WomenWithMedicines1

What Dust Allergies Have To Do With Gluten Intolerance

woman with a headache and flu and with medicines I have a lot of sinus problems and decided to see an allergist. Since I see the doctor all the time about the Celiac disease, I only go to other doctors when I finally admit I am not going to get better on my own. At the allergist, I discovered I am allergic to dust. Can you believe it? Dust!

I thought maybe it would force me to be a better housekeeper, but that certainly hasn’t happened yet. I explained my problem to the doctor, and he wrote me a prescription for allergy medicine. I thought the problem was solved at that point. I am always careful to take medicine exactly according to the directions. Prescription medicine is serious business. I felt better after a few days, but the strangest thing began to happen. I started getting sick again, but not with sinus problems. I started getting mouth ulcers and bloating and some diarrhea. These are very familiar symptoms for me, because they are the delayed symptoms of my gluten intolerance. I was completely mystified! I take very good care of myself and am so careful to eat only allowed foods. I just didn’t understand why I was having an “attack” as I call it.

Well, I decided to stop and think about anything I was doing that was different from my normal routine. The only thing I could come up with was the sinus medicine I was taking. I had not gone out to eat recently and I cook all my own food using my gluten free ingredients. It had to be the medicine!

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Nutrition And Exercise - 2 Things You Should Never Avoid

You will discover that you have to become a detective sometimes if you have gluten intolerance. It seems sometimes as if gluten is in everything, but it appears under so many names. I had saved the prescription insert that gives the long list of ingredients. It took a while, but I found the culprit. The medicine I was taking had starch for a binding agent. I was taking 2 pills a day and getting a dose of gluten with each one. Granted, it was a small dose but over time it was creating a reaction. I should have known better I guess, but the doctor knew I had Celiac disease because I told him. It just goes to show that you have to take care of yourself and always be on alert. Even doctors make mistakes.

While I’m on the subject, you need to be leery of vitamins and a lot of other over-the-counter hygiene products. You are going to have to do your homework before you go to the drugstore. Otherwise, you might as well plan on spending the next 3 months reading the ingredient lists looking for gluten. I suggest you do what I did. Figure out which products are gluten free and then always stick with those items. I only buy one kind of toothpaste and one kind of vitamin and one kind of nasal spray for my allergies. It is so tempting sometimes to buy some of the other brands. New products seem to come out everyday with great new features. But it’s not worth the risk of getting sick. As long as I stick with the items I know are gluten free, I feel safe.

See also
Herbs To Help Heal Celiac Disease And Gluten Sensitivity

The lesson I learned is that I can’t ever let my guard down and must always question anything I put in my mouth. I really don’t like having a gluten reaction because it takes a while to completely recover. So be on alert! If you don’t know for a fact that something is gluten free then don’t take it.

 

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Below are a few of the gluten free vitamin brands that are available online:
Gluten Free Mall
Gluten Free Therapeutics
GNC
Country Life
Vitacost
Complete Health

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38 Comments

  1. I am amazed by the fact that not all medicines are gluten free! I take several vitamins, aleeve, tylenol and even metamucil, so am wondering where would one find out 100%
    what is in them?

  2. You best bet would be to contact the manufacturer directly. Check their website, all non-medicinal ingredients should be listed.

  3. Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention ! Who would think of checking anything other than foods. I am new at this” gluten game” so I need all the help I can get. Connie

  4. For myself, I have found that I need to avoid silicone and cellulose, as well as the usual culprits of wheat, rye, and barley. Those are prominent in OTC products and cellulose is used in packages of shredded cheese to prevent clumping. Also, when I bake using regular flour, I cover my nose and mouth to avoid inhaling any “loose” flour floating around.

  5. I had that same issue recently. When I finally got through to the manufacturer (Teva) I didn’t get a clear answer. The rep there read their statement that “none of the ingredients in that medication was derived from wheat, barley, or rye”. When I asked does that make it gluten free, the rep just reread the statement. So I assume that includes fillers etc. would have been much easier to just say yes, GF.

  6. Thanks for your comments. We found out the hard way also. Did you know that there is gluten in paper plates and cups? It’s in the glue used to hold them together.

  7. Wow what an eye opener…..explains why I get reactions when I’m 100% on my gluten free diet. Thanks for the heads up.

  8. Thank you for this valuable information. I too have unexplained “attacks”. Now I know to check my meds.

  9. Whao, I was just as amazed. On the moment my pain is completely out of control (have short bowel syndrome after emergency operation last year) I really appreciate every bit of info.

  10. What brand of toothpaste, vitamin and nasal spray do you use? It would be nice to share brands that we already know are safe.

  11. It would have been nice had the author shared with us what vitamins she uses that are gluten free. That way we don’t have to have everyone reinvent the wheel.

  12. Also, be sure to check the ingredients periodically on products you’ve used in the past, as sometimes there are re-formulations made and what was once a ‘safe’ GF product is no longer!

  13. I too. Have a gluten issue. I also found out that I can’t digest soy sauce. It took me a while to find out why it bothered me, but I found that Japanesse soy is made from fermented wheat Chinese soy is not.
    I have to read every label and question everything I eat. The only way to be sure is to make it yourself, then you know.

  14. You know, I am gluten intolerant, but am also allergic to corn and soy. I admit I never thought that my prescription medications would affect me, but….. as I discovered they are likely to contain either or both of these allergins! Fooled me before, but never again. I’m going to have to find out what alternatives are available without these ingredients in them as the meds I take are necessary for me to survive, unfortunately. So Angie, you are very correct in saying that you must be your own advocate in your health and READ THOSE LABELS.
    Thank you for all of this information.
    PS – I’m also allergic to dust/mites and have taken allergy products forever.

  15. Since it is that time of year, look for Kosher for Passover Products. They are gluten free and corn free. Paper goods also are marked kosher for Passover. The first and last rolls of paper towels also have glue on them. I don’t know that they are wheat, but they do have corn starch on them. I mean don’t buy Matzoh as that IS wheat, but everything else is.

  16. I’m Michelle I have celiac Also, sometimes I get sick when I haven’t eat anything with gluten. A vitamin I take isNatures way… ALIVE! Women’s gummy vitamins .. 26 fruits and vegetables .. Supports bone/skin/ nails. It does say Gluten free….

  17. Also I didn’t know about the cellulose in stredded cheese. It’s never bothered me before. But just yesterday all day I got sick with something and I had eaten some stredded cheese on some tostitos . And afterward I always feel like the life is drained outta me.

  18. What sinus pills were you taking? Just curious. I’ve been having sinus problems since November. Post nasal drip etc.. So I have been trying different things. I’m also just getting ready to make an appointment with an allergy doctor. Thanks.

  19. Thanks so much for this sight I have been gluten intolerant for a while now and still find it hard as I am the only one in my family.

  20. Thanks for all these tidbits! I try but sometimes it is difficult. Because I’m also diabetic and I also eat kosher. So there are so many things that are kosher but have gluten or pork or shellfish in it. Sometimes I fell like pulling my hair out.

  21. That was the biggest surprise for me… Soy sauce! Who would think? I use Tamari. You can get it in packets also. Just stick then in your purse! Watch out for “crabstick”, fake crab. Also not gf.

  22. Watch your sodas and sport drinks also…I have had reactions to both when I was careless enough not to read the labels. My reactions are getting more aggressive since I have been gluten free, I can now feel it in my lips and tongue now so I have got to be more careful. Thanks for the heads up on this.

  23. Kimberly, I recently bought Loratodine for sinus issues from the local chain drug store. It works well but checked out the company’s list of GF drugs and it was not listed. Will ask the pharm next time I am in the store about it.

  24. I have had severe stomach pain for a long time and bloating everyday…your comments and stories are a big help. I am going to follow your stories…you all gave me hope. Big thank you to all of your stories.

  25. My vitamin that I am presently taking is Omega-3 no fishy aftertaste super concentrate. The brand is Webber Naturals

  26. I have been takeing zyretec for sinus allergy but i will contack the company cause i also have problems some times and have been gluten free for about three years,thank you for the heads up.

  27. thank you all so much for the info… Angie you have been fabulous, I love your website, it has saved my life.
    Bless you!

    Barbi

  28. Neica Centrum Select For Adults 50+ States on the box of ingredients lower right side Does NOT contain gluten, parabens and tartrazine. (FDC. Yellow No. 5) Hope this helps someone.

  29. A few years ago I asked a pharmacist if my new prescription was GF and she rudely said no medications would have wheat in them. I explained it was not just wheat I was concerned with but gluten and she again ‘rudely’ said medication does not and would not contain gluten. I explained I needed her to look it up as I did not want the prescription filled until she read me the ingredients … She was very upset that I questioned her but read me the ingredients to find starch. She again told me that starch was not gluten and it would not be a problem for celiacs. I took my prescription, left and went back later to report her to the pharmacy manager and did not see her around there again. I then had an alternate prescription filled that was GF. Bottom line … It’s your health and sometimes you have to be persistent to keep yourself that way!

  30. tHi Angie, I have Ceiliac Disease. I Have to live on a very straight and narrow diet. I have to be on this F.O.D.M.A.P. diet. No Soy, dairy, gluten, any sweetners that endin -ol, all, and sugar free stuff. I am also diabetic 2. Thank you so much for this advise. I also have rignoitis, with my sinuses. I do take prescription meds. Just a little advise from me, if you could, look up the FODMAP diet on the internet. Then you can see what I have to eat. Always, Wendy

  31. I am trying to be Gluten Free because I am highly intolerant. I had no idea that so many non-food items have gluten in them. Thank You for all your help, please continue to do your Great Work! My life has been a nightmare. I also have Fibromyalgia and between the two I feel like I have been beaten up from the inside.. Maxine

  32. Thanks for letting us know, your feedback mean so much to us! Yes it is amazing how gluten has worked into so many of our food (and non food) products. Although manufacturers are finally feeling the pressure now to change their formulations with the new government requirements for mandatory labeling of their products with allergy containing compounds like gluten. But its definitely a slow process! Having gluten sensitivities is one thing, but when compounded with other issues like you have it can really feel overwhelming. Stay strong and try and keep positive, we’re all here for you!

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