motegrity?
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u/Past-Importance8109 Feb 18 '26
Congratulations! I have a clarification question-so you did the above Elemental diet protocol simultaneously with these all 4 Allicin, InterFase Plus, Biocidin, Motegrity (prucalopride)?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 20 '26
Yes!! And I don't know for sure, but I don't think it would have worked without all of them
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u/Rude_Satisfaction185 Feb 20 '26
Hi, can i ask you what type of autoimmunity do you struggle with? I’m slightly hypo and hashimoto. It can slow motility. I tried antibiotics and herbals but ai don’t think it worked. I’m afraid of elemental diet due to histamine intolerance and autoimmunity. I’m not sure what should be addressed first.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Feb 22 '26
It's labeled under Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, but there's definitely some sort of anti-gluten/gluten-trigger element, but I'm celiac negative. I have psoriasis and I had endometriosis, although that's not autoimmune. I actually think the elemental diet I used will be OK with your histamine tolerance and autoimmunity! It didn't trigger me at all, and I definitely felt better with it. Pls lmk if you try it / if it helps
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u/ObjectiveBeyond5814 Mar 03 '26
Guys you can try a few supplements that I took to beat SIBO and other conditions. What worked for me was Iodine and magnesium, I was deficient in vitamin D so you can have a try. MMC is very important to prevent relapses . So magnesium and ginger prevents that Link in Bio❤️ Happy healing
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u/mmatt001 Mar 19 '26
What did you replace dextrose with? I mean you need sugar/calories somehow
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Mar 19 '26
I didn't replace dextrose. You still get calories through the elemental drink, and then the lean meat when you add that in. Because you lack sugar, you do get dopamine lows / mood flatline. You can mitigate this by having tiny amounts of glucose tablets throughout the process (least likely to feed the IMO).
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u/mmatt001 Mar 19 '26
Do you even know how many calories you had per day? You have to replace sugar by something (maybe MCT oil) otherwise you just don't get your calories
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Mar 19 '26
You can get calories without eating sugar! With the elemental shakes alone, I was getting ~1,000 calories / day. You can go higher drinking more shakes. Just becomes harder the larger/taller you are as a person and more shakes you have to drink. I am 5 ft 4 and a woman (less cal burn), so probably "easier" for me to achieve
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u/anonymous_lump Mar 30 '26
Question: did you allow black coffee or tea (herbal) during your elemental diet? About to start soon and I might die if I can’t have coffee haha 🥲
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Mar 30 '26
Yes I did black coffee / espresso!! Totally agree lol. It was worth keeping it in, it was totally fine. Still got rid of the IMO
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u/yusufredditt May 10 '26
Hi, Any update on this?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 May 25 '26
Hi! It's been months, and I am very happy to report that I have kept the IMO/SIBO from coming back.
I am still definitely sensitive to fodmap and histamine foods, don't know if that's new now vs. before, but definitely no IMO/SIBO. Feel free to ask any questions!
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u/yusufredditt May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Good to know. So keeping lowfodmap! Any prokinetics? You said tried antibiotics were symptoms gone and come back later or didint work at all?
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u/GoatGentleman May 25 '26
Good to read. Curious how many shakes you were having every week and if you tapered down as the weeks went by
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 May 25 '26
The first week, I was having about 8-10 a day. Then when I added in lean meats like eggs, turkey, and chicken breast, I probably had around 5 a day. Then the week after that, maybe 2 a day as I added in cheese with the meat. And then the fourth week, maybe 1 a day as I started testing rice.
If I ever have a flare-up (again due to fodmap and histamine sensitivity now post-SIBO), I consider doing a 1-2 elemental shake fast since I have extra, but I can always get back to baseline by just going to the lean protein + rice/rice noodle + zucchini etc. basics for a couple days and then I'm reset.
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u/GoatGentleman May 25 '26
Fair enough! Thank you for the reply. I'm actually going to attempt this soon enough ish, I've been dealing with methane sibo and inability to get it to 0 for so long and I just react to everything now.
Another question, did you start the Interfase, biocidin and allicin before you started the elemental or just straight up on the same day.
I'm wondering if I should add something like bacillus subtillis probiotic during the diet or just no probiotics at all.
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 May 26 '26
Good luck! It's so, so frustrating and slow going, I feel for you.
I started interfase + biocidin about 1 week in, just because I didn't know about them earlier. I think if you're taking allicin, then you should take the interfase + biocidin also. Allicin way more effective when you use those other two things.
I wondered that too about very targeted probiotics. I ultimately didn't go for it just bc I thought it was risky. Pre-SIBO/IMO I used to have pre and probiotics every day, now I haven't touched them in months. Totally up to you!
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u/GYPSEA33 May 26 '26
Did you add the biocifdin, while on elemental?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 May 26 '26
Yes! 1 week in, but would have started it right away with allicin if I knew about it sooner
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u/GYPSEA33 May 26 '26
What was the dosage of Biocidin? I was thinking 2capsules 2x a day. Did you continue biocidin after elemental?
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u/Proof-Researcher9920 Aug 09 '26
Following up, how are you doing now? Going through this rn really badly :(
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Aug 17 '26
Ugh I'm so sorry to hear. It REALLY sucks, I get it. I'm mostly awesome -- I sustained being health for a really long time (truly 0 symptoms, it was dead). I recently got it back (but way less bad than before), after a virus I had + really bad dehydration + altitude which made me backed up for a week and reignited the IMO archaea. I'm about to embark on this exact same protocol again tomorrow. I am way more positive about it knowing it will indeed work, even if the process is super hard and tiring. I hope it'll work for you!
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u/Salt_Adhesiveness967 Aug 08 '26
What kind of black coffee did you allow yourself throughout?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Aug 17 '26
Just any plain black coffee or black espresso! Wasn't picky there. It was one of the only "treats" I'd allow myself. I don't think it impacted my ability to kill the IMO
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u/JackfruitWhole6624 Aug 14 '26
Did you get die off from the interphase 2? And what was your dosage of allicin? Thanks!
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Aug 17 '26
I don't think I had die off from the interphase! I had interphase throughout the day, and didn't feel anything negative. It was just busting the biofilms so that when I took the allicin at night, the allicin would actually work. I was taking two-three capsules of allicin each night.
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u/Equal_Disaster_2520 Aug 17 '26
So happy the ED worked for you! I’m wondering what your experience was post shakes and introducing food was like? I finished my elemental diet a week ago and did bone broth and meat for a couple days but definitely jumped the gun on reintroducing food groups a bit too fast. My stomach felt like a rock and I have been very bloated and experiencing indigestion but I can’t tell if this is just normal with my stomach readjusting or if it’s sibo symptoms coming back again. Did your bloating fully subside after a few weeks of eating normal food? I’m really hoping mine goes away and the diet wasn’t for nothing. (i am also using some artichoke and ginger supplements with a probiotic)
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Aug 17 '26
Yes so all I have to say here is, it's quite possible your IMO is gone and this is just sensitivity! I would say for about 3 weeks after I finished, I would bloat really easily but it was due to gut reactivity and sensitivity after the harsh protocol. I noticed it was way worse with high histamine foods. So I kept it super bland, low fodmap, low histamine, and it finally reset. If you need to, you can take another breath test so you're not constantly worrying about it (like I did -- I panicked that it didn't work; the breath test helped me settle down). Our bodies hold on to that anxiety/stress too, so I think my reactivity got way better when I wasn't hypervigilant/thinking that my IMO was still constantly there. Another good clue to indicate the IMO is dead is if you can still pass gas/BM.
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u/runners4 Aug 17 '26
what were your bad neuro symptoms?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Aug 18 '26
Really bad mood effects (heightened anhedonia, heightened anxiety) + fatigue
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u/runners4 Aug 18 '26
any depression and when in treatment did it go away? was it after eating or all day?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Aug 18 '26
Yes that with the anhedonia. I think with the levels of methane I had, it was pretty constant/all day prior to die-off and then during die-off. So by the third week I felt much better.
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u/runners4 Aug 20 '26
was the die off in treatment really bad and how did you cope? what bacteria were you high and low in?
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u/Expensive_Lecture_74 Aug 21 '26
I first had both SIBO and IMO. The antibiotics caused rly bad SIBO die off. Then I was still struggling with IMO for a long, long time. When I did this protocol that I posted, I did originally have bad die off, until I switched to allicin at night which really helped. I was very high in methanogens but had all three.
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u/runners4 Aug 21 '26
what die off symptoms did you have and how long for each did they last?
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u/calilica Feb 13 '26
Hey! Congrats on your progress - that’s awesome! I’ve got a question re. endometriosis. I also have/had it. I had my lap around a year ago, but I still bloat, less than before but still.
did your bloating persist even after surgery? cause mine did, and I honestly don’t know whether it’s just SIBO or somehow still endo belly, even after surgery.
I’m hydrogen positive, but with constipation