What is Ryfa?

Ryfa is a medicine that treats infections in your stomach and intestines. It contains an antibiotic called Rifaximin. This antibiotic works only inside your gut. Unlike other antibiotics, very little of it enters the rest of your body. So it fights bad bacteria right where they are, without causing many side effects elsewhere.

How does it help? (Benefits)

• Kills many types of bad bacteria in the gut

• Stops bacteria from growing by blocking their protein production

• Stays mostly in the intestines, so it’s safer for the rest of your body

• Has very low risk of interfering with other medicines you take

• Does not harm your good bacteria as much as other antibiotics

• Helps relieve symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, and stomach discomfort

• Can be used for long-term or repeated gut problems

When is it used? (Indications)

Doctors may prescribe Ryfa for:

• IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) – a condition that causes stomach pain, bloating, and changes in how often you go to the bathroom

• IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) – long-term swelling in the gut (like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis)

• SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) – too many bacteria growing in the small intestine

• Functional Dyspepsia – ongoing indigestion or upset stomach with no clear cause

• Chronic Pouchitis – swelling in a surgically created pouch in the gut (used as an extra treatment)

• Traveler’s Diarrhea – diarrhea you get while traveling

• Hepatic Encephalopathy – a condition where liver problems cause confusion; Ryfa helps by reducing harmful bacteria in the gut