Is This Gluten Free? Can't Find Any Info!

[pretty in paleo]

Ok so I was given the medication metronidazole, this particular one is manufactured by Teva. My doctor and her assistant both tried to look it up for me and neither could find anything on it. The pharmacist was clueless. She did offer to call the company, but it was closing time on Friday so we didn't think anyone would answer. I am so frustrated! It happens like every time I go see the doctor for the most simple issue. There are lists of gluten-free meds online I know, but this wasn't on the list, does that just mean it wasn't available on the market at the time the list was last updated? So tired of this, thanks everyone for reading and hopefully I can get some insight.

[Adalaide]

I always call the manufacturer myself. Teva is very good about answering their phone and having readily available information. I joke sometimes that I have more pharmaceutical companies in my phone as contacts than anything else. You'll need identifying information from the pills, which the pharmacist can give you. There is a number on the box the pharmacist gets (I forget what it's called but they'll know what you're talking about) which the manufacturer needs to be sure you're talking about the same pill and/or same batch. Without that number, or if you have already filled the prescription you can simply give them a description of the pill.

 

Teva's customer service number is 800-545-8800 and I'm sure they'll be happy to help you first thing Monday. If you call know you may be able to find out how early they open.

 

FWIW I never fill a prescription until I have spoken on the phone with a representative from the manufacturer. Many of them are really easy to get into contact with. I also am more than willing to use an alternate pharmacy if I can't get in touch with someone or can't take something from a particular pharmacy. It is way less hassle to call a second (or third) pharmacy and ask which manufacturer they use rather than call the doctor and mess around with trying to use an alternate drug.

[GF Lover]

The inactive ingredients are:

 

CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE

SILICON DIOXIDE

CROSPOVIDONE

HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL

 

These are gluten free.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Colleen

[kareng]

I always call the manufacturer myself. Teva is very good about answering their phone and having readily available information. I joke sometimes that I have more pharmaceutical companies in my phone as contacts than anything else. You'll need identifying information from the pills, which the pharmacist can give you. There is a number on the box the pharmacist gets (I forget what it's called but they'll know what you're talking about) which the manufacturer needs to be sure you're talking about the same pill and/or same batch. Without that number, or if you have already filled the prescription you can simply give them a description of the pill.

 

Teva's customer service number is 800-545-8800 and I'm sure they'll be happy to help you first thing Monday. If you call know you may be able to find out how early they open.

 

FWIW I never fill a prescription until I have spoken on the phone with a representative from the manufacturer. Many of them are really easy to get into contact with. I also am more than willing to use an alternate pharmacy if I can't get in touch with someone or can't take something from a particular pharmacy. It is way less hassle to call a second (or third) pharmacy and ask which manufacturer they use rather than call the doctor and mess around with trying to use an alternate drug.

 

 

I am wondering.  Have you ever found any that actually had a gluten ingredient?  Not just a company that won't say something is gluten-free because they don't test it, etc.  It seems to me that most medication does not contain gluten but I haven't dealt with that many medications orcould get a  labeled gluten-free one so I didn't' ask about the other brand.

[Adalaide]

There are a few manufacturers that I am unable to contact due to not having a number I am able to call in the US. I don't have time to waste emailing someone halfway around the world when there are manufacturers in the US that I can actually talk to the same day. I've had 2 that the manufacturer told me may contain gluten (one of these was a gel capsule that I actually filled like a moron and which taught me my lesson, the other I never saw) and 1 that had a filler sourced from wheat that I simply preferred not to take when I had other options. I ask two questions, the first is whether or not it is gluten free and the second is whether or not it has any ingredients sourced from wheat. There is also a manufacturer in the US who simply has on their recorded message that they do not answer questions about ingredients in their medications concerning allergens because apparently their a bunch of jerks. My preference if I can get it is always Apotex because they're a gluten free manufacturer.

[kareng]

There are a few manufacturers that I am unable to contact due to not having a number I am able to call in the US. I don't have time to waste emailing someone halfway around the world when there are manufacturers in the US that I can actually talk to the same day. I've had 2 that the manufacturer told me may contain gluten (one of these was a gel capsule that I actually filled like a moron and which taught me my lesson, the other I never saw) and 1 that had a filler sourced from wheat that I simply preferred not to take when I had other options. I ask two questions, the first is whether or not it is gluten free and the second is whether or not it has any ingredients sourced from wheat. There is also a manufacturer in the US who simply has on their recorded message that they do not answer questions about ingredients in their medications concerning allergens because apparently their a bunch of jerks. My preference if I can get it is always Apotex because they're a gluten free manufacturer.

 

Thanks.  I agree with the foreign companies and the company of jerks.  I had heard that gel capsules could be an issue, but I haven't had any experience with that.  I

[notme]

my b.p. meds are in a starch capsule that the pharmceutical company couldn't identify the starch, so i undo the capsule and just eat the powder inside.  it was the only thing on my food journal which was different - noticed it when i ran out and didn't eat it for a few days i felt better.  it also could have been an issue with 'red', which i am sensitive to red food dye.  either way, the next time i had the script refilled, there was a new warning sticker "may remove from capsule and sprinkle onto applesauce.  do not chew powder"  so i must not have been the only one with issues with the capsule part.  other than that, i have found that most drugs are ok (gluten-free). 

[pretty in paleo]

Thanks everyone. I am just being extremely cautious right now. Twice I have had a doctor tell me something was gluten-free or allergen free, only to get Super sick as soon as I took the meds! I'm going to call Teva next week and see whats up.

[pretty in paleo]

The inactive ingredients are:

 

CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE

SILICON DIOXIDE

CROSPOVIDONE

HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL

 

These are gluten free.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Colleen

Thanks. But don't I have to look at the active ingredients too?

[GF Lover]

The active ingredient is the chemical (medicine).  The inactive ingredients is where there would be gluten, used as a filler.

 

Colleen

[notme]

Open Original Shared Link

[GF Lover]

Open Original Shared Link

I read that when I researched the ingredients.  To the OP, I would recommend weighing the pros and cons with that one.

 

Colleen

[IrishHeart]

When I had to take a med short term, the spokesperson at TEVA pharmaceuticals told me that all meds manufactured and distributed by TEVA in the US are gluten free. 

[Gemini]

When I had to take a med short term, the spokesperson at TEVA pharmaceuticals told me that all meds manufactured and distributed by TEVA in the US are gluten free. 

I will second the gluten-free status of any TEVA product in the US.  They are an Israeli company and they are the one company I trust.  They were the easiest ones to deal with in trying to verify gluten-free status of a medication.  I used their Z-Pak antibiotic a few times and never had a problem. I am very sensitive to trace amounts of gluten so trust this company.