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Gabapentin Has "cornstarch Gluten" In It. Should I Be Alarmed?

Coolclimates

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Coolclimates Collaborator
Coolclimates
Posted

I am taking Gabapentin (the generic brand of Neurontin) and just had a pharmacist check to see if there was gluten in this medication. She called back saying that there was "cornstarch gluten" in it. I asked her what that was and she said she had never heard that phrase before. Needless to say, she doesn't know whether it's a problem for me to take or not. Does anyone have any idea what "cornstarch gluten" is and if so, should I avoid it?

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

What i have seen is that all grain has proteins called "gluten". For our purposes, we call the protein in wheat, rye & barley " gluten". And when we say gluten-free we mean no wheat, rye or barley gluten. The gluten in rice or corn or other grain is OK.

This is not to get into the debate that we should eat no grains, ever.

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

Yes, other grains besides wheat, barley and rye have gluten in them. It's just that Celiacs are usually not sensitive to the gluten in corn. Only those who have reactions to eating corn would need to avoid cornstarch gluten.

Cornstarch is what it is usually called.

Some people are sensitive to other grains and other glutens and I read that some people advocate being grain free for that reason.

But for what we call a gluten free diet...cornstarch is safe for Celiacs...unless it isn't safe for you.

Only you can tell if you are sensitive to it.

Clear as mud isn't it? Gluten is in other grains and yet we use those grains for the so-called gluten free diet.

gluten-free for Celiacs is only referring to gluten protein in wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes oats.

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

ya, what everybody else said ;)

i got the same answer when i called Advil to clarify what the starch was- "corn gluten". it's not the same as gliadin. unless you have a sensitivity/intolerance to corn products- you should be fine.

Coolclimates Collaborator
Coolclimates
Posted
  • Author

thanks, everyone, for the clarification. I really appreciate it!

  • 6 years later...
Six Newbie
Six
Posted

I have Celiac Disease and it acts really strange. I can’t eat corn starch or anything with it in it. But I can eat corn. I love corn! Those gluten free  corn tamales (I won’t mention the brand because I don’t know the rules about that) are excellent! I also take Neurontim (Gabapentin) in high doses and have never had a problem with it. It’s very hit or miss with things for me. It’s trial and error unfortunately. I’m very grateful to be able to take Gabapentin because it helps me in so many ways. But then I’ll eat something that’s “gluten free” and I’ll be sick for hours. This is a tough disease to maneuver. And I’m still learning what I can have and what I can’t. But yes, there is such thing as corn starch gluten and some people like me can have corn but can’t have corn starch and can still take Gabapentin. 

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted
2 hours ago, Six said:

I have Celiac Disease and it acts really strange. I can’t eat corn starch or anything with it in it. But I can eat corn. I love corn! Those gluten free  corn tamales (I won’t mention the brand because I don’t know the rules about that) are excellent! I also take Neurontim (Gabapentin) in high doses and have never had a problem with it. It’s very hit or miss with things for me. It’s trial and error unfortunately. I’m very grateful to be able to take Gabapentin because it helps me in so many ways. But then I’ll eat something that’s “gluten free” and I’ll be sick for hours. This is a tough disease to maneuver. And I’m still learning what I can have and what I can’t. But yes, there is such thing as corn starch gluten and some people like me can have corn but can’t have corn starch and can still take Gabapentin. 

Please check post dates, this was a post from 2011. And yes celiac is a odd disease many of us develop different food intolerance issues, some common ones in gluten free foods can be dairy, corn, xantham gum, sugars, certain fruits, nightshade (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers), soy, and Oats is a another major one. Heck I got a random intolerance to lettuce for awhile. Keep a food diary and try to eat a unprocessed foods diet til you get a hang of it. In the food diary keep track of what you eat, ingredients, what you fix it with seasoning/spice wise and even how you cook it. Some of us end up with histamine, lectin, or off food issues that require foods to be prepared in certain ways to remove, break down, or prevent the formation of certain compounds. -_- I miss corn, I grew up in a Mexican family....I am now highly allergic to corn developed a few years ago.

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