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Z-pack/azithromycin

key

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key Contributor
key
Posted

Can anyone tell me if this antibiotic is gluten free or not? It says pregelatanized starch.

It is late and couldn't find a number and the pharmacy didn't know.

THanks,

Monica

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jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Yes it is gluten-free--it's the only antibiotic I can tolerate, so I've checked! ;)

key Contributor
key
Posted
  • Author

Thanks Patty, It was generic and I couldn't find the answer anywhere. I still am hoping I am right. I have been coughing for three weeks.

Monica

trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

It's a good med and has been very effective for me when I've had sinus infections. The fact that the regimine is only 5 days instead of the usual 10 prevents may people from developing GI distress.

key Contributor
key
Posted
  • Author

The one I got was from some generic company and I couldn't find any information on the web or a phone number and the pharmacy couldn't help me either. I woke in the night after taking it and my stomach was bothering me for sure. I was scared to take it again. The ingredients said "pregelatinized starch", so I don't know. I actually only took the first dose, but should have finished it, but didn't want to gluten myself. I was pretty positive it was probably safe, but I am not sure how many drugs actually put gluten in them. You would think they would just be forbidden to use wheat in drugs, since they could use potatoe starch or corn starch.

So I still have no clue. The pharmacy only had the generic.

Monica

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Monica--I know what you mean--why don't they just stop using wheat across the board on the meds--most of them don't use it anyway. I did get an upset stomach when I took it, and some D also--those were side effects for me. My doctor suggested I take the first dose (which was 2 pills) separately with a lot of food, and the rest of them also with a meal--not a snack. I was glad it was ony for 5 days. Oh, the generic company wasn't Sandoz, was it?

So, are you still sick from the original problem? The next time, I would ask the doctor to write the RX with "no substitutions"--that way, you'd be sure it was safe. Even if you had to go to another drug store.

key Contributor
key
Posted
  • Author

Yeah, it was late and the pharmacy was closing and I just moved here, so I am not very familiar with the area. I just didn't want to continue taking it if there was gluten in it. THe company was Greenstone for the antibiotic. I find it frustrating that I couldn't even find a phone number to call them. I have been getting gluttened from somewhere the past week. I ate at Chipotle's this past weekend and I think that is what started it. I have been doing great for two months as long as I don't eat out. I also found I have a problem with Lay's chips, shampoo with wheat probably. So I am not sure that it was the antibiotic. I was scared to take it again. I do think though that just the one dose actually has worked. I am still coughing some, but it isn't as productive and not as often. I was able to go to sleep lastnight without Hall's.

Is anyone familiar with some drugs that definitely do have gluten in them??? I think I have seen Richard post and say that not many, if any do??? Is this true?

Thanks so much. My main symptom was my lower stomach cramping, burning and increased activity, but did not have D. THis week I am more suffering with C, which is what happens when I have small amounts of gluten. If it is large amounts, I have D. It is all so crazy. Makes me wonder what goes on and what causes our intestines to not work when gluttened. I find it very frustrating to try so hard and be doing awesome and then get set back. Luckily this time it isn't So severe, but it is still annoying. I am rambling, so time to go.

Monica

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  • 4 years later...
celiacmom2 Rookie
celiacmom2
Posted

Just called Sandoz company which is a Generic Brand Walmart uses where I am at and the Azithromycin they carry said there is a product in it derived from WHEAT and that the final product didn't have gluten in it after processing. But he said to me that Sandoz does not test for gluten??? I would not buy that product. I am not taking a chance. I am so frustrated right now, why would they put wheat in medication?? Ugh.

  • 2 weeks later...
afinn Newbie
afinn
Posted

Just called Sandoz company which is a Generic Brand Walmart uses where I am at and the Azithromycin they carry said there is a product in it derived from WHEAT and that the final product didn't have gluten in it after processing. But he said to me that Sandoz does not test for gluten??? I would not buy that product. I am not taking a chance. I am so frustrated right now, why would they put wheat in medication?? Ugh.

I started Sandoz's (Walmart generic)azithromycin yesterday and had an upset stomach last night and this afternoon, after I took my second dose. I didn't even think of checking if an antibiotic would have gluten in it! It obviously does have gluten because my stomach is reacting EXACTLY how it does when I eat gluten. So frustrating!!!! I'm going to have to call the pharmacy tomorrow to see about getting a different brand, since my sinus infection's pain is as bad as my stomach's reaction to gluten.

Thank you Celiacmom2 for calling Sandoz to get the info that they use a wheat derivitive in the med. Ugh!!!

  • 7 months later...
Stella2 Newbie
Stella2
Posted

I've been having an upset stomach on azithromycin produced by Wockhardt, which is why I came on here. My stomach is behaving similarly to when I eat gluten, but I just read the side effects and one of the most common ones is upset stomach/diarrhea ... I'm thinking that's the culprit, because literally everything I've eaten in the past few days has been gluten free food I made from home. Idk if it's the side effects, or if it's not gluten-free -all websites I've found though say it's gluten free. Hopefully that's all it is.

  • 2 weeks later...
celiacmom2 Rookie
celiacmom2
Posted

Just a tip about Walmart. I had problems with them willing to take time out to call the company Sandoz so I could take the similiar antibiotic. They gave me the phone number instead of them being good customer service and them calling them, or even knowing by experience. I had to take it right away as I was sick. So I called Kmart and they said they could get me information right away and I didn't have to call the generic brand companies. They called me back and offered to transfer my prescription to Kmart and I did. I got a gluten free off brand product and a pharmicist that cared enough to call for me right away. Anyway I am not a big fan of Kmart all the time, but am happy with their customer service and knowing they will check for the gluten for me everytime I go in to get a off brand prescription. Well Walmart lost a customer in the pharmacy department after that day.

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    • cococo
      11 yo waiting for diagnosis

      By cococo · Posted

      Thanks @trents I'll keep that in mind.
    • trents
      11 yo waiting for diagnosis

      By trents · Posted

      One thing to be aware of is that reactions to gluten can sometimes be more severe after having been gluten free for a significant period of time. Something to think about in connection with a gluten challenge.
    • cococo
      11 yo waiting for diagnosis

      By cococo · Posted

      Hi @trents Thanks for your reply and the clarification on terminology—most appreciated. My GP has referred us to a Paediatric Gastroenterologist, and we're waiting for an appointment. She mentioned they might want to do an endoscopy or run further testing. But that often with children they try to avoid scoping them.  She also said it could take months to get an appointment, which is why she recommended starting a gluten-free diet immediately to see if there's any improvement in his symptoms, growth, and blood tests. I have an appointment in 5 weeks with the Paediatrician (who ordered all the tests)—not the Gastroenterologist. I expect the Paediatrician will also recommend a Gastroenterologist referral for further testing and diagnosis. I understand the reasons for confirming with biopsies. I'm just eager to help him feel better and I don't want to keep him eating gluten for months while waiting for a specialist when it's clearly affecting him. I really appreciate your input on this, especially your thoughts about this pointing to celiac rather than NCGS. Intuitively, it feels that way—he's always been incredibly healthy and strong, but he's suddenly wasting away. We're in Australia, so I'm not sure about benefits, etc. and needing a formal diagnosis. I’ll have to investigate.  If necessary to do a gluten challenge down the track for confirmation I'm happy to cross that bridge when I come to it. Thanks so much for your advice!
    • trents
      11 yo waiting for diagnosis

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @cococo!  So. let me first clarify some terminology. Gluten intolerance is a general term that can refer either to celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or "gluten sensitivity" for short). Having said that, in common, informal usage there is still a lot of mix up in the use of the terms "gluten sensitivity" and "gluten intolerance".  Elevated DGP-IGG can certainly indicate celiac disease but the IGG tests are considered not quite as specific for celiac disease as are the IGA tests, especially the TTG-IGA. If it were the TTG-IGA that gave a 250 score it would have been grounds for declaring an official diagnosis of celiac disease without further testing in the UK and many European countries. With children, however, because their immune systems are immature, we often see their celiac disease show up in the IGG tests rather than the IGA tests. Has their been any talk about an endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to confirm or disprove a diagnosis of celiac disease? The endoscopy/biopsy is considered the gold standard of celiac disease diagnosis. Physicians are not eager to do scoping on pediatric patients, however, and try to avoid that unless there is a very good reason for it.  I think to proceed with a gluten free diet experiment at this time is a reasonable approach. If there is improvement in labs, symptoms and growth then it is reasonable to assume that there is celiac disease to blame or at least NCGS. At the end of the day, both conditions require a gluten free diet anyway. But I would also have to say that when looking at the total body of evidence you present, it looks much more like celiac disease than NCGS.  One caution, however, and that is if you are in the UK there are certain government provided benefits that incur from a formal diagnosis of celiac disease. I mention that because some of your spelling suggests that to me.
    • cococo
      11 yo waiting for diagnosis

      By cococo · Posted

      Hi all, I'd love some feedback on my 11 year old son who is waiting for a diagnosis. He has been unwell for about 6 months. His symptoms include: early morning (4/5am) nausea and vomiting, loose bowels, fatigue, headaches, aching legs, persistent dermatitis on cheeks. Recently, I noticed he wasn't growing as expected. After measuring him, we found his height had dropped from above 50th percentile to 25th, and weight from 50th percentile to 5th. I took him to our GP who confirmed he only grew 2cm in the past year and lost weight, and subsequently referred us to a paediatrician. We saw the paediatrician who ordered extremely comprehensive tests (including urine and poo testing, x-ray on wrist, hormones, thyroid, liver, kidney, diabetes checks, etc). While waiting for all results, our GP received some preliminary findings indicating coeliac disease. The GP recommended starting a gluten-free diet and referred us to a paediatric gastroenterologist. Most test results are normal except: Iron levels:  18 (normal range 20-200) Anisocytosis and Microcytosis (abnormal sized red blood cells indicating iron deficiency anaemia) Coeliac-related results: DGP IgG:     >250 (normal <15) DGP IgA:      8 (normal <15) Tissue IgA:   1 (normal <15) Tissue IgG:   1 (normal <15) Genetic markers are present for coeliac A comment was made on the blood tests that total serum IgA would be tested and commented on if below 0.07. There was no comment so I assume it wasn’t that low. While I understand it could be coeliac disease, gluten intolerance, or wheat allergy, his significant growth issues suggest coeliac. The paediatrician won't see me for 5 more weeks (because he's waiting for one more test he did on his chromosomes), but I'm concerned about waiting that long given his symptoms. Clearly he shouldn't be eating gluten regardless of the diagnosis, and I'm keen to help him feel better and start growing again, especially with puberty approaching. The blood tests were extremely comprehensive and ruled out everything except coeliac disease or a strong gluten intolerance. My GP is adamant it must be coeliac because of his symptoms. My GP said, "Don't worry about the chromosome test—that's just precautionary. His blood tests, weight loss, lack of growth, iron deficiency, fatigue, dermatitis, and other symptoms all point to coeliac." Would starting a gluten-free diet now and doing a gluten challenge later be unreasonable? (I do understand the reason to wait for a clear diagnosis, I just want him to feel better. Also, he is homeschooled so I can very much be in control of his food to ensure no cross contamination, etc) Also, does anyone have experience with highly elevated DGP IgG (but normal other results) and testing positive for coeliac? For what its worth, I personally have had many checks for Coeliac over the years and the results are always "unclear". Apparently I'm a complicated case, so I just eat gluten-free. Thanks!
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