Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Does Imodium Contain Gluten?

mle-ii

Recommended Posts

mle-ii Explorer
mle-ii
Posted

Ok, it was mentioned elsewhere that Imodium contains gluten. This was news to me so I thought I'd search. Couldn't find out for certain so I called customer support of the manufacturer McNeil. Here's the website: Open Original Shared Link

According to the very nice customer support person, the products that are designated Gluten Free are the "Imodium A-D Caplets" and the "Imodium Advanced Caplets". I forgot to ask about the "Imodium Advanced Chewable Caplets" though so I'm not certain.

What he couldn't say is whether the newer formula "New Imodium A-D Liquid" was gluten free. :( And here's why, which I didn't realize. They have an inactive ingredient called "flavor"; so ok, what's in the flavor you ask. Well they don't know, why don't they know? Because the formula is made by another company and that company won't share the ingredients because it is proprietary information. What???

Ok, so how do they know the other products are gluten free? They do a food test on the product to test if it contains gluten. Yikes. I hope that they do this often because how do they know that the company that supplies them hasn't changed their forumla for "flavor"?

How is it that the food industry here in the US is required to list foods that contain gluten but the pharmecutical (sp) industry does not? That seems pretty crazy to me.

Thanks,

Mike

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


penguin Community Regular
penguin
Posted

Actually, food manufacturers aren't required to list gluten. They're required to list wheat, which is one of the top 8 allergens. Gluten-free does not have a definition for the FDA, but there will be one by 2008. I don't know if drug companies are required to list allergens or not.

As far as the liquid immodium, they changed the formula so that it would look more like pepto, which is I guess what consumers wanted. The way McNeil works (they also make Tylenol) is that they will not say a product is gluten-free until it has been tested, and they do this for all new products. So we get into a tizzy about something not being gluten-free when it just hasn't been tested yet. Time will tell as to whether or not the new improved immodium liquid is gluten-free.

The old liquid was gluten-free, and it was clear and disgusting. They reformulated for marketing reasons.

Truth is that the vast majority of medications are gluten-free. Most starches are corn, potato, or tapioca based, and the flavor should be ok. We just need to be vigilant as always and keep on our toes. I'd bet $5 that the immodium liquid turns out to be gluten-free once they test it.

McNeil is a good company, not all companies test for gluten, they just tell you based on ingredients and give a CYA response.

mle-ii Explorer
mle-ii
Posted
  • Author
Actually, food manufacturers aren't required to list gluten. They're required to list wheat, which is one of the top 8 allergens. Gluten-free does not have a definition for the FDA, but there will be one by 2008. I don't know if drug companies are required to list allergens or not.

Doh! I can't believe I said that. Thanks for correcting me. :)

As far as the liquid immodium, they changed the formula so that it would look more like pepto, which is I guess what consumers wanted. The way McNeil works (they also make Tylenol) is that they will not say a product is gluten-free until it has been tested, and they do this for all new products. So we get into a tizzy about something not being gluten-free when it just hasn't been tested yet. Time will tell as to whether or not the new improved immodium liquid is gluten-free.

The old liquid was gluten-free, and it was clear and disgusting. They reformulated for marketing reasons.

Silly consumers. All I really wanted was the alcohol removed. Good point about the testing. I'm just hoping that they don't just test it once and say that their done. I hope that they continue to test the product for gluten to make sure that the content doesn't change because the don't control the "flavor".

Guess I'll be going back to the caplets until I know for sure. I always felt the liquid worked faster, but I'm guessing that's just psychological and not based on reality. :)

Thanks again,

Mike

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Love your picture Mikey. Am I the only one old enought to remember? :P

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted
Love your picture Mikey. Am I the only one old enought to remember? :P

I've been getting a chuckle out of it too, Lisa :D You are SO not the only one old enough to remember those commercials!

I almost forgot--I use the Immodium Caplets when I have to be somplace and you-know. They've saved my life many times ;)

mle-ii Explorer
mle-ii
Posted
  • Author

Yeah, my wife and kids call me Mikey all the time. Used to bug me cause of how it was used back when kids made fun of me. Though it does throw me off when someone besides the wife and kids call me it at times. LOL

eleep Enthusiast
eleep
Posted

Hey -- caplets don't need "flavor" -- steering clear of "flavor" versions seems to work for a lot of OTC products.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


mle-ii Explorer
mle-ii
Posted
  • Author
Hey -- caplets don't need "flavor" -- steering clear of "flavor" versions seems to work for a lot of OTC products.

Excellent point. Those digestive enzymes and bacteria don't seem to care what flavor stuff is and I don't chew the caplets. :)

eKatherine Apprentice
eKatherine
Posted

Isn't the test used for gluten in food products not very sensitive, so the product could have up to 200ppm of gluten and still slip under the radar?

StrongerToday Enthusiast
StrongerToday
Posted
Excellent point. Those digestive enzymes and bacteria don't seem to care what flavor stuff is and I don't chew the caplets. :)

Try it.... you'll like it...

:D

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted
:lol::lol::lol: Mike, we do hope you have a sence of humor. :) We certainly do. ;)
Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted
Try it.... you'll like it...

:D

:lol::lol::lol: , still!

Franceen Explorer
Franceen
Posted

According to the Clan Thompson Drug Smartlist, the Advanced Chewable Tablets are gluten-free. But that's the only Imodium product listed by Clan Thompson as gluten-free......

The info was accurate as of 4/2006.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,602
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Victor bowden
    Newest Member
    Victor bowden
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
      Potential celiac need advice

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Yes.  Now, if you hit your finger with a hammer once, wouldn't you do your best not to do it again?  You have identified a direct connection between gluten and pain.  Gluten is your hammer.  Now you have to decide if you need a medical diagnosis.  Some countries have aid benefits tgat you can get if you have the diagnosis, but you must continue eating a gluten-normal diet while pursuing the diagnosis. Otherwise the only reason to continue eating gluten is social. There are over 200 symptoms that could be a result of celiac disease.. Celiac Disease and Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity  both cause multiple vitamin and mineral deficiency.  Dealing with that should help your recovery, even while eating gluten.  Phosphatidyl Choline supplements can help your gut if digesting fats is a problem,  Consider that any medications you take could be causing some of the symptoms, aside from gluten.        
    • trents
      Potential celiac need advice

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @Ben98! If you have been consciously or unconsciously avoiding gluten because of the discomfort it produces then it is likely that your blood antibody testing for celiac disease has been rendered invalid. Valid testing requires regular consumption of generous amounts of gluten. The other strong possibility is that you have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) which shares many of the same symptoms with celiac disease but does not have the autoimmune component and thus does not damage the small bowel lining. It is 10x mor common than celiac disease. There is currently no test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out. Some experts in the field believe it can be a precursor to the development of celiac disease. Having one or both of the primary genes for developing celiac disease does not imply that you will develop active celiac disease. It simply establishes the potential for it. About 40% of the population has the genetic potential but only about 1% develop active celiac disease. 
    • Ben98
      Potential celiac need advice

      By Ben98 · Posted

      TTG blood test and total IGA tested on many occasions which have always remained normal, upper GI pain under my ribs since 2022. I had an endoscopy in 2023 which showed moderate gastritis. no biopsy’s were taken unfortunately. genetic test was positive for HLADQ2. extreme bloating after eating gluten, it’ll feel like I’ve got bricks in my stomach so uncomfortably full. the pain is like a dull ache under the upper left almost like a stitch feeling after a long walk. I am just wanting some advice has anyone here experienced gastritis with a gluten issue before? thank you  
    • Wheatwacked
      Unusual bright yellow but odourless discharge

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      "Conclusions: The urinary iodine level was significantly lower in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, and iodine replacement may be important in preventing osteoporosis"  Body iodine status in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis Low iodine can cause thyroid problems, but Iodine deficiency will not show up in thyroid tests.  Iodine is important for healing, its job is to kill off defective and aging cells (Apoptosis). Skin, brain fog, nails, muscle tone all inproved when I started taking 600 mcg (RDA 150 - 1000 mcg) of Liquid Iodine drops. Some with dermatitis herpetiformis, Iodine exacerbates the rash.  I started at 1 drop (50 mcg) and worked up to 12 drops, but I don't have dermatitis herpetiformis.
    • cristiana
      How long does it take to gain weight?

      By cristiana · Posted

      That's great news, you can do this.  Let us know how things go and don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions. Cristiana 😊
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.