Overview
Symptoms of SIBO, in our experience, are often some of the most confusing and unclear for our patients, mainly because they are so similar to other conditions. In order to clear up any uncertainty, let’s dive into the world of SIBO symptoms and explore what they are, how to spot them properly, and what to do about it.
Types of SIBO Symptoms
As you probably already know, SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and it is a tiresome condition that affects the digestive tract, specifically the small intestine. Because of the very nature of this condition, it can manifest itself in a wide range of symptoms, which are broadly categorized in two groups – digestive and non-digestive symptoms. The names of these categories are pretty self-explanatory, but let’s explore them in more detail.
Digestive Symptoms
Digestive symptoms include symptoms like indigestion, fullness after eating, and overall discomfort in your gut. These symptoms usually result from the change in the environment in your GI tract related to the changes in bacterial concentration. This type of imbalance caused by the increased amount of bacteria required in the small intestine and the lowered number of nutrients results in various such symptoms.
Non-Digestive Symptoms
The non-digestive symptoms, on the other hand, are manifested on other parts of your body or mental state. These can also be referred to as SIBO neurological symptoms and are caused by malnutrition and malabsorption of vitamins and other nutrients.
Most Common SIBO Symptoms
Now that we’ve explained the two main categories of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth symptoms, let’s dive a bit deeper and see what that most common ones are. These are usually the SIBO bacteria symptoms that are the first to manifest, reported by roughly 70% of our SIBO patients.
Gas and Bloating
Gas and bloating are the most common SIBO disease symptoms. This isn’t your everyday bloating that comes and goes; it’s severe and uncomfortable, often occurring around 30-60 minutes after eating. The bacteria causes an excessive fermentation of the food, which in turn creates gasses.
Abdominal Pain or Discomfort
Abdominal pain is another common symptom of SIBO, and can be a severe, cramping pain that can disrupt your daily life. This pain likely stems from a combination of gas, bloating, and constipation. As your intestines fill with gas, they cramp, which presents as abdominal pain.
Diarrhea or Constipation
When it comes to bowel movements, SIBO can swing both ways. Some people with SIBO experience chronic constipation, while others might have persistent diarrhea.This bowel phenomenon happens because the bacterial overgrowth in your small intestines can disrupt the normal digestive process. The bacteria can interfere with the muscle contractions or it can also cause inflammation in your gut lining, speeding up the transit time.
Nausea
Many people with SIBO experience some degree of persistent nausea that doesn’t go away. This symptom is thought to be related to the paralytic effect that SIBO has on your bowels, which basically slows down the normal movement of your gut, leading to a feeling of nausea.
Malabsorption & Weight Fluctuations
The overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestines can damage the lining of your gut, impairing its ability to absorb the nutrients from the food you eat. This disruption can lead to deficiencies in various nutrients and minerals, each of which can cause multiple symptoms. Additionally, this imbalance can also lead to drastic changes in weight, with both weight gain and weight loss being reported with different patients.
Fatigue and Low Energy
Last but not least, fatigue or low energy is a common symptom of SIBO. The exact mechanism behind this isn’t entirely clear, but it’s believed that systemic inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances caused by SIBO could be contributing factors.
SIBO Testing
SIBO signs and symptoms are only the first step, and arguably one that can often be misconstrued and misinterpreted. Because of that, it’s important to make medical tests that can verify whether what you are experiencing are SIBO flare up symptoms. The most common test for diagnosing SIBO is the breath test. This non-invasive, at-home or in-office test measures the levels of hydrogen and methane in your breath, indicating an overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine.
Here’s How It Works
You’ll start by fasting overnight to ensure your stomach and intestines are empty. On the test day, you’ll get a sugary solution to drink and if you have an overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine, the sugar will be fermented, producing gasses like hydrogen and methane. These gasses will be absorbed into your bloodstream and eventually exhaled in your breath, where the test will measure them with samples every 15-20 minutes.
If you have any kind of symptoms of SIBO and you are unsure whether you actually have this condition, we encourage you to check out our SIBO Functional Testing options.
How to Ease SIBO Symptoms
When it comes to SIBO, treating the symptoms and addressing any underlying issues that are causing it are of utmost importance. There are many steps that we advise our patients to take in order to improve their condition and manage the SIBO disease symptoms. Let’s explore them in more detail.
Follow a Low-FODMAP Diet
FODMAP may sound a bit confusing, but it is in fact an acronym for a group of carbohydrates that are known to worsen SIBO flare up symptoms and make everyday activities much harder. By implementing a diet that has a low amount of FODMAPs, you can minimize gas, bloating, and even diarrhea. Some of the more mainstream FODMAP foods that you should avoid include onions, garlic, wheat, apples, pears, stone fruits, and dairy.
Low FODMAP foods include: carrots, leafy greens, cucumber, chicken, fish, and eggs.
Eat Smart – Smaller but Frequent Meals
Eating larger meals is never a good idea, as this can overwhelm the digestive system and cause SIBO die off symptoms to reappear. Eating smaller but more frequent meals allow the digestive system to properly manage and absorb the food.
Consider Using Digestive Enzymes
According to research, digestive enzymes can help break down food and reduce the bloating and gasses caused by SIBO. However, we advise you to consult with a medical professional or with us here at BioIntelligent Wellness before doing so.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are usually the main form of treatment that doctors prescribe for SIBO in order to reduce the bacterial overgrowth. However, you should never start taking antibiotic treatment on your own. Always consult with a doctor first.
Intermittent Fasting
Many of our patients have also reported improvements in their SIBO disease symptoms after implementing intermittent fasting in their everyday lives. Basically, intermittent fasting creates a timetable where you can eat for a certain amount of hours during the day and then not eat anything during the rest. This can be a great way to help the digestive system by giving it enough time to process and digest the food properly and minimize bacterial overgrowth.
SIBO Treatment Success with BioIntelligent Wellness
Over the years, we have had many SIBO patients who were struggling with this condition and are now able to live better, healthier, and high-quality lives. Here is the story of one of them.
I was diagnosed with SIBO years after I started experiencing the symptoms. Initially, taking specific medicines for the specific symptoms “worked.” However, the frequency at which I was experiencing these symptoms made me realize there was something drastically wrong with my digestion EVERY time I ate. After a series of tests, the doctor was finally able to give me an answer. He told me I tested positive for SIBO.
Despite my gastroenterologist trying several rounds of treatment with Rifaximin alone, the symptoms quickly returned. I even tried the alternative botanical treatments, but that made my symptoms even worse. The more time passed, the more SIBO took control of my life, making me feel hopeless and unmotivated.
Then, it so happened that I ran into an old classmate after several years, who told me he is a doctor. This was the beginning of a new phase in my life as I told him everything about my symptoms of SIBO, how the condition was worsening, and how demotivated I felt after so many unsuccessful treatments. He told me not to worry and to get in touch with BioIntelligent Wellness. And from there, began my new life that was less to do with SIBO and more to do with better health, and the confidence to concentrate on my career.
The next day, I contacted Spark Health. I explained my problems to Dr. Cicerone on the day of my appointment. This was the longest discussion I ever had with anyone about my health problem. I must say Dr. Cicerone was extremely patient as she listened to my symptoms and their progression.
Then, she asked me for a detailed history of my routine, my diet, and so on. Based on this, she prescribed another round of medications, but this time things were different. She offered a lot of guidance and assured me this was a complex protocol in which I would learn a great deal, including the correlation of symptoms, which foods to avoid at all cost until I had finished treatment, and more.
She referred me to a specialized SIBO diet customized by BioIntelligent Wellness, saying she had worked with them for over five years treating SIBO patients. I found out that more than 85% were successful after one round of treatment, further reassuring me that BioIntelligent Wellness not only creates a diet to support her SIBO treatment but will also create a diet that will transition me back to my normal way of eating – without relapsing.
At the same time, she also advised me to stop taking many of the supplements, including probiotics, as these were also feeding the bacteria. She told me that the protocol would not only address the SIBO symptoms but speed up the healing of the intestine.
BioIntelligent Wellness’s customized diet for SIBO made all of the conflicting information clear. They also provided many great recipes that were very simple and easy to make, while also being available to answer my questions and help me navigate symptoms.The personalized guidance and education I received from both Dr. Cicerone at Spark Health and throughout the SIBO treatment with BioIntelligent Wellness ensured I not only treated SIBO successfully, but also had the knowledge, plan, and tools to avoid relapsing. After 7 weeks of the treatment protocol, I met with Dr. Cicerone to review my retesting results, and there was a drastic improvement in my SIBO symptoms.
After retesting with Dr. Cicerone, I met with Cat at BioIntelligent Wellness for the next phase. She created a diet for me to follow to support the repopulation Dr. Cicerone explained and even included a color-coded chart showing me everything I could reintroduce. The plan was very specific, but I felt fantastic, so I had no problem following the details. I could feel a drastic improvement in not only my SIBO symptoms but also my energy, and my anxiety over never getting better. I felt more confident and my career track started improving too.
Today, I can say, I am actually enjoying my life, thanks to the guidance I received at BioIntelligent Wellness. I also feel stronger now and have more stamina to perform my routine work and even have the energy to volunteer. SIBO was once a major obstacle in my life and has now taken a backseat. And this dramatic change in my life is all because I was introduced to BioIntelligent Wellness, and of course, Dr. Cicerone.
SIBO Symptoms in Men
While both men and women often have some overlapping symptoms, like the ones we explained above, there are also some gender-specific symptoms that can affect either men or women. When it comes to men, some of the more common ones include:
- Digestive Symptoms – Men are usually more affected by digestive-focused issues, such as constipation and diarrhea, without necessarily being affected by hormonal issues.
- Higher Risk of Nutrient Deficiencies – Male patients often suffer from increased malabsorption of nutrients, especially B12. This usually leads to muscle weakness.
- Body Fat Distribution – Weight changes are also noticed in male SIBO patients, but because of the fat distribution, these changes may not be as physically noticeable as they are in women.
SIBO Symptoms in Women
Women, on the other hand, are usually prone to more noticeable SIBO flare up symptoms, so let’s explore some of the more common ones.
- Hormonal Imbalances – Because of the nutrient malabsorption, SIBO can lead to various hormonal imbalances, such as irregular menstrual cycles, worsened PMS, and even infertility in some cases.
- SIBO Flare Up Symptoms – Some women may also experience more severe flare up symptoms during hormonal shifts. This is usually the case during the premenstrual phases.
- Pelvic Discomfort – The abdominal discomfort in women can sometimes spread to the pelvic area, often mimicking a gynecological issue.
Symptoms of SIBO vs IBS
When it comes to confusion and misinterpretation, SIBO and IBS are the two main sides. These two conditions not only share many of the main and fundamental symptoms, but they are both illnesses that affect the digestive tract. However, let’s look at how they are different and what are some of the condition-specific symptoms that each one has.
First of all, SIBO is a condition that affects the small intestine and is caused, as the name itself suggests, by an excessive growth of bacteria in this section of the body. IBS, on the other hand, affects the large intestine and has no clear cause or structure. It can be triggered by various factors, such as gut-brain axis dysfunction, gut motility, visceral hypersensitivity and more. Moreover, SIBO can be diagnosed through simple breath tests, while IBS requires tracking of symptom patterns and exclusion of other possibilities.
As we mentioned, both SIBO and IBS have many of the same symptoms, such as bloating and gas, abdominal pain, malnutrition, nausea, and fatigue. However, let’s take a look at some of the condition-specific symptoms, so you know how to potentially differentiate the two.
SIBO Symptoms:
- Vitamin deficiency, especially B12
- Iron deficiency
- Fat malabsorption, leading to watery or irregularly smelly stool
- Unintentional weight loss
- Severe bloating
- Chronic diarrhea
- Relapse after antibiotic treatment
IBS Symptoms:
- Abdominal pain relieved by defecation
- Mucus in stool
- Psychological triggers
- Constipation or mixed bowel habits
- Pain unrelated to eating
- Weight loss is usually not present
Conclusion
Overall, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth can be a difficult condition that makes everyday life and tasks much more of a challenge. It can present itself in a range of symptoms, such as excessive gas, abdominal pain, irregular bowel movements, and many more. It is important to understand that SIBO can be treated with the right approach and its symptoms can be minimized, but we advise consulting with a medical professional first.
Symptoms of SIBO can be different in men and women, and even though they can be easily confused with symptoms of IBS, there are some fundamental differences that tell them apart. If you think that you may have SIBO, don’t hesitate to book a consultation with us here at BioIntelligent Wellness and start improving your health and your life.
FAQs
What are the Symptoms of SIBO?
SIBO can manifest itself in various different symptoms, the most common ones being severe bloating and gasses, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, etc.
When do SIBO Die Off Symptoms Start?
SIBO die off symptoms, based on our experience, usually start shortly after starting the antibiotic treatment. Once the medicine gets in contact, the bacteria will start releasing endotoxins.
How Long After Eating do SIBO Symptoms Start?
Symptoms of SIBO usually take 30 to 90 minutes after eating, since it takes time for the food to be fermented.
Can you Have SIBO Without Symptoms?
Generally no, SIBO comes with the common symptoms, but it can be undiagnosed for a long time as people usually confuse it with IBS.
Do SIBO Symptoms Come and Go?
SIBO symptoms are known to come and go. They can usually be worse after eating, and they are also known to relapse months after treatment.
Can Probiotics Make SIBO Symptoms Worse?
There is currently not enough research on this topic, but there have been cases where probiotics have worsened SIBO symptoms.
What Makes SIBO Symptoms Worse?
Food is the main source of fuel for the bacteria, but there are many things that can worsen these symptoms, including stress, probiotics, previous stomach surgery, and more.
How to Manage SIBO Symptoms?
The best way to manage SIBO symptoms is to regulate your diet. Avoid FODMAP foods, manage your stress, eat smaller but high-quality meals, etc.
