Refills And New Manufacturers

[Adalaide]

I get reminder calls from Walgreens about my prescription. Every time I go to pick it up I annoy the heck out of them. I always say "can you just verify the manufacturer for me, I need to make sure it didn't change." I'm sure that it is annoying, but I need to know. I always feel a little stupid though. Tonight I found out that it isn't stupid at all and wanted to make sure that everyone is reminded how important it is to check on these sorts of things.

 

I walk in today and said "can you just verify the manufacturer is still Teva?" And he said that actually, it is not and rattled off another name. I explained that I would need to contact the company (which it was far too late in the evening to do) and I would come back on Monday as long as it was safe for me to take.

 

My point is, make sure before you are wasting your money that your prescription is gluten free. I don't know if this new manufacturer is, but I will check before I spend my money. Just because you have been filling at the same place for a long time doesn't mean they won't suddenly change things on you.

 

I used to worry I was being paranoid. I now know that this is a basic precaution I should never let my guard down on. I think everyone taking medications every month should be cautious on this one.

[julissa]

A few weeks ago I got a prescription and took it to my Walgreens on the corner that I had been using for years. I asked the pharmacist to check on gluten-free status since it was something new to me. he wouldn't check, told me it was crazy since no meds had gluten. he told me I would have to get the meds then check myself.

 

I couldn't speak.

 

I asked for my prescription back and took it to a little mom and pop pharmacy that still exists in my town. they were happy to check and now I only go there.

[StephanieL]

I don't use the auto refill lines for my kids scripts. I always call them, asks for a full UNOPENED bottle (we've been lucky that his asthma meds come in a 30 pill bottle and his other pill is synthroid which is $12 for a full bottle of 100 and lasts us 9 months) and tell them the exact brand I need. I also always double check when I pick it up as well.

 

Never a bad idea!!!

 

Also, FWIW, I worked at a pharmacy for years and know they don't clean the trays/spatulas pretty much ever. Pills break in the bottles all the time meaning if they do have gluten in them and it spills out this remains on the counting tray for who knows how long.  THIS is why I only get unopened bottles. We also deal with life threatening food allergies so I may be more cautious than some but it's what I feel needs to be done to keep my child safe!

[kareng]

Absolutely!  What Addie says!  Never pay or take possession of a perscription med if you are not sure of its gluten-free status.  Once you have purchased/run it through insurance, you can not return it and get something else.  I check with the pharmacy first on the brand and check with the company myself. 

 

That said -  I have never found one in my gluten-free life that contained gluten.  I have seen very very few mentioned on here in over 3 years that have gluten.  The amount of gluten it could contain will likely be extremely small so, If this were an emergency med, I would probaly take it until Monday when I could check on it.  Some companies will not state the med is gluten-free.  They will say "no gluten ingredients" as they don't test for gluten.  That is good enough for me.

[Adalaide]

Julissa, I would never ask a pharmacist to check for me. I once had a pharmacist tell me "gluten isn't one of the ingredients on the label" and I think I actually put my face into my hand and shook my head because of how dumbfounded I was. I ask them to tell me what manufacturer they would fill with and then call the manufacturer myself. I think sometimes that half the contacts in my phone are pharmaceutical companies! I even have a "contact" in my phone for companies not based in the US that don't have a US contact phone number so I have a quick reference to be able to say nope, no way to call.

 

If I was dealing with a life threatening allergy, I would demand unopened bottles too! I am fortunate that I am not. I should keep that in mind though and maybe start going in to request my refills and be even more obnoxious by requesting they clean the trays and crap before filling my prescriptions. This wouldn't actually be that unreasonable since I do have an allergy to penicillin.

 

I have taken one med that very obviously contained gluten. It was an antibiotic that made me very "gluten sick" very immediately upon taking it. I stopped taking it, stopped being sick. There is one company that if you call their automated system will say something to the effect of "we refuse to disclose the ingredients of our products including the gluten free status" which is a huge do not take flag to me. This scrip though, I won't run out of before Monday and even if I would isn't dire enough that I would make myself sick for a month to take it. It is just my don't go blind meds. I always refill at 21 days just in case there is a problem so I don't run out and end up forced to take something questionable.

 

Mostly I'm tempted to call every pharmacy in town and see if any would fill it with Apotex since they are a gluten free company. Why can't a pharmacy just use them for everything?

[bartfull]

I have to have ALL my meds made at the compouding pharmacy because of my corn intolerance. Fortunately, I don't have to take any meds on a regular basis, just my Tylenol and an occasional antibiotic. The last time I needed Tylenol they were out of the ingredients for the pills so they gave me a liquid. It was more expensive than the pills ($47) and there wasn't as much of it, but it works SO much faster.

 

I cringe though, every time I read another story in the news about yet ANOTHER compounding pharmacy getting shut down for unsanitary practices. I'd like to get some sublinual B12 and biotin made but I can't afford it. SOMEDAY I will get a full vitamin panel and start dealing with all of the deficiencies I know I must have. Guess I'd better start buying a lottery ticket every week.

[SensitiveMe]

I agree everyone should be cautious. I always check my refill at the store to make sure it is the same pill everytime.

 

A couple of years ago I picked up a different drug as a refill and when I got home I noticed it was in the form of a time release capsule this time. I took the pill at the same time every morning and every evening I became so dizzy I sat down on the couch and still then even felt like I was going to fall off of it. I refused to take the pill anymore and made the doctor order me some different blood pressure medicine. I have since found out why I reacted to the pill and it was because time release capsules contain zein which is made from corn maize.

 

 

I use a B-12 patch you put behind the ear which contains 1000 mcg of active B-12 and 400 mcg of folic acid. I order them by mail from a place called Healthy Habits. I also have balanced b complex tablets to take by mouth from MegaFood company which say they are tested to be free of gluten, dairy, soy, pesticides and herbicides and do not contain corn or wheat. However though these things are a bit expensive. The pills are 26.50 for a bottle of 60 tablets, and the patches are somewhere around $15 for a month supply.