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We've been around the issue of gluten content in prescription drugs many
times on the list and I am always amazed that people don't know how to deal
with gluten in medicine.  It's really quite simple.

As background to this issue let me say that doctors simply don't have the
time or the staff to devote to determining the gluten content of
medications.  Asking a doctor what is in a pill is like asking a banker what
germs are on the money a teller is giving you.  It's probably true that
doctors violate their so-called Hippocratic Oath by prescribing something
that is dangerous to you but trying to deal with that is like trying to make
politicians respectful of voters.

There is a simple and easy way to find out EXACTLY what is in any pill from
a person whose business is pills.  This person is your pharmacist.  He
understands medicine and he know exactly how to find out the exact content
of every batch of medicine from every pharmaceutical company in the United
States.

You will have the greatest success in getting this kind of assistance from
your pharmacist if you choose wisely.  Your pharmacist should work in a
store that specializes in medicine and other medical merchandise and perhaps
carries a few gift items and maybe a few other items.  This will be a real
drug store and they will have the best pharmacists because they will be
extremely busy and you will need to have your doctor call your prescriptions
in to the store so you won't have to wait so long to pick them up.  I would
say that it would be a good general rule not to buy drugs from a store that
sells wine and beer.

I think it is extremely unwise to buy medicine in a pharmacy that is located
in a department store, discount house or grocery store.  They won't have a
good stock of medications and there is much more chance that you will get
older medications there because they don't do the volume of business that
real drug stores do.

When you find a store such as I have described you should make an
appointment with the owner or the pharmacist in charge.  Let them know that
you are going to buy all your drugs from them and that you want to be
assured that checks will be made on all new prescriptions to be sure that
they are compatible with all of your other prescriptions.  You should also
inform the pharmacist that you would like them to note on their computer
that you would like to have a check of all prescribed medications to
ascertain if they contain gluten before the prescription is filled.  A good
pharmacy will consider all of these requests routine and you will have no
further problem.  All pharmacists can find out the exact content of every
batch of medicine for you and they will if you are a regular customer and
have a proper relationship established with them.

Every time you pick up a new prescription or a refill there should be a full
description of the medication, the purposes for which the medication is
prescribed and a complete list of all known side-effects.  Most pharmacies
provide this with the first prescription only.  This information sheet
should be attached to your receipt so that you will be able to prove exactly
when you got it and how much it cost you.

A good pharmacy will happily accommodate any drug insurance plan and take
care of that for you so that your refund checks will automatically come to
you from the insurance company.  A good pharmacy will also check with the
insurance company before they fill the prescription to be sure that the
medication is covered by your insurance plan.

I find that pharmacists are much more professional and exact than doctors
EVER are and I have not taken the time to mention all of the services you
can get from a competent pharmacist.  For instance, they will check
over-the-counter medications for you on the computer to be sure they are
safe to take with your prescribed medications.


Joe Clemens
Port Angeles, Washington, United States of America
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