Safe Otc Medicines?

[RuskitD]

I am in search of OTC medicines that others can take without reacting. I live in a farming area, and harvest is in full swing. Though I have not consumed anything to react to, I am having issues with fluid in my ears and a mild congestion, that I am certain comes from airborne sources.

I am Celiac with corn/soy/dairy/peanut intolerances. Even the teeniest bit of any of these can cause a week long reaction.

Specifically, I wonder if anyone with similar intolerances has reacted to name brand Sudafed. It used to be my 'go to' medicine for fluid in my ears. I haven't had the fluid since stopping gluten/corn/soy/dairy/peanut, so I hadn't tried it. I have not had a reaction to a hidden allergen in over two months, and would like to keep that going! I don't want a setback!

I called the compounding pharmacy, and the minimum order they will make me 90 pills of Sudafed for $100 but insist on using a "filler" that they do not know the source of. (could be rice, corn or tree bark, no guarantees). I do not want to risk that much money and a reaction!

Please give suggestions to me... what you have found you can take that you don't react to.... by way of cold medications, or allergy meds.

[T.H.]

I have to avoid all of your intolerances too. So far? I've got nothing, quite literally. Not one single thing, and I've had the same issue with the compounding pharmacy as you mentioned. Even the gel caps they use got me due to corn. :-(

However, being the extremely desperate person that I am, I started looking at anything else I could find. Homeopathics seemed a bit too woo-woo for me, but I started looking at more basic forms of modern medicine, or herbs and plants, in other words.

I found two books that were very helpful to me, both written by a man named Charles Kane. One involved plants local to my area, one uses plants that you could find in a health food store pretty easily.

http://www.(Company Name Removed - They Spammed This Forum and are Banned)/Herbal-Medicine-Traditions-Comprehensive-Preparation/dp/097713332X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348869488&sr=8-2&keywords=herbal+medicine+charles+kane

I have seen both his books in libraries, too, so I think you could find them without too much trouble.

So far, I've survived whooping cough using a cough medicine from one of the books, and I'm currently coping with a foot with two broken bones using an analegesic and anti-inflammatory from his books, as well. My MD at this point is encouraging me to use whatever works, because the last time I tried pain meds I ended up in the ER, so he knows how little choice I've got.

I know that at least in the local plant book of his, he had some plants that contain natural anti-histamines and so were useful for allergies. I have not examined his general book as well, but I wouldn't be surprised if it contained something similar. :-)

Shauna

[bartfull]

In my state you can't order from the compounding pharmacy on your own. You have to have a prescription. My doctor prescribes Tylenol with no gluten, corn, or soy. They make it, and I use it with no problems. Yes, it is expensive, but when I'm in pain it's nice to be able to take something for it without worrying.

Of course now that I can finally tolerate corn starch again I can buy Tylenol over th counter, but I'm going to check out those books anyway. Thanks, T.H.