Microcristaline Cellulose

[Gillian]

Hi

Does any one else have problems with microcristaline cellulose? It is a filler that is found in most drugs. I can tolerate it for the occasional painkiller but taking it on a regular basis gives me a gluten type of reaction. I tried calling the manufacturer to find out what it was made of, and was told "It's not made from anything - its a chemical"!!!!

My doctors refuse to take it seriously because it is considered gluetne-free, and unfortunately I do need the medication, and am at my wits end.

[dsharr]

Hi

Does any one else have problems with microcristaline cellulose? It is a filler that is found in most drugs. I can tolerate it for the occasional painkiller but taking it on a regular basis gives me a gluten type of reaction. I tried calling the manufacturer to find out what it was made of, and was told "It's not made from anything - its a chemical"!!!!

My doctors refuse to take it seriously because it is considered gluetne-free, and unfortunately I do need the medication, and am at my wits end.

[dsharr]

Yes, I cannot tolerate microcristaline/microcrystalline cellulose, a derivative of cellulose gum. I'm unable to tolerate any vegetable gums or their derivatives. Microcrystalline cellulose appears under many different names, i.e. croscarmellose cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, carboxymethylcellulose,

methylcellulose, hydro-ethyl methylcellulose, hydromellose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hydroxycellulose. Here's what Whole Foods Market says about it. "Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is a modified cellulose gum (cellulose is also known as plant fiber). In foods, it is used as a stabilizer, thickener, film former, suspending agent and extender. Applications include ice cream, dressings, pies, sauces, and puddings. It is available in various viscosities depending on the function it is to serve. The allowable percentage range is 0.05 % to 0.5% of the total product. In supplements, it functions as a binder and/or helps tablets disintegrate during digestion. FDA lists CMC as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) when used in accordance with good manufacturing practices. Synonyms and Brand Names (selected): croscarmellose sodium; Ac-di-sol; Aquaplast; Carmethose; cellulose gum; sodium carboxymethylcellulose; cellulose glycolic acid, sodium salt; Daice; Fine Gum HES; Lovosa; NACM, Cellulose salt."

[pommel]

I get gluten allergy-like diarrhea when I take gelcap medicines which have MCC in the ingredients of the gelcap.  Even if the majority of the gelcap is made of animal gelatin.   I have to remove the pelleted medication from the gelcap and take it with water, and throw the gelcap away.  Gelcaps without MCC do not make me sick.  I get the same diarrhea reaction from eating prepackaged shredded cheese with MCC.  MCC is made from wood pulp, and non-wood plant material.    I suspect what my intestines are reacting to is a corn or wheat based product.  Removing the gelcap hull is inconvenient, but a lot better than being sick.

My intestines  cannot tolerate "artificial" ice cream made with corn or tree bean gum ingredients.

[Kajberry]

I also have a problem with this ingredient, microcrystalline. It is derived from wheat or corn mainly. I was able to get my phamacist to print out the ingredients of all the medications I'm on and they all have it in them. So I'm allergic to wheat and it keeps getting worse! Why, I'm not eating any wheat. So my suspicion points to my prescriptions!

[pommel]

Kajberry,     Unfortunately there are so many products in the 21st century that are made from corn, wheat, and tree bean gum products that simply were not used in the early to mid 20th century.  For example:  Ice Cream was made from cream, milk,sugar, real flavor ingredients(Vanilla Extract) or fruit or nuts.  Soy sauce was made from soybeans without wheat.  Soft drinks were made from cane sugar and not corn syrup.  Hot sauces did not have Xanthan Gum(derived from corn smut disease) in them.  So eventually this had to happen to pharmaceuticals, also.  And especially gelcaps and other exterior pill coatings.  You are basically being poisoned by your Rx.  Talk to your pharmacist about alternatives to the Rx's that are making you sick.  If they are all gelcaps, you can go to the exrta trouble of removing the birdshot-like medication inside the gelcap, throw the capsule away, and only ingest the medication.  It may be inconvenient at first, but it is so much better than being sick everyday.  I can't eat anything in the Gluten Free section of the grocery store because in all contains corn, which I am just as allergic to as wheat,barley, rye, and oats.  Thankfully, I love brown rice/buckwheat(misnomer) pancakes that I make from both flours from scratch.  Most baking powder also has cornstarch in it to curtail caking, so I make my own from baking soda and cream of tarter.  Good luck, and keep reading ingredient labels.  Some have suspicious, undefined, misnomers like "foodstarch".