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 Dear Listmates:
I have read the posts back and forth about whether we really need to worry about gluten in otc medicines. Here is proof positive that it is definitely something to check.
This happened two years ago, so I am sure the company has improved its methods since then, but it is definitely a good example of why we need to check with manufacturers.

My daughter with CD, 7 yrs. old at the time, had a bad headache and was not feeling well.  Based upon a previous call about children's liquid Advil to the manufacturer in which I was told it was gluten free, I gave my daughter Blue Rasberry flavored children's advil. It was a new flavor at the time, but that didn't concern me as I had been told that children's liquid advil was gf.  Over the next couple of days my daugher continued to have a bad headache and now was vomiting. I figured she had a bad virus.  She couldn't keep anything down at all. I had to force her to drink a little bit of water. She couldn't even do that. She slept all of the time and could  barely lift her head off the couch to drink from the straw in the water glass.  I continued to give her the Children's Advil as directed on the label for her headache.  On the third day,  I  took her to the emergency room where I was told she was severely dehydrated and she had to have an IV.  After that she started improving.  I did not give her any more Advil that night.

I  wondered whether the vomiting and listlessness was really the flu or not, as that is also how she reacts to a lot of gluten. So the next morning I called Advil to double-check the gluten free status.  I was told that that particular flavor was NOT GF, but the other flavors were.  I was also told that the flavor could vary from being gf to not, and to call every time I buy a bottle of children's advil to check on that particular lot's gf status.  So, that is what I will continue to do until the gf label laws go into effect.  Needless to say I was quite upset with the company at that time.

The point is: You can not dismiss this as another allergy to something else, or a reaction to something she ate, as so many email to this listserv have tried to do, because:
1. She didn't eat anything.  2. The customer service rep at Advil told me that particular bottle of medicine was NOT gluten free.

As I said, I am sure that Advil has changed its ways since it is so much more common for customers to require gf medicine. And I do continue to buy their medicine for my children and their adult Advil for myself.   I am not trying to alert you against Advil; I am merely illustrating that there really IS a need to check your otc medicines.


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