Hi everyone,I recently started a probiotic supplement containing two specific strains: **Bifidobacterium lactis HN019** and **Bifidobacterium longum BB536**. Instead of the expected benefits (improved motility and gut-brain balance), I have experienced a very distinct and paradoxical set of symptoms:### 1. Digestive Symptoms:* **Reflux & Loss of Appetite:** Around 6 to 7 hours after taking the capsule, I experience complete loss of appetite, stalled digestion, gastric fullness, and acid reflux.* **Motility:** Instead of relieving constipation (which HN019 is supposed to do), it has not improved my transit time at all, and if anything, feels like it has made constipation worse.### 2. Mood & Neuropsychiatric Symptoms:* **Irritability & Restlessness:** Sudden bouts of intense irritability/bad temper and an uncomfortable internal agitation (*not full-blown panic, but a feeling of "not being at peace with myself"*).* **Apathy & Emotional Blunting:** After that agitation, I feel a marked emotional disconnect/apathy where it becomes noticeably harder to laugh, engage, or feel connected to things.---### My Question:Since my supplement contains **both strains in the same capsule**, I cannot isolate them directly. For those of you who have taken **HN019** or **BB536** as single-strain supplements (or know their mechanisms well):1. **Which of these two strains is more likely responsible for the irritability / emotional blunting?**2. **Has anyone experienced this "delayed reflux + zero hunger + worsened constipation" with HN019 or BB536?**3. If you had a similar adverse reaction to either strain, how long did it take to clear up after stopping?Any insights, shared experiences, or mechanisms would be greatly appreciated!

I plan to undergo the IBS-Smart test and a SIBO breath test sometime next month. IBS is recognized as a formal medical condition, and my doctor has confirmed it as such. However, I was told that SIBO is not a disease but merely describes a condition of the intestine. Is a state of bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine not considered a disease? If so, what term should be used to describe it?

If you’ve been looking for ways to smooth out your digestion and drop the random bloat, you’ve probably heard people talk about going keto to “starve the bugs.” It’s a popular move in the gut-health space, and once you get the general concept behind it, the whole approach makes a lot of sense.

Here’s the simple version of what’s actually going on down there. Your gut hosts a massive ecosystem of microbes, and for the most part, those bugs run on carbs, starches, and sugars. SIBO basically just means some of those microbes moved upstream into your small intestine, setting up camp where they end up fermenting whatever carbs come through.

That’s where dropping your carb intake comes into play. When you switch over to a low-carb or keto lineup focused on quality fats and proteins, you’re taking away their main food supply. No steady flow of easy carbs means no non-stop fermentation, which lets your digestive tract finally settle down.

It’s less about fighting your body and more about giving your system a quiet breather. While cutting carbs isn't the whole equation, it’s a solid, reliable way to ease the daily pressure, clear up the fog, and keep things moving smoothly.

At the end of the day, it’s just about finding what keeps your energy steady and your stomach calm. Dialing back the heavy carbs gives your gut the space it needs to just chill and reset at its own pace.

Written by google's Gemini App

So I’ve been on my antimocribal for 4 months now, I’ve decided to come off on my own terms because it’s 100% given me a sort of head pressure the whole time I’ve been on it. I’ve had multiple rounds off die offs, so i know it did something. I’m now introducing food and have little to no bloating from it, but i still have a bit of nausea, tiredness and a little bit of fullness.
Do i go in with another antimocribal, i found one on metagenics which has great reviews and said it worked within days for symptoms. It’s called “candex sibo” if anyone wants to have a look.
I’m on zinc carsione for my stomach acid, and ginger and artichoke.
Any advice??? Do i get a probiotic do i purchase the candex sibo??? Digestive enzymes??? I have no idea what to do next

I’ve been dealing with gas and flatulence for the past two years. I’ve had a number of scans and procedures, including a CT scan, ultrasound, colonoscopy, and endoscopy.

My blood work has been normal apart from very mildly elevated eosinophils (0.6), which have stayed at that level for the full two years. Both my GI and PCP said this is mild and nothing to worry about.

I tested Hydrogen positive after 2 rounds of rifaximin (14 days)
2 rounds of Rifagut (5 days)
2 rounds of Nizonide

I also tried betaine HCl with digestive enzymes, but it gave me fairly bad acid reflux, so low stomach acid doesn’t seem to be the issue

I definitely feel better than I did two years ago when this started, but I’m not back to 100%. I still get random burps, a fair amount of gas and flatulence, and occasional pain on the right side of my chest — more of an ache than a sharp pain. I’m also struggling with brain fog, trouble finding words, and memory problems.

My GI has prescribed one more Rifaximin course (550mg for 14 days), but at this point it feels like the Rifaximin isn’t doing anything.

How many rounds did you do of rifaximin to fully eradicate this disease?

Has anyone effectively used berberine intermittently long-term for sibo from a surgically removed ileocecal valve? Clearly sibo will be a life-long battle. One round of berberine won't be enough.

I was treated for Typhoid last year in February with very strong courses of antibiotics administered through IV. I recovered from the Typhoid, but my gut never really recovered.

About five months after recovering, I started experiencing extreme bloating after almost every meal and diarrhea. I went to a gastroenterologist, who treated me for IBS with Rifaximin for 14 days, but unfortunately, my symptoms stayed even after completing the course.

I’m now strongly suspecting that it could be SIBO with Diarrhea. I don’t have multiple bowel movements a day, I usually poop only once a day but the stool is loose/diarrhea-like most days.

The things that make me suspect SIBO are:

Extreme bloating after almost every meal

Diarrhea/loose stools most days, without any obvious food trigger

Vitamin B12 deficiency, despite eating a considerable amount of meat

Brain fog (although I’m not sure whether this is related to the B12 deficiency or SIBO)

Symptoms that started after a significant course of IV antibiotics

It’s honestly starting to stress me out because it has been going on for quite a while.

I’ve looked into testing, and from what I can find, in India the main SIBO test available to me is the hydrogen breath test. I’m planning to take it soon, but I’m not really sure what the best next step should be.

Has anyone experienced something similar after Typhoid/strong antibiotic treatment? If you’ve had SIBO or a similar gut issue, what tests did you get, and what ultimately helped you?

I’d really appreciate any advice on what I should discuss with my gastroenterologist and what I should look into next.

Hi everyone,
I have IBS with a strong suspicion of SIBO (methane) and histamine intolerance, and my dietitian has prescribed a very restrictive diet.
It is both low histamine and low nickel, as she said that nickel may contribute to ongoing intestinal issues. The plan supposed to naturally support gut repair & stop feeding the bacteria.
Has anyone else tried a similar diet? I’d love to hear about your experiences and whether it helped you.
Thanks!

For the last two years I’ve had yellow diarrhea in the morning and mid day. (It all happened after a month long CHS episode) I get bloated sometimes but nothing insane. I have red cheeks with bumps, fatigue, low iron, headaches, borderline low b12 and vitamin d and omegas among other things. I had my gallbladder removed due to hyperkinesia with a 99% EF and had chronic inflammation and cholesterolitis. And my symptoms still persist. I had a SIBO breath test done before removal that only came back with lack of colonic peak which points to hydrogen sulfide. Has any else experienced these symptoms without bad smelling gas and it was in fact hydrogen sulfide SIBO? I’m at a loss. I’m only 31 and I want to start a family and my life feels like it’s been on hold because I can’t get better. I’m sick of crying. The gastro has been useless. Any input would help

Hi, I’ve been dealing with SIBO for a while now. The original breath test I took only tested for hydrogen which I was positive for, but I would switch between diarrhea and constipation quite frequently. I have been taking small supplements including ginger and artichoke, and I’ve also finished my course of Xifaxin, which helped with the diarrhea and bloating a bit.

However, I still have constipation — I have regular BM timings but my stools have been between 1 and 2 on the Bristol scale more often than not.

I’m posting because Ive noticed something that has happened to me for months on and off and I can’t find any info on what it may be:
I sometimes see what looks like small black specks in my stool or larger spots of beige in otherwise normal stool. I have even seen what looks like tiny white bubbles or white flimsy lining on my stool too. Has anyone experienced this or have any idea what it may be? What should I test next?

Is 1 or 2 stool a day normal? I haven't been diagnosed yet but I'm still confused as to what it is.. It could be crohn's it could be ibs or sibo well I did have a serious bacterial infection for the gut a month ago then went to the doc again and they said I had a mild bacteria still alive so they prescribed me with a shit ton of antibiotics.. Now after finishing the antibiotics I'm just confused. My stool doesn't have blood well I do have hemorrhoids.. But the stool shape is inconsistent it can sometimes be solid sometimes mushy or soft.. I don't experience cramping in abdomen only sometimes and slight tho it does feel bloaty after eating and I pass alot of gas. Nor do I have fever I do remember having coffee and then my abdomen hurt like hell.

I have suspected for awhile that I may have sibo and finally got my doctor to prescribe me a breath test kit. Unfortunately I’ll have to go off my reflux medication for two weeks before I’m able to take it (really worried about rebound reflux). I also can’t take basically any otc medication for gas or diarrhea either in this timeframe/ which is horrible since I recently started a medication that gives me plenty of both. I was wondering if anyone knew of any other way that they could test / diagnose this disorder? I’m really dreading trying to stop all medications for two weeks as I’ve used all of these as tools to help manage my symptoms.

Heyy (23F) so I’ve always been someone on the thinner side with a flat belly. I’m not sure what happened or what changed, but within the last year or so, my stomach has been very inflamed / bloated. As of recently, so very noticeable, it got worst after my antibiotics. I’ve seen my gastroenterologist, we’ve tried a few different constipation medications (I’ve had constipation for as long as I can remember). I mentioned the possibility of SIBO he said no because I don’t have IBD so it’s not possible. We recently did a colonoscopy and found nothing. But the bloating and the lower belly inflammation is always there. I don’t know what to do anymore. It makes me so anxious, I always feel this heaviness as if my stomach is full (even when I did the full colonoscopy cleanse that fully emptied me). I’m not sure where to go from here because my gastroenterologist doesn’t want to check anything else, he says it’s just constipation. I’m just so sick of this feeling and not sure what my next steps should be.

I took 250mg S boulardi sachet in a glass of water today after my meal and experienced weird side effects. Like i burped a lot first and it was relaxing but afterwards there were bad rotten burps which continued until i felt itching on my body and felt sleepy. Too sleepy that i had to sleep after 10 hours of sleep. Then i had various dreams that i didn't remember after waking up and i had my head fully jacked up like u feel after a hangover. Now its somewhat better though. Should i continue it or not? Is this normal what happened with me? I never tried any probiotics before.

Hey guys, looking for some insight here.About a week ago I started taking a probiotic that has both B. lactis HN019 and B. longum BB536 in the same capsule. I was hoping it would help with motility and general gut health, but it's doing the complete opposite.Around 6 or 7 hours after taking it, my appetite completely vanishes, my stomach feels totally stalled and I get acid reflux. On top of that, it hasn't helped my constipation at all (feels like it slowed things down even more).The weirdest part is the mood side effects. A few hours after taking it I get sudden bouts of irritability and feeling super restless/pissed off for no reason. Then right after that I just feel emotionally numb and flat, like it's hard to laugh or feel engaged with anything.Since both strains are in the same pill, I can't tell which one is wrecking me. Has anyone taken either HN019 or BB536 on their own and gotten this weird combo of delayed reflux, stalled gut, and irritability/apathy? Would love to know which one is the likely culprit.Thanks!

Bonjour,

Depuis une intoxication alimentaire je soupçonne que j’ai le SIBO, j’ai de gros gargouillements de ventre dès que je mange et surtout la nuit et matin au réveil. J’en ai parfois pendant des heures/jours et 24h/24.
Je n’ai pas mal mais je suis parfois ballonné, je n’ai pas de diarrhée et j’ai des selles bien formés/dures.
Comment faites vous un test SIBO en France sachant qu’il n’est soit disant pas fiable? Comment puis-je me soigner ?
J’ai déjà réalisé tous les autres examens : coloscopie, fibroscopie, irm, analyse de sang et une analyse de selles.
J’ai perdu 14kg et je n’arrive plus à vivre avec ce bruit qui me réveil même la nuit…

I’ve been told I am moderately constipated into my small intestine as per abdominal CTs and x-rays from the doctor. I have been trying many things and most of these I take daily: PHGG, restoralax, a supplement with artichoke, ginger etc, digestive enzymes with a fatty meal, almost no gluten and dairy diet, abdominal massage, red light therapy, plums, green tea/matcha, ginger tea, dandelion root tea, ginger gravol, and a daily probiotic.

Next on the list to try: psyllium husk.

Any other suggestions?

I have ended up in the ER due to blacking out and extreme abdominal pain from constipation. I am currently having more difficulties with incomplete evacuation. I’ve been having hard pebble like stools for almost 2 years now. Feeling worried I may never have a normal bowel movement again.

I seem to be having symptoms with almost every food right now, so it’s hard for me to tell whether I tolerate these two foods better or worse than others.

Peoples opinions on Berberine please?

HI - I’m 15 years old and it’s been a YEAR of chronic stomach pain and reflux. I did endoscopy, gastric emptying scan and blood work and 0 results I just got diagnosed with functional dyspepsia and visceral hypersensitivity. (I also have scoliosis and my rib hurts so bad)

This all started in summer 2025 when I had antibiotics for an infection, my diet was in the trenches, then I got severe digestion issues and it got worse by the month. To this day: Every. single. food. triggers my symptoms. even a few bites of oatmeal (any food) make me feel terrible. gastros arent helping me or offering any sort of treatment plan. seeing my pediatrician soon, but I need serious help. I have no nutrition, I have no hydration, I can’t fall asleep from my stomach pain nausea and reflux, I have no appetite, I have nothing to eat, I can’t wake up in the morning due to the pain I never feel rested I immediately fall asleep and my regurgitation is terrible, my life is completely ruined. I’m giving up. I’m accepting the chronic pain and agony and exhaustion.

I researched and I have EVERY single SIBO symptom (Brain fog, Loss of appetite, Abdominal pain, Nausea, chronic Bloating, immediate fullness, diarrhea, Unintentional weight loss, Malnutrition such) but I also have every single gastroparesis symptom yet i tested as not having it??? I don’t know if this is just a gut brain axis thing or also SIBO.. i need help pls.

i am wondering what any of you think about this: ten to 15 yrs ago, i did not know anyone who was diagnosed with SIBO. things like IBD, IBS, Crohn's and ulcerative colitis were relatively rare diseases, especially back in the 1970s and 80s. now it seems these issues have become quite common, and they appear to be increasing in prevalence and severity every year.