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

Can My Child Carry Medication?

SilverSlipper

Recommended Posts

SilverSlipper Contributor
SilverSlipper
Posted

My soon-to-be 11 yr old daughter has Celiac. She's great with her diet, very strict on what she eats and watches other people like a hawk if they are preparing food she will eat.

Occasionally (a few times a year) she accidentally ingests gluten. The reactions are ugly - vomiting, diarrhea and cramping so bad she literally can't straighten up.

She visits other family members often and usually carries a little purse with a gluten-free snack in it. She also carries her own hand sanitizer (since other kids touch other bottles), band aids/neosporin. She wants to carry a few of her prescription pills (hyoscyamine) with her in case she gets sick. I think it's a great idea since it allows her to treat her own symptoms rather than frantic calls to me to quickly bring her stomach medicine. Realistically, she probably won't need it. However, relatives have asked if she could bring it "just in case".

My concern is whether she could get in trouble for taking prescription meds (not in a bottle) around with her. (Not at school, but to VBS, church, other's houses, etc). Can I get a doctor's note for her to use validating her need to carry medicine? Thanks :)

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

For some things like school, there are procedures for perscription meds. I know Boy Scout/ Cub Scout camps have rules. You have to give them to one leader with directions about them.

For friends & relatives houses, if she knows how to take them & you can really trust that, I would send them with her. What I might do is take most of the pills out of the perscription container. Just leave one or two doses in the bottle. This tells people what they are and that they are prescribed for her. She is getting to an age where a kid with unlabeled pills will look suspicious.

The pill bottle should be enough explanation of why she needs them and the dosage.

Darn210 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted

The pharmacy can also provide you with an empty but duplicate bottle w/label. I've had to do this for the school since they required the actual bottle and I needed it for something else at the same time.

Mom2J112903 Newbie
Mom2J112903
Posted

Hymox is an IBS/IBD medication, does she have either one of those or was it rx'd because of the severe cramping that she gets when gluten is injested? My son has this rx'd but he is an IBS, most likely IBD, kiddo but can not take it since he has severe dysmotility in his intestines. Hymox stops the intestinal spasms, and it WORKS but for us it literally stops the intestinal tract...not a good thing when you hardly have any movement to begin with.

I would never let my child carry any type of medication that is not in its orginal container-anywhere.

SilverSlipper Contributor
SilverSlipper
Posted
  • Author

Hymox is an IBS/IBD medication, does she have either one of those or was it rx'd because of the severe cramping that she gets when gluten is injested? My son has this rx'd but he is an IBS, most likely IBD, kiddo but can not take it since he has severe dysmotility in his intestines. Hymox stops the intestinal spasms, and it WORKS but for us it literally stops the intestinal tract...not a good thing when you hardly have any movement to begin with.

I would never let my child carry any type of medication that is not in its orginal container-anywhere.

I was told IBS basically came with a Celiac diagnosis although the comment may have been directed towards my child only. She takes it due to severe cramping that is literally crippling during a celiac reaction.

SilverSlipper Contributor
SilverSlipper
Posted
  • Author

(Sorry typing on my laptop which means I'm prone to mistakes)

Karen - her carrying medication (without a label) was what bothered me. I wouldn't want anyone to see it and think she is carrying something illegal. The medication is actually fairly harmless (IMO). My other daughter takes one daily in the morning to keep tummy aches from developing (suspected IBS). So, yes, I do trust her to take it with her and not take it unless necessary.

I will probably ask the pharmacy to give her a small dose/bottlt to carry as another poster suggested. I may go ahead and ask her GI to write a small note verifying she has Celiac Disease as well.

Thanks :)

Mom2J112903 Newbie
Mom2J112903
Posted

I think your daughter sounds like an extremly responsible young lady whom I would allow to carry her own medication, provided it was in its orginal container.

I know all about the intestinal cramping. My son, whom wasn't even 7 yet, was in the ER multiple times with them. Hymox is AWESOME stuff it just stinks that it literally stops my son's intestinal tract :(

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.

Go to topic listing

  • 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
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable. The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body. So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days. Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte...
    2. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine?
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine. Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine. Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats. Meat, especially organ...
    4. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc. Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food....
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Russ H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,870
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    KABoston
    Newest Member
    KABoston
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
    • Scott Adams
      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
×
×
  • 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.