Rifaximin (Xifaxan) is an expensive drug used to treat traveler's diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea. It is also used to prevent hepatic encephalopathy, a brain disorder that can occur due to severe liver disease. This drug is more popular than comparable drugs. There are currently no generic alternatives to Xifaxan.
I recommend to patients over age 50thst they consider doing Pap smears every three years. If they are over age 65 with no history of cervical cancer can stop having Pap smears. Women without a cervix and no previous history of cervical cancer can stop having Pap smears done following a hysterectomy. So, to answer your question, I would advise a 73 year old woman in good health with no prior history of cervical cancer and low risk factors for STD infection to stop having Pap smears.
New recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, state that women who are 21 to 29 years old only need a Pap smear every three years. And those under the age of 21 do not need a Pap smear at all, regardless of sexual history. And healthy women age between the ages of 30 and 65 need a Pap smear only every five years if they combine it with a test for human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can develop into cervical cancer.