Coeliac disease is an extreme allergy to gluten and avoiding gluten in foods is essential. In addition many people with fatigue, bloating, diarhoea or constipation are sensitive to gluten and feel better when they avoid gluten. But did you know that many medications also contain gluten?
I realise that it can be challenging to exercise the self-restraint to walk away from the pies, bagels, breads and pastas. However, the growing range of gluten free products in supermarkets is making this easier.
So when I realized that there were hidden sources of gluten in some medications, I was less than impressed that the pharmaceutical companies are creating yet another challenge for people to eliminate gluten from their diets.
Because pharmaceutical companies don’t have to post ingredients, gluten can be hidden in medications as it is useful in absorbing water, keeping moisture in tablet mixtures or even just acting as a filler ingredient.
Read more: How your supermarket is designed to make you buy junk food!
So how do you find out if your medications contain gluten?See if there is any mention of starch in the medication as this is usually code for gluten existing in the product. Also, keep in mind that there is a difference between branded and generic medications. Though they may work the same, one may have gluten where the other does not.
Lastly, you can find a list of gluten free medications created by pharmacist Suzy Cohen
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