I have been on the Lactulose and Xifaxin for 4 and 5 years, respectfully. I had to come off the Xifaxin as it can't be taken with the S/O combo. I had a terrible time with HE and I almost went into hepatic coma as I was hallucinating to the point of calling the police and telling them my husband had slapped me in the face when he has never laid a hand on me. I ended up in the hospital and had to get lactulose enemas. I will do whatever it takes not to let that happen again. I have no memory of it.
Hector, so is this a supplement and in place of miralax?
As I am new to "how to mange cirhossis with portal hypertension (no bands yet). I am making notes to bring all of this up with my liver doc next week. I am a vegetarian existing on essentially nut butter. Having zero appetite for anything is new for me. I was trying kefir for a substitute protein and am kind of more confused. Speaking of which, I do have memory loss and fuzzy thinking. The other issues are pain and fatigue. The abdominal swelling had just begun and I had already cut out all salt!
Any other suggestions would be so appreciated! I've never had to deal with any of this stuff before. My liver went from 1 to 4 with portal hypertension in about three months! Unbelievable! Then I started the S&O with really horrific fatigue, dyslexia and fuzzy thinking-- I'm a professor! So for me improving my thinking is so so critical! (Health too.). After S&O 12.5 weeks now, not worrying about the virus is nice, but I feel so lost with my new cirrhosis issue.
Really, any suggestions would be great because I am literally freaked about all food! I do not loose weight, yet eating is ridiculous. I do drink jasmine green tea with honey and water. Zero % milk for vit d. No other supplements. I am not overweight, actually healthy and I do walk and clean house. I was bed-ridden up to going on S&O....that's how bad the fatigue got and I really don't remember much of this year.
Thank you!
Best wishes, dbz
Thank you! You always give such good answers to my Questions. I heard there was a study going on with Xifaxan, that it might help reverse the damage from Cirrhosis. Has anyone heard about his? Or similar studies.
A wise GI told me to govern how much lactulose I took. He said you want three bowel movements daily. If you have more, try cutting back on the dosage. If less, increase. His advice helped me immensely.
Good luck.
Hector has detailed the two things my husband takes to treat his hepatic encephalopathy - lactulose and Xifaxin. He takes the green colored lactulose manufactured by Qualitest. He really does not like the orange colored lactulose which is usually given to him when he is in the hospital. I always let the pharmacy know which we want them to fill. Recently they wanted to substitute the orange one because the pharmacist said the green one is more expensive. I told them I guess we will have to move our prescription elsewhere and they reconsidered. He has never tried the Kristalose so I can't offer an opinion.
The most important thing is to do what you need to do to keep the HE under control.
I wish you the best.
Nan
Lactulose is considered the standard of care for hepatic encephalopathy in people with cirrhosis. Some doctors may also add Xifaxan (Rifaximin) (which can cost over $1000 per month) in addition to the lactulose.Xifaxan is an antibiotic that has proven to be effective against the buildup of toxins in the blood and has been shown to prevent hospitalizations for HE.
If you don't like the favor you can ask your pharmacist if they have other flavors or go to another pharmacy. Flavors very.
There is also a powdered version of lactulose that is almost entirely tasteless when mixed with water and tasteless when mixed with any flavored drink. It is called Kristalose. But it is a lot more expensive and not all insurance companies cover the cost.
As always you best source of information about cirrhosis and its treatment is your hepatologist who is managing your disease.
Good luck.
Hector