Some thyroid meds contain gluten?

[phoenix23002]

I thought this information might be of interest to those of you with celiac disease or who are gluten-sensitive. It was just shared on another thyroid website here in the states.

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

[Pastille]

Thanks, I think that will surprise a lot of people, it did me

[phoenix23002 in reply to Pastille]

Me too. I just assumed that all thyroid meds were gluten free. A good friend was just diagnosed with celiac and she is having a rough time of it. She takes Armour, thank goodness. That seems to still be gluten free.

[Pastille in reply to phoenix23002]

Well I only take levothyroxine and that's gf but it's still good to know because I will more than likely use T3 at some point. I just found it quite bizarre really as I thought the gluten connection was common knowledge now. Ah well, the education never ends does it!

[phoenix23002 in reply to Pastille]

Well said, Pastille.. re: education never ends. We have to stay on our toes and sometimes it is just exhausting.

[Pastille in reply to phoenix23002]

Oh it really is !! But sometimes there are bright moments! Like I just read that Magnesium can get you off chocolate

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Anyone in the UK may find this Coeliac UK link useful:

Medications

The vast majority of medicines prescribed by your GP are gluten-free. In some medicines, wheat starch, which contains low levels of gluten, is used as an ingredient. In cases where wheat starch is used as an ingredient, because there are other ingredients in the medicine, the overall gluten content of the medicine is very low.

In almost all cases an alternative medicinal product can be prescribed, in some cases containing the same active ingredient, and which does not contain wheat starch.

Anyone concerned should speak with their GP or pharmacist and request that their prescribed medicine is one that does not contain wheat starch.

Sometimes medications can cause side effects that are similar to symptoms that occur after accidentally eating gluten. If you have any unexpected side effects, speak to your GP.

coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-dise...

[MrsRaven]

I'm worried now that Wockhardt levo and UniPharma T3 might contain gluten, as they dont appear to be on the gf list 😕

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to MrsRaven]

The article appears only to concern itself with USA products. So lack of any appearances of Wockhardt levothyroxine and Uni-Pharma liothyronine seems to me to indicate absolutely nothing.

[phoenix23002 in reply to MrsRaven]

I agree with helvella. It might be informative for you to call or contact unipharma and Wockhardt and ask for an ingredients list. This information might even be on the manufacturer's website somewhere.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to phoenix23002]

We do not have to ask the companies for most UK medicines. They are both included with most prescriptions when dispensed and (mostly) available here:

medicines.org.uk/emc/search...

Uni-Pharma ingredients have been posted here quite a few times.

UNI-PHARMA T3 ingredients:

Active ingredient: Liothyronine sodium

Excipients**:

a) Lactose (lactose monohydrate, gelatine, starch maize),

b) sodium starch glycolate, magnesium stearate,

c) silicified talc (purified talc, colloidal silicon dioxide),

d) egg yellow lake art 74675 (25mcg), and

d) yellow lake No 6E110 (50mcg).

The above ingredients are taken from a leaflet enclosed with a box of Uni-Pharma T3 (manufactured 10.2014, it seems from "LOT 14 10"). Although the leaflet is largely in Greek, at point 1.2 of it, the English translation of the ingredients is helpfully given.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

And this site:

dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/

.. contains an awful lot of information about products available in the USA.

[Eddie83]

In the USA, it's always a good idea to consult the website GlutenFreeDrugs.com. When I became aware of the gluten problem with some thyroid meds 6 years ago, the only manufacturer that would send me a letter certifying their products gluten free, was King Pharmaceuticals. (King makes T3/Cytomel and T4/Levoxyl.) Since then, I have attempted to get information about certain generic T3 preparations, without clear results, so I have stuck with Cytomel and Levoxyl. King has subsequently become a subsidiary of Pfizer; I do not know if that has affected their formulas.

[phoenix23002 in reply to Eddie83]

Eddie83, this is a quote from the link above about Pfizer's T3.

"I found out yesterday that the Cytomel I have been taking for the past year and a half contains gluten as a filler, when it used to contain corn starch. I spoke with Pfizer and they said it not longer uses corn starch and that there is indeed gluten in the pills. They categorically refused to tell me what they used, but on further research, I believe it is wheat. I have severe gluten sensitivity, and possibly the beginnings of celiac disease, so this is a huge problem. I've developed high liver enzymes since I started Cytomel, believing it was safe. I also have documented liver damage. This is so alarming to me that I'd like Dr. Wentz to help inform others of this terrible danger to those with gluten issues. I am hoping that a compounded T3 and liver support and detox will reverse the issue for me.

I believe the Hashimoto’s community has a right to know that Pfizer changed the filler to a gluten one. It is irresponsible and dangerous."

[Eddie83 in reply to phoenix23002]

I did call Pfizer 800.438.1985 and verified from their rep, Rodrigo Barvo, that Pfizer does not know what is in the starch (listed in the "other ingredients" in the monograph) used in Cytomel. Fortunately there is no starch in Levoxyl. I reminded them that King Pharm guaranteed Cytomel GF in 2010, and they need to return to the original King formula.