mannitol

[elwins]

mannitol which is in Teva brand of thyroxine and does not agree with everyone. I have found out is obtained by the hydrogenation of sugars from wheat/corn starch no wonder I have problems, being gluten free. Also found it in other medications.

[Anthea55]

Thanks for flagging that, elwins. No wonder many people find it a problem.

[elwins in reply to Anthea55]

thanks for your reply, not seen it mentioned before, but I could be wrong.

[Citrine77]

I had heard about mannitol a couple of years ago, that it caused some serious health conditions, I know that it has a bad effect on me and cannot take Teva tabs However I have just done a quick look on the Internet and thought you would be interested in this. It is on the list of the World anti doping agency due to the fact that it may mask other drugs and can cause electrolyte disorders there is also a contraindication with IBS.

Put that together folks and it is no wonder a lot of us feel really ill when we take it.

[elwins in reply to Citrine77]

thanks for that much appreciated.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Citrine77]

Mannitol is listed under this grouping:

Desmopressin, plasma expanders (such as glycerol; intravenous administration of albumin, dextran, hydroxyethyl starch and mannitol), probenecid, and other substances with similar biological effects are also banned

That is, the small amount of mannitol such as you find in a tablet is NOT banned. It is injecting mannitol.

The negative effects of mannitol are mostly associated with infusion where massively higher doses are used. 0.25 to 2 grams per kilogram. Or by powder inhalation of 400 milligrams (higher dose than a tablet - but a very different route of administration).

bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/manni...

The majority of its side or adverse effects are due to its bulk properties. These simply don't happen with the small amounts in tablets.

Yes - the thyroid hormone tablets which contain mannitol affect some of us significantly. But I don't think we have a satisfactory explanation. We do know that in general they slightly increase absorption of levothyroxine compared to a typical lactose-based formulation.

Just adding:

Small amounts of mannitol are very common in foods.

Mannitol is found naturally in fresh mushrooms, algae (especially brown algae) and the bark of the manna ash tree. It’s also found in small quantities in most fruits and vegetables (e.g., celery, olives, onions and pumpkins).

foodinsight.org/what-is-man...

There are many such lists and they do vary considerably!

[elwins in reply to helvella]

thanks for information.

[Citrine77 in reply to helvella]

Thanks for the info, good to know. ☺️

[Janetcat]

I had very severe cluster headaches with Teva.

[Littleboots12]

Morning,

No, mannitol does not contain gluten. See excerpt from celiac.org/gluten-free-livi...

“If they tell you they use wheat starch, naturally you would avoid using the product. If they tell you it is derived from a wheat source, the chances are that they are referring to one of the sugar alcohols, also known as polyols.

These are highly processed sugars that contain no wheat gluten, and therefore cannot cause a reaction. Examples of these sugar alcohols are mannitol, sorbitol, sorbitan, maltitol, xylitol, lactitol, erythritol, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. Another misrepresented ingredient is wheat maltodextrin, or plain maltodextrin.”

Not that one wouldn’t have a reaction, these sugars are known to have an effect on the gastric system, but not through causing a gluten reaction.

LB

[elwins in reply to Littleboots12]

thanks for that much appreciated.

[elwins in reply to Littleboots12]

just read the article thanks for showing me this. I understand it better.

[Hedgeree in reply to Littleboots12]

Hi Littleboots12,

That's the reason I avoid mannitol with it being a sugar alcohol.

I discovered a while back after eating some sugar free biscuits and having a reaction to them which was mostly digestive. It was quite a rapid reaction also felt like I'd been drugged and had a headache for a few days following.

Through a process of elimination I worked out what it was. About six months later I tried eating some of the same biscuits again just to confirm and I had the same reaction.

I realise the amount in any medication or thyroid hormones is probably much less but I avoid now as it wasn't a good experience.

[CoeliacMum1 in reply to Littleboots12]

Do you know although gluten has been removed through processing is the wheat still a problem for people wheat allergies not just gluten?

I guess that goes for others derivatives too, will it state wheat and so forth ?

[elwins in reply to CoeliacMum1]

thanks for information.

[RedApple Administrator]

'Mannitol is found naturally in fresh mushrooms, algae (especially brown algae) and the bark of the manna ash tree. It’s also found in small quantities in most fruits and vegetables (e.g., celery, olives, onions and pumpkins).'

foodinsight.org/what-is-man...

My thinking is that it's not so much about the mannitol itself, but about the fact that it's in levothyroxine tablets.

We take levo on an empty stomach. So we are mixing a hormone with a sugar alcohol, which is unnatural in itself (a working thyroid does not deliver the hormone via the digestive system, let alone with mannitol). Normal consumption of mannitol would be 'wrapped up' with the other ingredients of the foodstuff.

[elwins in reply to RedApple]

thanks for that information.

[DelicateInput]

I got a severe bout of thrush after taking thyroxin containing Manitol. I am prone to thrush having suffered from it at one time continuously for 14 years and I use Biocare products to alleviate it/keep it at bay. A cortisone injection also caused a severe bout of thrush. Thrush (Candida) lives on sugar, as do I am told all infections. It is a natural inhabitant of the bowel and is kept under control by bacteria found naturally in the bowel. Any depletion of the bacteria will cause an overgrowth of thrush. It is a horrible, nasty condition.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to DelicateInput]

If you have not already done so, I urge you to put in a Yellow Card report.

Indeed, I urge everyone who has had side effects or adverse reactions to any medicine in the UK to do so.

🟨 Making Yellow Card Reports 🟨

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[DelicateInput in reply to helvella]

Thanks, will do.

[Brightness14]

Here in France Mannitol was added to Levo Merck without it being on the ingredients. It cost Merck over 7 million Euros as the High Court in French won the case over the mistake. Many people here started to feel unwell thousands received compensation of over 3000 euros each because of it.

[elwins in reply to Brightness14]

thanks for information.

[BumbleyM]

Yes, have noticed that Teva anything really upsets me

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to BumbleyM]

I can think of no reason for that.

Teva products are manufactured in many factories, across many countries, using a wide range of ingredients. I'd be amazed if you couldn't find multiple Teva products which have nothing in common other than the name on the packaging!