medication

hi all i suffer too with coelica disease, i also have liver disease and fibromyalgia..

i have to be very carefull in what medication i can have as alot of them contain wheat and gluten....

[Hidden]

Hi, In the UK, virtually all tablets and medicines are GF. It's only herbal types that we need to be aware of, that may contain wheat or gluten.

[Irene Administrator]

Hi pammy63 - you can feel safe with prescription meds in the UK as they are all gluten free. However you need to check over the counter meds as they can contain gluten.

Have a look at this earlier blog from Fiona GFG:

glutenfreeguerrillas.health...

[Hidden]

Some UK prescribed med's are wheat starch based and this wheat starch is highly refined but still contains traces of gluten. According to Coeliac UK wheat starch of pharmaceutical quality is highly refined and suitable for coeliac.

I have had issues with pharmaceutical wheat starch in med's so it isn't 100% gluten free. And it's best to check the labels as wheat starch will be listed in the ingredients. I'm sure that the med's with wheat starch are below the allowed codex level and your dispensing chemist can always check med's for you.

[FionaGFG Administrator]

Hi Jerry were there any particular UK prescribed meds that were causing you problems? I've been having a nice cocktail of pain meds and having many issues with them. Wondering if there is 'hidden low wheat starch' in them. I've also read in America (albeit not much real research) that NSAIDs can cause coeliac type reactions and cause leaky gut syndrome. So would love to know what ones aggravated you.

[Hidden in reply to FionaGFG]

Hi Fiona, I'm sorry but I can't remember their name as it was some time ago and I was surprised that some prescription med's used wheat starch. But basically they were an opioid pain killer given to me after a knee operation and I became anaemic after taking them. As soon as I stopped taking them my blood levels bounced back.

NSAID's can cause inflammation in the gut of anyone regardless of whether they are coeliac or not and many coeliac say that they upset their stomachs. I don't get on with aspirin and avoid them like the plague.

It's good to see you posting again and I am sorry that you're having issues with your med's and am sorry that I can't be more helpful.

[benjac64]

If you are having symptoms it is worth checking to see if you are lactose intolerant as many presecription drugs can contain lactose, which can be a side symptom to Gluten intolerance and Coeliac disease.

[FionaGFG Administrator]

It's bleeding not stomach symptoms so I doubt it's lactose - but thanks.

[Lynxcat]

Just adding a few extra pieces of information here. Firstly, it is recognised that UK medicines in certain circumstances do contain wheat starch - it is highly processed, but nevertheless it is present as a binding agent. Some also contain pregelatinized modified starch (source not specified); caramel coloring (when barley malt is used); dextrimaltose (when barley malt is used), etc, etc .. These, may be in medicines that are thought to be suitable to coeliacs and also considered to be safe but the longer that a person excludes gluten from their diet the more likely they are to be sensitive to even the most minutest amount of gluten.

Here is the page from Coeliac UK - not much information on it, yet ..

coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-...

Best advice is probably to ASK THE DOCTOR AND/OR PHARMACIST to find out whether the particular drug contains gluten or is made from items that are not frum gluten grains.

The following advice on medicine from Celiac Central ..

The risks of leaving gluten off the label:

Manufacturers use excipients to bind pills together and help deliver the medication to the patient. There are several types of excipients, and some of them may contain gluten.

Although few medications actually contain gluten, it is important that the ingredients of each medication are explored to determine the source of excipients – and to verify the particular drug is gluten-free.

The generic form of a medication may use different excipients than the brand name drug. Even if the brand name is determined to be gluten-free, the gluten-free status of each generic must be verified.

The following inactive ingredients indicate the need for additional investigation to determine the gluten-free status of the drug:

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)

celiaccentral.org/Resources...