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

CVS Products/customer Service


WinterSong

Recommended Posts

WinterSong Community Regular

To save a little money I tend to use a lot of CVS brand products. I've called their customer service number twice, and they are so very helpful and nice! How refreshing. They were able to answer my questions about most of the specific products I had on the spot, and if they couldn't they contacted the manufacturers and were sure to return my call within a day or two. So for those of you who have a CVS nearby and don't want to necessarily have to buy expensive brand names, here are my findings so far:

CVS Chap Block SPF4 Cherry Lip Balm - gluten-free

CVS Sugar Free Black Cherry Cough Drops - gluten-free

CVS Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 15 (comparable to Neutrogena) - gluten-free

CVS Oil Free Moisturizer Combination Skin (comparable to Neutrogena) - gluten-free

CVS Deep Action Nightly Cleanser (comparable to Neutrogena) - gluten-free

*Also, I called Neutrogena, and they said that while they can guarentee that many of their products are wheat free, they haven't been tested for barley and rye (ugg!). But when I called CVS about their products that are comparable to Neutrogena, many of them were completely gluten-free. So glad that there are some companies who are concerned about thoroughly testing their products for people with Celiac and gluten sensitivities.

I also asked about a body wash and moisturizer, and they're contacting the manufacturer. I'll post more info as I find out! :)


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



IrishHeart Veteran

Jessica,

Thanks for this info! ;)

mbrookes Community Regular

I have also found the pharmacist at my local CVS to be totally helpful in tracking down ingredients in meds, prescriptopn and OTC. I am a CVS fan!

eatmeat4good Enthusiast

I am now a CVS fan too. I needed a medication the other day. I told the pharmacist I didn't want to buy it unless it was gluten free. She stood there and searched and called for 10 minutes until she was sure it was gluten free!! I was so happy, I thanked her profusely.

I always used another discount pharmacy, but the pharmacist there was so unhelpful. He would say, it is not my job to find out about gluten, I don't have time for that. I said OK, then keep my prescriptions until I look it up myself because I'm not buying something that will make me sick.

The first time he said that I thought-aw...he's just busy. The second time I thought, he's rude. The third time he said that to me I thought...I need a new pharmacy.

Thank you CVS.

And thank you OP, because I want to use their lotion too now. Post your findings when you can! Very cool!

Takala Enthusiast

Totally opposite of my last experience with this chain, last autumn of 2010, :angry: when I had the counter clerk/pharm tech totally blow me off, and I had to insist on seeing the actual pharmacist, who also was unprofessional, and tried the same thing with a prescription I was trying to get filled.... Looked at the package, when I said I had to avoid gluten, which is the protein in wheat,rye, and barley, in addition to allergies to "x, y, and z" and the pharmacist said, "I don't think so." WTF you "don't think so ?!" Could you at least tell me who makes this ?! :ph34r:

I know my rights, and I insisted that they open the package, find the inner package insert since the # contact of the manufacturer was not on the outside of the box, and find the number for me to call. Because they were not going to do it.

Then stood there in the store with cell phone, and had to call a distributor who gave me another number to call, at least that number's person was helpful. They were pretty sure there were no gluten ingredients nor the other antibiotic I was allergic to. But they wanted me to call the helpline for the manufacturer, to confirm, which was, of course, closed because they were in another time zone. But during this, the distributor wanted to know not only the physical address of the store I was in, but the "location code" for the store, which they said I could ask at the counter- and then they could listen to me trying to get the attention of said counter clerk/pharma tech again "excuse me m'am but what store is this, the distributor would like to know" and being ignored. Same snotty Counter/Tech actually leers at me and tells me to get in line if I have a question. Person on phone listening to this said, wait a minute, "I'll look it up here" and found out.

So much for getting this script filled on the way home from the doctor. (and it was for antibiotics, which I try to avoid as much as possible, because I have allergies to some antibiotics on top of this. this was why I was so appalled at the initial reaction of the store. I will say "I have allergies to name of substance, name of antibiotic, name of next antibiotic, and wheat proteins, does this medication contain any of these ingredients?" The reaction of the counter clerk who acted like this was no big deal flabbergasted me. I then said "please, I need a pharmacy consult before filling this," and got the pharmacist who wouldn't check. )

I went home and did some internet research on this particular item and each ingredient, and was pretty sure it was going to be gluten free, but went to a different CVS pharmacy the next day, closer to my home, which has filled scripts for me before, and was not treated like a nuisance this time. But by then I had to confirm that their version was the same version that I had previously researched.

Excuse me for not carrying a laptop and wireless broadband access everywhere I go. :angry:

Perhaps there has been some feedback from the last round :blink: .

WinterSong Community Regular

Oh wow, that sucks. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with them. I normally find in-store people pretty unhelpful, but in calling CVS they were very nice and understanding.

Two more gluten-free products:

CVS exfoliating body wash (similar to Dove)

CVS cocoa butter deep conditioning moisture

I'm taking a CVS trip this weekend! :)

glutenfr3309 Rookie

CVS- Iron 65 USP MG (325 MG Ferrous Sulfate) tablets are safe.

On the label it says 'no yeast, wheat, gluten, milk or milk derivatives, lactose, sugar, preservatives, soy, artificial flavor, salt.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

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

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

    2. - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

    3. - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

    4. 0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

    5. - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,327
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    dnamutant
    Newest Member
    dnamutant
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
×
×
  • 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.