Anyone out there work for a drug company?

[RogerS]

My understanding is that the excipients in some drugs contain gluten. If this is correct, is there anyway of establishing which drugs this applies to as my wife is coeliac.

Thanks

 

[StevieB]

It should say on the patient leaflet if this is the case, either under ingredients or under possible side effects. Drug companies are extremely keen to cover their backsides for any possible adverse drug reaction - hence the length of most patient information leaflets. If it doesn't say on the leaflet then I would conclude that it either doesn't contain gluten, or the concentration is so low as to be insignificant in terms of the usual adverse coeliac type events. As a final check, asking the Pharmacist or your GP if you are prescribed specific medication wouldn't hurt.

I do have a copy of BNF (British National Formulary - basically a drug bible for GPs) but it tends not to list full ingredients, only the active compound. Happy to look if you have a specific drug name however.

Steve

 

[RogerS]

It should say on the patient leaflet if this is the case, either under ingredients or under possible side effects. .......

Steve

You would think so, wouldn't you. Not so. Googling produced this research report.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/406948_4

And I came across this site which is rather good

http://www.celiaccentral.org/Resources/Support-for-Patients/Gluten-in-Medications/111/

where there is a link to known gluten-free drugs.

http://www.glutenfreedrugs.com/list.htm

Co-amoxyclav (drug prescibed for LOML) unfortunately doesn't appear on that list. If your book specifies every single excipient then one can cross-refer and form a view relative to other lists of excipients that do give more gluten info, I believe.

Looking at the website for the Coeliac Society, I continue to remain underwhelmed.

 

[lurker]

Swmbo has recently done a prescribers diploma and having helped type up the course work :roll:

Prescribers have a duty (Medicines act IIRC) to identify contraindications that might effect the patient before prescribing a drug.

Therefore if the GP etc is aware (and they have a duty to ensure they are awarel) of your wife's condition he/she must take this into account.

 

[RogerS]

Agreed - but if you look at the first of my links, that doesn't always appear to be the case based on their research.

 

[StevieB]

No contraindication for gluten or coeliac disease for co-amoxiclav in BNF Roger, but diarrhoea is a possible side effect on just about every drug you can take, including co-amoxiclav. Given the duration of most drugs, particularly antibiotics, tends to be short, I suspect the presence of small amounts of gluten will have minimal effect. Not knowing your wife's level of sensitivity however that is only a best guess. Coeliac disease is a broad spectrum condition and can affect people to different degrees. It's clearly something you are concerned about so I would suggest speaking to your GP (or whoever prescribed the co-amoxiclav) for reassurance would be the logical step, rather than trusting to internet sources. The good news is that, as I am sure you are aware, exclusion of gluten from the diet relieves all symptoms, so if gluten is present you need to weight the possible coeliac related effects against not taking the antibiotic if no alternative is avalilable that is gluten free. Given antibiotics are generally prescribed only when necessary I would recommend continuing to take the course as prescribed until you get conrifmation of your query from a reliable medical source.

HTH,

Steve

 

[StevieB]

As an aside, your first link requires a login, your second link is to an American site and the third link could be to anyone, medical or not. From the language I would again suggest an American origin. Its simply a list of drugs with no indication of brand (trade) name or deirvative and I would be very reluctant to trust it as a source of information.

Sorry Roger, but in this instance I really would try and speak to your GP or a pharmacist rather than trust to the internet.

Steve.

 

[RogerS]

Thanks Steve.

 

[harryc]

I work for Pfizer, makers of the well known blue Pill

What you want to look at is the summary of product characteristics for what ever drug you are researching, best place to look these up is at

www.emc.medicines.org.uk

Harry

 

[RogerS]

Harry, thanks.

From the list of excipients, we get Sodium starch glycollate

and then from this list we get...

Sodium starch glycolate - Sodium salt of carboxymethyl ether of starch. Usually from potato but can be from corn, wheat or rice. #-o

PS...Got any spare 'blue pills' ? :wink:

 

[StevieB]

But starch is a complex sugar. Its not a raw wheat product and therefore, if pure starch, will not contain gluten!

 

[RogerS]

But it doesn't say 'pure starch'! It says 'can be from wheat'.

The new Codex for food that came into force re gluten in food places a maximum limit of 20ppm IIRC but notes that that is very hard to achieve.

 

[Vormulac]

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