Medicine

[modiddly16]

Is there any way you can get sick based on certain medicines that are soaked in through the skin? For example, I'm in physical therapy for my knee and my therapist, once a week for the 3rd week now, uses a patch that you put a medication on to help inflammation and then use electro-stimulus to penetrate the aggrevated area...the medicine is soaked in through your skin. After each time that I do this, later in the day...my stomach is horrible. Like I ate something that I cannot have and I couldn't for the life of me figure it out. I guess what got me thinking is the last time I got my pupils dialated at the eye doctor, my stomach went bazerk and I hadn't eaten anything else. I know people are going to say "check your diet and what you ate" but I don't eat a whole lot...and what I do eat, is 100% no mistake gluten free. For example today I've only had 2 eggs, gluten free toast with water and an apple. I have horrible eating habits. Sometimes I just find that its easier not to eat than to risk eating out.

Anyway, could this be possible? That my reaction is related to those things? Or is it just an odd coincidence

[RiceGuy]

It most certainly can be the medication. Do you know exactly what it is?

But at least you know to work on improving your dietary choices. The better you feed your body, the better it can protect itself from the side effects of medications.

[modiddly16]

I don't know what it is but i'm not digesting it.......i thought reactions could come only from digesting the medication, not if it's just simply injected or something, I don't have DH, just celiac.

[jtangema]

I would highly doubt that you could be glutened a medication that is not taken orally. As a pharmacy student, I know that they have some chance (not very much) of getting into the blood stream, but they wouldn't have any way to get into the GI tract. If these medicines do have gluten, could you possilby have touched the medicine then touched something that got into your mouth (cross contamination)?

[modiddly16]

No...that's not really possible.

I guess it's just a strange coincidence..

[RiceGuy]

Absorption through the skin still gets the substance into the bloodstream. Otherwise it wouldn't even do what it is supposed to. The symptoms and issues from Celiac aren't limited to the digestive system.

[Juliebove]

I would say it is possible. As for the patch... Is this something you are removing yourself? If so, you could be getting gluten (assuming there is gluten in it) on your skin and then transferring it to your mouth.

[modiddly16]

I'm removing the patch myself but I don't put my hands in my mouth after, or any where near my face. I go straight to the restroom and wash my hands and then use hand sanitizer after. I don't ever really have my hands in my mouth...I don't bite my nails or anything like that. I've been going over in my head what it could possibly be and I just can't come up with anything other than the medicine...

Do you think I should try it once more next week and see the reaction or just stop while I'm ahead?

Thanks for helping try to figure this out everyone!

[Gemini]

I would highly doubt that you could be glutened a medication that is not taken orally. As a pharmacy student, I know that they have some chance (not very much) of getting into the blood stream, but they wouldn't have any way to get into the GI tract. If these medicines do have gluten, could you possilby have touched the medicine then touched something that got into your mouth (cross contamination)?

Thank you for posting this as many people are confused about how you can be glutened. I find there is a lot of unnecessary fear. Even if there was gluten in the patch, the gluten molecule itself is too large to pass through the skin.....which would explain the importance of formulating meds so they CAN be absorbed into the skin. Even if any gluten that may be present in the patch does make it's way into the bloodstream, and you thought you were having a reaction, it would probably be more of an allergic reaction than a true intestinal glutening. You are correct, if it doesn't make it's way into your intestinal tract, it isn't a gluten reaction. Villi will not be flattened if you touch gluten!

modiddly.....you admitted your eating habits are not good and I suspect that could be your problem. I was not eating much pre-diagnosis because everything made me feel bad so I just didn't eat a whole lot towards the end. Big mistake! Any meds you are using, especially pain meds and those for inflammation, will mess your stomach up big time if you are not eating well, with a good amount of protein. You don't even have to pass it through your gut to have a problem. Work on your eating habits and I think you will see a big difference.

As far as the eye doctor is concerned, I go every 3 months because I have Sjogren's Syndrome and eye problems. They are ALWAYS putting drops into my eyes and I have absolutely no problems with that. I usually go late afternoon for appointments, on my way home from work, and I make sure I eat a good lunch or have a snack before I go.

Why do you feel you cannot go out to eat? There are many restaurants with gluten-free menu's and the awareness is way up these days. You may also want to keep snacks in your car, healthy snacks, to dig into when you get hungry. Just remember that not all stomach issues are the result of a glutening. It's easy to fall into that trap as a Celiac but we get regular bugs and have the same problems as the rest of the general population.

Good luck...hope you feel better!

[ravenwoodglass]

I'm removing the patch myself but I don't put my hands in my mouth after, or any where near my face. I go straight to the restroom and wash my hands and then use hand sanitizer after.

Have you checked whether the soap and sanitizer are gluten-free?