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

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to read my post regarding the GF status of Micronor.  In particular, I would like to express my appreciation to the 12 respondents who sent me individual e-mails.  A wealth of information can be gleaned from a variety of perspectives.
 
Four respondents suggested accessing the Web site (www.glutenfreedrugs.com).  Two out of the four respondents mentioned that the site is maintained by an anonymous healthcare professional.  Micronor is listed as gluten free but I still wanted to verify the status directly with the manufacturer considering the starch is listed as an inactive ingredient.
 
Two respondents suggested other oral contraceptives.  Unfortunately, the recommendations were for combination pills.  My practitioner will not allow me to use a birth control pill that contains estrogen because I suffer from migraine headaches.
 
Several respondents recommended contacting Ortho McNeil again and requesting to speak with someone in the pharmaceuticals or research and development divisions.  If that approach was not successful, they suggested the president of Ortho McNeil. Finally, if Ortho McNeil refuses to supply the requested information, then one respondent recommended contacting Johnson and Johnson which is the parent company of Ortho McNeil for assistance.
 
Several respondents suggested seeking an alternative oral contraceptive but did not provide recommendations.  I decided to pursue this advice.  However, another progestin only pill, Ovrette, which I had found to be GF, had been discontinued in June 2005.   The manufacturer, Wyeth, did not disclose this information in my initial phone call to them.  I discovered this information after my pharmacy informed me that Ovrette had been discontinued but they did not have a specific reason listed in their database.  When I recontacted Wyeth with this information, they claimed that the person worked in pharmaceuticals and not customer service so they would not be knowledgeable about this change.  Personally, I thought this was a line of BS.
 
I did enlist the assistance of the practitioner who prescribed me the Micronor in the first place.  Initially, this individual was reluctant to become involved because she thought that I had exhausted all my options.  She also did not understand the importance of insuring that the product was GF.  She assumed that if I did not experience an anaphylactic response that the medicine would be safe.  I had to educate her that even a minute amount of gluten could damage my small intestine.  After the debacle with Wyeth, she also seemed more willing to assist me in confirming the GF status of Micronor with Ortho McNeil.
 
On Friday, I received a letter in the mail from Ortho McNeil.  They claimed that they had prepared a response to my inquiry regarding the source of the starch for Micronor.  In addition, I had been issued a claim number for my request.
 
In calling Ortho McNeil for the third time, I was not certain what to expect in terms of treatment.  I provided my case number to the CSR who initially answered my call.  However, she seemed to be confused as to why I was calling.  Then, I proceeded to read her the contents of the letter and she stated that she would transfer me to someone in their medical research division.
 
Upon being transferred to medical research, I spoke to an individual who claimed that they sent me a letter because they did not have my phone number on file.  I found this statement to be a bit incredulous because I had repeated my phone number several times to the other CSRs.  However, she did apologize for the inconvenience.
 
Finally, we discussed the gluten status of Micronor.  This individual stated that Micronor contains corn not wheat starch.   I then asked if there was a possibility that the supplier could change the source in the following months given that it is an inactive ingredient.  She assured me that Micronor has always used corn starch and that they would be required to report the change to consumers like myself who requested this information.
Fifteen minutes later, I received a phone call from my practitioner who recited the spiel that I had received from the Ortho McNeil rep. 
 
Needless to say, I think that I have learned that one needs to be extremely vigilant about confirming the status of all ingredients in a medication.  I understand that there are no 100% guarantees.  However, as another respondent stated, we are risking gluten exposure each time we ingest a medication until the FDA regulates the manufacture of raw materials. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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