After failing to knock out the SIBO relapse with a month of herbals I decided to try something new – Atrantil. Atrantil was designed by a GI doctor in Texas specifically for methane dominant SIBO. It is a combination of three herbs that is reported to block the ability of methanogens to actually create methane thus give relief from symptoms. Studies show it works about 80% of the time in tough to treat cases but it is unclear whether it just stops symptoms or actually kills off the bacteria.
The formula uses:
- Peppermint – to help relax the small intestine
- Quebracho – soaks up the hydrogen eaten by the methane producers and also weakens the methanogens cell wall
- Horse Chestnut – shuts down the methane producing mechanism
I started out at the full dose of 2 capsules with each meal and after a few days actually started feeling better. I kept this dose up for a few weeks then cut down to 2 pills a day as the instructions stated. During this time I also took 2 Motility Activator capsules each night to try and get the MMC moving. After I cut the Atrantil dosage it didn’t take long for symptoms to start re-appearing. In mid-August we did a spot test to see if my baseline had dropped at all, it was 25 previously. Well, my baseline is now 50ppm but I didn’t do a prep diet at all, it was just a quick check but still, it should be 0 or close to it. I also felt pretty bad so I had a feeling nothing was really killed off, the Atrantil just masked my symptoms when I was doing the full dose. I know I have a large intestine m.smithii overgrowth so I’m sure that is the real root of the problem and some have migrated up into my small intestine causing me all this grief.
So, at the moment I’m back on a full dose for the last week and it has again cut down my symptoms overall though I still have a bad taste in my mouth, a fuzzy feeling tongue and some intestinal upset near the end of most days. I’m going to try another round of herbal antibiotics for two months and see what happens. If that fails then I may decide to do the elemental diet or even a stint on the carnivore diet to see if I can just starve some of this out. The other option is to go with Resolor, or whatever it is now called in the US. That should really get the MMC moving and may be what I need to keep the bacteria (well technically archaea) down in the large intestine where they belong.
I think ultimately the SYN-010 drug that Pimentel is working on may be my solution. I looked at the clinical trial but don’t meet the criteria since I’m not constipated enough (you need to go < 3x a week, ouch) and I have a family history of colon cancer. So in that area I just need to wait for the trials to wrap up and the FDA to approve, if I’m lucky the drug will be out in about 2021 but I really don’t want to suffer for two more years.