Ater 3 Weeks I Discovered Pristiq Has Gluten In It

[Blessings]

3 weeks of intestinal issues, crying myself to sleep I called and Pristiq does have gluten in the active ingredient. Why do they have to do it?

Info from the medication guide and the number I called

What are the ingredients in PRISTIQ?

Active ingredient: desvenlafaxine

Inactive ingredients: For the 50 mg tablet, hypromellose, microcrystalline cellulose, talc,

magnesium stearate and film coating, which consists of polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol,

talc, titanium dioxide, and iron oxides.

For the 100 mg tablet, hypromellose, microcrystalline cellulose, talc, magnesium stearate, a

film coating which consists of polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, talc, titanium dioxide,

iron oxide and FD&C yellow #6.

This Medication Guide has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Issued September 2010.

Contact Information

Please visit our web site at www.pristiq.com, or call our toll-free number

1-888-PRISTIQ (774-7847) to receive more information.

[Takala]

How awful.

According to wikipedia this drug is made by Wyeth in Puerto Rico. Most drug manufacturers get their raw ingredients from China, and there is just not the consistent quality control for the filler starches or binders from the exporting end. In this country we also have no requirement (so far) that the major allergens be called out on the label of prescription drugs, which would at least alert the consumer to things like wheat, soy, corn, nuts.

Here's a listing from a wholesale retailer so you can see what I mean Open Original Shared Link there is nothing there that would show whether or not these chemicals are being run through machinery that also had a gluten bearing ingredient.

It took me a while but from plugging the chemical name of this parent drug venlafaxine - "methooxypheneyl ethyl cyclohexanol hydrocloride" compound into a search engine I finally came up with it can be made from an organic or non organic acid. And amino acids are what make up proteins.

This is a relatively new drug (2008) and therefore long term patient studies on whether it actually is effective or what it does is lacking. It is a synthetic form of venlafaxine.

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Since stopping these types of drugs cold turkey can also be stressful, especially if you have switched from one to another recently, I would call the pharmacy that dispensed this to you and tell them you have a wheat, rye, barley allergy to the glutens in all of these grain products and they need to mark your file AND they need to mark this particular batch as NOT WHEAT RYE BARLEY GLUTEN FREE. (you can't say enough words with some people.) My actual pharmacy is good with this sort of inquiry, but I hear some of the big Chain stores are not cooperative, and if the pharmacist tries to to pretend that they can't look it up or call the manufacturer for you - change pharmacies and contact the state regulatory agency like the state's attorney general, and complain, because this is their job - to keep you from getting sick.

I don't know about other states, but here you have to be offered a "patient consult" where you can discuss these things.

For some reason saying "allergy" usually is understood much better than "gluten intolerant."

And you should also ring up the bleeping doctor who proscribed this, and tell them you are allergic to it and if you don't find a version without wheat rye barley proteins gluten you are going to get even sicker and you need a substitute.

The good news is the longer you stay on a real gluten free diet, get healed up, and with the proper supplements the less you are going to need this. Do not wean off anti depressants without medical advice. If you are not already taking a B vitamin complex, calcium, and vitamin D (gluten free of course ) start doing so. This is also the time of year when the days are getting shorter so it's easy to miss out on sunlight and making yourself exercise a bit whether you feel like doing it or not.

[ravenwoodglass]

The first poster gave you a good reply. I always say I am allergic to wheat instead of gluten intolerant. The reason why is because wheat starch is suppossedly 'gluten free' so you could end up with a product with wheat starch and still be told it is 'gluten free'. I had such a severe reaction to Pristiq that I only took it once. What a waste of lots of money as it is quite an expensive drug. My doctor then listened to me and believed me, finally that I was not depressed I had anxiety issues and he prescribed xanax. We called and found out that the name brand of that drug is not gluten free but the generic, alprazolam is. I have been taking that with no issues and it has helped a great deal. If your problem is anxiety I don't know why they always want to toss and antideppressant in there but they do. If your issues are mostly anxiety related you may want to try an antianxiety med. Something I noticed with the med, which may not apply to you, is that if the med zones me out the dosage is to high. I started out with a full dose and it put me to sleep so I cut the dosage in half and that worked and am not down to just a quarter dose. Many of these meds are very addictive so taking the lowest effective dose is a good idea. Do talk to your doctor before adjusting any med dosage on your own. If you were on the Pristiq for any length of time do ask advice about something safe you can switch to or if it is okay to stop suddenly. Some of the mind altering drugs can cause seizures if stopped suddenly.

Also for some of us depression and anxiety are part of the symptoms we get from being glutened. If you are newly gluten free that symptom may resolve on it's own after a short time.