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Medicine

modiddly16

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modiddly16 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted

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

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RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

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 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted
  • Author

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 Apprentice
jtangema
Posted

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 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted
  • Author

No...that's not really possible.

I guess it's just a strange coincidence..

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

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 Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

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.

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modiddly16 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted
  • Author

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 Experienced
Gemini
Posted
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 Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
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?

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    • cristiana
      Feel like I’m starting over

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @Scatterbrain Thank you for your reply.   Some of these things could be weaknesses, also triggered by stress, which perhaps have come about as the result of long-term deficiencies which can take a long time to correct.   Some could be completely unrelated. If it is of help, I'll tell you some of the things that started in the first year or two, following my diagnosis - I pinned everything on coeliac disease, but it turns out I wasn't always right!  Dizziness, lightheaded - I was eventually diagnosed with cervical dizziness (worth googling, could be your issue too, also if you have neck pain?)  A few months after diagnosis I put my neck out slightly carrying my seven-year-old above my head, and never assigned any relevance to it as the pain at the time was severe but so short-lived that I'd forgotten the connection. Jaw pain - stress. Tinnitus - I think stress, but perhaps exacerbated by iron/vitamin deficiencies. Painful ribs and sacroiliac joints - no idea, bloating made the pain worse. It got really bad but then got better. Irregular heart rate - could be a coincidence but my sister (not a coeliac) and I both developed this temporarily after our second Astra Zeneca covid jabs.   Subsequent Pfizer jabs didn't affect us. Brain fog - a big thing for people with certain autoimmune issues but in my case I think possibly worse when my iron or B12 are low, but I have no proof of this. Insomnia - stress, menopause. So basically, it isn't always gluten.  It might be worth having your vitamins and mineral levels checked, and if you have deficiencies speak to your Dr about how better to address them?    
    • knitty kitty
      My only proof

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @NanceK, I do have Hypersensitivity Type Four reaction to Sulfa drugs, a sulfa allergy.  Benfotiamine and other forms of Thiamine do not bother me at all.  There's sulfur in all kinds of Thiamine, yet our bodies must have it as an essential nutrient to make life sustaining enzymes.  The sulfur in thiamine is in a ring which does not trigger sulfa allergy like sulfites in a chain found in pharmaceuticals.  Doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition (nor chemistry in this case).  I studied Nutrition before earning a degree in Microbiology.  I wanted to know what vitamins were doing inside the body.   Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Not feeling well after starting Benfotiamine is normal.  It's called the "thiamine paradox" and is equivalent to an engine backfiring if it's not been cranked up for a while.  Mine went away in about three days.  I took a B Complex, magnesium and added molybdenum for a few weeks. It's important to add a B Complex with all eight essential B vitamins. Supplementing just one B vitamin can cause lows in some of the others and result in feeling worse, too.  Celiac Disease causes malabsorption of all the B vitamins, not just thiamine.  You need all eight.  Thiamine forms including Benfotiamine interact with each of the other B vitamins in some way.  It's important to add a magnesium glycinate or chelate supplement as well.  Forms of Thiamine including Benfotiamine need magnesium to make those life sustaining enzymes.  (Don't use magnesium oxide.  It's not absorbed well.  It pulls water into the intestines and is used to relieve constipation.)   Molybdenum is a trace mineral that helps the body utilize forms of Thiamine.   Molybdenum supplements are available over the counter.  It's not unusual to be low in molybdenum if low in thiamine.   I do hope you will add the necessary supplements and try Benfotiamine again. Science-y Explanation of Thiamine Paradox: https://hormonesmatter.com/paradoxical-reactions-with-ttfd-the-glutathione-connection/#google_vignette
    • Wheatwacked
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      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Your goal is not to be a good puppet, there is no gain in that. You might want to restart the ones that helped.  It sounds more like you are suffering from malnutrition.  Gluten free foods are not fortified with things like Thiamine (B1), vitamin D, Iodine, B1,2,3,5,6 and 12 as non-gluten free products are required to be. There is a Catch-22 here.  Malnutrition can cause SIBO, and SIBO can worsen malnutrition. Another possibility is side effects from any medication that are taking.  I was on Metformin 3 months before it turned me into a zombi.  I had crippling side effects from most of the BP meds tried on me, and Losartan has many of the side effects on me from my pre gluten free days. Because you have been gluten free, you can test and talk until you are blue in the face but all of your tests will be negative.  Without gluten, you will not create the antigen against gluten, no antigens to gluten, so no small intestine damage from the antigens.  You will need to do a gluten challange to test positive if you need an official diagnosis, and even then, no guaranty: 10 g of gluten per day for 6 weeks! Then a full panel of Celiac tests and biopsy. At a minimum consider vitamin D, Liquid Iodine (unless you have dermatitis herpetiformis and iodine exasperates the rash), and Liquid Geritol. Push for vitamin D testing and a consult with a nutritionist experienced with Celiack Disease.  Most blood tests don't indicate nutritional deficiencies.  Your thyroid tests can be perfect, yet not indicate iodine deficiency for example.  Thiamine   test fine, but not pick up on beriberi.  Vegans are often B12 deficient because meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy are the primary souces of B12. Here is what I take daily.  10,000 IU vitamin D3 750 mg g a b a [   ] 200 mg CoQ10 [   ] 100 mg DHEA [   ] 250 mg thiamine B1 [   ] 100 mg of B2 [   ] 500 mg B5 pantothenic acid [   ] 100 mg B6 [   ] 1000 micrograms B12 n [   ] 500 mg vitamin c [   ] 500 mg taurine [   ] 200 mg selenium   
    • NanceK
      My only proof

      By NanceK · Posted

      Hi…Just a note that if you have an allergy to sulfa it’s best not to take Benfotiamine. I bought a bottle and tried one without looking into it first and didn’t feel well.  I checked with my pharmacist and he said not to take it with a known sulfa allergy. I was really bummed because I thought it would help my energy level, but I was thankful I was given this info before taking more of it. 
    • Wheatwacked
      Feel like I’m starting over

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Hello @Scatterbrain, Are you getting enough vitamins and minerals.  Gluten free food is not fortified so you may be starting to run low on B vitamins and vitamin D.   By the way you should get your mom checked for celiac disease.  You got it from your mom or dad.  Some studies show that following a gluten-free diet can stabilize or improve symptoms of dementia.  I know that for the 63 years I was eating gluten I got dumber and dumber until I started GFD and vitamin replenishment and it began to reverse.  Thiamine can get used up in a week or two.  Symptoms can come and go with daily diet.  Symptoms of beriberi due to Thiamine deficiency.   Difficulty walking. Loss of feeling (sensation) in hands and feet. Loss of muscle function or paralysis of the lower legs. Mental confusion. Pain. Speech difficulties. Strange eye movements (nystagmus) Tingling. Any change in medications? Last March I had corotid artery surgery (90 % blockage), and I started taking Losartan for blood pressure, added to the Clonidine I was taking already.  I was not recovering well and many of my pre gluten free symptoms were back  I was getting worse.  At first I thought it was caused a reaction to the anesthesia from the surgery, but that should have improved after two weeks.  Doctor thought I was just being a wimp. After three months I talked to my doctor about a break from the Losartan to see if it was causing it. It had not made any difference in my bp.  Except for clonindine, all of the previous bp meds tried had not worked to lower bp and had crippling side effects. One, I could not stand up straight; one wobbly knees, another spayed feet.  Inguinal hernia from the Lisinopril cough.  Had I contiued on those, I was destined for a wheelchair or walker. She said the symptoms were not from Losartan so I continued taking it.  Two weeks later I did not have the strength in hips and thighs to get up from sitting on the floor (Help, I can't get up😨).  I stopped AMA (not recommended).  Without the Losartan, a) bp did not change, after the 72 hour withdrawal from Losartanon, on clonidine only and b) symptoms started going away.  Improvement started in 72 hours.  After six weeks they were gone and I am getting better.  
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