Hey, Surprise! There’s Gluten in Your Meds!

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I know. And I sort of hope you were sitting down before you read that. It happens less frequently now than it used to, but it does still happen. Whether it’s your prescription, or your favorite over-the-counter box of cold meds, if you’re super sensitive to gluten, you should probably call the company or check out GlutenFreeMeds.com to see if it’s on their list, at the least.

Maybe you’re wondering why there would be gluten in your medication? It’s simple, and sort of the same reason why there is gluten in spices, shampoo, lotions, and makeup. It’s a binding agent in many things. In this case, it helps make your pills stay together.

If any of the prescription or OTC medications you take have any of these ingredients, you may want to further your investigating skills and verify for the sake of your body.

• Wheat
• Modified starch (source not specified)
• Pregelatinized starch (source not specified)
• Pregelatinized modified starch (source not specified)
• Dextrates (source not specified)
• Dextrimaltose (when barley malt is used)
• Caramel coloring (when barley malt is used)
• Dextrin (source not specified, but usually by corn or potato)

Pharmacists face many dilemmas in the gluten-free world. There are no requirements for companies to label their medicines as “gluten free,” or just what they contain. In the same breath, all gluten sensitivities are different, and that 1 particle of gluten dust may not do much to Suzy, but it was enough to put Tom in the hospital. It is also true that medications don’t work the same way in a body without a gluten issue, as they do in a body that severely reacts to gluten. I just don’t feel it should be left up to the pharmacist to decipher, and I think that put them into a bad spot, as well.

More and more, we’re seeing the push to ban GMOs, and label things appropriately for allergens. I am hopeful that even more labeling will be approved to fully label prescriptions, shampoos, and anything else that is used by humans containing gluten. I’ve learned through my years of personal experience, and that of my child’s, that gluten, GMOs, and the harsh chemicals in our world ARE affecting our bodies, and creating internal disasters that no one knows how to deal with.

So, just a gentle reminder, fellow Celiac sufferers- CHECK YOUR MEDS!!

Resources Used:

GlutenFreeMeds.com- linked their gluten free med sheet