Supplements and Gluten, aka: wheat (April 2013)

Ever wonder if the supplements or medications you are taking contain gluten? I know this concern comes up with clients that I see who have Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is intolerance to Gluten. Did you know that accidental gluten can be in certain drugs? Labeling gluten-containing ingredients isn’t medically required, and can be the inactive ingredient (fillers or binders). This would be considered a source of gluten (aka: wheat). It is important to review the ingredient list when the product is over the counter or if your prescription it is not listed ask the pharmacist to see the container that the supplement came out of.

An individual can also review the manufacture’s website for prescription medication if the pharmacist is not able to guide them. Key words to pay attention to include which means starch are: potato, tapioca, corn (these are ok) or wheat may not be identified. Also some tricky words which may be overlooked would include: pregelatinized starch, sodium starch, glycolate, dextrin, or dextrate. It is important to inquire if the above words contain wheat or are potato, corn or tapioca based. When in doubt have the pharmacist call the manufacturer to confirm if the medication/supplement contains gluten.

A book that I like to recommend to my clients with Celiac Disease that lists Gluten Free Supplements is Cecelia’s Marketplace Gluten Free Grocery Shopping Guide 2009-2010 by Matison & Matison. They do a great job of listing all gluten free supplements. Medications are individualized and must be checked out by each manufacturer. Also the website www.glutenfreedrugs.com lists many gluten free prescription drugs.