Question 1

What is Inulin Intolerance and how do you treat it?

Accepted Answer

Occasionally some children will have a very intense reaction to inulin even at extremely low doses. In some children, the increase in anxiety, aggression, and hyperactivity is so extreme that inulin needs to be discontinued.  I refer to this situation as “inulin intolerance.”  Some children will have these reactions even at doses a low as 1/32 tsp or 1/64 tsp of inulin per day.  The best option is to discontinue inulin entirely and treat the patient with a ten-day course of rifaximin. Rebalancing the intestinal bacteria with rifaximin does not result in the same type of adverse response.  When starting rifaximin after inulin intolerance, I often recommend starting the children on repeated ten-day cyclic rifaximin each month for a minimum of twelve months.

Question 2

What is Inulin Intolerance and how do you treat it?

Accepted Answer

Occasionally some children will have a very intense reaction to inulin even at extremely low doses. In some children, the increase in anxiety, aggression, and hyperactivity is so extreme that inulin needs to be discontinued.  I refer to this situation as “inulin intolerance.”  Some children will have these reactions even at doses a low as 1/32 tsp or 1/64 tsp of inulin per day.  The best option is to discontinue inulin entirely and treat the patient with a ten-day course of rifaximin. Rebalancing the intestinal bacteria with rifaximin does not result in the same type of adverse response.  When starting rifaximin after inulin intolerance, I often recommend starting the children on repeated ten-day cyclic rifaximin each month for a minimum of twelve months.