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

Eleven months celiac and I am still learning A LOT!   On day 8 of an
antibiotic for an eye infection,  I became convinced it contained
gluten.  I called the pharmacy (Long's in N. California) and spoke to
a pharmacist.  Does this prescription contain gluten?   She said,  I am
looking right now at the ingredients,  and it does not say "gluten".
I said in a very small voice, "it wouldn't".  I realized I can't
depend on the pharmacy without checking.  In future I will ask that they
check with the manufacturer.

It reminds me of something else I recently learned at a restaurant,
when I had a very attentive server and I asked if there
was any wheat in the meal I was thinking of ordering,  and
she said no,  and then she came back a minute later and
said,   can you eat flour?    (which was in that meal she
said had no wheat in it!)   So,  I am now careful to refer to
"wheat flour" when I am out rather than just "wheat".

In this antibiotic nightmare,   I was given options of antibiotics which
were supposedly certain to cause diarrhea and/or vomiting.   As my eye
infection hasn't cleared up despite my 10 days of presumably gluten-
containing antibiotics - and I will soon have to start another - are
there specific antibiotics you have experience with that haven't caused
you diarrhea?   I would appreciate specific names.   With a disease with
the side effect of diarrhea (and now three gluten exposures in the last
two months) I really want to try to take an antibiotic that won't
confuse my ability to recognize if I'm having a gluten exposure.   They
say this gets better after the first year!  I have a month to go.

On the things you can do angle,   if you haven't already,
please send your comments regarding food and
drug labelling so the FDA can improve labelling
that will help consumers like us with special needs,
to the meeting they are having Aug. 13th.  I didn't
realize until this weekend how much the pharmacists
need it as well as us in the grocery store!    So do this
right away.   Send your comments to:

Dockets Management Branch, HFA-305, FDA
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville,  MD 20852
Note Docket OOP-1322 on the envelope.

Please do this ASAP!


Thanks,
Helen