<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

The original question was:

 My cousin is taking the birth control pill *Quasense *which is the generic
for *Seasonale, *or *Seasonique.  *She has tried to contact the company to
find out if it is gluten free, but has had no luck, since they will not
stand firm on anything for legal reasons!  Medicines are such a problem in
Celiac Disease since there are often binders and inactive ingredients that
contain wheat or one of the other glutens that are harmful.  Since she is
taking this every day, she is nervous about what to do.

1.http://www.drugs.com/pro/quasense.html

2.Go to www.glutenfreedrugs.com. It is a great site.  Use "Excipient List"

3.contact Stokes Pharmacy in New Jersey. Just Google "Stokes
Pharmacy,"toll-free number. This pharmacy is phenomenal and a good
pharmacist should be able to read the product insert and determine whether
any of the
inactive ingredients is worrisome. Best,Gina Mohr-Callahan, A Fork in the
Road www.glutenfreefork.com

4.You could look at the Physicans Desk Reference (PDR) at the library to see
if it has pregelatinized starch or other starch isolates in it.  That would
give you an idea whether it is possible that it has gluten.

5.http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/ It lists ingredients by MANUFACTURERS,
even GENERICS!

6.The nuvaring goes directly into the vagina, bypassing the intestine
completely.  It is worn for 3 weeks and taken out for one.

7.I take Jasmin-it's GF, low dose and has been easy on my body. Taken it for
5 years now: before that I took Lo-Ovral, similar profile for me but the
hormone levels in the tablets are slightly higher

8. generic form of seasonal/ique made by BARR pharmaceuticals (a subset of
Teva brand) that IS gluten free. Its called Jolessa. My doc recommended I
NOT take Quassence because the company could not guarantee g/f status. I
have been very happy with Jolessa. no gluten,reaction, no side effects. i
also "pill through" my period and have not had spotting in over a year.
(under doc supervision) Barr is an israeli company and they are extremely
knowledgeable (and kind!) about talking about gluten in products, as any
gluten in their product would be a problem for religious diets for Passover,
as well as their celiac population, for which they do
extensive awareness/advocacy in the country. call them anytime!

9.I take Levora (same sort of thing--take it everyday) and it is gluten
free. No problems at all.

10.From a pharmacy Co-Director --Here are the inactive ingredients of
Quasense (Watson Pharma) and Jolessa (Teva Pharma):
Each white active tablet contains the following inactive ingredients:
croscarmellose sodium NF, lactose monohydrate NF, magnesium stearate NF,
microcrystalline cellulose NF, and povidone USP.
Each peach inert tablet contains the following inactive ingredients:
anhydrous lactose NF, FD&C yellow #6 Lake, lactose monohydrate NF, magnesium
stearate NF, and microcrystalline cellulose NF.
There are no gluten ingredients in Quasense or Jolessa.

11. There are quite a few warnings for this type of birth control medication
too with regards to mood changes, weight changes and other side effects that
people have posted about – so your cousin should not blame the side effects
if she has them just on CD – from what I saw these medications look to be
hard to take and the 7 days off create another set of symptoms.

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