Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • 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

Gluten In Envelopes

lynne1978

Recommended Posts

lynne1978 Rookie
lynne1978
Posted

Can anyone help me... I just spent about an hour licking thankyou letter envelopes for my sons birthday and now feel really tired and sick and have a cracking headache. I am in the process of being dx and was wondering is it a relatively common thing for it to be in them and is there enough gluten to cause a reaction like this?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

I had problems licking envelopes too. Was getting sick every Sunday and that was the only thing I could figure out.

I pay bills on Sunday and as soon as I stopped licking I was fine. Paying bills was really making me sick!

(Especially the electric company B) )

Can anyone help me... I just spent about an hour licking thankyou letter envelopes for my sons birthday and now feel really tired and sick and have a cracking headache. I am in the process of being dx and was wondering is it a relatively common thing for it to be in them and is there enough gluten to cause a reaction like this?
home-based-mom Contributor
home-based-mom
Posted

Glue sticks are your friend! :P

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Open Original Shared Link

Here is a link to previous posts.

katifer Apprentice
katifer
Posted
Can anyone help me... I just spent about an hour licking thankyou letter envelopes for my sons birthday and now feel really tired and sick and have a cracking headache. I am in the process of being dx and was wondering is it a relatively common thing for it to be in them and is there enough gluten to cause a reaction like this?

YES i feel horrible if i lick an envelope!!! absolutely gluten!

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Just because something makes you sick does not necessarily mean it contains gluten.

I am a celiac. I react to gluten.

If I eat shellfish, I get very sick.

This does not prove that shellfish contain gluten--they don't. It proves that, in addition to having celiac disease, I am also allergic to shellfish. :(

There are many things in the paper itself that makes up the envelope that you could be sensitive to. And, gluten or not, if you ingest enough adhesive, well, it could be an irritant.

sneezydiva Apprentice
sneezydiva
Posted
Just because something makes you sick does not necessarily mean it contains gluten.

I am a celiac. I react to gluten.

If I eat shellfish, I get very sick.

This does not prove that shellfish contain gluten--they don't. It proves that, in addition to having celiac disease, I am also allergic to shellfish. :(

There are many things in the paper itself that makes up the envelope that you could be sensitive to. And, gluten or not, if you ingest enough adhesive, well, it could be an irritant.

You're point is well taken. I know when my allergies act up, I now wonder if I got gluten, and once I can confirm I haven't, I have to remind myself it is just my allergies. It is too easy sometimes to blame gluten.

However in this case, envelope adhesive does contain a food based adhesive whether it be corn, tapioca or wheat. It is possible for it to contain gluten. The companies can tell you what they want, but envelopes aren't a food, and aren't regulated by the FDA. They can change the adhesive at will, and you will never know it. It's not a chance I'm willing to take. You can buy a little sponge at office supply stores to wet the adhesive without licking it.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Open Original Shared Link

Found this article and shall continue to look. :)

elonwy Enthusiast
elonwy
Posted

I haven't licked an envelope since I got a paper cut on my tongue. I am fan of those sponge moistener things for envelopes. Especially with that many, gluten or no, you're ingesting glue. The other thing I will do is moisten my finger with spit (say if I'm out at the ATM) and then rub it on the glue. If I need more spit, I use another finger. Licking an envelope is not worth the risk of gluten ingestion or a sore tongue.

kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

It is interesting that there are so many reports on no gluten in envelope adhesive yet it continues to get so many of us sick.

I have to wonder if the envelop manufacturers, who might just order adhesive from another company, really know the ingredients of the adhesive. I'll write a friend at 3M and see if they have anything to say about it.

Ken

Open Original Shared Link

Found this article and shall continue to look. :)

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

someone on the board actually called the only major manufacturer of adhesive for envelope glue, and nope - doesn't contain gluten. from all the checking up on it that's been done, it appears to be an urban legend. of course, it's a very easy thing to avoid - use a sponge, use a damp paper towel, use your finger (just once, of course!). I still avoid licking them even though I know it's a gluten myth.

VioletBlue Contributor
VioletBlue
Posted

Better yet, buy self sealing envelopes. I make up a page of labels for all the bills I write on a regular basis; water co, gas co, electric etc. So I use self sealing envelopes with a label instead of having to seal the envelopes that come with the bill. Whether the glue contains gluten or not, I don't like the taste of most of the glues they use and would rather not lick who knows what off an envelope.

someone on the board actually called the only major manufacturer of adhesive for envelope glue, and nope - doesn't contain gluten. from all the checking up on it that's been done, it appears to be an urban legend. of course, it's a very easy thing to avoid - use a sponge, use a damp paper towel, use your finger (just once, of course!). I still avoid licking them even though I know it's a gluten myth.
JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted

Completely OT, but Violet? Love your quote in your sig!

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,163
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Estee
    Newest Member
    Estee
    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

    • DAR girl
      Celiac and allergic to common subs and adds in prepared foods

      By DAR girl · Posted

      Looking for help sourcing gluten-free products that do not contain potato or corn derived ingredients. I have other autoimmune conditions (Psoriatic Arthritis and Sjogrens) so I’m looking for prepared foods as I have fatigue and cannot devote a lot of time to baking my own treats. 
    • Scott Adams
      Disregarded

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I am so sorry you're going through this. It's completely understandable to feel frustrated, stressed, and disregarded after such a long and difficult health journey. It's exhausting to constantly advocate for yourself, especially when you're dealing with so many symptoms and positive diagnoses like SIBO, while still feeling unwell. The fact that you have been diligently following the diet without relief is a clear sign that something else is going on, and your doctors should be investigating other causes or complications, not dismissing your very real suffering. 
    • Oldturdle
      Paying for my own Celiac screening at WalkInLab so a positive result doesn’t become part of my medical history

      By Oldturdle · Posted

      It is just so sad that health care in the United States has come to this.  Health insurance should be available to everyone, not just the healthy or the rich.  My heart goes out to you.  I would not hesitate to have the test and pay for it myself.  My big concern would be how you could keep the results truly private.  I am sure that ultimately, you could not.  A.I. is getting more and more pervasive, and all data is available somewhere.  I don't know if you could give a fake name, or pay for your test with cash.  I certainly would not disclose any positive results on a private insurance application.  As I understand it, for an official diagnosis, an MD needs to review your labs and make the call.  If you end up in the ER, or some other situation, just request a gluten free diet, and say it is because you feel better when you don't eat gluten.      Hang in there, though.  Medicare is not that far away for you, and it will remove a lot of stress from your health care concerns.  You will even be able to "come out of the closet" about being Celiac!
    • plumbago
      Paying for my own Celiac screening at WalkInLab so a positive result doesn’t become part of my medical history

      By plumbago · Posted

      Yes, I've posted a few times about two companies: Request a Test and Ulta Labs. Also, pretty much we can all request any test we want (with the possible exception of the N protein Covid test and I'm sure a couple of others) with Lab Corp (or Pixel by Lab Corp) and Quest. I much prefer Lab Corp for their professionalism, ease of service and having it together administratively, at least in DC. And just so you know, Request a Test uses Lab Corp and Quest anyway, while Ulta Labs uses only Quest. Ulta Labs is cheaper than Request a Test, but I am tired of dealing with Quest, so I don't use them so much.
    • Scott Adams
      Does Dailymed.nlm.nih.gov site have filters for gluten?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      PS - I think you meant this site, but I don't believe it has been updated in years: http://glutenfreedrugs.com/ so it is best to use: You can search this site for prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
×
×
  • Create New...